The Good Book_ A Secular Bible - A. C. Grayling [173]
2. The bodies of the slain and the broken pieces of damaged ships drifted in the direction of Aphetae, and floated about the prows of the Persian vessels there, disturbing the action of the oars.
3. The barbarians were greatly dismayed by the storm, expecting certainly to perish, as they had fallen into such a multitude of misfortunes.
4. For before they recovered from the tempest and the wreck of their vessels off Mount Pelion, they had been surprised by a sea fight which had taxed all their strength,
5. And now the sea fight was scarcely over when they were exposed to floods of rain, and the rush of swollen streams into the sea, and violent thundering.
6. If those who lay at Aphetae passed a comfortless night, far worse were the sufferings of those who had been sent to make the circuit of Euboea;
7. The storm fell on them out at sea, and the result was calamitous. They were sailing near the Hollows of Euboea, when the wind began to rise and the rain to pour:
8. Overpowered by the force of the gale, they were driven onto rocks, and were entirely lost.
9. In the days following, the Persians and Greeks fought each other repeatedly off Artemisium, the latter making greater slaughter among the former than the other way round.
10. But then news reached the Greek fleet of the defeat at Thermopylae, and after its captains discussed what to do, it was decided to retreat further down the coast of Greece.
11. As the fleet made its escape by night from the anchorage at Artemisium, Themistocles sent some of his swifter boats to watering places along the coast,
12. With instructions to the sailors to cut messages in the rocks to the Ionians who were with the Persian fleet, saying,
13. ‘Men of Ionia, you do wrong to fight against your own fathers, and to give your help to enslave Greece.
14. ‘Come over, if possible, to our side: if you cannot, then stand aloof from the contest, and persuade the Carians to do likewise.
15. ‘If neither of these things be possible, and you are hindered, by a force too strong to resist, from venturing upon desertion,
16. ‘At least when we come to blows fight backwardly, remembering that you are sprung from us,
17. ‘And that it was through you we first provoked the hatred of the barbarian.’
18. Themistocles had a twofold plan in this: he considered that either the Ionians would by moved by his words, or Xerxes would begin to suspect their loyalty, and keep them from sea battles.
19. When the Persians saw that the Greeks had gone, they advanced to Artemisium, and then along the coast to Histiaea, which they easily captured.
20. There they heard of the victory at Thermopylae, and Xerxes invited as many as wished to see the battlefield to visit it.
21. Huge numbers hastened to see it, and there saw the four thousand dead Greeks, and a mere one thousand dead Persians,
22. For Xerxes had ordered that a trench be dug and the great mass of his slaughtered troops be buried in it.
23. No one was fooled by this; but there was rejoicing at the victory nevertheless.
24. At this time there came a few deserters from Arcadia to join the Persians, poor men who had nothing to live on, and needed employment.
25. The Persians brought them to the king, who asked what the Greeks were doing? The Arcadians answered,
26. ‘They are holding the Olympic Games, seeing the athletic sports and the chariot races.’
27. ‘And what,’ said the king, ‘is the prize for which they contend?’ ‘An olive wreath,’ returned the others.
28. On hearing this, Tritantaechmes, the son of Artabanus, said, ‘What! What manner of men are these against whom we have come to fight?
29. ‘Men who contend with one another, not for money, but for honour!’
Chapter 77
1. The army of Xerxes now advanced into the land of the Phocians, and wasted it with fire and sword,
2. Plundering and then burning the cities of Drymus, Charadra, Erochus, Tethronium, Amphicaea, Neon, Pedieis, Triteis, Elateia, Hyampolis and Parapotamii.
3. Their citizens had fled into the mountains,