85J 
G R E 
nian fhoi'e, wliere he hoped to be received with open 
aims by his ancient friends. But the Milefians, re¬ 
membering his former tyranny, (hut tlieir gates againft 
him. He fought admidion into Chios, but without bet¬ 
ter fuccefs. The Leftians, with mucli difficulty, lent 
him eight vedels, which he employed againft the ene¬ 
my in the Euxine ; but he was taken by the Perfians, 
and crucified at Sardis. 
Meanwhile the Perlian fleet and army furrounded the 
walls of Miletus. Their fleet, compofed of Phoenicians, 
Cilicians, and Egyptians, amounted to fix hundred fail; 
befides a confiderable naval force belonging to the ifte 
of Cyprus, which, having co-operated during one year 
v/ith the Ionian infurgents, had recently fubmitted to 
Darius. In order to deliberate concerning the means of 
oppofing this mighty armament, the Grecians affembled 
in the Panionian council, where it was unanimoufty re- 
folved, that no attempt fliould be made to refift the 
Perfians by land : the citizens of Miletus alone were 
exhorted to defend their walls to the laft extremity, 
under the condiicl: of Pythagoras, a perfon of great rank 
and eminence in that republic. While every effort 
fliould be exerted for maintaining this ftrong hold of 
Ionia, it was determined that the Grecian fleer, the laft 
and only hope of the nation, fliould aflemble at the 
fmall ifland of Lade, lying off the harbour of Miletus, 
and offer battle to that of the Perfians. When all their 
forces were collefted at the appointed rendezvous, they 
amounted to three hundred and fifty-three ftiips, which, 
containing, each at a medium, a complement of above 
two hundred men, made the whole amount to a number 
fiifficiently refpedtable, and which, had they all re¬ 
mained firm and unanimous in the common caufe, 
might, perhaps, have rendered them victorious. To 
determine on the beft mode of refifting the Perfians, a 
council was convened, in which every individual had 
full liberty to propofe his opinion. That of Dionyfitis, 
a Phoctean, met with the approbation of the affembly. 
“ Our fortunes,” faid he, “O lonians! ftand on a nee¬ 
dle’s point. We muft cither vindicate our liberty, or 
I'ufler the ignominious punifliment of fugitive Haves. 
If we refufe prefent labour and danger, we (hall be ex- 
pofed to eternal difgrace ; but the toils of a few days 
will be compenfated by a life of freedom, of glory, and 
ofhappinefs. Submit, therefore, to my direction, and 
I will pledge my life, that, if the gods declare not 
againft us, the enemy will either decline the engage¬ 
ment, or, engaging, be ftiamefully defeated.” Tlie 
Greeks, confenting to I'ubmit to the difeipline of Dio- 
nyfius, he, every day, arranged the fleet in three divi- 
fions, and commanded them often to change their fta- 
tions, habituating the failors to the labour of the oar, 
and the reftraints of difeipline, which he afl'ured them 
would, by habit, become ealy and agreeable. For fe- 
ven days they cheerfully obeyed his commands ; but at 
length the warmth of the feafon rendered their exer¬ 
tions too great for their patience. Diftempers broke 
out in the fleet. The Greeks, always averfe to every 
fiiadow of abfolute authority, complained at firlt in fe- 
cret murmurs, and afterw.irds in licentious clamours, 
of the intolerable hardftiips to which they were ex- 
pofed by the infolent Phoc.a^an, w ho, though he brought 
only three ftiips to the common defence, had afiumed an 
arbitrary direiflion in all their affairs. Governed by 
thefe I'entiinents, they refufed any longer to obey his 
commands, landed on the ftiore of Lade, formed a camp 
on the ifland, and, fitting under the lhade of their tents, 
difdained any further co-operation. The Samians, who 
faw and dreaded the confequence of this general difor- 
der, privately accepted a propofal which had been made 
tliem by the Perfians. 'Llieir perfidy brought deftruc- 
tion on ^the common caufe; Tor in the engagement, 
which follovrcd foon after, they hoifted fail and defert- 
od the line. 'I lie Lefbians followed their example. 
Among thole, however, w'ho obtained fignal honour by 
VOL.VIIl. N0.J50. 
E C E. 
adhering to the caufe of Greece, were eleven captains of 
Samian veifels, who detefted the treachery of iheir com¬ 
panions, and defpifed tlie figns of their admirals; on 
which account they w'ere rew'arded, at tlieir retu n, by 
the community of Samos, with a pillar and infcription, 
tranfmitting their names, with immortal renown, la po- 
fterity. But of all the Greeks, the Ciiians acqumed the 
greateil glory on that memorable day: notwithiLuiding 
their inferior ftrengtii, they defended themfelves to the 
laft extremity, and rendered the victory late and dear to 
the Perfians. The naval defeat was icon tollowed by 
the taking of Miletus, whicli fiirreiidered in the fixth 
year from the commencement of the revolt. The Per¬ 
fians made good the threats which they had denounced 
againft the obftinacy of their enemies. Samos alone, as 
the price of its perfidy, obtained the fafety of its houfes 
and temples. Thofe of all the other communities were 
burnt to the ground. The women and children w'ere 
dragged into captivity. Such of the Milefian citizens 
as efcaped not by flight, were either put to the {'word, 
or carried into the heart of Afia, and finally fettled hr 
the territory of Ampe, near the mouth of the Tigris, 
The Perfian fleet wintered at Miletus, and next fpring 
fubdued the iflands of Chios, Lefbos, and 7 'enedos ; 
while Darius prepared to carry the war into the heart 
of Greece. 
The execution of his defign w’as entrufted to Mardo- 
nius, a Perfian nobleman, who had married Artazoftra, 
the daughter of Darius. In the year before Chrift 493, 
Mardoiiius approached the European coaft with an ar¬ 
mament fufficient to infpire terror into Greece. The 
rich ifland of Thafus, wliofe golden mines yielded a re¬ 
venue of near three hundred talents, fubmitted to his 
fleet; while his land forces added the province of Ma- 
cedon to the Perfian empire. But having (leered fouth- 
ward from Thafus, the whole armament was atmoft de- 
ftroyed by a ftorm. Three hundred veffiels were daflied 
againft the rocks, and twenty thoufand men periflied in 
the fca. This difafter wholly defeated the defign of 
the expedition; and Mardoiiius, having recovered the 
ffiattered remains of the fleet and army, returned to the 
court of Perfia, where, by flattering the pride, he in 
fome meafure averted the refentment of Darius. Two 
generals were appointed in his room, of whom Datis, a 
Mede, was the more diftinguilhed by his age and expe¬ 
rience, while Artaphernes, a Perfian, was the more con- 
fpicuous for his rank, being the foil of Artaphernes go¬ 
vernor of Sardis. Darius now alfembled an army of 
five hundred thoufand men, confifting of the flower of 
the troops of his extenfive empire. The maritime pro¬ 
vinces of the empire, Egypt, Phoenicia, and the coafts 
of the Euxine and Aegean feas, were commanded to fit 
out, with all poffible expedition, their whole naval 
flrength ; and in the coiirfe of the year a fleet of fix 
hundred fail was ready to put to fea. This immenfe 
armament enjoyed a profperous voyage to tlie ifte of 
Samos, from whence they were ready to proceed to the 
Athenian coaft. The late difafter which befel the fleet 
commanded by Mardoiiius, detened them from pur- 
fuing a diredl coiirfe along the fhores of Thrace and 
Macedonia : they determined to fleer in an oblique line 
through the Cyclades, a clufter of feventeen iflands, 
lying oppoftte to the territories of Argos and Attica. 
The approach of fiicii an innumerable hoft, whofe 
tranfports darkened the broad furface of the Tigean 
Sea, flruck terror into the inhabitants of thofe delight¬ 
ful iflands. The Naxians took refuge in their inaccef- 
fible mountains ; the natives of Del,os, the favourite 
refidence of Latona, abandoned the awful majefty of 
their temple, which was overftiadowed by the rough 
and lofty mount Cynjluis. Paros, famous for its mar¬ 
ble ; Andros, celebrated for its vines ; Ceos, the birtii- 
place of Simonides ; Syros, the native country of the 
philofophic Pherecydes; los, the tomb of Homer ; the 
fertile Amorgos ; as well as all tlie other iflands which 
10 H furrounded 
