the great business of life, and no amusements were practised except such as were military or athletic. An Athenian was characterized by luxury; a Spartan, by frugality: the virtues of the latter were more severe; those of the former more agreeable. They were both, however, equally jealous of liberty, and equally brave in war. 8. Before the death of Solon, Pisis'tratus, a citizen of great wealth and eloquence, by courting popularity in various ways, found means to raise himself to the sovereign power, which he and his sons retained for 50 years. He exercised a munificent and splendid dominion, encouraged the arts and sciences, and is said to have founded the first public library known to the world, and first collected the poems of Homer into one volume, which before were merely repeated in detached portions. 9. Pisis'tratus transmitted the sovereignty to his sons Hip'pias and Hipparchus, called the Pisistrat'ide. They governed, for some time, with wisdom and moderation; but at length an abuse of power caused a conspiracy to be formed against them, and their government was overthrown by Harmo'dius and Aristogi'ton. Hippar'chus was slain; and Hippias not long after fled to Dari'us, king of Persia, who was then meditating the conquest of Greece; and he was afterward killed in the battle of Marathon, fighting against his countrymen. SECTION VII. Greece invaded by the Persians under Darius: Battle of Marathon: Miltiades. Persian Invasion under Xerxes: Themistocles: Aristides: Battle of Thermopyla : Leonidas: Battles of Salamis, Plataa, and Mycale: Cimon.From B. C. 490 to 431. 1. The period from the first Persian invasion to the beginning of the Peloponnesian war, is esteemed the most glorious age of Greece. The series of victories which the inhabitants obtained over the Persians, are the most splendid recorded in history. 2. Persia, at this period, was far the most powerful empire in the world, embracing the territories included in modern Persia, Turkey in Asia, Egypt, a great part of Tartary, and part of Arabia. The Greek colonies in Asia Minor were sub ject to the Persians, who had likewise made a conquest of Thrace: Macedonia had also acknowledged subjection; so that the Persian dominion extended over a large portion of the Grecian people, and even bordered on the country of Greece. 3. The Asiatic Greeks made an attempt to throw off the Persian yoke, and were assisted by the Athenians. Darius, king of Persia, having reduced his revolted subjects to submission, formed a determination, in consequence of the course taken by the Athenians, to make an entire conquest of Greece; and in this design he was encouraged and assisted by the exiled tyrant Hippias. 4. Dari'us despatched heralds to each of the Grecian states, demanding earth and water, as an acknowledgment of his su premacy. Thebes, together with a number of the other cities, and most of the islands, submitted; but the Athenians and Lacedæmonians were so indignant, that, forgetting the laws of nations and of humanity, they put the heralds to death with the utmost ignominy. At one place they were thrown into a pit, at the other into a well, and told there to take their earth and water. 5. Dari'us began his hostile attack both by sea and land. The first Persian fleet, under the command of Mardo'nius, was wrecked in a storm, in doubling the promontory of A'thos, with a loss of no less than 300 vessels; a second, of 600 sail, ravaged the Grecian islands; while an immense army, consisting, according to the lowest statements of ancient historians, of 110,000 men, commanded by Artapher'nes and Da'tis, invaded Attica. 6. This formidable host was met on the narrow plain of Marathon by the Athenian army, greatly inferior in number (by some stated at only 10,000), under the command of the celebrated Milti' ades, who, availing himself of an advantageous position of the ground, gained a decisive victory, and drove the routed invaders to their ships. The loss of the Persians was 6,300; that of the Athenians, only 192. 7. Miltiades, by this victory, rose to the height of popularity and influence, which, however, he lost not long afterwards by a failure in an attack on the island of Pa'ros. On his return from this expedition, he was accused of treason, and, though absolved from the capital charge, yet he was condemned to pay a fine of 50 talents (about 50,000 dollars). In consequence of this, he was thrown into prison, and died in a few days of the wounds which he received at Paros; but the fine was paid by his son Cimon. 8. The Athenians were, at this time, divided into two parties, one of which favored an aristocratical, and the other a democratical, form of government. The two leaders of these parties were Themistocles and Aristides, both of whom had distinguished themselves as commanders in the battle of Mar'athon; Aristi'des being the advocate of aristocracy, and Themistocles of democracy. 9. Aristi'des, who, on account of his stern integrity, received the surname of the Just, was, through the intrigues of his great rival, banished for ten years by the Os'tracism. While the people were giving their votes for his exile, it happened that a citizen, who was unable to write, and did not know him personally, brought his shell to him, and requested that he would write the name of Aristi'des upon it. Why, what harm has Aristi'des ever done you?" said he; "No harm at all," answered the citizen, "but I cannot bear to hear him continually called the Just." Aristi'des smiled, and, taking the shell, wrote his name upon it, and quietly went into banishment; but he was recalled soon after the renewal of the war. 66 10. The death of Dari'us, and other circumstances, occasioned the discontinuance of the war for several years; but Xerxes, the young Persian monarch, having ascended the throne, was eager to punish Athens, and subdue Greece. Having spent four years in preparation, he collected an army greater than the world ever saw, either before or since. According to Herod'otus, the whole number of fighting men, in the army and fleet, exceeded 2,000,000; and, including the retinue of sutlers, slaves, and women, the whole multitude is said to have exceeded 5,000,000. 11. The fleet consisted of upwards of 1,200 galleys of war, besides a greater number of transports and smaller vessels. A canal, navigable for the largest galleys, was formed across the isthmus which joins mount Athos to the continent; and, for the conveyance of the army, two bridges of boats were extended across the Hel'lespont, at a point where the width is seven furlongs. 12. Xerxes, having taken a station on an eminence, in order to gratify his vanity by viewing the vast assemblage which he had collected the earth covered with his troops, and the sea with his vessels-is said to have been suddenly so much affected as to shed tears, upon reflecting that, in the space of one hundred years, not one of the many thousands would be alive. 13. The Persian army advanced directly towards Athens, and this city fortunately possessed, in Themistocles, a leader of extraordinary talents, peculiarly fitted for conducting the arduous contest. Most of the other states united in assisting Athens in repelling the invaders, Sparta taking the lead; but some of them submitted to the Persians. 14. Leon'idas, king of Sparta, with a small army, undertook the defence of Thermop'yla, a narrow mountain pass or defile on the coast, connecting Thessaly and Phocis. Xerxes, having approached this place, sent a herald to Leon'idas, commanding him to deliver up his arms, to whom the Spartan replied, with laconic brevity, "Come and take them." For two days the Persians strove to force their way, but were repulsed with great slaughter; but having, at length, discovered a by-path over the mountains, the defence of the pass became impossible. 15. Leon'idas, foreseeing certain destruction, resolved, in obedience to a law of Sparta, which forbade its soldiers, in any case, to flee from an enemy, to devote his life to the honor and service of his country; and, animated by his example, the 300 Spartans under his command determined with him to abide the event. With the fury of men resolved to sell their lives at the dearest rate, they fell upon the Persian camp, and were all cut off, after having made a dreadful havoc of the enemy. Two only of the Spartans, these having been accidentally absent, survived the battle. A monument was erected on the spot, bearing this inscription, written by Simon'ides: "O stranger! tell it at Lacedæmon, that we died here in obedience to her laws." 16. The Persians, having forced the pass of Thermopyla, poured down upon Attica, ravaging the country with fire and sword. The inhabitants of Athens, after conveying their women and children to the islands for security, betook themselves to the fleet, abandoning the city, which the Persians pillaged and burnt. 17. Preparations were now made for a great naval battle. The Persian fleet consisted of 1,200 galleys; that of the Greeks of 300, and was commanded by Themistocles and Aristides. An engagement took place in the straits of Sal'amis, where it was impossible for the Persians to bring their numerous ships regularly into action, and they were defeated with immense loss. The king, who had seated himself on an eminence to witness the battle, terrified at the result, retreated, with a part of his army, to his own dominions. 18. Xerxes left Mardo'nius, with 300,000 men, to complete the conquest of Greece in the following summer. This army, which was joined by many Grecian auxiliaries, was met at Plate'a, early in the next season, by the combined forces of Athens and Lacedæ'mon, consisting of 110,000 mer. under the command of Aristi'des and Pausanias, and was defeated with tremendous slaughter, Mardo'nius being killed, and the most of his men being slain in the battle and the subsequent massacre. 19. On the same day of the great victory of Platæ'a, the Greeks, under Leotych'ides the Lacedæmonian, and Xanthippus the Athenian, engaged and destroyed the Persian fleet at the promontory of Myc'a-le, near Ephesus. The Persian army was now completely destroyed. Xerxes, having been entirely frustrated in all his mad schemes, was soon after assassinated, and was succeeded by his son Artaxerxes Longim'anus. 20. The Persian war, however, was not yet terminated The Greeks, in their turn, became the assailants and invaders They undertook to defend the Ionians, who had thrown off the Persian yoke. The Spartans, commanded by Pausanias, and the Athenians, by Aristi'des and Ci'mon, advanced to the island of Cyprus, which they took, and set free; and, having taken and plundered the city of Byzantium, they returned with immense booty. 21. Pausanias, who had borne a distinguished command in this war, being at length intoxicated with glory and power, aspired to hold, under Persia, the dominion of Greece, and in a letter to Xerxes, promised to effect the subjugation of the country, on condition of his receiving his daughter in marriage. Being convicted by the ephori of this treason, he took refuge in the temple of Minerva, where, the sanctity of the place securing him from violence, he was doomed to perish by hunger. 22. Themistocles, the great Athenian commander, was accused of participating in the treason of Pausanias, and was banished by the ostracism. Proceeding to Asia, he wrote a letter to king Artaxerxes, in which he said, "I, Themistocles, come to thee, who have done thy house most ill of all the Greeks, while I was of necessity repelling the invasion of thy father, but yet more good, when I was in safety, and his return was endangered." He was permitted to live in great splendor, in Persia, and there died in exile, leaving an almost unrivalled reputation as a statesman and warrior; but, if to his great |