5
Now the persons who first plotted against the democracy and established the Four Hundred,The Revolution of the Four Hundred in 411 B.C. conducted the Athenian government for only a few months. inasmuch as my father, although he was repeatedly invited to join them would not do so, seeing that he was a vigorous opponent of their activities and a loyal supporter of the people, judged that they were powerless to upset the established order until he was removed out of their way.
6
And since they knew that in matters pertaining to the gods the city would be most enraged if any man should be shown to be violating the Mysteries,The Eleusinian Mysteries were celebrated annually at Eleusis in Attica and were performed in honor of Demeter and her daughter Persephone. and that in other matters if any man should dare to attempt the overthrow of the democracy, they combined both these charges and tried to bring an action of impeachment before the senate. They asserted that my father was holding meetings of his political club with a view to revolution, and that these members of the club, when dining together in the house of Pulytion,Cf. Andoc. 1.12. had given a performance of the Mysteries.
7
The city was greatly excited by reason of the gravity of the charges, and a meeting of the Assembly was hastily called at which my father so clearly proved that the accusers were lying that the people would have been glad to punish them, and furthermore elected him general for the Sicilian expedition.The ill-fated Sicilian Expedition, 415-413 B.C. Thereupon he sailed away, judging that he had been already cleared of their calumnies; but his accusers, having united the Council and having made the public speakers subservient to themselves, again revived the matter and suborned informers.
