5 o 3 A T T I 
a brave refiftanCe by it? feeble garrifon, was taken by ftorm, 
and all within it were put to the (word. Xerxes ordered 
the reft of the city to be fet on fire. 
In the mean time differences were like to arife in the 
Grecian fleet commanded by Kurybiades, one-half of them 
being of opinion that they ought to advance towards the 
ifthmus of Corinth, to be at hand to fupport their army ; 
and the other, that they ought by no means to quit the 
advantageous poll: at Salamis. The latter opinion was 
fupported by Themiftocles, who on this oCcafion gave ano¬ 
ther proof of his extraordinary moderation and coolnefs of 
temper. For, while he was maintaining his opinion with 
fome warmth againft: Eurybiades, who was a man of a very 
choleric difpofition, the latter flew in a paffion, and lifted 
up his cane to firike him. Themiftocles called out to 
him, “ Strike, but hear me.” His eloquence and firm- 
nefs at laft prevailed; and the Greeks faw that, being ex¬ 
tremely inferior to the enemy in the number as well as 
in the iize of their fliips, it was of the higheft importance 
to avail themlelves of their prefent fituation, and to give 
battle in fuch a narrow ftrait as that of Salamis, where 
the enemy could not bring all their fleet into aflion. They 
refolved, therefore, to prepare to fight the Perlians in this 
ftrait. The Perfians too determined to gr e battle, con¬ 
trary to the opinion of queen Artemifa, one of their allies, 
who reprefented to them, that the lofs of a fea fight mull 
be inevitably attended with the deftru&ion of their army 
at land : but her advice was rejected. Xerxes, who was 
on-fhore, being defirous of feeing the battle, ordered a fu- 
perb throne to be eredted for him on an eminence. • The 
fleet of the Greeks confifted of 380 fail. Themiftocles, 
who that day commanded it, waited for the raifing of a 
wind, which regularly began to blow at a certain hour, 
in a direction exadlly in the face of the enemy. The Per¬ 
fians began the attack with great bravery ; but the fmall 
fleet of the Greeks, acting by the (kill of its commanders 
under every advantage, foon threw the enemy’s firft line 
into confufion, and funk the Perlian admiral. Thofe that 
followed him, intimidated by his fate, partly betook them- 
l'elves to flight, and partly were funk. On the wings, 
however, the action continued very warm and obftinate ; 
but, the wind being againft the Perfians, the unwieldy fize 
of their fliips rendering them very difficult Jo be managed, 
and their great number rather embarraffing than availing 
them in fuch a narrow ftrait, they could not long fuftain 
the impetuofity of the Athenians, but fell into a general 
diforder. The lonians, mindful of their Grecian extrac¬ 
tion, were the firft that fled ; and they were quickly fol¬ 
lowed by the reft of the Perfian fleet, which were foon 
lcattered up and down in flight and confufion. The vic¬ 
tory coft the Athenians forty fliips ; but of the Perfians 200 
were either taken or funk. 
This engagement, one of the moft memorable recorded 
in ancient hiftory, acquired immortal fame to Attica. The 
renowned Cimon, though yet but a young man, diftin- 
guiffied himfelf highly on that occafion, and gave evident 
figns of his future greatnefs. But as the principal glory 
of the vidtory belonged to Themiftocles, the eyes of all 
the Greeks were fixed on him as their deliverer; and the 
higheft honours were conferred on him. At this time 
every fyftem of jealoufy was overlooked, and none ex¬ 
ceeded the Lacedemonians in their encomiums on The¬ 
miftocles, whom they crowned with laurel, the reward of 
wifdom and valour. When he appeared at the Olympic 
games, the whole aflembly rofe up to give him place ; 
every eye was fixed on him alone; and that day was the 
moft glorious of his life. In the mean time this important 
defeat aftonifhed and difconcerted Xerxes in the higheft 
degree. Mardonius, however, endeavoured to compofe 
his mind by palliating his lofs ; but at the lame time ad- 
vifed him to fet out for Perfia; alfuring him, that, with 
300,000 of his forces, he, Mardonius, did not doubt of 
being able to conquer the Greeks, notwithftanding the 
late difafter. The remains of the Perfian*fleet took refuge 
•in Ctimes, a harbour in Eolia. On the other hand, The- 
C A. 
miftocles, in concert with Ariftides, fent private intelli¬ 
gence to Xerxes, that the Greeks were preparing to de- 
ftroy his bridge over the Hellefpont. That credulous 
prince believed the information, and leaving Greece in 
a violent hurry, with a ftrong guard of his beft troops, 
arrived, after a painful march of forty-five days, (at¬ 
tended with the double rnifery of famine and difeafe, 
which deftroyed the greateft part of his troops,) at the 
bridge, but had the mortification to find it already demo- 
lifhed.by a great ftorm. This mighty prince, therefore, 
whofe numerous fleet had lately covered the fea, and who 
had arrogantly prefumed to bind the waves, was reduced 
to the neceffity of paffing the ftrait in a poor fiftiing-bark. 
Thus was his vanity eftedtually humbled, and thus ended 
all the lofty projects of this prefumpruous man, who, be¬ 
fore leaving his own dominions, had ordered all the Greek, 
temples of Afia to be burnt, and the immenfe riches con¬ 
tained in them to be applied to defray the expences of his 
expedition. 
Mardonius, after wintering in Theftaly, took the field, 
and began his operations, by making very advantageous 
offers to the Athenians, to detach them from their confe¬ 
deracy with the other (fates, promifing not only to rebuild 
their city, and to give them a vaft fum of money, but to 
fet them at the head of all Greece. Ariftides, then archon, 
anfwered the melfengers of Mardonius, that all the gold 
in the world was infufficient to corrupt the Athenians, or 
to induce them to defert the defence of the common li¬ 
berty of their country; that, while the fun continued to 
light the world, the Athenians would remain the mortal 
enemies of the Perfians, and would revenge, to the utmoft 
of their power, the mifehief they had brought upon At¬ 
tica, and the burning of their houfes and temples. As 
foon as Mardonius received the anfwer of the Athenians, 
and faw that no motive could induce them to break their 
engagements, he ordered his army to advance into Attica. 
The Athenians, on the approach of the Perfian army, left 
their city a fecond time, and retired to Salamis. Mardo- 
nius, thereupon, fent new deputies to them, with terms 
(till more advantageous than the former. But the Athe¬ 
nians were lo far from accepting them, that they ftoned 
to death Lycidas, only for faying, that they ought to give 
an audience to the deputies. The Perfian general, pro¬ 
voked at the contempt with which the Athenians treated 
all his propofals, entered Athens, and burnt every thing' 
that had before efcaped the fury of Xerxes. 
In this fituation, the Athenians complained to the La¬ 
cedemonians of their not having fent them the ftipulated 
fuceours. The latter were then folely intent on maintain¬ 
ing their ground within the Peloponnefe, and defending 
the entry of the ifthmus ; but, in compliance with the re- 
quifition of the Athenians, who made a great outcry againft; 
the fiownefs of their proceedings, they fent to their aflift- 
ance 5000 Spartans, each of whom was attended by feven 
Helots. Thefe forces, joined with thofe of the Athe¬ 
nians and Peloponnefians, formed all together an army of 
about 70,000 men; which, after alfembling at Eleufis, 
followed Mardonius into Boeotia, and encamped at the 
foot of mount Citheron. Paufanias, (on of Cleombrotus, 
and viceroy of Sparta, commanded the Lacedemonian 
troops, and Ariftides thofe of the Athenians. The Perfian 
army then amounted to 300,000 men. Paufanias, in the 
mean time, advanced tow ards Plaiea, with his forces drawn 
up in battle array ; the Athenians being on the right wing, 
and oppofed to the Perfian troops; and the Lacedemonians 
on the left, oppofed to the Greek troops in the fervice of 
the Perfians. The Megareans, who were encamped on 
the plain, having been attacked by the Perfian cavalry, 
were, after a very brave and long reliftance, on the point 
of giving way, when 300 Athenians ran to their relief. 
The battle then became more obftinate than before. But 
Magiftius, who commanded the Perfian cavalry, being 
(lain, his men betook themfelves to flight. The death of 
this officer, who was reckoned the ableft in the Pei nan 
army, fpread univerfal confternation through all their 
3 troops,, 
