ABSTRACT
And now began that incessant marauding of domiciliated enemies, partially contemplated even at the beginning of the Peloponnesian war - and recently enforced by the advice of the exile Alkibiades. 1 The earlier invasions of Attica had been all temporary, continuing for five or six weeks at the farthest, and leaving the country in repose for the remainder of the year. But the Athenians now underwent from henceforward the experience of a hostile garrison within fifteen miles of their city, an experience peculiarly painful this summer, as well as from its novelty, as from the extraordinary vigout which Agis displayed in his operations. His excursions were so widely extended, that no part of Attica was secure or could be rendered productive. Not only were all the sheep and cattle destroyed, but the slaves too, especially the most valuable slaves or artisans, began to desert to Dekeleia in great numbers: more than 20,000 of them soon disappeared in this way. So terrible a loss of income both to proprietors of land and to employers in the city, was farther aggravated by the increased cost and difficulty of import from Eubrea. Provisions and cattle from that island had previously come over land from Oropus, but as that road was completely stopped by the garrison of Dekeleia, they were now of necessity sent round Cape Sunium by sea; a transit more circuitous and expensive, besides being
Besides the personal efforts of the citizens, such exigences pressed heavily on the financial resources of the state. Already the immense expense incurred, in fitting out the two large armaments for Sicily, had exhausted all the accumulations laid by in the treasury duting the interval since the peace of Nikias; so that the attacks from Dekeleia, not only imposing heavy additional cost, but at the same time abridging the means of paying, brought the finances of Athens into positive embarrassment. With a view of increasing her revenues, she altered the principle on which her subject-allies had hitherto been assessed. Instead of a fixed sum of annual tribute, she now required from them payment of a duty of 5 per cent. on all imports and exports by sea. How this new principle of assessment worked, we have unfortunately no information. To collect the duty, and take precautions against evasion, an Athenian custom-house officer must have been required in each allied city. Yet it is difficult to understand how Athens could have enforced a system at once novel, extensive, and more burdensome to the payers, when we come to see how much her hold over those
Thracian mercenaries, whose aid would have been very useful against the enemy at Dekeleia. These Thracian peltasts, 1,300 in number, had been hired
at a drachma per day each man, to go with Demosthenes to Syracuse, but had not reached Athens in time. As soon as they came thither, the Athenians placed them under the command of Diitrephes, to conduct them back to their native country, with instructions to do damage to the Breotians, as opportunity might occur, in his way through the Euripus. Diitrephes passed to Chalkis in Eubrea, from whence he crossed in the night to the Breotian coast opposite, and marched up some distance from the sea to the neighbourhood of the Breotian town Mykalessus. He arrived here unseen, and fell upon the town unexpectedly at break of day. Not only were all the houses, and even the temples, plundered - but the Thracians farther manifested that raging thirst of blood which seemed inherent in their race. They slew every living thing that came in their way; men, women, children, horses, cattle, etc. They burst into a school, wherein many boys had just been assembled, and massacred them all.
