A T II 



and the Greeks feeing no other poffibilly of efcapii'.g, ex- 

 cept by fighting tlieir way thruugli the miJh of the eueniy, 

 prupared for the engagement. Xerxes, who was on (hore, 

 being defirous of feeing the battle, ordered a fuperb throne 

 to be creeled for liiin on an eminence. Tlie fleet of the 

 Greeks confilled. of three hundred and eighty fail. Thc- 

 miftoeles, who that day commanded it, wailed for the riling 

 of a wind, which regularly began to blow at a certain hour, 

 in a dircdion exaCily in the face of the enemy. The Per- 

 fians began the attack with gr^at bravery j but the fmall 

 fleet of the Greeks, acting by the lldll of its commanders 

 under every advantage, foon threw the enemy's tirft line 

 into confuiion, and funk the Perfian admii-al. Thofe that 

 followed him, intimidated by his fate, partly betook them- 

 felves to flight, and partly were funk. On the wings, how- 

 ever, the aclion continued very warm and oblUnate ; but 

 the wind being againll the Perfians, the unwieldy fize of 

 their (hips rendered them ver)- difUcult to be managed, and 

 their great number rather embarraffing than availing them in 

 fuch a narrow llrait, they could not long fullain the im- 

 petuoiity of the Athenians, but fell into a general diforder. 

 The lonians, mindful of their Grecian extraction, were the 

 firll that fled ; and they were quickly followed by the rell of 

 the Perfian fleet, which foon appeared fcattered up and 

 down in flight and confufion. t)_ueen Aitem-lia ligr.alifed 

 herfclf by a cmirage far above her' fex. In the height of 

 the battle, perceiving herfelf to be on the point of falling 

 into the hands of the Greeks, flie immediately hung out 

 Grecian colours, and attacking one of the Perfian gullies, 

 funk it. The Greek that purfued her, deceived by this 

 ftratagem, believed her to be one of his own party, and 

 quitted the purfuit. The viclory coll the Greeks forty 

 fliips ; but of the Perfians two hundred were either ta!;en or 

 funk. This engagement, one of the moll memorable re-- 

 corded in ancient hiftory, entailed immortal fame on the 

 Grecian wifdom and courage. The renowned Cimon, 

 though yet but a young man, dlftinguiflied hioifelf highly 

 on that occafion, and gave evident marks of his future 

 greatnefs. But as the principal glory belonged to Themi- 

 floclcs, the eyes of all the Greeks were fixed on him, and 

 the higheft honours were conferred on the deliverer of 

 Greece. At this time every fentiment of jealouly was over- 

 looked, and nou'? exceeded the Lacedsemonians in their 

 encomiums on Themillocles, whom they crowned with 

 laurel, the reward of wifdom and valour. When he ap- 

 pealed at the Olympic games, the whole affembly rofe up 

 to give him place ; every eye was fixed on him alone ; and 

 that day was the mod glorious of his hfe. 



The Perfians and Greeks were in expeftation of a new 

 battle ; but Mardonius was by no means fatisfied with the 

 orders given by Xerxes ; he read in the foul of that prince 

 nothiii"' but the mcanell fcntimcnts combined with projefts 

 of reveii"'e, to which he poihbly might fall a victim. "My 

 lord," faid he, approaching him, " deign to recal your 

 courage ; your expectations were not tounded on yottr 

 fleet, but on that formidable army with which you have 

 cntrufled me. The Greeks are no more able to refill you 

 now than heretofore ; nothing can ihelter them from the 

 punifliment due to their ancient offences, and the fruitlefs 

 advantage they have lately gained. If we determine on a 

 retreat, we fhall for ever be the objecls of their derifion ; 

 and the opprobrium that has fallen on the Phoenicians, the 

 Egyptians, and other nations who fought on board your 

 vcflels, will recoil on your faithful Perfians. Suffer me to 

 propofe another method to fave their glory and your own ; 

 I would advife you to lead back the greater part of your 

 troops to Pcrfia, and kave me three hundred thoufand men, 



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with whom I (hall be able to reduce all Greece." (Sec He- 

 rodotus, I. viii.) Xerxes, who in his own mind was 

 rejoiced at the propofal, affembied his council, admitte«l to 

 it Artcmifia, and lequelled her opinion on the project of 

 Maidonius. The queen difcovering the real fentiments of 

 Xerxes, gave an advice wiiich flie knew would be pleafing. 

 " Leave," flie faid, " to Mardonius, the care of completing 

 your work. If he fucceeds, yours will be all the glory ; 

 if he perifties, or is defeated, your empire will not, on 

 that account, be fliaken, nor Perfia confider the lofs of a 

 battle- as any greSt misfortune, when you fliall have fecured 

 your perfon." When the Greeks had Icifure to examine 

 the extent and completenefs of their fticcefs, they deter- 

 mined, in the fiift emotions of triumph and refentment, to 

 yurfue the (battered remains of the enemy. That no Bar- 

 barian might efcape, they propofed immediately to fail 

 weilward, to deltroy the Perfian bridge over the Hellef- 

 pont, and thus to intercept their return. This defigii was 

 recommended, and chiefly fupported by the Athenians, 

 who, having experienced the greatell fliare of the danger, 

 felt moll fenfibly the joys of deliverance. But upon more 

 mature deliberation, it occurred that the Perfians were ftill 

 fufficicntly numerous to afford jull grounds of terror. To 

 their cowardice and inexperience, not to their want of 

 flrength, the Greeks owed all their advantages over them ; 

 but flioulJ tlie impofiibillty of retreat be added to their 

 other calamities, they might derive courage from defpair, 

 and, by efforts liitherto uncxerted, repair the confequences 

 of their pall errors and misfortunes. Thefc confiderations, 

 firll fuggelled, it is faid, by Eurybiades the Spartan, were 

 adopted by Themillocles, who convinced his countrymen 

 that the jealoufy of the Grecian gods, unwilling that one 

 man ihould be lord of Europe and Afia, rather than their 

 own prowefs, had given them the victor)-, over Xerxes; a 

 prince of fuch folly and madnds, that he had treated with 

 equal irreverence things human and divine, dcllroyed the 

 facred temples, overthrown the venerable altars and images, 

 and impioufly infulted the gods of the Hellefpont with 

 (Iripes and fetters. That it was the duty of the Athenians, 

 after having glorioufly repelled the common enemy, to pro- 

 vide for the fubfillence of their wives and families, to fow thair 

 lands, rebuild their houfes, and thus to repair, by the moil 

 induflrious activity, the dreadful ravages committed on their 

 territories. (See Gillies, vol. i. p. 482.) Themiflocles had 

 no fooner perfuaded tjie Athenians to embrace h'.s opinien, 

 than he fecretly difpatched his confidant Sicinus to acquaint 

 the great king with the danger which he had fo nearly 

 efcapcd, and to advife him to purfue his journey with all 

 pofhble expedition. Xerxes readily beheved a piece of in- 

 formation, which agrted with the fuggehions of his own 

 timidity. The rapidity of his march, confpired with other 

 circumilances above mentioned, in proving fatal to the lives 

 of his followers ; and the crafty Athenian, who knowing 

 the inrtable affeftions of the multitude, wiflied to deferve 

 the gratitude of a king, gained the double advantage of 

 difpelling fooner than could othcrwife have happened, that 

 dcllruftive cloud of Barbarians which hovered over his 

 countr)', and of convincing their leader that he was in part 

 indebted for his fafety to that very man whofe couni'els, 

 rather than the arms of Greece, had occafioned his affliflion 

 and difgrace. 



Mardonius (B. C. 479), after wintering in ThefTaly, took 

 the field, and began his operations by making very advan- 

 tageous offers to the Athenians, to detach them from their 

 confederacy with the other dates; promifing not only to 

 rebuild their city, and to give them a vafl fum of money, but 

 'to fet them at the head of all Greece. Ariflides, then 



archon, 



