nt out to take his place in Chios.

About the same period, while Thrasylus was still in Athens, Agis
(10) made a foraging expedition up to the very walls of the city. But
Thrasylus led out the Athenians with the rest of the inhabitants of the
city, and drew them up by the side of the Lyceum Gymnasium, ready to
engage the enemy if they approached; seeing which, Agis beat a hasty
retreat, not however without the loss of some of his supports, a few of
whom were cut down by the Athenian light troops. This success disposed
the citizens to take a still more favourable view of the objects for
which Thrasylus had come; and they passed a decree empowering him to
call out a thousand hoplites, one hundred cavalry, and fifty triremes.

(10) The reader will recollect that we are giving in "the Deceleian"
period of the war, 413-404 B.C. The Spartan king was in command of
the fortress of Deceleia, only fourteen miles distant from Athens,
and erected on a spot within sight of the city. See Thuc. vii. 19,
27, 28.

Meanwhile Agis, as he looked out from Deceleia, and saw vessel after
vessel laden with corn running down to Piraeus, declared that it was
useless for his troops to go on week after week excluding the Athenians
from their own land, while no one stopped the source of their corn
supply by sea: the best plan would be to send Clearchus, (11) the son
of Rhamphius, who was proxenos (12) of the Byzantines, to Chalcedon and
Byzantium. The suggestion was approved, and with fifteen vessels duly
manned from Megara, or furnished by other allies, Clearchus set out.
These were troop-ships rather than swift-sailing men-of-war. Three of
them, on reaching the Hellespont, were destroyed by the Athenian ships
employed to keep a sharp look-out on all merchant craft in those waters.
The other twelve escaped to Sestos, and thence finally reached Byzantium
in safety.

(11) Of Clearchus we shall hear more in the sequel, and in the
"Anabasis."

(12) The Proxenus answered pretty nearly to our "Consul," "Agent,"
"Resident"; but he differed in this respect, that he was always a
member of the foreign State. An Athenian represented Sparta at
Athens; a Laconian represented Athens at Sparta, and so forth. See
Liddell and Scott.

So closed the year--a year notable also for the expedition against
Sicily of the Carthaginians under Hannibal with one hundred thousand
men, and the capture, within three months, of the tw