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mistocles towards Lacedæmon, giving him for excuse, that he could not deliver the Athenians' resolutions till the arrival of his fellow-commissioners, who were of purpose retarded. But after a while, the Lacedæmonians' expectation being converted into jealousy, (for by the arrival of divers persons out of Attica, they were told for certain, that the walls of Athens were speedily grown up beyond expectation,) Themistocles prayed them not to believe reports and vain rumours, but that they would be pleased to send some of their own trusty citizens to Athens, from whose relation they might resolve themselves, and determine accordingly. Which request being granted, and commissioners sent, Themistocles despatched one of his own, by whom he advised the Athenians, first to entertain the Lacedæmonians with some such discourse as might retain them a few days, and in conclusion to hold them among them till himself and the other Athenian ambassadors, then at Sparta, had their liberty also to return. Which done, and being also assured by his associates and Aristides, that Athens was already defensible on all parts, Themistocles demanding audience, made the Lacedæmonians know, that it was true that the walls of Athens were now raised to that height, as the Athenians doubted not the defence of their city; praying the Lacedæmonians to believe, that whensoever it pleased them to treat with the Athenians, they would know them for such as right well understood what appertained to a commonweal and their own safety, without direction and advice from any other: that they had in the war of Xerxes abandoned their city, and committed themselves to the wooden walls of their ships, from the resolution of their own counsels and courage, and not thereto taught or persuaded by others; and finally, in all that perilous war against the Persians, they found their own judgments, and the execution thereof in nothing inferior or less fortunate, than that of any other nation, state, or commonweal among the Greeks; and therefore concluded, that they determined to be masters and judges of their own af

fairs, and thought it good reason that either all the cities confederated within Greece should be left open, or else that the walls of Athens should be finished and maintained.

The Lacedæmonians finding the time unfit for quarrel, dissembled their mislike, both of the fortifying of Athens, and of the division, and so suffered the Athenians to depart, and received back from them their own ambassadors.

The walls of Athens finished, they also fortified the port Piræus, by which they might under covert embark themselves upon all occasions.

SECT. II.

The beginning of the Athenian greatness, and prosperous wars made by that state upon the Persian.

THE Athenians having settled things in good order at home, prepared thirty galleys for the pursuit of the war against the Persians, to which the Lacedæmonians added other twenty; and with this fleet, strengthened by the rest of the cities of Greece confederated, they set sail for Cyprus, under the conduct of Pausanias the Lacedæmonian ; where, after their landing, having possessed themselves of many principal places, they embarked the army again, and took land in Thrace, recovering from the Persians by force the city Byzantium, now Constantinople: from whence Pausanias, behaving himself more like a tyrant than a captain, especially towards the Ionians lately revolted from Xerxes, was called back by the council of Lacedæmon, and not only accused of many insolent behaviours, but of intelligence with the Medes, and treason against his country. In his stead they employed Docres, who either gave the same cause of offence, or else the Athenians, who affected the first commandment in that war, practised the soldiers to complain; though indeed the wise and virtuous behaviour of Aristides, general of the Athenian forces, a man of rare and incomparable sincerity, had been able to make a good commander seem ill in comparison of himself; and therefore was much more available in rendering those detested, whose vices afforded little matter of excuse. Howsoever it

were, the Lacedæmonians, being no less weary of the war than the Athenians were eager to pursue it, the one obtained their ease, and the other the execution and honour which they desired; for all the Greeks (those of Peloponnesus excepted) willingly subjected themselves to the commandment of the Athenians, which was both the beginning of their greatness in that present age, and of their ruin in the next succeeding. For the charge of the war being now committed unto them, they began to rate the confederated cities, they appointed receivers and treasurers, and began to levy money according to their discretion, for the maintenance of the general defence of Greece, and for the recovering of those places on Europe side in Asia the Less, and the islands, from the Persians. This tribute (the first that was ever paid by the Greeks) amounted to four hundred and threescore talents, which was raised easily by the honest care of that just man Aristides, to whose discretion all the confederates referred themselves, and no one man found occasion to complain of him. But as the virtue of Aristides, and other worthy citizens, brought unto the Athenians great commodity; so the desire which they conceived of increasing their commodity corrupted their virtue, and robbing them of the general love which had made them powerful, abandoned their city to the defence of her treasure, which with her in the next age perished. For it was not long ere these four hundred and threescore talents were raised to six hundred, nor long after that, ere their covetous tyranny had converted their followers into slaves, and extorted from them yearly thirteen hundred talents. The isle of Delos was at the first appointed for the treasure-house wherein these sums were laid up; and where, at the general assembly, the captains of those forces, sent by the confederates, were for form sake called to consultation. But the Athenians, who were stronger by sea than all Greece besides, had locked up the common treasure in an island under their own protection, from whence they might transport it at their pleasure, as afterwards they did.

The general commander in this war was Cimon the son

of Miltiades, who first took Eiona, upon the river Strimon; then the isle of Sciros, inhabited by the Dolopes: they mastered the Caristii, and brought into servitude the Naxii, contrary to the form of the confederacy; so did they other the inhabitants of Greece, if at any time they failed of their contribution, or disobeyed their commandments; taking upon them and usurping a kind of sovereign authority over the rest which they exercised the more assuredly, because they were now become lords of the sea, and could not be resisted. For many of the confederated cities and nations, weary of the war in their own persons, and given up altogether to their ease, made choice rather to pay their parts in money, than either in men of war or in ships, leaving the provision of both to the Athenians. Hereby the one grew weak in all their sea-defences, and in the exercise of the wars; the other greatly strengthened their navy and their experiences, being always armed and employed in honourable services, at the cost of those who hav-ing lifted them into their saddles, were now enforced to become their footmen. Yet was the tribute-money, levied upon these their confederates, employed so well by the Athenians at the first, (as ill proceedings are often founded upon good beginnings,) that no great cause of repining was given. For they rigged out a great fleet of galleys, very well manned, wherewith Cimon the admiral scouring the Asiatic seas, took in the city of Phaselis; which having formerly pretended neutrality, and refused to relieve, or any way assist the Greeks, were enforced to pay ten talents for a fine, and so to become followers of the Athenians, paying yearly contribution.

From thence he set sail for the river Eurymedon in Pamphylia, where the Persian fleet rode, being of six hundred sail, or (according to the most sparing report) three hundred and fifty, and having a great land-army encamped upon the shore: all which forces having been provided for advancing the king's affairs in Greece, were utterly defeated in one day, and two hundred ships taken by the Athenians, the rest being broken to pieces or sunk ere ever they had

swum in the Greekish seas. Cimon having in one day obtained two great victories, the one by the sea and the other by land, was very soon presented with a third. For fourscore sail of Phoenicians, (who were the best of all seamen under the Persian command,) thinking to have joined themselves with the fleet before destroyed, arrived upon the same coast, ignorant of what had passed, and fearing nothing less than what ensued. Upon the first notice of their approach Cimon weighed anchor, and meeting them at an headland called Hydra, did so amaze them, that they only sought to run themselves on ground; by which means preserving few of their men, they lost all their ships. These losses did so break the courage of the Persian, that, omitting all hope of prevailing upon Greece, he condescended to whatsoever articles it pleased the Athenians to propound, granting liberty unto all the Greeks inhabiting Asia; and further covenanting, that none of his ships of war should sail to the westward of the isles called Cyanea and Chelidoniæ.

This was the most honourable peace that ever the Greeks made; neither did they in effect, after this time, make any war that redounded to the profit or glory of the whole na tion, till such time as under Alexander they overthrew the empire of Persia; in which war few, or perhaps none of them, had any place of great command, but served altogether under the Macedonians.

SECT. III.

The death of Xerxes by the treason of Artabanus. BESIDES these losses, which could not easily have been repaired, the troubles of the empire were at this time such, as gave just cause to the Persian of seeking peace upon any terms not altogether intolerable. For Artabanus, the uncle of Xerxes, perceiving that the king his master did easily take small occasions to shed the blood of such as in kindred or place were near unto him, began to repose less hope of safety in remaining faithful, than of obtaining the sovereignty, by destroying a prince that was so hated for his cruelty, and despised for his cowardice and misfortunes.

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