History of the Peloponnesian War | Page 9

of its old inhabitants, the Phaeacians. This was one reason of the

care that they lavished on their fleet, which became very efficient;
indeed they began the war with a force of a hundred and twenty
galleys.
All these grievances made Corinth eager to send the promised aid to
Epidamnus. Advertisement was made for volunteer settlers, and a force
of Ambraciots, Leucadians, and Corinthians was dispatched. They
marched by land to Apollonia, a Corinthian colony, the route by sea
being avoided from fear of Corcyraean interruption. When the
Corcyraeans heard of the arrival of the settlers and troops in Epidamnus,
and the surrender of the colony to Corinth, they took fire. Instantly
putting to sea with five-and-twenty ships, which were quickly followed
by others, they insolently commanded the Epidamnians to receive back
the banished nobles--(it must be premised that the Epidamnian exiles
had come to Corcyra and, pointing to the sepulchres of their ancestors,
had appealed to their kindred to restore them)--and to dismiss the
Corinthian garrison and settlers. But to all this the Epidamnians turned
a deaf ear. Upon this the Corcyraeans commenced operations against
them with a fleet of forty sail. They took with them the exiles, with a
view to their restoration, and also secured the services of the Illyrians.
Sitting down before the city, they issued a proclamation to the effect
that any of the natives that chose, and the foreigners, might depart
unharmed, with the alternative of being treated as enemies. On their
refusal the Corcyraeans proceeded to besiege the city, which stands on
an isthmus; and the Corinthians, receiving intelligence of the
investment of Epidamnus, got together an armament and proclaimed a
colony to Epidamnus, perfect political equality being guaranteed to all
who chose to go. Any who were not prepared to sail at once might, by
paying down the sum of fifty Corinthian drachmae, have a share in the
colony without leaving Corinth. Great numbers took advantage of this
proclamation, some being ready to start directly, others paying the
requisite forfeit. In case of their passage being disputed by the
Corcyraeans, several cities were asked to lend them a convoy. Megara
prepared to accompany them with eight ships, Pale in Cephallonia with
four; Epidaurus furnished five, Hermione one, Troezen two, Leucas ten,
and Ambracia eight. The Thebans and Phliasians were asked for money,
the Eleans for hulls as well; while Corinth herself furnished thirty ships

and three thousand heavy infantry.
When the Corcyraeans heard of their preparations they came to Corinth
with envoys from Lacedaemon and Sicyon, whom they persuaded to
accompany them, and bade her recall the garrison and settlers, as she
had nothing to do with Epidamnus. If, however, she had any claims to
make, they were willing to submit the matter to the arbitration of such
of the cities in Peloponnese as should be chosen by mutual agreement,
and that the colony should remain with the city to whom the arbitrators
might assign it. They were also willing to refer the matter to the oracle
at Delphi. If, in defiance of their protestations, war was appealed to,
they should be themselves compelled by this violence to seek friends in
quarters where they had no desire to seek them, and to make even old
ties give way to the necessity of assistance. The answer they got from
Corinth was that, if they would withdraw their fleet and the barbarians
from Epidamnus, negotiation might be possible; but, while the town
was still being besieged, going before arbitrators was out of the
question. The Corcyraeans retorted that if Corinth would withdraw her
troops from Epidamnus they would withdraw theirs, or they were ready
to let both parties remain in statu quo, an armistice being concluded till
judgment could be given.
Turning a deaf ear to all these proposals, when their ships were manned
and their allies had come in, the Corinthians sent a herald before them
to declare war and, getting under way with seventy-five ships and two
thousand heavy infantry, sailed for Epidamnus to give battle to the
Corcyraeans. The fleet was under the command of Aristeus, son of
Pellichas, Callicrates, son of Callias, and Timanor, son of Timanthes;
the troops under that of Archetimus, son of Eurytimus, and Isarchidas,
son of Isarchus. When they had reached Actium in the territory of
Anactorium, at the mouth of the mouth of the Gulf of Ambracia, where
the temple of Apollo stands, the Corcyraeans sent on a herald in a light
boat to warn them not to sail against them. Meanwhile they proceeded
to man their ships, all of which had been equipped for action, the old
vessels being undergirded to make them seaworthy. On the return of
the herald without any peaceful answer from the Corinthians, their
ships being now manned, they put out to