A T H 



reafon to dread, that their growina; ambition may endano-er 

 and atl.-ngth deftroy, the pul lie laf -ty ? In ordi-'r Kj prcv. nt 

 this evil, we have recall- d Hippias fro'tn ba. iflinient. And 

 let_i.'i5, therefore, by our united iffoits, rt.nltate the fon of 

 Piiiltratus in that power and authority cf which we molt 

 injndlcioufly deprived him. The fpecch of the Lacedx-no- 

 nians produced not the intended effect. The Peloponntfians, 

 I'.owever jealous of the Athenian grt;itncfs, were Hill more' 

 jealous of the power of tyrants; and many of them, who 

 had experienced the haughtinefs of Sparta, were not dilTa- 

 tisfied with beholding a rival lo that republic in the northern 

 divifion of Greece. The other deputies expreffed their 

 dilTent by iilei.t difapprobation ; but Soficles, the Corinthian, 

 declared his fentinientj at great length, iii a fptech which 

 alike mai k.s the manly character of the age, and the vouth- 

 ful vigour of Grecian eloquence. " Then fiirely, J^accdx- 

 monian'i, will the heavens fink below the tartli, and tiie 

 earth rife fubUme in the air ; men will inhabit the depths of 

 the fea, and filhes will take pofiefTion of the land ; when 

 you, formerly the bulwarks of liberty, (hall deraoUni the 

 popular governments of Greece, and eftabll.1i tyrannies in 

 their room, than which nothing can be more unjiilt or more 

 pernicious." After this pompous exordiu.m, the Corinthian 

 proceeded to defcribe and exaggerate the calamities which 

 his own countrymen had fuffercd from the ufurpation of 

 Cypfelus, a.id his fon Periander. Having related, at great 

 length, the proud, cruel, and defpotic aft-ons of thofe 

 princes ; " Such," added he, " are the genuine fruits of 

 abfolute power i but I adjure you by the Grecian gods ! 

 attempt not to re-e'.labli(h it in Athens. The Corinthians 

 were feized with aftonifhment when they heard that you 

 had fent for Hippias ; I myfelf was amazed at beholding 

 him in this aflembly ; yet we never fufpefted that you pro- 

 pofed to rellore him, in triumph, to his much Injured city. 

 If you ftill perfifl: in this fatal refolution, know that the 

 Corinthians difavow all part in a dcfign equally unjull and ■ 

 impious." The other deputies liftened with pleafure to the 

 boldnefs of Soficlcs, who exprefled the fentime;its which 

 they their.felves f-lt, but which their refpeil: for the Lace- 

 djcmonians obliged them to conceal. Hippias alone oppofed 

 the general voice of the afTembly, attcfting the fame gods 

 which his opponent had invoked, and prophefying, that at 

 fomc future time the Corinthians would repent of their prefent 

 conduft, and regret their cruel injutllce to the fon of Pifi- 

 ftratus, when their own citizens, as well as the reft of Greece, 

 (hould fatally experience the dangerous ambition ot^ithens. 

 This remonftrance, which was fo fully jullilicd in the 

 fequel, produced no immediate effeft in the affembly ; the 

 Lacedxmonians finally yielded to the general requeil of 

 their confederates, and abllained from their intended icmova- 

 tion in the government of a Grecian city. 



The dethroned prince, finding his caufe abandoned by 

 the Greeks, fought the protettiou of Artaphernes, the Per- 



A T H 



fian governor of Sardis : having acquired the confidence of 

 this magiftrate, hereprefcnted to him the infolence, ingrati- 

 tude, and perfidy of his countrymen, and the fevereil re- 

 proaches with which he loaded their character gained ready 

 belief with tile Perfian. The Athenians, who were informed 

 of thefe intrigues, feut ambaffadors to Sardis, in order to 

 counteraft Hippias ; but the refolution of Artaphernes 

 was already taken ; and he told the ambaffadors, that if 

 they conniitcd their fafety, and would avoid the refentment 

 of Perfia, they would reinftate Hippias on the throne of 

 his father. This anfwer had been reported to the Athe- 

 nians, and the affembly had finally fettled to oppofe tiie 

 powers of the greateft empire upon earth, rather than admit 

 within their walls the declared coeniy of their liberties. 



f ''ce Herodotus, book v.) ■ Precifely at this junAurt (B. C. 



501.) ^riftri.oras a-iivtd at Athens, explained the revolt 

 cf the Afiatic Greek- from the govtrnmrnt of Artaphernes, 

 and (olitittd the afliftancc of 'he Athenians, in def<.ndmg 

 their own colonies againft the opprelfivc violence of the 

 common foe. Many arguments were not Pccefiary to make 

 the peopl- of Athens adopt a meafure which gratified their 

 own paflio'is. The eloquent Milcfian, however, ctfcribed 

 the weahh and extent of Perfia, the grand-ur and popu- 

 loufnefs of its cities, ai;d above all, the (lothful effeminacy 

 and pufiUanimous weaknefs of their inhabitants, who, unable 

 to fi'pport the ponderous fiiield, or to poifc the manly 

 lance, invited as an cafy prey, the victorious arms of a 

 m ire warlike invader. The fpcech of Arillagoras was well 

 fitted to excite the ambition and avarice of 'Alliens. The 

 afrcii'.bly immediately decreed that affutance (hould be fent 

 to Ionia. Twenty ihips were fitted out with all convenient 

 fpeed, which reinforced by five more belonging to Eretria, 

 a town of Eubcca, rendezvoufed in the harbour of Miletus. 

 Arillagoras fpent not long time in his embaffy to the other 

 ftates of Greece, and foon met the Athenian aUics at the 

 place appointed. It was here dttermir.ed, that while the 

 comm.anderin chief regulated the civil affairs of the lonians, 

 his brother Charopinus (hould conduA a milliary expeditioQ 

 againil the wealthy capital of Lydia. Tiie Athenians, 

 defirous of teftlfying their refei:tment againR the common 

 enemy, and Hill more defirous of plunder, eagerly engaged 

 in this undertaking. The united fleets left the harbour 

 of Miletus, and failed to Ephefus, where the troops were 

 difembarkcd ; and, in three days, accomplifhing a journey 

 of feventy miles, appeared before the wails of Sardis. The 

 Peffian governor little expected fiich a \ifit ; his foldiers 

 were not prepared to take the field; and the extenfive 

 walls of the city could not be defended on all fides againil 

 the befiegers ; and the Greeks, without oppofition, entered 

 Sardis, in order to plunder the accumulated wealth of that 

 ancient capital. But an accident prevented thcyn from reap- 

 ing the fruits of their fiiccefs. The refentment of a rapa- 

 cious iuldier difappointed of his prey, fet fire to the houfe 

 of a Lydian, fituate on the fl<irts of the town, which con- 

 fided for t!ie molt part of very combuftible materials, the 

 houfes being all roofed, and many of them walled with 

 cane; a mode of building doubly dangerous in that adufl 

 climate. Tiie fiames readily Eommunicated from one houfe 

 to another; and, in a (hort time, the whole circumference 

 of the place was furrounded with a wall of fire. Sardis 

 was built in the Grecian, not in the Eaftern fai'hion, having 

 on the banks of the Pactolus, which interfefttd the town, 

 a fpacious fquare, which commonly ferved for tlie market- 

 place. Thitiier tlie Perfians, driven from the extremities, 

 betook themfelves to refuge againft the fury of the 6ames. 



Darius was extremely enraged againft the Greeks, and 

 efpecially the Athenians, for having abetted revolt among 

 his fubjefts. The proud monarch of the Eaft, when in- 

 formed that the citizens of Athens had co-operated with 

 the lonians, in the taking and burning of Sardis, difcovered 

 evident marks of the moll furious relentment ; (hooting an 

 arrow into the air, he prryed that heaven might alTift liirn 

 in punifliing the audacious infolence of that republic ; and 

 every time he fat down to table, an attendant reminded him 

 of the Athenians, left the dchght of Eaftern luxury (hould 

 ftducehim from his fell purpofe of revenge. The execution 

 of his defign was entrufled to Mardonius, a PtrCan noble- 

 man of the firft rank, whcfe perfonal as well as hereditary 

 advantages had entitled him to the man-iagc of Artazoftra, 

 daughter of Darius ; and whole youth and inexperience 

 were compeafated, iu the opinion of his mailer, by his 



luperior 



