when Alexander led a conquering army of Greeks to invade them in turn.

CHAPTER VII.

From the Retreat of Xerxes, to the Peace concluded between the Greeks and the Persians.

A. M.

3524

THE earliest object to which the Greeks attended, after the battle of Salamis, was to send the first fruits of the rich spoil they had taken from the Persians, to Delphos. Considered in a confederated light, they were ever attentive to the duties of religion; and, though the sects and opinions in philosophy, taught mankind to entertain but very mean ideas of the objects of public worship, yet it was religion that formed their bond of union; and, for a while, held them feebly together. When that bond came to be brok en, and the council of the Amphictyons became rather à political, than a religious assembly, the general union no longer prevailed; and the different states fell a sacrifice to their own contentions.

The joy of the Greeks, upon this victory, was general and loud; every commander had his share of honour; but the glory of Themistocles eclipsed that of all the rest, It was a custom in Greece, that, after a battle, the commanding officers should declare who had distinguished themselves most, by writing the names of such as merited the first and second re wards. On this occasion, each officer concerned, adjudged the first rank to himself, but all allowed the second to The mistocles; which was, in fact, a tacit superiority. This was farther confirmed by the Lacedæmonians, who carried him in triumph to Sparta; and, having adjudged the rewards of valour to their own countryman, Euribyades, adjudged that of wisdom to Themistocles. They crowned him with olive; presented him with a rich chariot, and conducted him, with three hundred horse, to the confines of their state.

.

But still there was a homage paid him, which flattered his* pride yet more: when he appeared at the Olympic games, the spectators received him with uncommon acclamations. As soor as he appeared, the whole assembly rose up, to do him honour: nobody regarded either the games or the combatants; Themistocles was the only spectacle worth their attention... Struck with such flattering honours, he could not help observing, that he that day reaped the fruits of all his labours.

After the Grecians had returned from pursuing the Persian fleet, Themistocles sailed to all the islands which had espoused

their interests, in order to levy contributions. The first he applied to was that of Andros, from whose inhabitants he required a considerable sum. I come, said he, to you, accompanied by two very powerful divinities, Persuasion and Necessity. Alas! replied they, we, also, have divinities on our side, Poverty and Impossibility.

In consequence of this reply, he blocked them up for some time; but finding them too well fortified, he was obliged to retire. Some other islands, however, were furnished neither with so much reason, nor so much power. He exacted large sums from all such as were incapable of opposition; and these contributions he converted chiefly to his own private advan. tage; thus showing, in his own character, two very oddly assorted qualities, avarice and ambition.

器 In the mean time, Mardonius, who remained in Greece, with a body of three hundred thousand men, passed the winter in Thessaly; and, in the beginning of spring, led them down into the province of Boeotia. From thence, he sent Alexander, king of Macedonia, with a splendid retinue to Athens, with proposals for an accommodation; and to endeav our to make them separate their interests from the general cause of Greece. He offered to rebuild their city; to give them a considerable sum of money: to suffer them to enjoy their laws and constitution, and to give them the government of all Greece.

Aristides was, at that time, in the highest office, being prin cipal archon at Athens. It was in his presence, that the king of Macedon made his proposals; and that the deputies from the other states of Greece, endeavoured to avert their force, But Aristides wanted no prompter, but the natural dictates of his own heart, to give them an answer. 66 To men,' "said he," bred up to pleasure and ignorance, it is natural to prof fer great rewards; and to hope, by bribes, to buy off virtue," Barbarians, who make silver and gold the chief objects of their esteem, may be excused for thinking to corrupt the fideli ty of every people: but that the Lacedæmonians, who came to remonstrate against these offers, should suppose they could prevail, was indeed surprising. The Athenians have the common liberty of Greece entrusted to their care, and mountains of gold are not able to shake their fidelity. No: so long as that sun which the Persians adore, continues to shine, with wonted splendour, so long shall the Athenians be mortal ene mies to the Persians; so long shall they pursue them, for ravishing their lands, for burning their houses, and polluting their temples: such, is the answer we return to the Persian oposal; and you," continued he, addressing himself to

Alexander, "if you are truly their friend, refrain, for the future, from being the bearer of such proposals; your honour, and perhaps even your safety, demands it."

All treaty being thus broken up, Mardonius prepared to act with vigour, and invaded Attica, which the Athenians were once more obliged to desert and leave to his fury. He entered Athens, ten months after it had been taken by Xerxes, the inhabitants having again conveyed themselves to Salamis, and other neighbouring places.

In that state of exile and want, they continued contented with all their sufferings, since repaid by freedom. Even Lycidas, a senator, who attempted to propose a submission, was stoned to death, while his wife and children met with the same fate from the women; so strong was the aversion which the Athenians had conceived against all communications with Persia.

In the mean time, the Spartans, whose duty it was to cooperate with the Athenians with equal ardour, unmindful of the general cause, thought only of making preparations for their own security; and resolved to fortify the isthmus, in order to hinder the enemy from entering into Peloponnesus.

This, the Athenians considered as a base and ungrateful defection, and sent deputies to remonstrate against the Spartan conduct. They had orders to say, that if Sparta would persist in its partial method of seeking security, the Athenians would follow their example; and, instead of suffering all for Greece, would turn, with their fleet, to the Persians; who, being thus masters of the sea, could invade the territory of Sparta whenever they should think proper. These menaces had so good an effect, that five thousand men were privately despatched, each attended with seven Helotes, and were actually upon their march before the Spartans gave the Athenian deputies any answer.

Mardonius had left Attica, at this time, and was on his return to the country of Boeotia; where he resolved to await the approach of the enemy, as he could there draw up his forces with greater ease, than in the hilly parts of Attica, where a few might be opposed to numbers with greater suc cess. He encamped by the river Asopos, along the banks of which his army extended, consisting of three hundred thou sand fighting men.

Great, as this army was, the Greeks, with much inferior forces, resolved to meet it in the field. Their troops were by this time assembled, and amounted to seventy thousand men Of these, five thousand were Spartans, attended by thirty-five dousand Helotes. The Athenians amounted to eight tho

sand, and the troops of the allies made up the remainder. In the right wing of this army, the Spartans were placed, com manded by Cleombrotus; in the left wing, the Athenians, with Aristides at their head..

In this order, they followed Mardonius into Boeotia, determined on trying the fate of a battle; and encamped at no great distance from him, at the foot of mount Cytheron Here, they continued for some time, awaiting, in dreadful suspense, a battle that was to determine the fate of Greece. Some skirmishing between the Persian cavalry, and the wing of the Grecian army, in which the latter were successful, seemed to give a presage of future victory, for which, how ever, during ten days, neither side seemed willing to strike.

While the two armies were thus opposed, waiting the most favourable opportunity of engaging; the Greeks, by their mutual dissensions, were upon the point of losing their freedom, in satisfying their mutual jealousy. The first dispute that arose in the army, was begun by the Tegeans, who contended with the Athenians upon the point of precedence. They willingly allowed the Spartans the command of the right wing, as they constantly had it: but they insisted on having the left; alleging that they had earned it by former acts of valour, and well-known success.

The dispute ran high; a mutinous disposition began to prevail in all parts of the army; and the enemy were likely to become victorious, without a blow.

In this general spirit of dissension, Aristides alone appear. ed unmoved. Long noted for his impartiality and justice, all parties fixed their eyes upon him, as the only moderator from whom they could expect satisfaction. Wherefore, turning himself to the Spartans, and some of the rest of the confede rates, he addressed them in the following manner: "It is not now a time, my friends, to dispute about the merit of past services; for all boasting is vain, in the day of danger. Let it be the brave man's pride, to rest assured, that it is not the post or station which gives courage, or which can take it away. I head the Athenians; whatever post you shall assign us we will maintain it: and make our station, wherever we are placed, the post of true honour and military glory. We are come hither, not to contend with our friends, but to fight with our enemies; not to boast of our ancestors, but to imitate them. This battle will distinguish the particular merit of each city, each commander, and even the lowest sentinel will share the honour of the day.”.

This speech determined the council of war in favour

he Athenians; who, thereupon, were allowed to maintain their former station.

A fatal conspiracy, in the midst of the Athenians, threatened consequences still more dangerous, as they were unseen. Some of the best and richest families, who had wasted their fortunes in the war, and lost their credit in the city, entered into a confederacy, to deliver up Greece into the hands of the Persians. Aristides, however, still watchful in the service of the state, was early informed of their machinations, and instantly laid their schemes before the general council. Not withstanding, he was contented with having eight of the conspirators arrested; and of these, two only were reserved for trial. Yet his lenity, or, to call it by a truer name, his pru dence, would not permit him to act rigorously, even against these as he knew that severity, in times of general danger, would but depress the ardour of the army, he permitted them to escape; and thus sacrificed public justice, to public security. Both armies had now continued for ten days in sight of Pach other, in anxious expectation of an engagement; both willing to begin, yet afraid to strike, as the aggressor was to engage at a disadvantage. But Mardonius being naturally of an impatient, fiery disposition, grew very uneasy, at so long a delay. Besides, he had not much provisions left for his army, and the Grecians grew every day stronger, by the addition of fresh supplies.

He, therefore, called a council of war, to deliberate wheth er he should give battle. Artabazus, a person of singular merit and great experience, was of opinion, that they should not hazard a battle; but that they should retire under the walls of Thebes; while the enemy, formed of various troops, and subject to different leaders, would destroy each other, by their own dissensions; or might be partly corrupted to give up the common cause.

This opinion was the most reasonable; but Mardonius, spurred on by his natural impetuosity, and wearied with a protracting war, resolved to engage; nor had the rest courage to contradict his resolution. The result, therefore was, that they should give battle the next day.

This being resolved, on the side of Persia, the Greeks were not less prepared for the engagement: they had been secretly apprised, the night before, by Alexander, king of Macedon, of the result of the Persian councils. Pausanius, therefore, gave orders to his army, to prepare themselves for battle; and, drawing up his forces, placed the Athenians on the right, as being better acquainted with the Persian manner of fightIng, and flushed with former success.