Miltiades was in no condition to defend himself, being in fact already dying of his wound. His brother spoke for him in the assembly, and entreated the people, in consideration of his former services, to pity the hero to whom they owed it, that they had the power of deliberating whether to pity him or not. He so far prevailed, that it was declared Miltiades had not deserved death, but was fined fifty talents, the expense of the Parian expedition; which not being able to pay, he was cast into prison, and died. His son, Cimon, is said to have afterwards paid the fine.

The other two heroes of Marathon, Aristides and Themistocles, remained to dispute for precedence in the democracy, and to distract and endanger the government by their rivalry. The Athenians, who always renewed their dissentions in time of peace upon the old question of dispute, whether all things should be at the will of the populace, or whether the best and wisest should direct the rest, found in these rivals a chief exactly suited to each party. Aristides was the son of Lysimachus; Themistocles of Neocles; neither of any eminence of birth. They had been boys together, and even then were always at variance in their sports, their characters being strongly opposed in every thing. Aristides was ever firm and steady in his behaviour, immoveable in what he considered right, and incapable of the least flattery, falsehood, or deceit, even in jest. Themistocles was impetuous and full of spirit, subtle, daring, yet complaisant, and ready to assume any appearance that would serve his purpose. He spent the hours of recreation in study, and was used to divert himself by composing orations, in which he either accused or defended some of his companions: whence his master said of him, "Boy, thou wilt never prove an ordinary person, but wilt at some time become a mighty blessing, or an outrageous curse to thy country." As they grew to men, they differed yet more. Aristides studied the laws of Lycurgus, and by his reasonings

became a favourer of aristocracy. Themistocles, rather from contradiction to his rival than any other reason, espoused the cause of the people. Thus growing up in determined opposition, these great men sacrificed to it the peace and welfare of the country they both sincerely loved. Aristides seems to have been by much the most honest man, and therefore the most frank. When Themistocles had one day proposed to the assembly of the people something to their advantage, Aristides, though knowing it to be so, made a long oration against it, and prevailed. He was yet so conscious of what he had done, in persuading the people to reject a salutary proposal, that when he went out of the assembly, he could not help exclaiming, "The Athenians can never be safe, till they have sent Themistocles and me to prison."

All Athenian citizens had a right to sit in courts of judicature; and here these rivals equally differed in their sense of duty. Aristides considered that he should be exactly just, and insensible to the influence of passion or affection. Themistocles professed a different opinion, and was used to say, "God forbid I should ever sit on a tribunal where my friends should have no more favour than strangers." There is little doubt that Aristides was the better man: the strict integrity of his conduct acquired him the surname of The Just, and he was regarded by Athens as the most worthy and virtuous of her citizens. But he was on this account only the nearer to a fall, as Themistocles well knew. Nothing rejoiced him more than this high reputation of his rival, which subjected him to the extraordinary law of the Ostracism, by which any man becoming eminent to such a degree that his influence might endanger the state, was banished for ten years. Plutarch says, this exile was not considered as the punishment of crime, but as an honourable retirement, made use of as a curb to too great power, and to relieve the people from the apprehensions of tyranny they were so often seized

with. When this law was introduced is not certain. The method in which the Ostracism was inflicted was this. Every citizen took a piece of a broken pot or shell, on which having written the name of the person he wished to have banished, he carried it to a certain part of the market-place inclosed with rails. The magistrates then began to count the number of shells: if they were less than six thousand, the vote did not take place; if they surpassed that number, they laid every name apart; and the man whose name was found on the greatest number of shells, was exiled for ten years; but with leave to make what use he pleased of his estates. It seems extraordinary that Themistocles could excite the popular resentment against a man so peaceful and beloved as Aristides: but he made use of that very circumstance, insinuating that Aristides, assuming the title of The Just, was made the umpire of every dispute among the citizens; and was thus in fact a monarch giving laws, though without the pomp and titles of royalty. This was sufficient: on a sudden, citizens and countrymen flocked to the forum, and demanded the Ostracism. One of the clowns from a borough in Attica, who could neither write nor read, brought his shell to Aristides, and said, "Write me Aristides on this." Aristides asked him if he knew any ill of that Athenian, or if he had done him any hurt. "Me any hurt!" said the fellow, "no, I do not so much as know him; but I am weary and sick at heart with hearing him every where called The Just." Aristides took the shell, and wrote his own name on it. When the magistrates signified to him that the Ostracism fell on him, he retired modestly from the forum, and as he went, raised his eyes to heaven, and said, "I beseech the gods that the Athenians may never see the day, that shall force them to remember Aristides.”

About three years after the banishment of Aristides, the Athenians found Themistocles had spoken truth, when he had affirmed that the Persian war, far from

being ended, was but just begun: for Xerxes, succeeding to the ambitious desires of his father Darius, after having made immense preparations for the invasion of Greece, sent messengers with a Greek interpreter, to demand earth and water. Themistocles desiring to prevent all conciliation between his country and the barbarians, persuaded the Athenians to put the interpreter to death, for presuming to publish in the language of Greece the decrees of Persia. He ardently endeavoured to engage the Greek states to lay aside their quarrels, and prepare for the common dẹfence; easily procuring to himself the appointment of general to the Athenians, among whom he had now no rival.

Meantime the Persians approached. Athens had no means of defence against forces so overwhelming. Themistocles advised the abandoning of the city, and conveying the whole population on board the fleets. The Delphian Oracle was consulted-the answer was decided as to the total destruction of the city, but promised safety to the people under shelter of wooden walls. This reply was easily construed into a confirmation of Themistocles' advice, by all those who duly appreciated the impossibility of escaping in any other way. The populace could hardly be reconciled to such a measure. To leave their country and their estates, to forsake their houses and employments, and what they estimated as a still greater sacrifice, to abandon to an enemy the tombs of their ancestors and the temples of their gods, seemed a harder fate than to perish in their ruins. Themistocles, whose all-governing genius never wanted methods to effect his purpose, took advantage of these very feelings to change the bent of popular opinion. Gaining to his purpose the priests of Minerva, he caused them to declare to the people that the great dragon kept in her temple and fed there on sacred cakes, had first refused to eat, and finally disappeared; which proved that the goddess herself had departed from the city. By these

and other devices, Themistocles not only persuaded his countrymen to yield to his wishes, but instilled into them the same spirit with which himself was animated. It is told, that wanting a supply of money for this extraordinary embarkation, he pretended somebody had stolen the shield from Minerva's statue, and procuring an order to search for it, seized, for the publick service, all the money he found during the search.

It was now that in their great distress, the Athenians remembered the banished Aristides, and expressed their apprehension lest he should take part with Persia against his ungrateful country. Themistocles readily yielded to the publick feeling, and proposed a decree that all who had been banished might return, to aid in the defence of Greece.

Notwithstanding the Athenian fleet was superior to that of any of the confederates, so great at this time was the name of Sparta, that a Lacedæmonian very little capable of the charge, was appointed to command in chief. From destruction by the fears and unskilfulness of this commander and his officers, the courage and ingenuity of Themistocles again saved the fortunes of Greece. Athens was laid in ruins. The few citizens who, refusing to embark, had fled to the citadel, persuaded it was within its wooden palisades the oracle had promised safety, were put to the sword. The burning of the temples and altar, and the destruction of all their sacred things, with which the Persians were so greatly reproached, do not appear to have arisen so much from impiety or revenge, as from their detestation of Polytheism, of which they considered the temples, altars, and images to be the marks.

The fleet, with all the hopes of Greece, lay now in the narrow straits of Salamis, between that island where the women and children were refuged, and the shores of Attica, whither Xerxes marched down his successful army. Themistocles saw that to give battle there was the only means of saving their families, and regaining their city but the Peloponnesians regarding only the