A T H 



they entirely cuied Xerxes of all defire of undertaking any 

 other entcrprifes of the fame kind. He thought no more 

 ef executing venf^cance on the Greeks ; and to efTacf all 

 remembrance of liis pafl; difafters, he gave himfelf wholly 

 up to every fort of voUiptnoufnefs and debauchery. His 

 court became one genrral fcene of the mod fliameful ex- 

 ccfTcs, murder and inceft fucceeding each other in a perpe- 

 tual round. This weak licentious prince was at length put 

 to death by his own fubjefts. The fevere e(Tc(Sts of tyranny, 

 formerly experienced by the Athenians, had excited in them 

 fuch a ftrong dtlire of liberty, that to preferve it, they 

 boldly hazarded the greateft dangers. Their bravei y, how- 

 ever, was admirably fupported and coudufted by the wif- 

 dom and fltill of their generals, who were pari'lculaily at- 

 tentive to choofe fuch a fituation for giving battle, that the 

 enemy could not much avail tlKmftlves of their vail fuperi- 

 ority in point of number. 



Thus by their vigorous efforts, and the wifdom of llieir 

 leaders, delivered from the Perlian invalion, the Athenians 

 brouo-ht back their wives and children to Athens, of which 

 they rebuilt the walls, and conliderably increafed the ex- 

 tent. The Lacedaemonians taking umbrage at this, from 

 an apprehenfion left Athens fliould become too powerful, 

 reprefentcd to the Athenians, that it was the general in- 

 tereft of Greece to have no fortified place without the Pe- 

 loponnefe, becaufe in cafe of a frefli invafion, it might ferve 

 for a retreat and warlike magazine to the enemy. Themi- 

 ftocles having procured himfelf to be named ambaffador to 

 Lacedaemon, there to juftify the conduft of his countr)-- 

 mcn, maintained in open fenate that it was as much for 

 the common advantage of the allies, as for that of the Athe- 

 nians, that the latter had fortified their city with good 

 walls ; that bcfides, it was but equitable that they, as well 

 as the reft, fliould take proper meafures for their own 

 fafety ; and in fine, that they v^-ere able to defend them- 

 felves either againft foreign ordomeftic enemies. In the next 

 place, Themiftocles, folely intent on incrcafing the power 

 of the republic, fortified Pira:us (B.C. 477), the famous 

 harbour of Athens, in the fame manner as he had done the 

 city, and perfuaded the Athenians to augment their fleet 

 yearly with twenty (hips. The objedl of this fldlful politi- 

 cian was to deprive the Lacedemonians of the fupenority 

 hitherto poffeffcd by them over the other flates of Greece. 

 But it muft be coiifefled that he was not very fcrupulous 

 with regard to the means employed by him for that purpofe. 

 An inrtance of this was his projeft of burning the Grecian 

 fleet in the harbour of Pegazns, whither it had retired to 

 winter after the defeat of Mardonius ; or, according to 

 fome authors, that part of it only which belonged to the 

 Lacedtemonians. But not daring openly to propofe this 

 fcheme, he was defired by the people to communicate the 

 matter privately to Ariftides, who having been accordingly 

 infornxd of it, declared to the people, that though the 

 project of Themiftocles was indeed highly ufeful, yet at the 

 fame tim.e, it was moft unjuft! Themiftocles was therefore 

 prohibited from putting it in execution. — How becoming, 

 thus to fee a whole ftalo prefer what was juft to what v.^as 

 ufeful I and what a high idea of thejuftice of Ariftides 

 muft we not conceive, when we fee him chofen fingly by a 

 whole people, to determine whether a projeft of the utmoft 

 general importance was juft or unjuft! At the fame time, 

 the allies prepared to reftore to their freedom the Grecian 

 cities in which the Pcrfians.had left garrifons. A numerous 

 fleet, under the command of Paufanias and Ariftides, 

 obliged the enemy to abandon the ifle of Cyprus ; and the 

 city Byzantium, fituated on the Hellefpont. The conduft 

 o£ Paufanias in this expedition was fo infolent, as to difguft 



A T 11 



the allies, wlio rcfufed any longer to obey the Spartans, 

 and thenceforward to fight under the orders of the Athe- 

 nians. (B. C. 476.) The farther proceedings of the Lace- 

 demonian general, and his fate, will be found under the ar- 

 ticles Pausanias, ?nd Sparta. The Spartans, with a 

 praife-worthy moderation, yielded to the "Athenians the 

 command of the fea. About this time, Themiftocles ex- 

 perienced the viciflitude of fortune, and the tranfitory na- 

 ture of popular favour. The civil adminiftration of this 

 illuftrious Athenian was no lefs eminent and fuccefsful than 

 his political and military efforts. By yielding more proteftion 

 to Itrangers than they enjoyed in ncjighbouring cities, he aug- 

 mented not only the popuioufnefs, but the wealth of Athens ; 

 as that defcription of men paid an annual contribution in 

 retuiTi for their fccurity. This, together with other branches 

 of the revenue, he employed in building annually about 

 fixty gallies, the addition of which to the Athenian navy 

 abundantly compenfatcd fuch loftes as were fuftained by the 

 accidents of the fea in foreign parts. Notwithftanding the 

 envy and malice of worthlefs demagogues, who infcfted the 

 Athenian aftembly and courts of juftice, Themiftocles was 

 faft advancing to the attainment of the fame authority at 

 home which Ariftides enjoyed abroad, when complaints ar- 

 rived frcim Sparta, that he had confpired with Paufanias to 

 betray the public liberty-. The known refentment of the 

 Spartans againft this extraordinary man fufficiently explains 

 the reafon why they, who were fo dilatory in their proceed- 

 ings againft Paufanias himfelf, (hould be fo eager to bring 

 to puniftimenl his fuppofed accomplice. But it is not eafy 

 to conceive how the Athenians could admit fuch an accufa- 

 tion againft a citizen, whofe fingular valour and conduft 

 had gained the decifive viftory at Salamis ; whofe counfels 

 and addrefs had fortified their city with impregnable 

 ftrength ; whofe forefight and aftivity had procured them a 

 fleet which no nation in the world could refift ; and whofe 

 abilities and patriotilm had not only faved his country from 

 the moft formidable invafion recorded in hiftory, and which 

 was principally direfted againft Athens, but amidft the 

 terrors of this invafion, the treachery of falfe friends, and 

 the violence of open enemies, had fo eminently contributed 

 to raife his republic to the firft rank in the Grecian, confe- 

 deracy. Yet fuch, on the one hand, was the eff'eft of that 

 envy which in republics always accompanies excellence ; and 

 fuch, on the other, the influence of Spartan bribery and 

 intrigues, that Themiftocles was banilhed by the oftracifm, 

 a puin'fliment inflifted on men whofe afpiting ambition 

 feemed dangerous to freedom, which require^ not the proof 

 of any particular delinquency, and which had effeft only 

 during a term of years. (Gillies, vol. ii. p. 65.) This il- 

 laftrious man retired into Perfia, v.'hcre his treatment and 

 death will be fecn under the article' Themistocles. 



Ariftides alfo died about the fame time (B.C. 467 or 471.); 

 and the conduft of the Perlian war was devolved on his col- 

 league Cimon, who united tlie integrity cf th.at gre?t man to 

 the valour of Miltiades his father, and the decifive boldnefs of 

 Themiftocles. But as he felt an ambition for eminence 

 which difdaijis bate imitation, he not only reflefted the moft 

 diftinguifhcd excellencies of his predeceffors, but improved 

 andadurned them by an elegant liberality of manners, an in- 

 didgent humanity, and candid condefcenlion ; virtues which 

 long fecured him the afFcftions of his fellow citizens; while 

 his military talents and authority, always direfted by mode- 

 ration and juftice, maintained an abfolute fway over the 

 allies of the republic. His firft operations were employed 

 againft the coatt of Thrace, which the taking of Byzan- 

 tium feemed to render an eafy conqueft. The only places ' 

 in that country fitted to make an obftinate refiftancc, were 



the 



