Book 8
But as it is well with us for the moment, let us abide now in Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas and take thought for ourselves and our households. Let us build our houses again and be diligent in sowing, when we have driven the foreigner completely away. Then when the next spring comes, let us set sail for the Canakkale Bogazi (strait), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Hellespont and Ionia (region (general)), Europe Ionia.”
This he said with intent to have something to his credit with the Persian, so that he might have a place of refuge if ever (as might chance) he should suffer anything at the hands of the Athenians—and just that did in fact happen.
Thus spoke Themistocles with intent to deceive, and the Athenians obeyed him; since he had always been esteemed wise and now had shown himself to be both wise and prudent, they were ready to obey whatever he said.
Having won them over, Themistocles straightway sent men in a boat whom he could trust not to reveal under any question the message which he charged them to deliver to the king; one of these was his servant Sicinnus. When these men came to Attica [23.5,38.83] (department), Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, Europe Attica, the rest remained with the boat, and Sicinnus went up to Xerxes;
“Themistocles son of Neocles,” he said, “who is the Athenian general and of all the allies the worthiest and wisest, has sent me to tell you this: Themistocles the Athenian has out of his desire to do you a service stayed the Greeks when they wanted to pursue your ships and break the bridges of the Canakkale Bogazi (strait), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Hellespont. Now he bids you go your way, none hindering you.” With that message, the men returned in their boat.
But the Greeks, now that they were no longer minded to pursue the barbarians' ships farther or sail to the Canakkale Bogazi (strait), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Hellespont and break the way of passage, besieged +Andros [24.9,37.816] (inhabited place), Nisos Andros, Cyclades, Aegean Islands, Greece, Europe Andros so that they might take it,
for the men of that place, the first islanders of whom Themistocles demanded money, would not give it. When, however, Themistocles gave them to understand that the Athenians had come with two great gods to aid them, Persuasion and Necessity, and that the Andrians must therefore certainly give money, they said in response, “It is then but reasonable that Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens is great and prosperous, being blessed with serviceable gods.
As for us Andrians, we are but blessed with a plentiful lack of land, and we have two unserviceable gods who never quit our island but want to dwell there forever, namely Poverty and Helplessness. Since we are in the hands of these gods, we will give no money; the power of Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens can never be stronger than our inability.”
It was for giving this answer and refusing to give what was asked of them that they were besieged. There was no end to Themistocles' avarice; using the same agents whom he had used with the king, he sent threatening messages to the other islands, demanding money and saying that if they would not give what he asked he would bring the Greek armada upon them and besiege and take their islands.
Thereby he collected great sums from the Carystians and Parians, for these were informed that +Andros [24.9,37.816] (inhabited place), Nisos Andros, Cyclades, Aegean Islands, Greece, Europe Andros was besieged for taking the Persian side and that Themistocles was of all the generals the most esteemed. This frightened them so much that they sent money. I suppose that there were other islanders too who gave and not these alone, but I cannot with certainty say.
Nevertheless, the Carystians got no respite from misfortune by doing this. The Parians, however, propitiated Themistocles with money and so escaped the force. So Themistocles went away from +Andros [24.9,37.816] (inhabited place), Nisos Andros, Cyclades, Aegean Islands, Greece, Europe Andros and took money from the islanders, unknown to the other generals.
Those who were with Xerxes waited for a few days after the sea-fight and then marched away to Boeotia (department), Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, Europe Boeotia by the road by which they had come. Mardonius wanted to give the king safe conduct and thought the time of year unseasonable for war; it was better, he thought, to winter in +Thessaly [22.25,39.5] (region), Greece, Europe Thessaly, and then attack the +Peloponnese [22,37.5] (region), Greece, Europe Peloponnese in the spring.
When they had arrived in +Thessaly [22.25,39.5] (region), Greece, Europe Thessaly, Mardonius first chose all the Persians called Immortals, save only Hydarnes their general who said that he would not quit the king's person, and next, the Persian cuirassiers and the thousand horse and the Medes and Sacae and Bactrians and Indians, alike their infantrymen and the rest of the horsemen.
These nations he chose in their entirety; of the rest of his allies he picked out a few from each people, the best men and those whom he knew to have done some good service. The Persians whom he chose (men who wore torques and bracelets) were more in number than those of any other nation and next to them the Medes; these indeed were as many as the Persians, but not such stout fighters. Thereby the whole number, together with the horsemen, grew to three hundred thousand men.
Now while Mardonius was choosing his army and Xerxes was in +Thessaly [22.25,39.5] (region), Greece, Europe Thessaly, there came an oracle from Delphi [22.5167,38.4917] (Perseus) Delphi to the Lacedaemonians, that they should demand justice of Xerxes for the slaying of Leonidas and take whatever he should offer them. The Spartans then sent a herald with all speed. He found the army yet undivided in +Thessaly [22.25,39.5] (region), Greece, Europe Thessaly, came into Xerxes' presence, and spoke as follows:
“The Lacedaemonians and the Heraclidae of Sparta [22.4417,37.0667] (Perseus) Sparta demand of you, king of the Medes, that you pay the penalty for the death of their king, whom you killed while he defended Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas.” At that Xerxes laughed, and after a long while, he pointed to Mardonius, who chanced to be standing by him and said, “Then here is Mardonius, who shall pay those you speak of such penalty as befits them.”
So the herald took that response and departed, but Xerxes left Mardonius in +Thessaly [22.25,39.5] (region), Greece, Europe Thessaly. He himself journeyed with all speed to the Canakkale Bogazi (strait), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Hellespont and came in forty-five days to the passage for crossing, bringing back with him as good as none (if one may say so) of his host.
Wherever and to whatever people they came, they seized and devoured its produce. If they found none, they would eat the grass of the field and strip the bark and pluck the leaves of the trees, garden and wild alike, leaving nothing—such was the degree of their starvation.
Moreover, pestilence and dysentery broke out among them on their way, from which they died. Some who were sick Xerxes left behind, charging the cities to which he came in his march to care for them and nourish them, some in +Thessaly [22.25,39.5] (region), Greece, Europe Thessaly and some in +Siris [15.6333,40.0667] (Perseus) Siris of Paeonia and in Macedonia (region (general)), EuropeMacedonia.
In +Siris [15.6333,40.0667] (Perseus) Siris he had left the sacred chariot of Zeus when he was marching to Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas, but on his return he did not get it back again. The Paeonians had given it to the Thracians, and when Xerxes demanded it back, they said that the horses had been carried off from pasture by the Thracians of the hills who dwelt about the headwaters of the Strymon.
It was then that a monstrous deed was done by the Thracian king of the Bisaltae and the Crestonian country. He had refused to be of his own free will Xerxes' slave, and fled to the mountains called +Nomos Rodhopis [25.5,41.83] (department), Western Thrace, Greece, Europe Rhodope. He forbade his sons to go with the army to Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas,
but they took no account of that; they had always wanted to see the war, and they followed the Persians' march. For this reason, when all the six of them returned back scatheless, their father tore out their eyes.
This was their reward. Now the Persians, journeying through Thrace (region (general)), EuropeThrace to the passage, made haste to cross to Abydus [26.416,40.2] (deserted settlement), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Abydos in their ships, for they found the bridges no longer made fast but broken by a storm. There their march halted, and more food was given them than on their way.
Then by reason of their immoderate gorging and the change of the water which they drank, many of the army that had survived died. The rest came with Xerxes to Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis.
There is, however, another tale, which is this: when Xerxes came in his march from Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens to +Eion [23.8833,40.7333] (Perseus) Eion on the Strymon, he travelled no farther than that by land, but committed his army to Hydarnes to be led to the Canakkale Bogazi (strait), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Hellespont. He himself embarked and set sail for Asia (continent)Asia in a Phoenician ship.
In the course of this voyage he was caught by a strong wind called the Strymonian, which lifted up the waves. This storm bearing the harder upon him by reason of the heavy load of the ship (for the Persians of his company who were on the deck were so many), the king grew afraid and cried to the ship's pilot asking him if there were any way of deliverance. To this the man said,
“Sire, there is none, if we do not rid ourselves of these many who are on board.” Hearing that, it is said, Xerxes said to the Persians, “Now it is for you to prove your concern for your king, for it seems that my deliverance rests with you.”
At this they bowed and leapt into the sea. The ship, now much lighter, came by these means safe to Asia (continent)Asia. No sooner had Xerxes disembarked on land, than he made the pilot a gift of a golden crown for saving the king's life but cut off his head for being the death of many Persians.
This is the other tale of Xerxes' return; but I for my part believe neither the story of the Persians' fate nor any other part of it. For if indeed the pilot had spoken to Xerxes in this way, I think that there is not one in ten thousand who would not say that the king would have bidden the men on deck (who were Persians and of the best blood of Iran [53,32] (nation), AsiaPersia) descend into the ship's hold, and would have taken from the Phoenician rowers a number equal to the number of the Persians and cast them into the sea. No, the truth is that Xerxes did as I have already said, and returned to Asia (continent)Asia with his army by road.
There is further proof of this, for it is known that when Xerxes came to +Abdera [24.9667,40.9833] (Perseus) Abdera in his return, he made a compact of friendship with its people and gave them a golden sword and a gilt tiara. As the people of +Abdera [24.9667,40.9833] (Perseus) Abdera say (but for my part I wholly disbelieve them), it was here that Xerxes in his flight back from Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens first loosed his girdle, as being here in safety. Now +Abdera [24.9667,40.9833] (Perseus) Abdera lies nearer to the Canakkale Bogazi (strait), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Hellespont than the Strymon and +Eion [23.8833,40.7333] (Perseus) Eion, where they say that he took ship.
As for the Greeks, not being able to take +Andros [24.9,37.816] (inhabited place), Nisos Andros, Cyclades, Aegean Islands, Greece, Europe Andros, they went to Carystus. When they had laid it waste, they returned to Salamis (island), Attica, Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, EuropeSalamis. First of all they set apart for the gods, among other first-fruits, three Phoenician triremes, one to be dedicated at the Isthmus, where it was till my lifetime, the second at Sunium, and the third for Ajax at Salamis (island), Attica, Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, EuropeSalamis where they were.
After that, they divided the spoils and sent the first-fruits of it to Delphi [22.5167,38.4917] (Perseus) Delphi; of this was made a man's image twelve cubits high, holding in his hand the figurehead of a ship. This stood in the same place as the golden statue of Alexander the Macedonian.
Having sent the first-fruits to Delphi [22.5167,38.4917] (Perseus) Delphi, the Greeks, in the name of the country generally, made inquiry of the god whether the first-fruits which he had received were of full measure and whether he was content. To this he said that he was content with what he had received from all other Greeks, but not from the Aeginetans. From these he demanded the victor's prize for the sea-fight of Salamis (island), Attica, Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, EuropeSalamis. When the Aeginetans learned that, they dedicated three golden stars which are set on a bronze mast, in the angle, nearest to Croesus' bowl.
After the division of the spoils, the Greeks sailed to the Isthmus, there to award the prize of excellence to him who had shown himself most worthy of it in that war.
But when the admirals came and at the altar of Poseidon gave their votes to judge who was first and who second among them, each of them voted for himself, supposing himself to have done the best service. The greater part of them, however, united in giving the second place to Themistocles. So they each gained but one vote, while Themistocles far outstripped them in votes for the second place.
The Greeks were too jealous to assign the prize and sailed away each to his own place, leaving the matter undecided; nevertheless, Themistocles was lauded, and throughout all of Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas was deemed the wisest man by far of the Greeks.
However, because he had not received from those that fought at Salamis (island), Attica, Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, EuropeSalamis the honor due to his preeminence, he immediately afterwards went to Sparta [22.416,37.83] (inhabited place), Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece, Europe Lacedaemon in order that he might receive honor there. The Lacedaemonians welcomed him and paid him high honor. They bestowed on Eurybiades a crown of olive as the reward of excellence and another such crown on Themistocles for his wisdom and cleverness. They also gave him the finest chariot in Sparta [22.4417,37.0667] (Perseus) Sparta,
and with many words of praise, they sent him home with the three hundred picked men of Sparta [22.4417,37.0667] (Perseus) Sparta who are called Knights to escort him as far as the borders of Tegea [22.4,37.5] (Perseus) Tegea. Themistocles was the only man of whom we know to whom the Spartans gave this escort.
But when Themistocles returned to Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens from Sparta [22.416,37.83] (inhabited place), Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece, Europe Lacedaemon, Timodemus of Aphidnae, who was one of Themistocles' enemies but not a man of note, was crazed with envy and spoke bitterly to Themistocles of his visit to Sparta [22.416,37.83] (inhabited place), Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece, Europe Lacedaemon, saying that the honors he had from the Lacedaemonians were paid him for Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens' sake and not for his own.
This he kept saying until Themistocles replied, “This is the truth of the matter: if I had been a man of Belbina I would not have been honored in this way by the Spartans, nor would you, sir, for all you are a man of Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens.” Such was the end of that business.