rom Chios
a further remittance of five drachmas (5) a piece as outfit for each
seaman, he set sail to Methyma in Lesbos, which was in the hands of the
enemy. But as the Methymnaeans were not disposed to come over to him
(since there was an Athenian garrison in the place, and the men at the
head of affairs were partisans of Athens), he assaulted and took the
place by storm. All the property within accordingly became the spoil of
the soldiers. The prisoners were collected for sale by Callicratidas
in the market-place, where, in answer to the demand of the allies, who
called upon him to sell the Methymnaeans also, he made answer, that as
long as he was in command, not a single Hellene should be enslaved if
he could help it. The next day he set at liberty the free-born captives;
the Athenian garrison with the captured slaves he sold. (6) To Conon
he sent word:--He would put a stop to his strumpeting the sea. (7) And
catching sight of him, as he put out to sea, at break of day, he gave
chase, hoping to cut him off from his passage to Samos, and prevent his
taking refuge there.

(5) About 4d.

(6) Grote, "Hist. of Greece," vol. viii. p. 224 (2d ed.), thinks that
Callicratidas did not even sell the Athenian garrison, as if the
sense of the passage were: "The next day he set at liberty the
free-born captives with the Athenian garrison, contenting himself
with selling the captive slaves." But I am afraid that no
ingenuity of stopping will extract that meaning from the Greek
words, which are, {te d' usteraia tous men eleutherous apheke tous
de ton 'Athenaion phrourous kai ta andrapoda ta doula panta
apedoto}. To spare the Athenian garrison would have been too
extraordinary a proceeding even for Callicratidas. The idea
probably never entered his head. It was sufficiently noble for him
to refuse to sell the Methymnaeans. See the remarks of Mr. W. L.
Newman, "The Pol. of Aristotle," vol. i. p. 142.

(7) I.e. the sea was Sparta's bride.

But Conon, aided by the sailing qualities of his fleet, the rowers of
which were the pick of several ships' companies, concentrated in a few
vessels, made good his escape, seeking shelter within the harbour of
Mitylene in Lesbos, and with him two of the ten generals, Leon and
Erasinides. Callicratidas, pursuing him with one hundred and seventy
sail, entered the harbour simultaneously; and Conon thus hindered from
further or final escape by the t