the war, being thus disdainfully rejected by the Athenians, Mardonius 

 immediately commenced his march for Attica. From the distrac- 

 tion and jealousies, which, owing to the miserably defective, though 

 imposing, political system of Greece, still unhappily prevailed 

 through the several republics of the Peloponnesus, Attica was by 

 no means provided with a land-force adequate to oppose them, 

 though their fleet rode triumphant in the surrounding seas. By 

 rapid advances, Mardonius soon reached that capital, which, on his 

 approach, was again deserted by the inhabitants, who took refuge 

 in Salamis, where they could be protected by the fleet till a sense 

 of shame or of honour should rouse their tardy allies to hasten 

 to their relief, and fulfil the stipulations by which they were bound 

 to act with vigour against the common foe. The politic Mar- 

 donius took advantage of their deserted situation, and again 

 made proposals of acccommodation, which were again indig- 

 nantly rejected . In consequence of this obstinate refusal to break 

 their solemn engagements, and listen to any terms whatever with 

 the Persians, the enraged Mardonius, who had hitherto spared 

 Attica and its new-rising capital, commanded a general plunder of 

 the country, and once more devoted to destruction that ill-fated 

 city. At length the Spartans, sacrificing mistrust and jealousy to 

 a sense of the common danger that impended over Greece, sent off 

 Pausanias, with a body of forty thousand men, including Helots, to 

 their aid; and these, in their march, being reinforced by other 

 Greek confederates, and finally forming a junction with the 

 Athenian forces at Eleusis, proceeded to offer immediate battle to 

 the enemy. Mardonius, after ravaging Attica, had retired from that 

 country, and drawn up his numerous forces on the wide champaign 

 of Boeotia, so favourable to the operations of cavalry, ever the glory 

 and principal dependence of the Persian army. The celebrated 

 and decisive battle of PLATJEA was the consequence, in which 



