Alc. 3.1Bellō Peloponnēsiō huius cōnsiliō atque auctōritāte Athēniēnsēs bellum Syrācūsānīs indīxērunt.In the Peloponnesian War it was through his advice and influence that the Athenians declared war on the Syracusans. Alc. 3.1Ad quod gerendum ipse dux dēlēctus est, duo praetereā collēgae datī, Nīcia et Lamachus.He himself was chosen as commander to conduct it, and two colleagues were given him besides, Nicias and Lamachus. Alc. 3.2Id cum apparārētur, prius quam classis exīret, accidit ut ūnā nocte omnēs Hermae, quī in oppidō erant Athēnīs, dēicerentur praeter ūnum, quī ante iānuam erat Andocidī (itaque ille posteā Mercurius Andocidī vocitātus est).While it was being prepared, before the fleet sailed, it happened that in a single night all the Herms in the town of Athens were thrown down except one, which stood before the door of Andocides (and so it was afterwards commonly called the Mercury of Andocides). Alc. 3.3Hoc cum appārēret nōn sine magnā multōrum cōnsēnsiōne esse factum, quae nōn ad prīvātam, sed ad pūblicam rem pertinēret, magnus multitūdinī timor est iniectus, nē qua repentīna vīs in cīvitāte exsisteret, quae lībertātem opprimeret populī.Since it was clear that this had not been done without a great conspiracy of many people, one that concerned not private but public affairs, great fear was struck into the populace that some sudden violence might arise in the state to crush the people's liberty.
Alc. 3.4Hoc maximē convenīre in Alcibiadem vidēbātur, quod et potentior et maior quam prīvātus exīstimābātur: multōs enim līberālitāte dēvīnxerat, plūrēs etiam operā forēnsī suōs reddiderat.This seemed to fit Alcibiades above all, because he was thought to be both more powerful and greater than a private citizen: for he had bound many to himself by his generosity, and had made still more his own by his services in the courts. Alc. 3.5Quā rē fīēbat ut omnium oculōs, quotiēnscumque in pūblicum prōdīsset, ad sē converteret neque eī pār quisquam in cīvitāte pōnerētur.As a result, whenever he appeared in public, he drew all eyes to himself, and no one in the state was ranked as his equal. Alc. 3.5Itaque nōn sōlum spem in eō habēbant maximam, sed etiam timōrem, quod et obesse plūrimum et prōdesse poterat.So they placed in him not only the greatest hope but also fear, because he could do both the greatest harm and the greatest good. Alc. 3.6Aspergēbātur etiam īnfāmiā, quod in domō suā facere mystēria dīcēbātur (quod nefās erat mōre Athēniēnsium) idque nōn ad religiōnem, sed ad coniūrātiōnem pertinēre exīstimābātur.He was also tainted with ill repute, because he was said to perform the mysteries in his own house (which was sacrilege by the custom of the Athenians), and this was thought to have to do not with religion but with conspiracy.