S 60 
GREECE. 
The Thebans, whom fear had hitherto reftrained from 
defedtion, feized the prefent opportunity to revolt; and 
approaching the Perfians with outftretched arms, de¬ 
clared that they had always been their friends ; that 
their republic had fent earth and water, as an acknow¬ 
ledgment of their fubmiflion to Xerxes ; and that it 
wa^ with the utmofl: reludtance they had been compel¬ 
led to refift the progrefs of his arms. As tltey ap¬ 
proached to furrender themfelves, many periflied by 
the darts of the barbarians ; the remainder faved a pe- 
rifhing life, by fubmitting to eternal infamy. Mean¬ 
while the Lacedaemonians and Thefpians were affaulted 
on all fides. The neareft of the enemy beat down tlie 
wall and entered by the breaches. Their temerity was 
punirtied by inflant death. In this laft ftruggle every 
Grecian fhewed the mod heroic courage ; yet if we be¬ 
lieve tlie unanimous report of fome ThefTalians, and 
others who furvived tlie engagement, the Spartan Dio- 
neces defcrved tlie prize of valour. When it was ob- 
ferved to him, that the Perfian arrows were fo nume¬ 
rous, that they intercepted the light of the fun, he faid 
it was a favourable circumdance, becaufe the Greeks 
now fought in the diade. The brothers Alpl'.eus and 
Maron are likewife particularized for their generous 
contempt of death, and for their didinguifh^d valour 
and adfivity in the fervice of their country. What 
tliefe and other virtues could accomplifli, the Greeks, 
both as individuals and in a body, had already per¬ 
formed ; but it became impodlblc for them longer to 
redd the impetuolity and weight of the darts, and ar¬ 
rows, and other midile weapons, wliicli were continually 
poured upon them ; and they were finally not dedroyed 
or conquered, but buried under a trophy of Perdan 
arms. Two monuments were erected near the fpot 
where they fell ; the infcription of the fil'd announced 
the valour of a handful of Greeks, vvho had redded 
three millions of barbarians: the fecond was peculiar 
to the Spartans, and contained thefe memorable words: 
“■Go, dranger, and declare to the Lacedajmonians, that 
■we died here in obedience to their divine laws.” 
V, ayyahov Aay.e^aiuonoiz on rnS'c 
Kci/zsfioc 1015 xemaiu p'/j^acri weifiopcsroi. Herodot. vii. ccxxviii. 
During the military operations at Thermopylae, the 
Grecian fleet was .dill dationed in the harbour of Arte- 
mifium. That of the Perdans,, too numerous for any 
liarbour to contain, had anchored in the road that ex^ 
tends between the city of Cadanaea and the promontory 
of Sepias, on the coad of Thelfaly. The firft line of 
their fleet was dieltered by the heights on the coad ; 
but the other lines, to the number of feven, rode at 
anchor, at fmall intervals, with the prows of the vef- 
fels turned to the fea. When they adopted this ar¬ 
rangement, the waters were fmooth, the fky clear, the 
weather calm and feren'e ; but on the morning of the 
fecond day, the fky began to lour, and the appearance 
ol the heavens grew threatening and terrible. A dread¬ 
ful dorm fucceeded, which laded for feveral days. The 
neared vedels were faved by hauling under the fiiore ; 
of the more remote many were driven from tlieir an¬ 
chors ; fome foundered at fea, others fplit on the pro¬ 
montory of Sepias, and feveral bulged on the fhallows 
of Melibata. Three days the temped raged with un¬ 
abating fury. Four hundred gullies were dedroyed by 
its violence, belide fuch a number of dorediips and 
tranfports, that tlie Perlian commanders, fufpedling this 
difader might occafion the revolt of the 1 heffalians, 
fortified themfelves with a rampart of conridei*able 
height, wjiolly compofed of the lhattered fragments of 
the -wreck, 'I'his bulw;uk was fufficient to protect them 
ag:!ind the irruptions of tlie Greeks ; but it could not 
defend them againd the-more dangerous fury of tlie 
waves. In a fhort time, therefore, they quitted their 
infecure dation at Sepias, and with eight hundred diips 
of war, befidcs innumerable velfels of burden, failed 
into the Pegafean bay, and anchored in the road of 
Aphete, which lies direffly oppofite to the harbour of 
Artemifium. 
The Perfians, having now recovered from the terrors 
of the dorm, refolved to prepare for the engagement- 
As they entertained no doubt of the vidtory, they de¬ 
termined not to begin the attack, until they had fent 
two hundred of their bed failing vedels around the ifle 
of Euboea, to intercept the expedfed flight of the enemy 
through the narrow Euripus. Thus weakened by a 
confiderable diminution of their fleet, in addition to 
their lodes by the dorm, the Grecians confidered it as a 
favourable opportunity to difplay their courage and Ikill 
in commencing the adlion. About fun-fet they ap¬ 
proached in a line, and offered battle to the Perfians. 
They did not chufe to decline the engagement, as their 
diips were dill fufficiently numerous to furrQund thofe 
of their opponents. At the fird fignal the Greeks 
formed into a circle, at the fecond they began the fight. 
Though crowded into a narrow compafs, and having 
the enemy on every fide, they foon took thirty of their 
diips, and funk many more. Night Came on, accompa¬ 
nied with an impetuous dorm of rain and thunder ; the 
Greeks retired into the harbour ot Artemifium j the 
enemy were driven to the coad of Thelfaly. As the 
wind blew from the fouth, the dead bodies and wrecks 
dallied with violence againd the fides of their diips; 
fome were driven on.diore ; but the principal part had 
the good fortune again to reach the Pegafean Bay. Their 
c.ilamities were thought great and unexpedted ; but 
the diips ordered to lail round Euboea were overtaken 
by the dorm ; and after continuing during the greated 
part of the night the fport of the elemtnts, they all 
pieridied miferably, aniidlt the dioals and rocks ot that 
dangerous coad. 
The morning rofe with different profpedfs and hopes 
to tlie Perfians and Greeks. To the former it dilco- 
vered the extent of their misfortunes; to the latter it 
brought a reinforcement of fifty-three Athenian diips. 
Encouraged by this favourable circumdance, they de¬ 
termined again to attack the enemy, at tlie fame hour 
as on the preceding day, becaufe their knovvledge of the 
coad, and their fkill in fighting their lliips, rendered 
the dulk peculiarly propitious to their defigiis. At the 
appointed time, they failed towards the road of Aphete, 
and having cut off the Cilician fquadron from the red, 
totally dedroyed it, and returned at night to Artemi- 
Cum. "I he Perfian commanders, deeply afiecled with 
their repeated dilafiers, and greatly alarmed at the much- 
dreaded refentment of their king, determined to make 
one vigorous effort for redoring the glory of their arms. 
By art and dratagem, and under favour of the night, 
the Greeks had hitherto gained many important advan¬ 
tages. It now belonged to the Perfians to chufe the 
time for adlion. On the third day at noon, they failed 
forth in the form of a crefeent, fufficiently extenfive to 
infold the whole Grecian line. The Greeks, animated 
by former fuccefs, were averfe to decline the battle ; 
yet it is probable that Tliemidocles would much rather 
have delayed it to a more favourable opportunity. 
Rage, refentment, and indignation, fupplied the detedl 
of the barbarians in fkill and courage. The battle was 
longer, and more doubtful, than on any former occafion ; 
many Grecian velfels were dedroyed; five were taken 
by the Egyptians, vvho particularly lignalized them¬ 
felves on the fide of the barbarians, as the Athenians 
did on that of the Greeks. The perfevering valour of 
the latter at length prevailed, and the enemy retired ; 
but the vidlory cofl them dear ; fince their velfels, par. 
ticularly thofe of the Athenians, were reduced to a 
diattered condition ; and their great inferiority in the 
number and fize of their fhips, made them feel more 
fendbly every diminution of drength. This circum¬ 
dance determined them to retire to the diores of the 
Corinthian idhmus. The inclinatiot^ to this meal'ure 
' received 
