Stratias of Chios, acides of Samos, Laodamas the Phocean, and Hiftiæus the Milefian, whofe opinion prevailed in the affembly, in opposition to that of Miltiades: the only Æolian of confequence who was prefent on this occafion, was Ariftagoras of Cyme. 412 CXXXIX. Thefe leaders, acceding to the opinion of Histiæus, thought it would be adviseable to break down that part of the bridge which was towards Scythia, to the extent of a bow-fhot. This, although it was of no real importance, would prevent the Scythians from paffing the Ifter on the bridge, and might induce them to believe that no inclination was wanting on the part of the Ionians, to comply with their wishes: accordingly, in the name of the reft, Hiftiæus thus addreffed them: Men of Scythia, we confider your advice as of confequence to our interest, and we take in good part your urging it upon us. You have fhewn "us the path which we ought to purfue, and we are readily disposed to follow it; we fhall break "down the bridge as you recommend, and in all "things fhall discover the most earnest zeal to fe perhaps never better expreffed, than in thefe two lines from Ovid: Quaque tenent ponti Byzantia littora fauces This city was originally founded by Byzas, a reputed fon of Neptune, 656 years before Chrift. Perhaps the moft minute and fatisfactory account of every thing relating to Byzantium, may be found in Mr. Gibbon's hiftory.-T. * cure our liberties: in the mean time, whilft we fhall be thus employed, it becomes you to go in "purfuit of the enemy, and having found them, "revenge yourfelves and us." CXL. The Scythians, placing an entire confidence in the promifes of the Ionians, returned to the purfuit of the Perfians; they did not, however, find them, for in that particular diftrict they them→ felves had deftroyed all the fodder for the horfes, and corrupted all the fprings, they might otherwife easily have found the Perfians: and thus it happened, that the meafure which at firft promifed them fuc cefs became ultimately injurious. They directed their march to thofe parts of Scythia where they were fecure of water and provifions for their horfes, thinking themselves certain of there meeting with the enemy; but the Perfian prince, following the track he had before purfued, found, though with the greatest difficulty, the place he aimed at arriving at the bridge by night, and finding it broken down, he was exceedingly disheartened, and conceived himself abandoned by the Ionians. CXLI. There was in the army of Darius an Ægyptian very remarkable for the loudness of his voice this man Darius ordered to advance to 827 the Loudness of his voice.]-By the ufe here made of this Egyptian, and the particular mention of Stentor in the Iliad, it may be prefumed that it was a cuftomary thing for one or more fuch perfonages to be prefent on every military expedition. At the 304 Васивия MEL POMENE. ༡༣ 254 the banks of the Ifter, and to pronounce with all his strength the name of "Hiftiæus the Milefian" 3 Hiftiæus immediately heard him, and approaching with all the fleet, enabled the Persians to repass, by again forming a bridge. CXLII. By these means the Persians escaped, whilft the Scythians were a fecond time engaged in a long and fruitless pursuit. From this period the Scythians confidered the Ionians as the bafelt and moft contemptible of mankind, fpeaking of them as men attached to fervitude, and incapable of freedom; and always using towards them the moft reproachful terms. the present day, perhaps, we may feel ourselves inclined to dif- Heaven's emprefs mingles with the mortal crowd, The fhouting of Achilles from the Grecian battlements, is reprefented to have had the power of impreffing terror on the hearts of the boldeft warriors, and of fufpending a tumultuous and hard fought battle: 1 Forth march'd the chief, and diftant from the crowd High on the rampart rais'd his voice aloud; With her own fhout Minerva fwells the found; Troy starts aftonish'd, and the shores rebound; So high his brazen voice the hero rear'd, Hofts drop their arms, and tremble as they heard. T. CXLIII. 138 2 CXLIII. Darius proceeding through Thrace, arrived at Seftos of the Cherfonefe, from whence he paffed over into Afia: he left, however, fome troops in Europe, under the command of Megabyzus a Perfian, of whom it is reported, that one day in conversation the king spoke in terms of the highest honour.-He was about to eat fome pomegranates, and having opened one, he was asked by his brother Artabanus, what thing there was which he would defire to poffefs in as great a quantity as there were feeds in the pomegranate 19? "I would "rather," he replied, "have fo many Megabyzi, "than fee Greece under my power." This compliment he paid him publicly, and at this time he left him at the head of eighty thousand men. CXLIV. This fame person alfo, for a saying which I fhall relate, left behind him in the Hellefpont a name never to be forgotten. Being at Byzantium, he learned upon enquiry that the Chalcedonians 140 had built their city feventeen years before the 38 Megabyzus.]-The text reads Megabazus, but Herodotus elsewhere fays Megabyzus, which is fupported by the best manuscripts.-T. 139 Seeds in the pomegranate.]-Plutarch relates this incident in his apoththegms of kings and illuftrious generals, but applies it to Zopyrus, who by mangling his nofe, and cutting off his ears, made himself master of Babylon.-T. 14 The Chalcedonians.]—The promontory on which the ancient Chalcedon flood, is a very fine fituation, being a gentle rifing ground from the sea, with which it is almost bounded on three fides; further on the east fide of it, is a small river which VOL II. X falls the Byzantians had founded theirs: he obferved, 51 that the Chalcedonians must then have been blind, or otherwise, having the choice of a situation in all refpects better, they would never have preferred one fo very inferior.-Megabyzus being thus left with 8 the command of the Hellefpont, reduced all thofe who were in oppofition to the Medes 141 +9 ༄།། 142 CXLV. About the fame time another great expedition was fet on foot in Africa, the occafion of which I fhall relate; it will be firft neceffary to premife this-The pofterity of the Argonauts 12 having been expelled, from Lemnos, by the Pelafgians, who had carried off from Brauron fome Athenian women, failed to Lacedæmon; they difembarked at Taygetus 143, where they made a great fire. falls into the little bay to the fouth, that feems to have been their 141 The Medes.]-Herodotus, and the greater part of the 14 Pofterity of the Argonauts.]-An account of this incident, with many variations and additions, is to be found in Plutarch's Treatife on the Virtues of Women.-T. 143 Taygetus.]-This was a very celebrated mountain of antiquity; it was facred to Bacchus, for here, according to Virgil, he Spartan virgins acted the Bacchanal in his honour. Virginibus |