History of the Peloponnesian War

​The envoys from the Four Hundred, who had been at Delos—having been sent at that time to appease and instruct those in Samos—arrived while Alcibiades was present; and when an assembly was held, they attempted to speak.

​But the soldiers at first would not listen, but shouted to put to death those who were subverting the democracy; afterward, however, having with difficulty quieted down, they listened.

​They reported that the change of government had not been made for the destruction of the city, but for its preservation, nor in order that it might be delivered up to the enemy (for, they said, it had been possible to do this when the enemy invaded, while they were already in power); and that all of the Five Thousand would participate in turn; and that their relatives were neither being mistreated, as Chaereas had slanderously reported, nor suffering any harm, but were each remaining in their own places with their property.

​Though they said many other things, the soldiers listened none the more, but were angry and proposed various opinions, and especially that they should sail to the Piraeus. And it is thought that Alcibiades then first and in a way second to none benefited the city; for when the Athenians in Samos were eager to sail against themselves, in which case the enemy would most certainly have held Ionia and the Hellespont at once, he became the one who prevented it.

​And at that time, no other single man would have been able to restrain the crowd, but he both stopped the sailing and, by rebuking those who were individually angry with the envoys, turned them back.

​And he himself answered them and sent them away, saying that he did not prevent the Five Thousand from ruling, but he ordered them to dismiss the Four Hundred and to re-establish the senate of five hundred as it was before; and if any reduction had been made for economy, so that those on service might have better maintenance, he highly approved of it.

​And in other respects he urged them to hold out and yield nothing to the enemy; for as long as the city was preserved, there was great hope of reconciliation among themselves, but if once either party should fail, whether those in Samos or those at home, there would no longer be anyone with whom a reconciliation could be made.

​There were also present envoys from the Argives, offering to assist the Athenian people in Samos; and Alcibiades, having thanked them and told them to be ready when anyone should call, thus sent them away.

​The Argives had arrived with the crew of the Paralus, who had then been ordered by the Four Hundred to cruise around Euboea in a guardship, and who, carrying Athenian envoys dispatched from the Four Hundred to Lacedaemon—namely, Laespodias, Aristophon, and Melesias—when they were sailing near Argos, seized the envoys and delivered them to the Argives as being among those who had most of all subverted the democracy; they themselves did not return to Athens, but carrying the Argive envoys from Argos, they arrived at Samos in the trireme which they had.