yio ATT 
The allies, now weary of their fubjedtion to Sparta, which 
Paufanius had exercifed over them with the ntmoft feve- 
riry, and charmed at the fame time with the mildnefs, 
affability, and juftice, of Anilides and Cimon, conferred 
on them the chief command of the fleet, and put them- 
felves under the protedfion of the Athenians. Thus did 
Sparta, by the imperious behaviour of Paufanias, lofe that 
fuperiority over the red of Greece, which her juftice and 
moderation had at firft procured her. 
Cimon foon began to appear in a very interefting light, 
as chief commander in Alia. After delivering the Greek 
colonies from the Perfian yoke, he continued to pufh on 
his conquefts in Alia, and reduced feveral of the enemy’s 
cities. He next attacked, near the ifland of Cyprus, with 
a fleet of 250 fail, that of the Perfians, amounting to 340 
fail, and fupported by a powerful army encamped along 
the fhore. The engagement was defperately fupported at 
firft. But the Greeks, having funk feveral of the enemy’s 
fiiips, put the reft to flight. Then Cimon, failing towards 
the Thracian Cherfonefe, took the city of Eione, on the 
Banks of the Strymon. On this occafton, the Perfian, 
Butes, who was governor of the city, finding it impofiible 
to preferve the city, threw his riches into the river, and 
then burnt himfelf and all his family on a funeral pile. 
After this, Cimon fubdued the other ftates in that coun¬ 
try, drove from Syrops the pirates that infefted the Egean 
fiea, eftablifhed an Athenian colony in their place, and 
made himfelf mafter of Naxus. Cruifing along the coafts 
of Afia, he reduced all the maritime cities of Caria and 
Lycia, and left not the Perfians in pofi'efiion of a fingle 
inch of ground between Ionia and Pamphylia. Hearing 
that the Perfian fleet lay at anchor at tlie mouth of the 
river Eurymedon, waiting for a reinforcement of Plieni- 
cian fhips, that they might attack him with their united 
forces ; he immediately failed againft the former to pre¬ 
vent their jundtion ; charged them with fuch vigour, that 
they were obliged, in fpite of their great fuperiority in 
number, to run their (hips aground, and took more than 
one hundred of them. Without giving his men time to 
breathe after their victory, he inftantly landed them, and 
attacked the army of the enemy, which was drawn up on 
the banks of the Eurymedon. The Perfians fuftained the 
firft charge of the Greeks with great firmnefs ; but the 
troops of Cimon, animated by their late fuccefs, broke 
them at laft, put them fairly to flight, made a great num¬ 
ber of them prifoners, and got a vaft booty. Cimon 
crowned his victories with the capture of the Phenician 
fleet which was coming to the afliftance of the Perfians, 
and by that means gave a fatal blow to the Perfian na¬ 
val power. 
The Lacedemonians, importuned by continual com¬ 
plaints againft Paufanias, fummoned him to return home 
to juftify his conduct. He obeyed, and was for the pre¬ 
terit acquitted, either through the defedt of evidence, or 
the gratitude of his countrymen for his paft important 
fervices. He returned, therefore, to Byzantium ; but 
immediately renewed his negociations with Artabazus, to 
whom Xerxes had referred him, that they might together 
fettle the plan of operations. The whole matter, howe¬ 
ver, was at laft clearly brought to light. A (lave, whom 
he had charged with certain difpatclies for Afia, having 
obferved, that, of all his companions formerly difpatched 
thither on bufinefs of the fame kind, none had returned, 
became apprehenfive of meeting with the fame fate him- 
lelf. He was therefore tempted to open the letter of his 
mafter; where, perceiving at once all the importance of 
his commiflion, he refolved to deliver his difpatches to 
the ephori, who, after maturely weighing every circum- 
ftance, ordered the (lave to take refuge in the temple of 
Neptune; and then propagated a report, that the reafon 
of his doing fo was to beg pardon of the god for having 
opened a letter of his mafter. Paufanias haftened to the 
temple, where the ephori being concealed, they over¬ 
heard his whole converfation with the flaVep were there¬ 
by entirely convinced of the full extent of his treafon, and 
3 
I’ C A. 
refolved to bring him to immediate punifhment. Paufa¬ 
nias, perceiving his danger, fled for fafety to the temple 
of Minerva. The ephori, not chufingto violate the pri¬ 
vilege of the temple, but defiring, at the fame time, to 
puni(h the traitor, ordered the entry to be (hut up, and 
part of the roof to be uncovered, that he might be (tarved 
to death ; which happened accordingly. 
The ardent paflion of Themiltocles for power at length 
offended the Athenians; who, provoked at his conft.antly 
reminding them of his fervices, baniflied him from Athens. 
Themiftocles was obliged to take refuge at Argos. In 
the mean time, it was alleged, that fome pallages in let¬ 
ters, found in the pofleffion of Paufanias after his death, 
feemed to indicate a fecret underftanding between him and 
Themiftocles. But the truth of this fadt was never pro¬ 
perly afeertained. The Lacedemonians, however, upon 
whole ambition he had been a conftant check, took advan¬ 
tage of this circumftance to ruin him, and communicated 
the pretended difeovery to the Athenians. Themiftocles 
endeavoured to juftify himfelf by letter; but his enemies, 
glad of fo fair an opportunity of accomplifliing his deftruc- 
tion, ufed every argument to convince his countrymen of 
his guilt, and were at laft fuccefsful. Themiftocles, ha¬ 
ving notice of thefe proceedings, retired to the ifland of 
Corcyra, and from thence into Epire. But, thinking him¬ 
felf unfafe even there, he next took refuge at the court of 
Admetus king of the Molofli. This was a very dangerous 
and daring Hep in Themiftocles. That prince entertained 
a ftrong refentment againft him, on account of fome fuit 
of his having been hardily refufed by the Athenians, while 
the authority of Themiftocles was at its height among that 
people. Touched, however, at feeing at his feet, and in 
his power, the greateft man of Greece, he gave him a kind¬ 
ly reception, and refolved to protect him. 
The Athenians, being now in the undifputed pofleffion 
of the principal authority in Greece, and, by confeqitence, 
enjoying uncontrolled influence in the management of pub¬ 
lic affairs, refolved, in compliance with the requeft of fe¬ 
veral of the dates, to put the funds furniilied for the pur- 
pofe of the general defence of the country on a new foot¬ 
ing, by impofing on each city a tax proportionable to its 
whole revenue. It required a man of great integrity and 
difintereftednefs to proportion and to collect this tax. 
Ariftides was unanimoufly locked up to for that purpofe : 
and lie difeharged the truft repofed in him to the fatisfac- 
tion of all the parties concerned, and in fuch a manner as 
did honour to the choice of his countrymen. The period 
of his adminiftration is juflly confidered as the happieft in 
the hiftory of Attica. For, under the management of Pe¬ 
ricles and his fucceflbrs, tiie increafe of unneceirary ex- 
pences required the tax to be firft doubled, and afterwards 
tripled ; the confequent misfortune of profperity and fuc¬ 
cefs in all civilized countries. 
The leading men who lucceeded Ariftides, repleniftied 
Athens with beautiful porticos, with ftatues, and with 
other decorations; but liis ftudy, fays'Plutarch, was to 
adorn it with virtue. He was not always, adds the fame 
author, a magiftrate ; but lie was always employed in the 
fervice of liis country. His houfe was a public fchool for 
found policy, wifdom, and virtue ; and was ever open to 
all the Athenian youth, who repaired thither as if to con- 
fult an oracle, and were liftened to and inftrudfed by him 
in the mod familiar and obliging manner. Though he 
had, on feveral occalions, given fignal marks of his cou¬ 
rage, yet equity was liis diftinguifliirig charadleriftic. He 
poflelTed uncommon equality of temper, which did not 
delert him even in his banifhment, but enabled him to 
preferve his aft'edtion for his country, and to petition Hie 
gods in favour of his fellow-citizens, at the very inftant 
when they were treating him with the moft cruel ingrati¬ 
tude. His only objedt was the glory of Athens; and, pro¬ 
vided (he were fuccefsful againft her enemies, lie was little 
folicitous whether it was by his means or thole of another. 
Of this he gave a ftrong proof with refpedt to Themifto¬ 
cles.. After Iharing with him the whole danger and con- 
