THE RESCUE OF THEBES. 253

fying them that the report was false. ager to get
back to their wine they dismissed him, very glad in-
deed to get away. Hardly had he gone before a fresh
message, and a far more dangerous one, was brought
to Archias, sent by a namesake of his at Athens. This
gave a full account of the scheme and the names of
those who were to carry it out. “It relates to a
very serious matter,” said the messenger who bore it.

“Serious matters for to-morrow,” cried Archias,
with a drunken laugh, as he put the unopened de-
spatch under the pillow of his couch and took up
the wine-cup again.

“Those whom the gods mean to destroy they first
make mad,” says an apposite Grecian proverb. These
men were foredcomed.

“A truce to all this disturbance,” cried the two
polemarchs to Phyllidas. “Where are the women
whom you promised us? Let us see these famous
high-born beauties.”

Phyllidas at once retired, and quickly returned
with the seven conspirators, clothed in female attire.
Leaving them in an adjoining chamber, he entered
the banquet-room, and told the feasters that the
women refused to come in unless all the domestics
were first dismissed.

“Let it be so,” said Archias, and at the command
of Phyllidas the domestics sought the house of one
of their number, where the astute secretary had well
supplied them with wine.

The two polemarchs, with one or two friends,
alone remained, all half intoxicated, and the only
armed one being Cabcirichus, the archon, who was

22