Diodorus Siculus

“ As for the Syracusans, when the war was ended with the Athenians, they rewarded the Lacedæmonians their confederates, of whom Gylippus was general, with the spoils taken in the war, and sent with them five-and-thirty gallies to assist them against the Athenians, of which Hermocrates, a great man among the citizens, was admiral. Then all the booty and prey was brought together, and out of the spoils they adorned the temples, and rewarded every soldier according to his merit. ”

“ Three hundred appointed to govern in Athen. The Athenians beaten at sea by the Lacedæmonians at Oropus. Alcibiades recalled from banishment. THE war now ended, Diocles prescribed laws for the Syracusans. But one thing very remarkable happened concerning this man: for being of an inexorable nature, and rigid and severe against the offenders, amongst other laws which he made, one was this—That if any man came armed into the court, he should be put to death, without any exception of ignorance, or of any other circumstance of the fact whatsoever. ”

“ And to that end they gave full authority to four hundred persons chosen out of the citizens to rule and govern the commonwealth: for, in their present circumstances, they preferred an oligarchy before their former democracy. ”