mortal enemies to the Persians, and will not cease to take vengeance of them for ravaging their lands and burning their houses and temples." After which he desired the king of Macedonia, if he was inclined to be truly their friend, that he would not make himself any more the bearer of such proposals to them, which would only serve to reflect dishonour upon him, without ever producing any other effect. Aristides, notwithstanding his having made this plain and peremptory declaration, did not stop there; but that he might still imprint the greater horror for such proposals, and for ever to prohibit all manner of commerce with the barbarians, by a principle of religion, he ordained, that the Athenian priests should denounce anathemas and execrations upon any person whatsoever, who should presume to propose the making of an alliance with the Persians, or the breaking of their alliance with the rest of the Grecians. 'When Mardonius had learned by the answer which the Athenians had sent him, " that they were to be prevailed upon by no proposals or advantages whatsoever to sell their liberty, he marched with his whole army towards Attica, wasting and destroying whatever he found in his way. The Athenians, not being in a condition to withstand such a torrent, retired to Salamin, and for a second time abandoned their city. Mardonius, still entertaining hopes of bringing them to some terms of accommodation, sent another deputy to them to make the same proposals as before. A certain Herod. 1. ix. c. 1-11. Plut. in Arist. Posteaquam nullo pretio libertatem his videt venalem, &c. Justin. Lii. c. 14. Athenian, called Lycidas, being of opinion, that they should hearken to what he had to offer, was immedi ately stoned; and the Athenian women running at the same time to his house, did the same execution upon his wife and children; so detestable a crime did they think it to propose any peace with the Persians. But notwithstanding this, they had a respect to the character wherewith the deputy was invested, and sent him back without offering him any indignity or ill treatment. Mardonius now found that there was no peace to be expected with them. He therefore entered Athens, burnt and demolished every thing that had escaped their fury the preceding year, and left nothing standing. The Spartans, instead of conducting their troops into Attica, according to their engagements, thought only of keeping themselves shut up within the Peloponnesus for their own security, and with that view had begun to build a wall over the isthmus, in order to hinder the enemy from entering that way, by which means they reckoned they should be safe themselves, and should have no further occasion for the assistance of the Athenians. The latter hereupon sent deputies to Sparta, in order to complain of the slowness and neglect of their allies. But the Ephori did not seem to be much moved at their remonstrances; and as that day was the feast of Hyacinthus,' they spent it in feasts and rejoicing, and deferred giving the deputies their : * Amongst the Lacedemonians the feast of Hyacinthus continued three days the first and last of which were days of sorrow and mourning for the death of Hyacinthus, but the second was a day of rejoicing, which was spent in feasting, sports, and spectacles, and all kinds of diversions. This festival was celebrated every year in the month of August, in hon our of Apollo and Hyacinthue. answer till the next day. And still procrastinating the affair as much as they could on various pretexts, they gained ten days time, during which the building of the wall was completed. They were on the point of dismissing the Athenian envoys in a scandalous manner, when a private citizen expostulated with them, and represented to them, how base it would be to treat the Athenians in such a manner, after all the calamities and voluntary losses they had so generously suffered for the common defence of liberty, and all the important services they had rendered Greece in general. This opened their eyes, and made them ashamed of their perfidious design. The very next night following they sent off, unknown to the Athenian deputies, five thousand Spartans, who had each of them seven helote, or slaves, to attend them. In the morning afterwards the deputies renewed their complaints with great warmth and resentment, and were extremely surprised when they were told that the Spartan succours were on their march, and by this time were not far from Attica. *Mardonius had left Attica at this time, and was on his return into the country of Beotia. As the latter was an open and flat country, he thought it would be more convenient for him to fight there, than in Attica, which was uneven and rugged, full of hills and narrow passes, and which for that reason would not allow him space enough for drawing up his numerous army in battle array, nor leave room for his cavalry to act. When he came back into Beotia, he encamped by the river Asopus. The Grecians followed him thither, Herod. 1. ix c. 12-76. Plut. in Arist. p. 325-330. Diod. I. xi. p. 24, 26. under the command of Pausanias, king of Sparta, and of Aristides, general of the Athenians. The Persian army, according to the account of Herodotus, consisted of three hundred thousand, or, according to that of Diodorus, of five hundred thousand men. That of the Grecians did not amount to seventy thousand men, of which there were but five thousand Spartans; but, as these were accompanied with thirty five thousand of the helote, viz. seven for each Spartan, they made up together forty thousand; the latter of these were light armed troops the Athenian forces consisted but of eight thousand, and the troops of the allies made up the remainder. The right wing of the army was commanded by the Spartans, and the left by the Athenians, an honour which the people of Tegea pretended to, and disputed with them, but in vain. up 1 Whilst all Greece was in suspense, expecting a battle that should determine their fate, a secret conspiracy, formed in the midst of the Athenian camp by some discontented citizens, who intended the subversion of their popular government, or to deliver Greece into the hands of the Persians, gave Aristides a great deal of perplexity and trouble. On this emer. gency he had occasion for all his prudence. Not knowing exactly how many people might be concerned in this conspiracy, he contented himself with having eight of them taken up; and of those eight, the only two whom he caused to be accused, because they had the most laid to their charge, made their escape out of the camp, whilst their trial was preparing. There is no doubt but Aristides favoured their escape, lest he should be obliged to punish them, and their punish Plut. in Arist. p. 326 ment might occasion some tumult and disorder. The others, who were in custody, he released, leaving them room to believe, that he had found nothing against them, and telling them, that the battle with the enemy should be the tribunal, where they might fully justify their characters, and show the world, how unlikely it was, that they had ever entertained a thought of betraying their country. This well timed and wise dissimulation, which opened a door for repentance, and avoided driving the offenders to despair, appeased all the commotion, and quashed the whole affair. Mardonius, in order to try the Grecians, sent out his cavalry, in which he was strongest, to skirmish with them. The Megarians, who were encamped upon a plain, suffered extremely by them; and, in spite of all the vigor and resolution with which they defended themselves, they were upon the point of giving way, when a detachment of three hundred Athenians, with some troops armed with missive weapons, advanced to their succor. Masistius, the general of the Persian horse, and one of the most considerable noblemen of his country, seeing them advance towards him in good order, made his cavalry face about and attack them. The Athenians stood their ground, and waited to receive them. The shock was very fierce and violent, both sides endeavouring equally to show, by the issue of this encounter, what would be the success of the general engagement. The victory was a long time. disputed: but at last Masistius's horse, being wounded, threw his master, who was quickly after killed; upon which the Persians immediately fled. As soon as the news of his death reached the barbarians, their grief was excessive. They cut off the hair of their |
