fury that Conon alone, with eight
galleys, escaped him; all the rest, about two hundred, he took and
carried away, together with three thousand prisoners, whom he put to
death. And within a short time after, he took Athens itself, burnt
all the ships which he found there, demolished their long walls, and
established the rule of the Thirty Tyrants.

After this, Alcibiades, standing in dread of the Lacedaemonians, who
were now masters both at sea and land, retired into Bithynia. He sent
there great treasure before him, took much with him, but left much more
in the castle where he had before resided. But he lost a great part
of his wealth in Bithynia, being robbed by some Thracians who lived in
those parts, and thereupon determined to go to the court of Artaxerxes,
not doubting but that the king, if he would make trial of his abilities,
would find him not inferior to Themistocles, besides being recommended
by a more honorable cause. For he went, not as Themistocles did,
to offer his service against his fellow-citizens, but against their
enemies, and to implore the king's aid for the defence of his country.
The Athenians, in the meantime, miserably afflicted at their loss of
empire and liberty, acknowledged and bewailed their former errors and
follies, and judged this second ill-usage of Alcibiades to be of all the
most inexcusable. For he was rejected, without any fault committed by
himself; and only because they were incensed against his subordinate
for having shamefully lost a few ships, they were much more shamefully
deprived the commonwealth of its most valiant and accomplished general.

Critias finally represented to Lysander that the Lacedaemonians could
never securely enjoy the dominion of Greece, till the Athenian democracy
was absolutely destroyed; and though now the people of Athens seemed
quietly and patiently to submit to so small a number of governors, yet
so long as Alcibiades lived, the knowledge of this fact would never
suffer them to acquiesce in their present circumstances.

Yet Lysander could not be prevailed upon by these representation, till
at last he received secret orders from the magistrates of Lacedaemon,
expressly requiring him to get Alcibiades despatched: whether it
was that they feared his energy and boldness in undertaking what was
hazardous, or that it was done to gratify king Agis. Upon receipt of
this order, Lysander sent a messenger away to Pharnabazus, desiring
him to put it in execut