Artemisium in a little vessel; on his arrival, he informed the commanders of the shipwreck, and of the ships which had been sent round Euboea.

IX. Upon this the Greeks called a council. Various opinions were delivered: but it was ultimately determined to remain that day on their station, and to depart soon after midnight to meet that part of the enemy's fleet which had been sent round Eubœa. As they perceived no one advancing against them, as soon as the twilight appeared, they proceeded towards the Barbarians, determining to make experiment of their skill in fighting and manoeuvring.

X. The commanders and forces of Xerxes seeing them approach in so small a body, conceived them to be actuated by extreme infatuation, and, drawing out their vessels, expected to find them an easy conquest. In this they were not unreasonable, for their fleet was superior to the Greeks, not only in number but swiftness; in contempt, therefore, they surrounded them. There were some of the Ionians who wished well to the Greeks, and served against them with the greatest reluctance; seeing them thus encircled, they were affected with much uneasiness concerning them, not supposing that any could escape, so insignificant did they appear. There were other Ionians, to whom the seeming distress of the Greeks gave great pleasure; these contended with all exertion who should take the first Athenian vessel, in hopes of a reward from the king. For among the Barbarians greater reputation was allowed to the Athenians, than to any other of the allies.

XI. The Greeks, as soon as the signal was given, turned their prows towards the Barbarians, collecting their sterns into one common centre. On a second signal, though compressed within a narrow space, they attacked the enemy in front. They soon took thirty of the Barbarian vessels, among whom was Philaon, son of Chersis, and brother of Gorgus, prince of Salamis, a man very highly esteemed in the army. The first enemy's ship was taken by an Athenian; his name was Lycomedes, the son of Eschreas, and he obtained the fame he merited. Victory alternately inclined to both

parties, when they were separated by the night. The Greeks returned to Artemisium, the Barbarians to Aphetæ, the issue of the contest being very different from what they had expected. Of those Greeks who were in the service of the king, Antidorus the Lemnian was the only one who went over to his countrymen. The Athenians, in consideration of his conduct, assigned him some lands at Salamis.

XII. The above engagement took place in the middle of the summer. When night approached, there fell a heavy storm of rain, attended with continued thunder from mount Pelion. The bodies of the dead, and the wrecks of the vessels floating to Aphetæ, were so involved among the prows of the ships, that the oars were hardly manageable; the forces on board were seized with a violent panic, expecting that they were certainly doomed to perish. They had hardly recovered themselves from the effect of the first storm and shipwreck off Pelion, when that severe battle at sea had succeeded. As soon as this last terminated, they were attacked again by violent rains, a tempestuous sea, and continued thunder.

XIII. This night, however, proved still more disastrous to those whose business it was to make a circuit round Euboea. The storm fell upon them with the greater violence, as they were remote from land; and they perished in a miserable manner. It commenced when they were standing towards the shoals of Euboa: ignorant of their course, they were driven before the wind, and dashed against the rocks. It seemed a divine interposition, that the Persian fleet should thus be rendered equal, or at least not much superior to that of the Greeks. In this manner they were destroyed on the Eubœan sands.

XIV. The Barbarians at Aphetæ saw with joy the morning advance, and remained inactive, thinking it of no small moment, after their past calamities, to enjoy the present interval of tranquillity. At this juncture, the Greeks were reinforced by fifty-three Athenian ships. Animated by the arrival of their friends, they had still farther reason to exult in the fate of those Barbarians who had been ordered round

Euboea, not one of whom escaped the violence of the storm. The Greeks taking the opportunity of the same hour, towards the evening advanced boldly against the Cilicians; these they totally defeated, and at night returned again to Artemisium.

XV. On the third day, the leaders of the Barbarians did not wait for the Greeks to commence the attack; they advanced about mid-day, mutually encouraging each other they could not bear to be insulted by so inferior a number, and they feared the indignation of Xerxes. It happened that these engagements by sea took place precisely at the same periods as the conflicts at Thermopyla. The object of the sea-fights was the Euripus, as that of the battles by land was the passage of Thermopyla. The Greeks animated each other to prevent the entrance of the Barbarians into Greece; the Barbarians, in like manner were emulous to disperse the Greeks, and become masters of these passages.

XVI. Whilst the forces of Xerxes advanced in order of battle, the Greeks remained on their station at Artemisium. The Barbarians, as if to render themselves secure of them all, enclosed them in a semicircle. The Greeks met them, and a battle ensued, which was fought on both sides on equal terms. The fleet of Xerxes, from the size and number of its vessels, was much perplexed by their falling foul of each other; they fought, however, with firmness, and refused to give way, for they could not bear to be put to flight by so inferior a force. In the conflict many Grecian vessels perished, with a great number of men; but the loss of the Barbarians was much greater in both.— They separated as by mutual consent.

XVII. Of all those in the fleet of Xerxes, the Egyptians performed the most important service; they distinguished themselves throughout, and took five Grecian vessels, with all their men. Of the confederates, the Athenians were most conspicuous; and of these the bravest was Clinios, son of Alcibiades. His ship, which carried two hundred men, was equipped and manned at his own expense.

XVIII. The two fleets eagerly retired to their re

ective stations. The Greeks retained the wrecks of eir vessels which were damaged, and possessed the dies of their dead; but as they had suffered severely, d particularly the Athenians, the half of whose vesIs were disabled, they deliberated about retiring to e remoter parts of Greece.

XIX. Themistocles had constantly believed, that he could detach the Ionians and Carians from the arbarians, there would be no difficulty in overpower

the rest. Whilst the Eubeans were assembling eir cattle on the sea-coast, he called the chiefs tother, and informed them he had conceived a method, ich he believed would deprive the king of the best his allies. At this juncture he explained himself farther, adding only his advice, that they should l as much of the cattle of the Eubœans as they posly could; for it was much better that their troops ould enjoy them than those of the enemy. He remmended them to order their respective people to ndle a fire, and told them that he would be careful select a proper opportunity for their departure to reece. His advice was approved, the fires were kined, and the cattle slain.

XX. The Eubœans, paying no manner of regard to e oracle of Bacis, had neither removed any of their fects, nor prepared any provision; which it certainly came those to do, who were menaced by a war: eir neglect had rendered their affairs extremely crial. The oracle of Bacis was to this effect:

"When barb'rous hosts with Byblus yoke the main,
Then drive your cattle from Euba's plain."

they made no use of this declaration, either in their esent evils or to guard against the future, they might turally expect the worst.

XXI. At this period there arrived a spy from Trais; there was one also at Artemisium, whose name as Polyas, a native of Anticyra. He had a swift ssel with oars constantly in readiness, and was dicted to communicate, to those at Thermopyla, the ent of any engagement which might take place at

The

named Abronychus, the son of Lysicles, who was prepared with a thirty-oared vessel to give immediate information to those at Artemisium of whatever might happen to the land forces. This man arrived at Artemisium, and informed the Greeks of what had befallen Leonidas and his party. On receiving his intelligence, they thought it expedient not to defer their departure, but to separate in the order in which they were stationed, the Corinthians first, the Athenians last.

XXII. Themistocles, selecting the swiftest of the Athenian vessels, went with them to a watering place, and there engraved upon the rocks these words, which the Ionians, coming the next day to Artemisium, perused: "Men of Ionia, in fighting against your ancestors, and endeavouring to reduce Greece to servitude, you are guilty of injustice: take, therefore, an active part in our behalf; if this be impracticable, retire yourselves from the contest, and prevail on the Carians to do the same. If you can comply with neither of these requisitions, and are so bound by necessity that you cannot openly revolt, when the conflict be-, gins, retire; remembering that you are descended from ourselves, and that the first occasion of our dispute with the Barbarians originated with you." Themistocles, in writing the above, had, as I should suppose, two objects in view. If what he said were concealed from the king, the Ionians might be induced to go over to the Greeks; and if Xerxes should know it, it might incline him to distrust the Ionians, and employ them no more by sea.

XXIII. When Themistocles had written the above, a man of Histixa hastened in a small vessel to inform the Barbarians that the Greeks had fled from Artemisium. Distrusting the intelligence, they ordered the man into close custody, and sent some swift vessels to ascertain the truth. These confirmed the report; and as soon as the sun rose the whole fleet in a body sailed to Artemisium; remaining here till mid-day, they proceeded to Histina: they then took possession of the city of the Histians, and over-ran part of Hellopia, and all the coast of Ilistiæotis.