,
addressed the insurgents roughly, and sent them away in custody,
harshly treated, as if he meant to inflict some signal punishment upon
them, while he bade those of the popular faction take courage, and not
to expect any ill-treatment while he was present. By this artifice he
prevailed upon the chief men of the democratic party not to leave the
city, but to remain and perish in it; as indeed they did, for every
one who trusted to his word was put to death. Moreover, Androkleides
relates a story which shows Lysander's extreme laxity with regard to
oaths. He is said to have remarked, that "We cheat boys with dice, and
men with oaths!" In this he imitated Polykrates, the despot of
Samos--an unworthy model for a Spartan general. Nor was it like a
Spartan to treat the gods as badly as he treated his enemies, or even
worse--for the man who overreaches his enemy by breaking his oath
admits that he fears his enemy, but despises his god.

IX. Cyrus now sent for Lysander to Sardis, and gave him a supply of
money, with promise of more. Nay, he was so zealous to show his
attachment to Lysander that he declared, if his father would not
furnish him with funds, that he would expend all his own property, and
if other resources failed, that he would break up the gold and silver
throne on which he was sitting. Finally, when he went away to Media to
see his father, he empowered Lysander to receive the tribute from the
subject cities, and placed the whole of his government in his hands.
He embraced Lysander, begged him not to fight the Athenians by sea
until he returned from court, promised that he would return with many
ships from Phoenicia and Cilicia, and so departed.

Lysander was not able to fight the Athenians on equal terms, but yet
he could not remain quiet with so large a number of ships. He
accordingly put out to sea, induced several of the islands to revolt
from Athens, and overran AEgina and Salamis. At length he landed in
Attica, where he met Agis, who came down from Dekeleia to see him, and
showed the land army what his naval force was, boasting that he could
sail whither he pleased, and was master of the seas. However, when he
discovered that the Athenians were in pursuit he fled precipitately
back to Asia Minor. Finding the Hellespont unguarded, he attacked the
city of Lampsakus by sea, while Thorax, who had arrived at the same
place with the land forces, attacked it on that side. He took the city
by storm, and, gave it