G R E 
tlie Perllans, and the defeat of the PerHans by the flight 
of the barbarian army. Artabaziis, tlie Partliian chief, 
Jiad from tlie beginning-condemned the rafli nieal'ures of 
Mardonins. He commanded forty thoufand men, who 
>vere prepared on every occafion to follow the example 
of their leader. As foon as he perceived the confufion 
of the Perlians, he made the fignal for his troops to quit 
the field. He conducted them through the territory 
of the Phocians, and arriving by hafiy marches at the 
Helletpont, returned in fafety to the Afiatic coalt. 
The remainder of the difcomfiied barbarians fought 
refuge in their camp ; and the Spartans ptirfued them 
vvitit great ardour, but were unable to force their en¬ 
campment. The Tegeans and other troops Seconded 
the attack, but no imprelTion could be made on the wall, 
till the arrival of the Athenians. 1 hefe generous de¬ 
fenders of tlie cattle of liberty liad repulfe/i the Grecian 
auxiliaries, who ungeneroufly alTifted the enemies ot 
their country. The behaviour of the greater part of 
the traitors furnilhed the occafion of an ealy viiSlory ; 
for, unable to meet the jull: reproaches aOd indignant 
looks of theit countrymen, they foon betook themlelves 
to flight, which, in the prefent cafe, feemed more ho¬ 
nourable than refinance. The Thebans alone oppoled 
with great pet fever ante the Athenian valour; they did 
not delifi from liollility till feveral hundreds were Haiti; 
and when compelled to quit the field, they fled towards 
Bceotia, and lluit themlelves up within the Ih'ong walls 
of their city. Inltead of purfuing thele fugitives, though 
their domeltic and inveterate foes, the Athenians, with 
a laudable moderation, inlpired by Ariltides, directed 
their march towards the Lacedaemonian forces, w hicli 
had already engaged and put to flight the main Itrength 
of the enemy. The Atlienians, however, came in time 
to complete fb.e glory of that memorable day. They 
attacked w ith redoubled vigour the fortification, wliich 
liad been in vain aflailcd by their allies ; and having ef- 
feiled a breach in the wall, entered the Perfian camp. 
They were followed by tlie brave foldiers of Tegea, and 
aficrvvdids by tlie Spartans. 1 he barbarians were I'eized 
with confternation at feeing fp many myriads confined 
within a narrow Ipace. The means of their expcCfed 
fafety became the principal cattle of tlieir dellruCtion ; 
and of nearly tw'o luuidred thoufand barbarians, not two 
thouland elcaped the fury of the Grecian Ipear. 
The event of this fignal engagement not only deli¬ 
vered the Greeks from the danger of fervitude, but gave 
"them pofl'eflion of greater wealth than they could ever 
have expefted to polfefs. In his precipitate retreat from 
Greece, Xerxes left behind him all his riclies and mag¬ 
nificence. Ills moll valuable effedts W'ere bellowed on, 
Mardohitis, the flatterer of his inclinations, and the mi- 
iiiller of his revenge. The reft was divided among his 
inferior favourites; and independent of the bounty of 
the prince, tlie tents of the Perlian nobles furnilhed a 
wide profulion of elegance and Iplendour. Couches 
magnificently embioidered ; tables of gold and filver; 
bowls and goblets of gold ; Halls and mangCrs of brafs, 
ciirioully wrought and ornamented; chains, bracelets, 
fcymiiars, of lolid gold, others adorned with precious 
Hones; and, to crown all, many chefts of Perlian money, 
which began at iliat time, and continued long after¬ 
wards, to be current in Greece. Among the common 
mafs of fpoil, Herodotus mentions many Perlian women, 
befides inniunc-rable horfes and camels. '1 he whole being 
collected into one j lace, the tenth was confecrated to 
the gods. A tenth of the remainder was beltowed on 
Paulanias, as commander in chief. Peculiar prefents 
wereofteied to tlie temples of Olympian Jove, Ifthmian 
Neptune, and Delphian" Apollo, the favourite divinities 
of the w hole Grecian name ; nor did the Atlienians for¬ 
get to fliew particular gratitude to the goddels Minerva. 
Prizes were afterwards diftributed among the braveft of 
tlie lurviving warriors ; for though the vitlory had been 
obtained with little blood, yet feveral hundreds had 
VoL, Vill. No. 551. 
E C E. ’ '865 
fallen, efpecially of the moil g?nerous and daring; among 
whom were ninety-one Spartans, fifty-two Athenians> 
and fixteen men of Tegea. Callicratides, a Spartan» 
the braveft and moll beautiful of the Greeks, was Ha-in 
by an arrow, before Paufanias, had given the fignal of 
engagement. As he fell, he laid to thofe around him, 
that lie was contented to die for Greece, but regretted 
dying inglorioully, having performed nothing worthy 
of himfclf, or the common cav.fe. But in the battle 
none of tlie warriors behaved with fucli diftingui'fhed 
bravery as Ariftodeinus, who alone, of three hundred 
Spartans, furvived the action of I'liciniopyhe. This 
circLimftance had rendered him contemptible in the eyes 
of his countrymen. He was continually upbraided with 
the bafe defertion of his companions. The moft heroic 
deeds could not reftore liim to the good opinion of the 
public; and it was afterted by tfie-Spartans, that even 
on the prefent occafion, as he had determined to feek a 
voluntary death in order to efface the (lain of his former 
infamy, he was not entitled to any of thofe honemrs 
which are defervedly beftowed on the genuine eftbrts of 
Ipontaneous valour. 
1 he Greeks buried their dead with every circumftance 
of funeral pomp, erefted in the field of battle confpi- 
cuous trophies of their renown, and appropriated about 
twenty thoufand pounds for dedicating temples and fta- 
tucs to the tutelary deities of Plataea, the illuftrious 
feene of victory. A few days were fpent in thele traiif- 
aflions; after which it W'as determined to march into 
Bceotia, in order to chaftife tlie perfidy of the Thebans. 
On tlie eleventh day after the battle they arrived in the 
neighbourhood of Thebes, ravaged the territory, and 
made approaches to the walls. The citizens, who were 
not all equally guilty or equally obnoxious, efcaped 
general deftruclion by furrendering the leaders of the 
faction which abetted tlie intereft of the Modes. The 
traitors were carried to Corinth, condemned without 
trial, and facrificed to the manes of their countrymen 
who had fallen at Marathon, Salamis, and Plataea, in 
defence of political liberty and national independence. 
The battle of Plataea was fought the zzd of Septem¬ 
ber, in the year before Chrift 479; and on the fame day 
anotlier battle, not lefs glorious or lefs decifive, was 
fought between the fame nations at the promontory of 
Mycale in Ionia, oppofite to the ifle of Samos. The 
fliattered remnant of the Perfian fleet, which had efcaped 
deftruclion on the fatal 20th of October of the preceding- 
year, took refuge in the friendly ports of Alia Minor. 
The victorious armament had fufl'ered too much in re¬ 
peated (liocks with a fuperior force, to engage at that 
late feafon in the purfuit of an enemy, whole ftrength, 
amounting to above four hundred vellels, was (till nearly 
double to their own. The little fquadron of Themifto-I 
cles had been employed, after the battle of Salamis, 
in laying the iflands of the ^digean Sea under contribu¬ 
tion. The great body of the fleet rendezvouled in the har¬ 
bours of 2®gina. There the Grecians continued during 
the winter, and before the feafon for aCdion approached, 
the command was beftowed on Xantippus the Athenian, 
and Leocychides, the Spartan king. To thele com¬ 
manders, whole abilities and influence in their refpeCl- 
ive republics were conliderablc, there arrived early in 
the Ipring a I'ecret deputation from feveral cities of 
Ionia, entreating that the valour of the European Greeks, 
which had been fo fuccefsfully employed in their own 
defence, might be Hill farther exerted In delivering fioia 
bondage their brethren in Afia. In confequence of tliis 
invitation, the fleet failed eaftward, and had fcarcely 
reached the coaft of Delos, when a I'econd embally came 
from the Samians, propoling the fame meafures a* the 
firll, and-farther adding, that the Perfian fleet now ly¬ 
ing in the harbour of Samos, might be attacked and 
defeated without danger or difficulty. The Grecians 
feized this favourable opportunity of terminating the 
war 5 but before they arrived at Samos, the enemy fuf- 
10 L p-ecting 
