OF THE MARCH OF XERXES.
Xerxes made Mascames governor of the fort of Doricus. This man he
esteemed very highly, sending him gifts every year; and Artaxerxes
after him sent gifts to the children of Mascames. Nor, indeed, was any
of the Persian governors held in greater honor, save Boges only. This
Boges was besieged in Eion that is on the river Strymon by Cimou and
the Athenians. And though he might have made an agreement with them
and come out from Eion and returned safe to Asia, he would not, lest
he should seem to the King to have failed in valor, but held out to
the last. And when there was no food remaining in the fort, he caused
a great pile of wood to be built, and slew his children and his wife
and his concubines and his slaves, and cast them into the fire. After
this he threw all the gold and silver that was in the fort into the
river: and last of all he cast himself into the fire. With good cause,
therefore, do the Persians honor him to this day.
Then Xerxes went on his way from Doricus westward; and whomsoever he
found he compelled to take service with him. The road by which he went
the Thracians in after time held in great honor, and did not plow it or
sow it.
When the King came to Acanthus that is by Mount Athos, and saw what had
been done with the trench, and knew that the people of Acanthus had
been very zealous in the work, he sent them a Persian dress for a gift,
and praised them much. While he tarried here Artachæes, a Persian, and
of the royal house, who had been set over the digging of the trench,
fell sick and died. He excelled in stature all the Persians, being but
five fingers short of five cubits of the royal measure, and his voice
surpassed that of other men. Wherefore the King was much troubled at
his death, and buried him with great honor, and all the host made a
mound over his grave. Afterward the people of Acanthus sacrificed to
this man as to a hero, being bidden so to do by an oracle.
As for the Greeks that fed the army and entertained Xerxes, they were
brought to great poverty, so that many of them were driven to forsake
their homes. For when the people of Thasos, having possessions on the
mainland, were commanded so to entertain the army of Xerxes, a certain
Antipater, one of the chiefest of the citizens, having the charge of
the matter, showed that there were expended on the meal four hundred
talents of silver. In other cities also they that had this charge
made the same reckoning. And, indeed, this entertainment was ordered
many days beforehand, and was a matter of no small preparation. The
manner of it was this. So soon as they received the commandment from
the heralds that were sent to give them warning, then the citizens
set about grinding wheat and barley. This they did for many months.
Also they fatted beasts, finding the best that they could buy; and
they reared birds, both land-birds and water-birds, in buildings and
ponds for the entertaining of the army. Also they prepared cups and
bowls of gold and silver and all other things for the furniture of the
table. This indeed they did for the King and for them that sat at meat
with him only; but for the rest of the army they made ready only such
food as had been commanded. For Xerxes a tent was made ready wherein
he might lodge; but the rest of the army lodged without shelter. So
soon as the time of eating came they that entertained had great toil
and trouble; and the soldiers ate their fill and staid that night in
the same place. The next day they tare down the tent and took all the
furniture, leaving nothing, but carrying all away with them. Well
therefore did Megacreon of Abdera speak when he counseled the men of
Abdera to go with their wives and children to the temples, and after
putting up prayers for the time to come, thank the Gods that it was
not the pleasure of King Xerxes to have two meals in the day, for that
verily if he had desired not only dinner, but breakfast also, then must
the people of Abdera have either fled from before the King or, waiting
his coming, have been utterly ruined.
At this town of Acanthus Xerxes commanded the fleet that it should
sail through the trench by Mount Athos and should await his coming at
Therma; but he himself led his army through the land of Pæonia. Here
the camels that carried the victuals for the host were set upon by
lions, which coming by night from their dens touched neither man nor
beast, but the camels only; but what it was that drave them to this,
considering that they had never before seen the beast, or made any
trial of it, no man can say. There are many lions in this country, and
wild oxen also with very long horns, which are brought into Greece. So
Xerxes came to Therma; and being at Therma he saw the two mountains
Olympus and Ossa, which are indeed marvelously high. And when he heard
that there was between these mountains a narrow pass through which
ran a river, and that this was the road into Thessaly, he conceived a
desire to go on shipboard and see the place where the river flowed into
the sea. Wherefore he embarked on a ship of Sidon, the same that he was
wont to use when he would go on such a journey, and gave the signal for
the others to set sail also. And when he came to the place, he marveled
much at the outflow of the rivers, and calling to him the guide would
fain know whether it were possible to bring the rivers into the sea by
any other way.
Men say that in old time Thessaly was a great lake, being shut in on
every side by high mountains. And indeed toward the east Ossa and
Pelion are joined together at the base, and on the north is Olympus,
and on the west Pindus, and on the south Othrys. In this land there
are many rivers which all make their way into the sea by one channel,
even the Peneus. But they say that in old time this channel was not,
but that afterward Poseidon made it; which may well be if Poseidon
brings earthquakes to pass, and if chasms are his handiwork. For it
is manifest that the hills have been torn asunder by an earthquake.
When therefore Xerxes asked the guides whether the water could pass by
any other outlet into the sea, the men, as knowing the nature of the
place, made answer, “There is no other way, O King, by which this water
can pass into the sea save this which thou now seest; for Thessaly is
girded about with hills.”
Then said Xerxes, “The men of Thessaly are wise. Good reason had they
to change their minds in time and to make provision for their safety.
For, not to speak of other things, they knew that they dwelt in a land
which it was easy to subdue. For nothing was needed save to turn the
river upon their lands, building up a mound in this channel, and so
turning the stream from its course. So would all Thessaly be changed
into a lake.”
When the King said this he thought of the sons of Aleuas, who had made
their submission to him first of all the Greeks, being Thessalians. And
he thought that they had done this in the name of the whole people.
After this the King went back to Therma. And here there came to him the
heralds whom he had sent to the Greek cities demanding earth and water,
some being empty-handed and some carrying that for which they had been
sent. Many nations gave earth and water, as the Thessalians and the
Locrians and the Bœotians; only the men of Platæa and Thespiæ, that
are towns of the Bœotians, gave them not. Against all such the Greeks
that stood up against the barbarians sware this oath: “From all people
who being Greeks have given themselves up to the Persians, without
necessity compelling, we will take a tithe of their goods, and offer it
to the god at Delphi.”
Now it must be remembered that Xerxes, though he said that he was
marching against Athens, had it in his mind to subdue all Greece. And
this the Greeks knew beforehand, though indeed they did not all regard
the matter in the same way. For some had no fear of the barbarians, as
having given them earth and water, and thinking therefore that they
should receive from them no harm; but others, having not given these
things, were in great fear. For whereas they thought that all the ships
in Greece were not enough to meet the Persians, so also they knew that
the greater part of the cities would take no part in the war, but
greatly favored the enemy.
And here must be said a thing which because it is true ought to be
said, though most men will mislike it. If the Athenians, for fear of
the danger that was coming upon them, had left their country, or, not
leaving it, had submitted themselves to Xerxes, then certainly none
would have sought to withstand the Persians by sea; and if none had
withstood the Persians by sea, then there would have come to pass on
the land what shall now be set forth. Though many breastworks had
been built across the Isthmus, yet would the Lacedæmonians have been
betrayed by their allies; not of their free will, indeed, but because
their cities would have been taken, one after the other, by the fleet
of the barbarians. So would they in the end have been left alone, and
being so left alone, after many deeds of valor, would have perished
with great glory. Or if not, then seeing beforehand that all the other
Greeks were submitting themselves to the Persians, they also would
have made an agreement with Xerxes. So, in either case, would Greece
have been made subject to the barbarians. For what would have been the
profit of walls built across the Isthmus while the King had the mastery
by sea? If a man then should say that in truth the Athenians were the
saviours of Greece, he would speak truly; for to whichever side they
had inclined that would have been the weightier. And they, having a
fixed purpose that Greece should be free, stirred up all the nations
that had not submitted themselves to the Persians, and so, next to the
Gods, drave back the enemy.
And this they did though they were sorely terrified by the oracle.
For when they sent messengers to inquire of the god at Delphi, and
these had offered sacrifices after the custom, and were now come into
the shrine, the priestess gave to them this answer. (The name of the
priestess was Aristonice.)
“Why sit ye still? Fly, wretched race,
To earth’s far bounds the fatal place.
Fly hearth and home and craggy hill,
Round which the wheel-like city stands;
Through all her being fares she ill,
Body, and head, and feet, and hands.
The fire consumes them, and from far,
Wild Ares drives his Syrian car.
Full many a tower, both fair and tall,
Not thine alone, before him fall;
Full many a holy place and shrine
The fire’s devouring flames shall seize;
Cold stands the sweat on face divine,
And shake with fear the trembling knees;
From high-pitched roof the blood-drops fall,
Fell signs of storm and coming woe;
Leave, suppliant band, Apollo’s hall,
Prepare you for the fate ye know.”
When the messengers from Athens heard these words they were greatly
troubled. But Timon the son of Androbulus, a chief man among the
citizens of Delphi, seeing how utterly cast down they were by the evil
that was prophesied concerning their country, counseled them that they
should take tokens of suppliants in their hands, and in this guise go
and inquire of the oracle once more. This then the Athenians did, and
spake, saying, “O King, prophesy unto us some better thing about our
country, having regard to these tokens of suppliants which we bring
into thy presence. Else will we not depart from thy sanctuary, but will
abide here till the day of our death.” Then the priestess prophesied to
them a second time, using these words:
“Pallas desires with deep desire
To change the purpose of her sire.
Again entreats him, and again;
But vain her prayers, her counsel vain.
Yet sons of Athens, hear once more
The firm, unyielding word of fate;
Whene’er the fair Cecropian state,
From bound to bound and shore to shore.
Before the foeman’s might shall bow,
One boon will Zeus All-wise allow
To Pallas’ prayer--that ne’er shall fall
Fair Athens’ stay, her wooden wall:
Think not to wait that evil hour
Horsemen or footmen’s dark array;
Fly, fly their host; yet comes the hour
Ye stand to meet the foemen’s power.
Thou, holy Salamis, shalt bring
Dark death to sons of women born,
Or when abroad the seed they fling,
Or when they pluck the ripened corn.”
These words seemed to be, as indeed they were, milder than the former
words. So the envoys wrote them down, and returned with them to Athens.