Alcibiades

About this same time, too, Alcibiades returned to Samos with his thirteen ships from Caunus and Phaselis, bringing word that he had prevented the Phoenician ships from joining the Peloponnesians, and had made Tissaphernes a more decided friend to the Athenians than before.

When Alcibiades had thus spoken, there was some laughter at his frankness, which showed him still amorously inclined to Socrates;

Callias himself accused him of it before you all in the Assembly, and, for fear that his wealth would cost him his life, made over his property to the state in the event of his dying without issue.

Cyrus, however, would not receive them, although Tissaphernes urged him to do so and advised him to see to it that no single Greek state should become strong, but that all be kept weak through constant quarrelling among themselves,—the policy he himself had followed on the advice of Alcibiades.

The Assembly had met to give audience to Nicias, Lamachus, and Alcibiades, the generals about to leave with the Sicilian expedition—in fact, Lamachus’ flag-ship was already lying offshore—when suddenly Pythonicus rose before the people and cried:

For what shall we say, when Socrates had persuaded Alcibiades, as we have heard, that he was no real man, and that there was no difference between Alcibiades, born in the highest station, and any porter, and when Alcibiades, afflicting himself and weeping, was a suppliant to Socrates, that he would impart virtue to him and drive off baseness — what shall we say, Cleanthes?

Such a method Socrates points out to Alcibiades, who asks thus: