20 



ATHENS. 



Atlwuu. pressed forward in the most rapid manner upon the 

 ranks of the enemy. A mode of attack so unusual, 

 '. at first surprise and derision ; but these urn- 

 soon changed into terror, when tiny felt the charge 

 of this formidable body) which their cavalry in vain 

 attempted to penetrate. Every thin. ay be- 



fore the weight of the Athenian phalanx, and in a 

 short time both wings of the enemy were routed, and 

 fled in confusion. Miltiades, then, recalling his vic- 

 torious wings from the pursuit, attacked hi ll.uiknnd 

 rear the Persian centre, which, having defeated the 

 troops opposed to it, was following them precipitate- 

 ly. The most arduous part of the contest now en- 

 sued ; for this was the body whose firmness had dis- 

 sipated all the other armies of Asia. Its situation, 

 however, and the superior valour of the Greeks, soon 

 decided the conflict. The Persians, routed, sought 

 refuge in their ships, whither they were pursued by 

 the victorious Greeks. As an instance of the eager- 

 ness with which the latter followed, it is related, that 

 one, having laid hold of a boat with his band, when 

 that was cut off, seized it with his teeth. The Athe- 

 nians, in this engagement, lost only 200 citizens, with 

 two of their generals, one of whom was Callimachus 

 the polemarch. The Persians left upwards of 6000 

 on the field of battle, besides losing an immense booty, 

 and several of their ships. They then made an at- 

 tempt, by doubling the promontory of Sunium, to 

 take Athens by surprise. But Miltiades, by a rapid 

 march, arrived in time to render this attempt fruit- 

 less. The Persian commander then sailed back to the 

 coast of Asia. 



Such was this battle, for ever memorable by an 

 issue so contrary to all appearances, and so auspi- 

 cious to the happiness and freedom of mankind. A 

 small city, hardly numbered till now among the 

 states of Greece, had baffled and driven back in 

 confusion the collected might of the ruler of Asia. 

 Athens had fnow begun her career of glory ; and a 

 series of triumphs succeeded, which soon raised her 

 to be the first among the Grecian states. 



The popular favour, however, which attended the 



feneral who had led them to victory, was not of long 

 uration. Such a pre-eminence, enjoyed by any one 

 citizen, was thought dangerous to the liberty of all ; 

 and Miltiades having, in the Chersonese, possessed 

 the power, and even the title of tyrant, was supposed 

 likely to aim at a similar pre-eminence in Athens. We 

 hear of no behaviour of his own which could give 

 countenance to those rumours ; but their circulation 

 gradually predisposed men's minds unfavourably to- 

 wards him. This soon appeared, when a disaster be- 

 fel him. Iking sent with a fleet to chastise the islands 

 which had submitted to, and assisted the Persians, he 

 performed his commission at first with success, and 

 exacted large sums from them. But on coming to 

 Paros, he was prompted by private resentment against 

 Tisagoras, a leading man in the island, to make so 

 enormous a demand, as determined the inhabitants to 

 resist to the last extremity. He was wounded in the 

 siege ; but at the end of 76 days, the place was on 

 the point of falling, when Miltiades, discovering a 

 light on the shore of the opposite continent, hastily 

 mistook it for the approach of a Persian armament, 

 raised the siege, and returned to Athens. An unfor- 



.iml death 

 of Milti- 

 ades. 



tunate man was never welcome there. An accusation Athens, 

 was soon preferred against him by Xantippus, the fa- v ' 



ther of Pericles j he was condemned to pay 50 talents ; 

 and not being possessed of that sum, was thrown into 

 . where he soon after died of his wounds. 



Such was the unworthy fate of the most illustrious A.C.489. 

 of Athenian commanders. Yet so fruitful was she 

 then in great men, that scarcely had he disappeared, 

 when two arose, who were well worthy of supplying 

 his place. These were the celebrated rivals Themis- Themi.io- 

 tocles and Aristides. No greater contrast could be cle * apd 

 exhibited, than by the character of these two men. Arl9tl " c ' 

 The former seems to have possessed every quality 

 which could enable him to take the lead among the 

 multitude. Bold, impetuous, enterprising even to 

 rashness, and at the same time artful, subtle, versatile, 

 he at once possessed a conformity of character which 

 made him the object of their favour, and could prac- 

 tise every art for availing himself of that favour; nor 

 was he restrained by any very scrupulous rules of 

 morality, from using such means as seemed most likely 

 to accomplish his ends. He promoted, however, to 

 the utmost, the greatness of his country, whether out of 

 patriotism, or at least as connected with his own great- 

 ness. While he favoured the cause of the people, 

 Aristides, on the other hand, supported that of the 

 aristocracy. This man was in every respect the re- 

 verse of Themistocles. Moderate, rigidly and im- 

 moveably just, little ambitious of popularity, he rested 

 satisfied with the approbation of his own mind, and 

 stooped to none of those arts by which his rival con- 

 ciliated the public affection. The party, besides, to 

 which Themistocles had attached himself, was now 

 become decidedly superior. After a severe struggle, 

 therefore, he found means to effect the banishment of 

 his rival, which was decreed by means of the ostracism, 

 an institution peculiar to Athens, and of a very re- 

 markable nature. By it, any citizen, without accu- 

 sation or trial, by the mere votes of the people, (writ- 

 ten on a species of shell, ) might be banished for ten 

 years. It inflicted no stigma, being generally imposed 

 on the most eminent citizens, from whom it was sup- 

 posed that most was to be feared. Some have brand- 

 ed it as an absurd and capricious exercise of popular 

 despotism ; while others applaud it as a mild and effec- 

 tual method of preventing that tyranny, which, in a 

 popular state, is apt to ensue from the too command- 

 ing character of any one individual. Something be- 

 tween the two ma) - probably be the soundest opinion ; 

 for though, in such a constitution as that of Athens, 

 there seems a real ground for the institution, yet there 

 is no doubt that it was often capriciously and unjustly 

 exercised. 



Themistocles was now left supreme head of the re- 

 public. In this capacity he performed a signal ser- 

 vice to his country, and to all Greece. The war with 

 JEgina reviving, made the Athenians continually sen- 

 sible of their naval deficiency. Impressed with this, 

 Themistocles found means to persuade them, that the 

 money produced by the silver mines, which had hither- 

 to been spent in feasting and entertaining the people, 

 should be employed in constructing a fleet. A hun- 

 dred gallies were accordingly put upon the stocks; 

 and with such ability were the funds managed, that 

 Athens soon became the first maritime power in 



