85(5 G R E 
he dcfpifed, except as an inftrument of ambition. The 
fpoils of the conquered iflanders were profufely laviflied 
in fliows, feftivals, dances, and theatrical entertain- 
menta, exhibited tor tlie public arnufenient. His ge¬ 
nerous manners and flowing affability were contralled 
with the ftern morality of his rival ; and the refult of 
the comparifon added great force to his infinuation, 
that, fince his own neceflary abfence in the fervice of 
the republic, Ariftides had acquired a degree of in¬ 
fluence inconliflent with the coiiftitntion, and, by arro¬ 
gating to himfelf an unexampled jurifdiftion in the 
flate, had eflabliflied a filent tyranny over the minds of 
his fellow-citizens, Ariftides, trufting to the innocence 
and integrity of his own heart, difdained to employ 
any unworthy means, either for gaining the favour, 
or for averting the refentment, of the multitude. 
The conteft, therefore, ended in his banifhment for ten 
years, by a law intitled the OJlracifm, by which the ma-. 
jority of the Athenian alfernbly might expel any citi¬ 
zen, however inoffenfive or meritorious had been his 
paft conduct, who, by his prefent power and greatnefs, 
feemed capable of difturbing the equality of repub¬ 
lican government. Thus only four years after the bat¬ 
tle ot Marathon, in which he had dilplayed uncommon 
valour and wifdom, Ariftides, the juileft and molt re- 
IpeCtable of the Greeks, became the victim of popular 
jealoufy ; an example of cruel rigour, which will for 
ever brand the fpirit of democratical policy. 
The banilliment of Ariftides expol'ed the Athenians 
ftill more to t'le danger which they hoped to avoid by 
this fevere meafure. The removal of fuch a formi¬ 
dable opponent enabled Themiltoclcs to govern with- 
■out controul. Army, navy, and revenue, all were fub- 
mitted to his infpection. It happened, indeed, moft 
fortunately for the fame of this great man, as well as 
for the liberty of Athens, that his aCtive ambition was 
called to the glorious talk of fubdiiing the enemies of» 
his country. The fmaller iflands in the ^gean were 
already reduced ; but the polfeftion of them was uncer¬ 
tain-while the fleet of .^Tgina covered the fea, and bade 
defiance to that of the Athenians. This illand, inha¬ 
bited time immemorial by merchants and pirates, and 
fituate in the Saronic Gulf, which divides the territo¬ 
ries of Attica from the northern liiores of Peloponnefus, 
was a formidable enemy to the republic, which The- 
miftocles nobly offered to deftroy. The propofal was 
approved ; an hundred gallies were equipped ; the na¬ 
val ftrength of ./Tgina was broken, and fuccefs ani¬ 
mated the Athenians to afpire at obtaining the unri¬ 
valled empire of the fea. Corcyra formed the only re¬ 
maining obftacle to their ambition. This ifland, which, 
under tiie name of Phcfeacia, is celebrated by Homer for 
its amazing richnefsand fertility, had been ftrengthened 
and improved by a colony of Corinthians, who became 
fucceffively the rivals, the enemies, and the fuperiors, of 
Corinth, their mother-country. Theirfuccefsful cruifers 
had long infefted the coafls of the iflands and continent 
of Greece j it therefore belonged to Athens to chaftife 
the inf'olence of the Corcyrians; and Themiftocles, 
when by feizing part of their fleet he broke the linews 
of their power, not only gratified the ambition of the 
republic, but performed a fignal fervice to the whole 
Grecian confederacy. Tims vidtorious by fea and land, 
A-thens now thought to enjoy the fruits of a glorious fecu- 
rif)', when the moft formidable tidings arrived of the 
threatened attack of Xerxes, with a vaft armament, and 
a more powerful fleet than any hitherto known in Greece. 
Nine years after the battle of Marathon, and in the 
fourth year of his leign, Xerxes found himfelf polfelfed 
of an armamejit adequate to the extent of his ambition. 
Twelve hundred lliips of war, and three tlioufand lliips 
of burthen, were ready to receive his coin.mands. .The 
former were of a larger lize and tinner conftrudtion than 
any hitherto feen in the ancient world. When the army 
had attained its perfedt complement, we are told tliat it 
E C E. 
confifted of fsventeen hundred thoufand infantry, and 
four hundred thoufand cavalry ; which, joined to the 
fleet above-mentioned, made the whole forces amount 
to near two millions of fighting men. An immenfe 
crowd of women and eunuciis followed the camp of 
this effeminate people. Thefe inftruments of pleafure 
and luxury, together with the flaves necelTary in tranf- 
porting the baggage and provifions, equalled, perhaps 
exceeded, the number of the foldiers ; fo that, accord¬ 
ing to the univerfal teftimony of ancient hiftorians, the 
army of Xerxes appears the greateft that was ever col- 
ledled. 
Xerxes, having wintered at Sardis, fent ambaffadors 
early in the fpring of the year before Chrift 480, to de¬ 
mand earth and water, as a mark of fubmiffion, from the 
feveral Grecian republics. With regard to Athens and 
Sparta, h.c thought it unnecefTary to-obferve this cere¬ 
mony, as tliey had cruelly treated and put to death the 
meffengers formerly intrufted with a fimilar cbmmifTion 
by his father Darius. The flow march of his immenfe 
army, and, ftill more, its tedious tranfportation acrofs 
the fea, induced Xerxes to order a bridge of boats to 
be raifed on tlie Hellefpont, wliich, in tlie narrowefl; 
parr, is only feven ftadia, or feven-eighths of a mile, in 
breadth ; but whether owing to the awkwardnefs of its 
conftruclion, or to the violence of a fucceeding tempeft, 
it was no fooner built than deftroyed. The great king 
ordered the diredlors of the work to be beheaded ; and, 
proud of his tyrannic power over feeble man, difplayed 
an impotent rage againft the elements. In the niadnefs 
of defpotifm he commanded the Hellefpont to be pu- 
niftied with tliree hundred Itripes, and a pair of fetters 
to be dropped into tlie fea, adding thefe ridiculous ex. 
preflions ; “ It is thus, thou fait and bitter water, that 
thy mailer punlflies thy unprovoked injury, and lie is 
determined to pafs thy treacherous ftreams notwith- 
ftanding all the infolence of thy malice.” After this 
ceremony, a new bridge was made of a double range of 
veffels, fixed by ftrong anchors on both lides, and joined 
together by cables faftened to immenfe beams driven 
into the oppofite fhores. The decks of the veffels, 
which exceeded fix hundred in number, were ftrewed 
with trunks of trees and earth, and their furface fmooth- 
ed by a covering of planks. The fides were then railed 
with wicker-work, to prevent the fear and impatience 
of the horfes ; and, upon this fingular edifice, the main 
ftrength of the army paffed in feven days and nights, 
from tfie Afiatic city of Abydos to that of Seftos in 
Europe. 
A confiderable part of the Perfian forces had been 
fent to tlie coaft of Macedonia, in order to dig acrofs 
the ifthmus which joins to that coaft the promontory of 
Athos. The difafter which befel the fleet commanded 
by Mardonius,' in doubling the cape of this peninfula, 
was ftill frelh in the mind of Xerxes. The neck of 
land, only a mile and a half in breadth, contained the 
Grecian city of Sana ; and the promontory being rich 
and fertile, was well inhabited by both Greeks and bar¬ 
barians. The cutting through this narrow ifthmus, by 
a canal of fufticient width to allow two gallies to fail 
abreaft, was a matter by no means difficult to a poten¬ 
tate who commanded the labour of fo many myriads. 
Through the fertile plains of Lelfer Alia the whole 
army had kept in a body ; but the difficulty of fupplies 
obliged them to feparate into three divilions in their 
march through the lefs cultivated countries of Europe. 
Before this reparation took place, the whole fleet and 
army were reviewed by Xerxes, near Dorifeus, a city of 
Thrace, at the mouth of theHebrus. On this occafion 
Xerxes converfed with Demaratus, the banifhed king 
of Sparta, who had fought refuge in the Perfian court 
from the pcii'ecution of his countrymen. This memo¬ 
rable interview between them is deferibed by Herodotus. 
The Perfian, dil'playing oftentatioufly the magnitude of 
his power, afked the royal fugitive. Whether he ful- 
a peTed 
