B66 G R E 
pefting their motions, and unwilling to hazard another 
engagement, had retired to the Ionic coaft, and, accord¬ 
ing to the ciiftoni of tliat age, not only drawn their fliips 
©Ti-(liore, but furrounded tliem with a done wall of con- 
fiderable ftrength. The vefTels thus fecured, the failors, 
amounting to forty thoufand, commanded by Artayndes, 
formed a camp along the (bore. They were reinforced 
by the Perlian army under Tigranes, computed at fixty 
thoufand; and, though they had acknowledged their 
inferiority at fea, they determined on land to hazard a 
general engagement. The Greeks did not decline the 
battle ; and Leotychides, in order to encourage his. 
troops, is faid to have induftrioufly fpread a report that 
their countrymen had obtained a fignal victory at Pla- 
taea. This report, by whatever means it was raifed, 
had doubtlefs a confiderable effedt in deciding the for¬ 
tune of the day. Other circumftances, not lefs power¬ 
ful, were, the general revolt of the Afiatic Greeks, 
and the filent contell of honour between the Spartans 
and Athenians. Among the barbarian troops, the Per- 
fians beliaved with uncommon bravery ; and on the 
fide of the Grecians, the battle of Mycale was more 
bloody than any other fought in the conrfe of the war. 
It delerves notice, that in all thefe memorable aiflions, 
t;he Greeks had no refource but in victory. But the 
barbarians had provided probable means of fafety, even 
in cafe of a defeat. On the prefent occafion they had en¬ 
deavoured not only to lecure a retreat within a ftrongly 
fortified camp, but to acquire an undifturbed paflage 
through the narrow defiles of Mycale. Yet all their 
precautions were rendered ineff'edlual by the valour and 
fortune of the Greeks. The Milefians, ported by the 
enemy to guard the partes of the mountain, inrtead of 
promoting, prevented their efcape. The Spartans pur- 
fued them with great llaughter in that direction; while 
the Athenians, alfirted by the allies of Corintli, Sicyon, 
and Trtezene, advanced with undaunted bravery to at¬ 
tack their camp. The Afiatic Greeks, who at all times 
acknowledged the warlike pre-eminence of their Eu¬ 
ropean brethren, emulated, in the prefent engagement 
alone, the admired valour of their ancertors. Above 
forty thoufand Perfians perirtied in the field ; many fell 
in the purfuit, or in defending their entrenchments : 
the remainder fled in diforder, nor thought themfelves 
fecure till they had reached the walls of Sardis. Their 
ihips, their camp, the freedom of Ionia, and the un- 
dirturbed pofTeflion of the Afiatic coart, formed the in- 
ertimable prize of the viCfors; and thus the expedition 
of Xerxes, undertaken with a view to enflave Europe, 
reftored liberty to the fairelt portion of Afia, 
From the final OVERTHROW of the PERSIAN 
INVASION, TO THE PEACE of NICIAS. 
After the decifive vidfories of Plataea and Mycale, it 
was the firll care of the Athenians to bring home their 
wives, children, and mort valuable efledls, from the irtes 
of ^gina and Salamis. In the latter illand they cele¬ 
brated that important day, which proved alike glorious 
to Greece, and fatal to Perfia. But an attention to do- 
meltic concerns prevented not the Athenians irom pufli- 
ing tile war witli vigour, though deferred by the Spar¬ 
tans and other Pelopoancliuns, who tailed home before 
winter. The Afiatic colonies, animated by the recent 
lecovery of freedom, feconded the Athenian ardour ; 
and the confederates, having luccefsiully infeited the 
territories of the great king, belieged and took the rich 
city of Sertos in tlie Cherfonefus of Thrace, the only 
place of rtrength which adhered to the Perlian interelf 
in the fertile peninlula. 
During the two ibllovving years the war languirtied 
abroad, while the lymptoms of jealoufy and difcord 
broke out at home, 'l ire Athenians began the laborious 
Uilk ot rebuilding their city, wliich tiie Perlian fpoils 
jnight contiibute to enrich with uncommon magnifi¬ 
cence, and whicl) the acquaintance gained in the coiirfe 
E C E. 
of the war wdth the graceful forms of Ionic and Doric 
architecture might enable them to adorn w'ith more 
beauty and elegance than had yet been difplayed in 
Europe. But the weighty advice of Themiftocles pre¬ 
vailed on them to fufpend this noble undertaking, and 
engaged them, inrtead of decorating their capital with 
temples, theatres, and gymnafia, to fortify it by walls 
of fuch rtrength and folidity as might thenceforth bid 
defiance to every enemy, whether foreign or domertic. 
The meafure was fcarcely determined upon, when an 
embarty arrived from Sparta, remonftrating agaiiirt a 
defign peculiarly dangerous to tiiofe who owed their 
fafety to the weaknefs of their cities. Themiftocles 
eafily unveiled the fufpicion concealed under this fpe- 
cious malk of public utility, and encouraged his coun¬ 
trymen to elude the Spartan artifice by fimilar addrefs; 
in confequence of wliich, Themiftocles was immediately 
difpatched to Sparta, to explain their intentions. Mean¬ 
while the Athenian walls rofe up with unexampled ce¬ 
lerity ; nor did even the filent tranquillity of night abate 
the ardour of their diligence. The Athenian ambalfadors 
artfully deterred opening their commillion till they had 
news from Athens that the walls were completed : they 
then appeared in the Lacedaemonian alTembly ; and The¬ 
miftocles, fpeaking for the reft, declared, that his coun¬ 
trymen needed not to learn from their confederates, what 
meafures were honourable to themfelves, and beneficial 
to the common caufe ; that, by his advice, they had 
firmly defended their city againrt the alfaults of open 
enemies and jealous friends. Whatever fecret indio-na- 
tion this fpeech might excite, the Spartans thought 
proper to fupprefs their animofity. Themiftocles re¬ 
turned in peace to Athens, and let on foot the projedtion 
of that arduous work, the formation of the Pirjcus or 
harbour. The new walls were fufficiently broad to ad¬ 
mit two carriages abreaft; the ftones compofing them 
were of an immenfe fize, ftrongly united by bars of iron. 
The Piraeus, which was five miles diftant from the cita¬ 
del, foon grew into a town, containing many thoufand 
inhabitants. It was joined to tlie city by walls begun 
by Cimon, but finirtied by Pericles, twenty years after 
the harbour itfelf had been eredted. The new buildings 
of Cimon and Pericles are often mentioned in hiftory un¬ 
der the name of the Long Walls. They extended forty 
ftadia on either fide ; and, when added to the circumfe¬ 
rence of the ancient city, (about fixty ftadia,) give us 
for the whole circuit of the Athenian fortifications an 
extent of nearly eighteen Engliih miles. 
The altercations excited by thefe undertakings at 
home, prevented not their united arras from affaultinn- 
the dominions of the great king. Thirty Athenian and 
fifty Peloponnelian fliips had been employed to expel 
the Perlian garrifons from the fea-ports which they lull 
occupied in the Hellelpont, the Propontis, and the 
.^gean, illes. The European fleet, being feafonably 
joined by various fquadrons from the Greek cities of 
Afia, fcoured the eaftern rtiores of tlie Mediterranean, 
and delivered from cpprellion in the year before Chrift 
476, the long enllaved illand of Cyprus. Their next 
operation was the liege of Byzantium, the modern Con- 
ftantinople, firft founded by a feeble colony of Meo-a- 
reans, wliich had gradually become populous and flou- 
rilhing, but fubject to Xerxes. The place v.'as well 
fupplied with provilions, and commanded by Perfians 
ot tlie firft diltinttion, among whom were feveral kinf- 
men of the great king. The liege was obftinatc and 
bloody ; the w alls were ftormed, and an immenfe booty, 
together with many Perfian princes and nobles, fell into 
the hands of the victors. And here ends the glory of 
Paufamas, who Itill commanded the forces of the confe¬ 
deracy ; a man whole fame would rival the moft illuf- 
trious names of antiquity, had he fallen in the liege of 
Byzantium. But grown too great to remain a fubjedf, 
he was emulous to become a fovereign, through the af. 
fiftance of Xerxes, the inveterate enemy of his country. 
To 
