64 Before Chrill 480. 



ages, to take polTeflion of that country. His navy confifted of 1,207 

 triremes, or (liips of war carrying three tires of oars, and 3,000 tran- 

 fports, which were all furnifhed by the nations bordering on the eaft 

 part of the Mediterranean and yEgsean feas and the fouth fhore of the 

 Euxine fea, all of whom were fubjcdl to him. Of the triremes the Phoe- 

 nicians furnifhed 300, diflinguiflied from the reft of the fleet by their 

 velocity ; and among them the Sidonian veiTels were the beft. Five 

 vefTels, furniftied, and commanded in perfon, by Artemifia queen of 

 Caria, were efteemed next to thofe of the Sidonians. The quota of the 

 Egyptians was 200 lliips ; but it is realbnable to believe, that, on being 

 taxed with that number, their money was employed in procuring them 

 from the commercial people of Phoenicia or Carthage. Smaller num- 

 bers were provided by the other fubjed ftates according to their abili- 

 ties. [Herodot. L. vii, cc. 89-99, and 23.] The innumerable multitudes 

 dragged after the ftandard of the Perfian monarch, better calculated to 

 fettle an hundred populous colonies than to effed one conqueft, were 

 almoft totally deftroyed by famine, by the rigour of the feafons, by the 

 winds, by their ignorance of the country which they invaded, and 

 partly by the wife conduct and wonderful valour of the Greeks. About 

 one third of the formidable armada, which the ^gsean fea was fcarcely 

 fpacious enough to contain, was wrecked on the coaft of Theflaly; and 

 moft of the remaining fhips were deftroyed or taken in repeated en- 

 gagements with the Greeks, among whom the chief praife was due to 

 the Athenians, who on this occafion placed their whole dependence on 

 their wooden walls*, and, as their city was deftroyed, were very pro- 

 perly confidered by Themiftocles their general, as a floating nation. 



480 — The event of this memorable expedition was the very reverfe 

 of what Xerxes and his venal flatterers predided, Greece remained free ; 

 and the empire, which he fought to extend, after being devoured by 

 his innumerable army, and debilitated throughout its vaft extent by 

 the lofs of its beft men, was curtailed by the independence of the Gre- 

 cian colonies in Afia. 



This was incomparably the moft brilliant period of the Grecian 

 hiftory, and the time, when the Greeks might with confiderable pro- 

 priety have afcribed to themfelves the dominion of the fea. About 

 this time alfo they attained, and for a confiderable time fupported, that 

 high rank in literature, that fuperiority in the fine arts, and that ard- 

 ent love of liberty, which have ennobled the Grecian character, and 

 rendered it the objedl of refped and admiration in all fucceeding ages. 



* The Athenians, having confultcd the oracle tiyn of liis own opinion) convinced them, that their 



.It Delphi, were told, that they nuift fly from their fhips vvere the vjoodfit walls, to which they were 



houfcs, and feck refuge within their iiiooiUn "wtilli. to owe their prefervation. \_HeroiL L. vii, cc. 



They were miicli puzzled about the meaning of 140-143.] This was apparently the tirft occa» 



the refponfc, ti!'. Themifloclcs (whofe money had, fion on which our favourite metaphorical appella- 



no douht, procured the imaginary-divine apptuba- tiun for a naval force was ufed. 



