XIX. During this time, Androkles, a popular speaker, brought forward
several slaves and resident aliens, who charged Alkibiades and his
friends with mutilating certain other statues, and with parodying the
ceremonies of initiation to the sacred mysteries when in their cups.
They said that the part of the Herald was taken by Theodorus, that of
the Torch-bearer by Polytion, and that of Hierophant by Alkibiades
himself, while the rest of the company were present and were initiated,
and were addressed by them as Mysts, which means persons who have been
initiated into the mysteries. These are the charges which we find
specified in the indictment drawn against Alkibiades by Thessalus the
son of Kimon, in which he accuses Alkibiades of sacrilege against the
two goddesses, Demeter (Ceres) and Proserpine. The people now became
very much enraged with Alkibiades, and were still more exasperated by
his personal enemy Androkles. Alkibiades was at first alarmed, but soon
perceived that all the sailors of the fleet about to sail to Sicily
were on his side, as were also the soldiers. A body of a thousand
Argives and Mantineans also were heard to say that they were going to
cross the seas and fight in a distant land all for the sake of
Alkibiades, and that if he did not meet with fair play, they would at
once desert. Encouraged by this, he appeared at the appointed time to
defend himself, which disconcerted and disheartened his enemies, who
feared that the people might deal leniently with him because they
required his services.
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