VI.
THE BIRDS.

This play was exhibited at the Great or City Festival of Bacchus in
the year 414 B.c. The struggle in Sicily, which was to end so disas-
trously for Athens in the following year, was then going on; and it
has been suggested that the poet’s purpose was to warn his countrymen
against wild and hare-brained expeditions and schemes of conquest.
This suggestion is scarcely probable, for the expedition had hitherto
had a fair measure of success, and was still greatly popular at Athens.
The question, however, need not be here discussed; but it may be well
to mention, for the benefit of readers not familiar with the history of
the time, an important incident connected with it. Alcibiades had
been one of the chief advocates of the expedition, and had been ap-
pointed one of the three generals in command, Nicias and Lamachus
being his colleagues. On the eve of embarkation an extraordinary
outrage was committed in the city. This was the simultaneous mutila-
tion of all the pedestal statues of Hermes that stood in the streets and
public places of Athens. Suspicion at once fell on Alcibiades and the
riotous young aristocrats in whose society he lived. The fact that
almost the only statue spared was one that stood near his house was
thought to point to his guilt, though to us it suggests that the affair
was the work of his enemies. Alcibiades begged that the matter
should be inquired into at once. This he could not bring about; but
he was permitted, even compelled, to accompany the expedition. Not
long afterwards he was recalled to take his trial, and one of the state
galleys was sent to fetch him. He obeyed the summons, but escaped
on his way home, and took refuge at Sparta. There he exerted him-
self to do all the injury possible to his country.

Two citizens of Athens, of whom one had the
name of Plausible, and the other of Hopeful, Plaus-
ible being the leader, set out from Athens in search

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