536 



ON THE VALE OF TEMPE. 



time in Pieria ; whilst one-third of his army were employed as 

 pioneers, in clearing the way over the mountains. 



The Thessalians, however, some time before this, when Xerxes was 

 preparing to cross the Hellespont, seem to have been of opinion 

 that he would attempt to penetrate into their country by the pass of 

 Tempe ; and the confederated army of the Greeks whom they had 

 invoked to their assistance, had, in compliance with their advice, 

 actually taken post in that situation. They remained there but a few 

 days, for being secretly apprised by the son of the King of Macedonia, 

 of the overwhelming force which would be brought to act against 

 them; and hearing at the same time, that there was another practicable 

 way into Thessaly across the mountains, they judged the attempt to 

 defend it would prove both useless and unavailing, and retreated to 

 Thermopylae, upon which the Thessalians reluctantly joined the 

 standard of the invader. 



It was accordingly by this route across the mountains that Xerxes 

 marched into Thessaly ; and there are two passages of Herodotus 

 which point out the line of his march. Both of these mention 

 Gonnos, as the point to which it led ; and Macedonia, as the country 

 from which it proceeded. But in one of these passages, we find the 

 designation of Upper Macedonia, which creates some difficulty ; for 

 if Gonnos was the same town as the Gonni of a later period, of 

 which, T think, there can be little doubt, the army must have 

 began their march from the Lower, not the Upper Macedonia. Now 

 Gonni is often mentioned by Livy, and the following passage of his 

 36th book describes the march of a Roman army, (if I am not 

 greatly mistaken,) by the same route as is pointed out by Herodotus. 

 After mentioning the irruption of Antiochus and the iEtolians into 

 Thessaly, and their arrival before the walls of Larissa, which was 

 then in the interest of Philip and the Romans, " M. Bcebius interim, 

 cum Philippo in Dassaretiis congressus, Ap. Claudium ex communi 

 comilio ad presidium Larissce misit, qui per Macedoniam magnis 

 itineribus in Jugum monlium, quod super Gonnos est, pervenit. Oppidum 

 Gonni viginti millia ab Larissa abest, in ipsis faucibus saltus, quce Tempe 



