Remember, too, I beg you, the many benefits he conferred upon the city after his return from exile, and, even before that time, the state of affairs here when you received him back: the democracy had been overthrown,By the Revolution of the Four Hundred. the citizens were in a state of civil war, the army was disaffected toward the government established here, and both parties had reached such a state of madness that neither had any hope of salvation.

For the one partythe Athenian army and fleet, sympathetic the the democracy, were at the island of Samos (Thuc. 8.82 and Thuc. 8.86). regarded those who were in possession of the city as greater enemies than the LacedaemoniansThe oligarchs in Athens. and the other were making overtures to the Spartan forces in Decelea, judging that it was preferable to hand over their country to its enemies rather than to give a share in the rights of citizenship to those who were fighting for the city.

Such was the state of mind of the citizens: the enemy was in control of land and sea; your financial resources were exhausted, while the Persian king was supplying them with funds; furthermore, ninety ships had come from PhoeniciaThe Persian king depended largely upon Phoenicia for ships of war. to AspendusAspendus, a town in Asia Minor, in Pamphylia, was situated on the river Eurymedon. and were prepared to aid the Lacedaemonians. By so many misfortunes and such perils was the city beset

when the army summoned my father, and he did not treat them with disdain in their plight, nor did he rebuke them for the past, nor did he deliberate about the future; on the contrary, he chose at once to suffer any misfortune with his country rather than to enjoy prosperity with the Lacedaemonians, and he made it manifest to all that he was warring on those who had banished him and not on you, and that his heart was set on a return to Athens and not on her ruin.

Having thrown in his lot with you, he persuaded TissaphernesPersian satrap of western Asia Minor from 414 B.C. not to furnish the Lacedaemonians with money, checked the defection of your allies, distributed pay from his own resources to the soldiers, restored political power to the people, reconciled the citizens, and turned back the Phoenician fleet.