They were restored, however, to some degree of cheerfulness,
when they reached the harbour of Peiraeus, and saw the magnificent
fleet riding at anchor. Nearly all the vessels lying in the bay were
Athenian; for the main body of the allies, and the commissariat ships,
had been ordered to muster at Corcyra. The triremes furnished by
Athens numbered a hundred, of which sixty were fully equipped as war-
galleys, while forty were employed as transports. These numbers had
been equalled more than once before during the war; but in efficiency,
in splendour of appearance, and in the quality of the crews, this was
by far the finest fleet that ever sailed from Peiraeus. Only the bare
hulls of the ships were provided by the state, and each vessel was
assigned to some wealthy citizen, who defrayed all the expense of
fitting her for active service. Sometimes the cost of equipping a ship
was divided between two or more citizens, and at ordinary times this
form of taxation must have been felt by the rich as a heavy burden.
But such was the popularity of the Sicilian expedition that the
wealthy Athenians who were charged with this duty went far beyond what
was required of them, each striving to surpass the others by the
superior beauty and speed of his own ship.
Pages:
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209