In  427,*  however,  things  began  to  go  wrong  there  from
the  Athenian  point  of  view.  Certain  aristocrats  who  had
returned,  acting  in  the  interests  of  Corinth,  though  they

1  Thuc.  ii.  83,  84.  2  Thuc.  ii.  92.  '  Thuc.  ii.  102.
*  Thuc.  iii.  7.  *  Thuc.  iii.  70.
352  THE  TEN  YEARS'  WAR

could  not  bring  to  an  end  the  Athenian  alliance,  got  their
fellow-citizens  to  vote  for  friendship  with  the  Pelopon-
nesians.  Then  ensued  some  very  bloody  proceedings  which
have  little  concern  with  the  strategy  of  the  war ;  but  the
aristocrats  got  a  vote  of  neutrality  to  both  sides  carried.
After  some  more  fighting  an  Athenian  admiral  arrived  from
Naupaktos  and  induced  the  Corcyraeans  to  make  an  offen-
sive and  defensive  alliance  with  Athens.^  Just  after  this  a
large  Pelopannesian  fleet  came  up,  attracted  by  the  possi-
bility of  profiting  from  the  disorders,  and  defeated  the
Athenians  and  the  Corcyraean  democrats.
The  Peloponnesians  did  not  follow  up  their  victory,  but
retreated  when  they  heard  that  Eurymedon  was  coming
up  with  a  large  fleet  which  the  Athenians  had  sent  on
hearing  of  the  disturbances  in  Corcyra.  After  this  the
democrats  massacred  the  aristocrats,  some  of  whom,  how-
ever, escaped  to  the  mainland,  and  by  attacks  upon  the
island  made  things  as  unpleasant  as  they  could  for  their
democratic  opponents.  From  this  time  until  the  end  of  the
war  Corcyra  must  have  been  less  useful  to  Athens ;  but  the
passage  past  the  island  would  be  exceedingly  dangerous  for
Peloponnesian  traders,  who  would  be  at  the  mercy  of
enterprising  privateers.  Still  the  willingness  of  the
Athenians  to  interfere  in  Sicily  which  developed  immedi-
ately after  these  disorders  in  Corcyra  may  have  been  partly
due  to  them.
