a smaller history of greece-第17节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　will　illustrate　the　terror　and　confusion　which　reigned　among　the　Persians。　　Artemisia；　queen　of　Halicarnassus　in　Caria；　distinguished　herself　in　it　by　deeds　of　daring　bravery。　　At　length　she　turned　and　fled；　pursued　by　an　Athenian　galley。　　Full　in　her　course　lay　the　vessel　of　a　Carian　prince。　　Instead　of　avoiding；　she　struck　and　sunk　it；　sending　her　countryman　and　all　his　crew　to　the　bottom。　　The　captain　of　the　Athenian　galley；　believing　from　this　act　that　she　was　a　deserter　from　the　Persian　cause；　suffered　her　to　escape。　　Xerxes；　who　from　his　lofty　throne　beheld　the　feat　of　the　Halicarnassian　queen；　but　who　imagined　that　the　sunken　ship　belonged　to　the　Greeks；　was　filled　with　admiration　at　her　courage；　and　exclaimed　〃My　men　are　become　women；　my　women　men！〃

Two　hundred　of　the　Persian　ships　were　destroyed　and　sunk　when　night　put　an　end　to　the　engagement。　　But　notwithstanding　this　loss　the　fleet　was　still　formidable　by　its　numbers。　　The　Greeks　themselves　did　not　regard　the　victory　as　decisive；　and　prepared　to　renew　the　combat。　　But　the　pusillanimity　of　Xerxes　relieved　them　from　all　further　anxiety。　　He　became　alarmed　for　his　own　personal　safety；　and　his　whole　care　was　now　centred　on　securing　his　retreat　by　land。　　The　best　troops　were　disembarked　from　the　ships；　and　marched　towards　the　Hellespont；　in　order　to　secure　the　bridge；　whilst　the　fleet　itself　was　ordered　to　make　for　Asia。　These　dispositions　of　Xerxes　were　prompted　by　Mardonius。　　He　represented　to　his　master　that　the　defeat；　after　all；　was　but　slight；　that　having　attained　one　of　the　great　objects　of　the　expedition　by　the　capture　of　Athens；　he　might　now　retire　with　honour；　and　even　with　glory；　and　that　for　the　rest　he　（Mardonius）　would　undertake　to　complete　the　conquest　of　Greece　with　300；000　men。　　While　the　Persian　fleet　sailed　towards　Asia；　Xerxes　set　out　on　his　homeward　march。　　In　Thessaly　Mardonius　selected　the　300；000　men　with　whom　he　proposed　to　conclude　the　war；　but　as　autumn　was　now　approaching；　he　resolved　to　postpone　all　further　operations　till　the　spring。

After　forty…five　days'　march　from　Attica；　Xerxes　again　reached　the　shores　of　the　Hellespont；　with　a　force　greatly　diminished　by　famine　and　pestilence。　　On　the　Hellespont　he　found　his　fleet；　but　the　bridge　had　been　washed　away　by　storms。　　Landed　on　the　shores　of　Asia；　the　Persian　army　at　length　obtained　abundance　of　provisions；　and　contracted　new　maladies　by　the　sudden　change　from　privation　to　excess。　　Thus　terminated　this　mighty　but　unsuccessful　expedition。

Greece　owed　its　salvation　to　one　manThemistocles；　This　was　virtually　admitted　by　the　leaders　of　the　other　Grecian　states；　when　they　assembled　to　assign　the　prizes　of　wisdom　and　conduct。　Upon　the　altar　of　Poseidon；　at　the　isthmus　of　Corinth；　each　chief　deposited　a　ticket　inscribed　with　two　names；　of　those　whom　he　considered　entitled　to　the　first　and　second　prizes。　　But　in　this　adjudication　vanity　and　self…love　defeated　their　own　objects。　Each　commander　had　put　down　his　own　name　for　the　first　prize；　for　the　second；　a　great　majority　preponderated　in　favour　of　Themistocles。　　From　the　Spartans；　also；　Themistocles　received　the　honours　due　to　his　merit。　　A　crown　of　olive　was　conferred　upon　him；　together　with　one　of　the　most　splendid　chariots　which　the　city　could　produce。

On　the　very　same　day　on　which　the　Persians　were　defeated　at　Salamis　the　Sicilian　Greeks　also　obtained　a　victory　over　the　Carthaginians。　　There　is　reason　to　believe　that　the　invasion　of　Sicily　by　the　Carthaginians　was　concerted　with　Xerxes；　and　that　the　simultaneous　attach　on　two　distinct　Grecian　peoples；　by　two　immense　armaments；　was　not　merely　the　result　of　chance。　　Gelon；　the　powerful　ruler　of　Syracuse；　defeated　Hamilcar；　the　Carthaginian　general；　with　the　loss　it　is　said　of　150；000　men。

In　the　spring　of　B。C。　479　Mardonius　prepared　to　open　the　campaign。　　He　was　not　without　hopes　of　inducing　the　Athenians　to　join　the　Persian　alliance；　and　he　despatched　Alexander；　king　of　Macedon；　to　conciliate　the　Athenians；　now　partially　re…established　in　their　dilapidated　city。　　His　offers　on　the　part　of　the　Persians　were　of　the　most　seductive　kind；　but　the　Athenians　dismissed　him　with　a　positive　refusal；　whilst　to　the　Lacedaemonians　they　protested　that　no　temptations；　however　great；　should　ever　induce　them　to　desert　the　common　cause　of　Greece　and　freedom。　　In　return　for　this　disinterested　conduct　all　they　asked　was　that　a　Peloponnesian　army　should　be　sent　into　Boeotia　for　the　defence　of　the　Attic　frontier：　　a　request　which　the　Spartan　envoys　promised　to　fulfil。　　No　sooner；　however；　had　they　returned　into　their　own　country　than　this　promise　was　completely　forgotten。

When　Mardonius　was　informed　that　the　Athenians　had　rejected　his　proposal；　he　immediately　marched　against　Athens；　accompanied　by　all　his　Grecian　allies；　and　in　May　or　June；　B。C。　479；　about　ten　months　after　the　retreat　of　Xerxes；　the　Persians　again　occupied　that　city。　　With　feelings　of　bitter　indignation　against　their　faithless　allies；　the　Athenians　saw　themselves　once　more　compelled　to　remove　to　Salamis。　　Mardonius　took　advantage　of　his　situation　to　endeavour　once　more　to　win　them　to　his　alliance。　Through　a　Hellespontine　Greek；　the　same　favourable　conditions　were　again　offered　to　them；　but　were　again　refused。　　One　voice　alone；　that　of　the　senator　Lycidas；　broke　the　unanimity　of　the　assembly。　　But　his　opposition　cost　him　his　life。　　He　and　his　family　were　stoned　to　death　by　the　excited　populace。　　In　this　desperate　condition　the　Athenians　sent　ambassadors　to　the　Spartans　to　remonstrate　against　their　breach　of　faith；　and　to　intimate　that　necessity　might　at　length　compel　them　to　listen　to　the　proposals　of　the　enemy。　　The　Spartans　became　alarmed。　That　very　night　5000　citizens；　each　attended　by　seven　Helots；　were　despatched　to　the　frontiers；　and　these　were　shortly　followed　by　5000　Lacedaemonian　Perioeci；　each　attended　by　one　light…armed　Helot。　　Never　before　had　the　Spartans　sent　so　large　a　force　into　the　field。　　Their　example　was　followed　by　other　Peloponnesian　cities；　and　the　Athenian　envoys　returned　to　Salamis　with　the　joyful　news　that　a　large　army　was　preparing　to　march　against　the　enemy；　under　the　command　of　Pausanias；　who　acted　as　regent　for　the　infant　son　of　Leonidas。

Mardonius；　on　learning　the　approach　of　the　Lacedaemonians；　abandoned　Attica　and　crossed　into　Boeotia。　　He　finally　took　up　a　position　on　the　left　bank　of　the　Asopus；　and　not　far　from　the　town　of　Plataea。　　Here　he　caused　a　camp　to　be　constructed　of　ten　furlongs　square；　and　fortified　with　barricades　and　towers。　Meanwhile　the　Grecian　army　continued　to　receive　reinforcements　from　the　different　states；　and　by　the　time　it　reached　Boeotia；　it　formed　a　grand　total　of　about　110；000　men。　　After　several　days'　manoeuvring　a　general　battle　took　place　near　Plataea。　　The　light…　armed　undisciplined　Persians；　whose　bodies　were　unprotected　by　armour；　maintained　a　very　unequal　combat　against　the　serried　ranks；　the　long　spears；　and　the　mailed　bodies　of　the　Spartan　phalanx。　　Mardonius；　at　the　head　of　his　body…guard　of　1000　picked　men；　and　conspicuous　by　his　white　charger；　was　among　the　foremost　in　the　fight；　till　struck　down　by　the　hand　of　a　Spartan。　　The　fall　of　their　general　was　the　signal　for　flight　to　the　Persians；　already　wearied　and　disheartened　by　the　fruitless　contest；　nor　did　they　once　stop　till　they　lad　again　crossed　the　Asopus　and　reached　their　fortified　camp。　　The　glory　of　having　defeated　the　Persians　at　Plataea　rests　with　the　Lacedaemonians；　since　the　Athenians　were　engaged　in　another　part　of　the　field　with　the　Thebans。　　After　repulsing　the　Thebans；　the　Athenians　joined　the　Lacedaemonians；　who　had　pursued　the　Persians　as　far　as　their　fortified　camp。　　Upon　the　arrival　of　the　Athenians　the　barricades　were　stormed　and　carried；　after　a　gallant　resistance　on　the　part　of　the　Persians。　　The　camp　became　a　scene　of　the　most　horrible　carnage。　　The　Persian　loss　was　immense；　while　that　of　the　Greeks　seems　not　to　have　exceeded　1300　or　1400　men。

It　remained　to　bury　the　dead　and　divide　the　booty；　and　so　great　was　the　task　that　ten　days　were　consumed　in　it。　　The　booty　was　ample　and　magnificent。　　Gold　and　silver　coined；　as　well　as　in　plate　and　trinkets；　rich　vests　and　carpets；　ornamented　arms；　horses；　camelsin　a　word；　all　the　magnificence　of　Eastern　luxury。　　The　failure　of　the　Persian　expedition　was　completed　by　the　destruction　of　their　naval　armament。　　Laotychides；　the　Spartan　admiral；　having　sailed　across　the　AEgean；　found　the　Persian　fleet　at　Mycale　a　promontory　of　Asia　Minor　near　Miletus。　Their　former　reverses　seem　completely　to　have　discouraged　the　Persians　from　hazarding　another　naval　engagement。　　The　ships　were　hauled　ashore　and　surrounded　with　a　rampart；　whilst　an　army　of　60；000　Persians　lined　the　coast　for　their　defence。　　The　Greeks　landed　on　the　very　day　on　which　the　battle　of　Plataea　was　fought。　A　supernatural　presentiment　of　that　decisive　victory；　conveyed　by　a　herald's　staff　which　floated　over　the　AEgean　from　the　shores　of　Greece；　is　said　to　have　pervaded　the　Grecian　ranks　at　Mycale　as　they　marched　to　the　attack。　　The　Persians　did　not　long　resist：　they　turned　their　backs　and　fled　to　their　fortifications；　pursued　by　the　Greeks；　who　entered　them　almost　simultaneously。　　A　large　number　of　the