G R E 
received additional force from the arrival of Abronyciis, 
with an account of the heroical death of Leonidas. 
The engagements by fea and land had been fought on 
the fame day. In both the Greeks defended a narrow 
pafs againft a fuperior power ; and in both the Per- 
fians had determined, by furrounding, to conquer them. 
Before tJiey left Artemifium, Themiftocles, watchful 
to promote the interefl: of his country, endeavoured to 
alienate tVom tlie great king the affeftions of his braved: 
auxiliaries, namely, the lonians. For this purpofe he 
engraved on the rocks, near the watering-place of Ar- 
temifuim, the following words : “ Men of Ionia, your 
conduct is mod unjud in fighting agaiiid your ancedors, 
and in attempting to endave Greece ; refolve, therefore, 
while it is yet in your power, to repair the injury. You 
ought to reu’.ember, that yourfelves gave occafion to 
the quarrel between us and the barbarians ; and farther, 
that the fame duties which children owe to their pa¬ 
rents, colonies owe to their mother-country 
When news arrived that the Grecian fleet had aban¬ 
doned Artemifiuin, Xerxes regarded their retreat as 
equal to a viftory. He therefore ilfned orders that his 
naval force Ihould proceed to take podeflion of the har¬ 
bours of Athens ; while, at the head of his numerous 
army, he refolved to march into the Attic territory. 
Having entered the country of Phocis, thePerfian army 
feparated into two divifions, with a view to obtain more 
plentiful fupplies, as well as to dedroy more completely 
the polfeflions of their enemies. The mod numerous 
divifion followed the courfe of the river CephilTus, 
which flows from the ThelTalian mountains to the lake 
Coprais in Boeotia. The fertile banks of that river were 
adorned by Charadra, Neon, Elat:ea, and other popu¬ 
lous cities, all of which were burned or demolidied by 
the fury ot Xerxes. After committing thefe dreadful 
ravages, one divifion of the army marched into Bceotia; 
while the other dreiched along the wedern fleirts of 
mount ParnalTus, and traced a line of devadation from 
the banks of the Cephid'us to the temple of Delphi. 
The Delphians confultcd the oracle, “ Whether they 
Ihould hide their treafures under ground, or tranfport 
them to fome neighbouring country The Pythia re¬ 
plied, “ That the arms ot Apollo were fufficient for the 
defence of his thrine.” The Delpihians, therefore, con¬ 
fined their attention only to ihe means of perfonal fafety. 
The women and children were tranfported to Achaia ; 
the men climbed to the craggy tops of mount Cirphis, 
or defeended to the deep caverns of ParnafTus. Only 
lixty perfons, miniders of Apollo, kept podeflion of the 
facred city. Bat, could w-e credit the tedimony of an¬ 
cient hidorians, it .foon appeared that the gods had not 
abandoned Delphi : fcarcely had the Perfians reached 
the temple of Minerva the Provident, fituated at a little 
didance from the town, when the air thickened, a vio¬ 
lent dorm arofe, the thunder and lightning were incef- 
fant. At length the temped burd on mount Parnaffus, 
and feparated from itsTides two iinmenfe rocks, which 
rolling down with increafed violence, overwhelmed the 
neared ranks of the Perlians. The/battered fragments, 
•wliich long remained in the grove of Minerva, were re¬ 
garded by the credulity of the Greeks as a danding 
proof of the miracle. But without fuppofing any lu- 
pernatural intervention, we may believe that an extra¬ 
ordinary event, happening on an extraordinary occtifion, 
would piroduee great terror and coudernation in the 
barbarian army, lincc many of the nations v/liich coin- 
piofed it acknowledged the divinity of Apollo, and mud 
therefore have been fen/ible of their intended impiety, 
in defpoiling his temple. The awful folernnity of the 
place confpired with the horrors of the temped, and 
rite guilty feelings of their own confciences. An uni- 
verlal panic Icized them ; and they fled with terror and 
defpair. The Delphians, who perceived their confu- 
lion, and who believed that the gods, by the mod mani- 
fed llgns, defended their favourite abode, rudied impe- 
VoL.VllI. No. 550. 
E C E. 86J 
tuoufly from their fadnefles, and dedroyed great num¬ 
bers of the unrefiding enemy. The remainder took the 
road of Boeotia, in order to join . the divifion under 
Xerxes, which liaving dedroyed the cities ol The/pia' 
and Piatasa, was marching to inflidl complete vengeance 
on the Athenians. 
The united army arrived in the Attic territory three 
months after their pafl'age over the Hellefpont. They 
laid wade the country, burned the cities, and levelled 
the temples with the ground. At length they took 
poflTeflion of the capital ; but tlie inlrd itant-s, by a re¬ 
treat no lefs prudent than magnanimous, had withdrawn 
from the fury of their refentment. Tlie Atlieuians, by 
the advice of Themidocles, embraced a refolutioiw 
vvliich eclipfed the glory of all tlicir former exploits. 
They abandoned to the Perfian rage their villages, tliCir 
territory, tlieir walls, nay, Atliens itfelf, with the re¬ 
vered tombs of their anced'ers ; their wives a.nd cliil- 
dreii, and aged parents, were tranfported to the ides of 
Salamis and .lEgina, and to the city of Tra:zone. The 
embarkation was made with fiich hade, tliat the inhabi¬ 
tants were obliged to leave behind them their houdicld 
furniture, their datues and piftures, and in general the 
mod valuable part of their property. But they were 
willing to relinquifli all for the fake of their country, 
wliich they well knew confided not in their houfes, 
lands, and ed'edls, but in tha.t equal coiiditution of go¬ 
vernment which they had received from tlieir ancedors, 
and which it v/as their determination to tranfmit unim¬ 
paired to poderity. 
The Athenians capable of bearing arms or of hand¬ 
ling an oar, embarked on-board the fleet flationed at 
Salamis. The whole Grecian fleet amounted to three 
hundred and eighty veflels. 'I'hat of the Perfians, 
which now took pofTeflion of tlie Athenian harbours 
lying to the foutli of the drait occupied by the Greeks, 
had alfo received a powerful reinforcement. We are 
not exactly informed of the number or //length of tile 
additional fqiiadron ; but it was I'uppoled fully to com- 
penfate tlie iofs occafioned by dorms and fea-fights, and 
to redore the Perdan fleet to its origin.:! complement of 
twelve hundred fail. 
Trulting to the immenfe fiiperiority of ids arraament, 
Xerxes was dill dedrous to make trial of his ibrtane at 
fea, notvvithdanding his recent difadci s on that element. 
But belbre he came to a final refclution, he fummoned 
a council of war, in order to hear tiie opinion of his 
maritime fubjefts and allies. The tributary kings of 
Tyre and Sidon, the leaders of the Egyptians, Cypri¬ 
ans, and Cilicians, ever ready to flatter tlie pa/iions of 
their fovereign, od'ered many frivolous rcafoiis in favour 
of the alternative to which they perceived 1dm inclined. 
But in the fleet of Xerxes there was a Grecian queen 
named Artemi/ia, widow of the prince'of Halicat nalii: 
wlio had afiTiuiied the government of that territory for 
the benefit of lier infant fon. Compelled by the order 
of Xerxes, or periiaps irritated againd the Atiienians 
for fome reafons wldcli hiflory does not record, /he not 
only fitted out five fldps to attend the Perfian expedi¬ 
tion, but took upon herfelf the command of lier little 
fqiiadron, and on every occafion conducted it with equal 
/kill and bravery. Such vigour of mind, united wiih 
fo delicate a form, excited the Idghcd admiration ; but 
the heroic fpirit of Arteuiifia becomes dill more intc- 
reding, when we coniidcr tlie fevcrc rcitraiins v. iiich 
liave been in all ages iiiipofcd on the /ex. Her uiperior 
genius recommencled her tp the favour of Xerxes, who 
was obliged to edeeni in a woman tiie virtues wiiicii lie 
hiuifelf wanted ipirit to praftil'c'. Tniiling to iiis ad¬ 
vantageous opinion .of her courage and fidelity, Arte- 
riiilia diiTented from'tlie general voire of tiie allies, and 
even opjio/cd tlie inclination of tlie prince. F/er judi¬ 
cious ob/'ervatioiis were however not heard ; the mod 
fatal opinion prevailed, becaufe it was adapted to flatter 
the vanity of Xerxes. 
When 
10 K 
