against him. They addressed themselves to the members of the senate in
private, here a man and there a man, and denounced him as the marplot
of the constitution. Then they issued an order to the young men,
picking out the most audacious characters they could find, to be
present, each with a dagger hidden in the hollow of the armpit; and so
called a meeting of the senate. When Theramenes had taken his place,
Critias got up and addressed the meeting:

"If," said he, "any member of this council, here seated, imagines that
an undue amount of blood has been shed, let me remind him that with
changes of constitution such things can not be avoided. It is the rule
everywhere, but more particularly at Athens it was inevitable there
should be found a specially large number of persons sworn foes to any
constitutional change in the direction of oligarchy, and this for two
reasons. First, because the population of this city, compared with
other Hellenic cities, is enormously large; and again, owing to the
length of time during which the people has battened upon liberty. Now,
as to two points we are clear. The first is that democracy is a form
of government detestable to persons like ourselves--to us and to you;
the next is that the people of Athens could never be got to be
friendly to our friends and saviours, the Lacedaemonians. But on the
loyalty of the better classes the Lacedaemonians can count. And that
is our reason for establishing an oligarchical constitution with their
concurrence. That is why we do our best to rid us of every one whom we
perceive to be opposed to the oligarchy; and, in our opinion, if one
of ourselves should elect to undermine this constitution of ours, he
would deserve punishment. Do you not agree? And the case," he
continued, "is no imaginary one. The offender is here present--
Theramenes. And what we say of him is, that he is bent upon destroying
yourselves and us by every means in his power. These are not baseless