was the case in many of the other dependencies;
as the cities no sooner got a moderate government and liberty of action,
than they went on to absolute freedom without being at all seduced by
the show of reform offered by the Athenians.

Pisander and his colleagues on their voyage alongshore abolished, as had
been determined, the democracies in the cities, and also took some heavy
infantry from certain places as their allies, and so came to Athens.
Here they found most of the work already done by their associates. Some
of the younger men had banded together, and secretly assassinated one
Androcles, the chief leader of the commons, and mainly responsible for
the banishment of Alcibiades; Androcles being singled out both because
he was a popular leader and because they sought by his death to
recommend themselves to Alcibiades, who was, as they supposed, to be
recalled, and to make Tissaphernes their friend. There were also some
other obnoxious persons whom they secretly did away with in the same
manner. Meanwhile their cry in public was that no pay should be given
except to persons serving in the war, and that not more than five
thousand should share in the government, and those such as were most
able to serve the state in person and in purse.

But this was a mere catchword for the multitude, as the authors of the
revolution were really to govern. However, the Assembly and the Council
of the Bean still met notwithstanding, although they discussed nothing
that was not approved of by the conspirators, who both supplied the
speakers and reviewed in advance what they were to say. Fear, and the
sight of the numbers of the conspirators, closed the mouths of the rest;
or if any ventured to rise in opposition, he was presently put to death
in some convenient way, and there was neither search for the murderers
nor justice to be had against them if suspected; but the people remained
motionless, being so thoroughly cowed that men thought themselves lucky
to escape violence, even when they held their tongues. An exaggerated
belief in the numbers of the conspirators also demoralized the people,
rendered helpless by the magnitude of the city, and by their want of
intelligence with each other, and being without means of finding out
what those numbers really were. For the same reason it was impossible
for any one to open his grief to a neighbour and to concert measures to
defend himself, as he would have had to speak either to one whom he