XXXIV. Of this attack the Naxians had not the remoteft expectation; but they took the advantage of the intelligence imparted to them, and provided against a fiege, by removing their valuables from the fields to the town, and by laying up a ftore of water and provifions, and, laftly, by repairing their walls; they were thus prepared against every emergence, whilft the Perfians, pafling over from Chios to Naxos, found the place in a perfect ftate of defence. Having wafted four months in the attack, and exhaufted all the pecuniary refources which themfelves had brought, together with what Ariftagoras fupplied, they ftill found that much was wanting to accomplish their purpofe; they erected, therefore, a fort for the Naxian exiles, and returned to the continent greatly disappointed.

XXXV. Ariftagoras thus found himself unable to fulfil his engagements with Artaphernes; and he was alfo, to his great vexation, called upon to defray the expence of the expedition: he faw, moreover, in the perfon of Megabates, an accufer, and he feared that their ill fuccefs fhould be imputed to him, and made a pretence for depriving him of his authority at Miletus; all thefe motives induced him to meditate a revolt. Whilft he was in this perplexity, a meffenger arrived from Hiftiæus, at Sufa, who brought with him an exprefs command to revolt; the particulars of which were impreffed in

legible

legible characters upon his fcull 38. Hiftiæus was defirous to communicate his intentions to Ariftagoras, but as the ways were ftrictly guarded, he could devise no other method; he therefore took one of the most faithful of his flaves, and inscribed what we have mentioned upon his fcull, being first shaved; he detained the man till his hair was again grown, when he fent him to Miletus, defiring him to be as expeditious as poffible; and fimply requefting Ariftagoras to examine his fcull, he difcovered the characters which commanded him to commence a revolt. To this measure Hiftiæus was induced, by the vexation

38 Upon his fcull.]-Many curious contrivances are on record, of which the ancients availed themselves to convey secret intelligence. Ovid mentions an example of a letter inscribed on a perfon's back:

one

Caveat hoc cuftos, pro charta, conscia tergum

Præbeat, inque fuo corpore verba ferat.

The circumftance here mentioned by Herodotus is told at greater length by Aulus Gellius, who fays that Hiftiæus chose of his domeftics for this purpose who had fore eyes, to cure which he told him that his hair must be shaved, and his head fcarified; having done which, he wrote what he intended on the man's head, and then fent him to Ariftagoras, who, he told him, would effect his cure by fhaving his head a second time. Jofephus mentions a variety of ftratagems to effect this purpofe; fome were fent in coffins, during the Jewish war, to convey intelligence; others crept out of places disguised like dogs; fome have conveyed their intentions in various articles of food: and in bishop Wilkin's Mercury, where a number of examples of this nature are collected, mention is made of a person, who rolled up a letter in a wax candle, bidding the messenger inform the party that was to receive it, that the candle would give him light for his bufinefs.-T.

he

88

he experienced from his captivity at Sufa. He flattered himself, that as foon as Ariftagoras was in action he should be able to escape to the fea-coaft; but whilst every thing remained quiet at Miletus, he had no prospect of effecting his return.

1

XXXVI. With these views Hiftiæus dispatched his emiffary; the message he delivered to Aristagoras was alike grateful and feasonable, who accordingly fignified to his party, that his own opinions were confirmed by the commands of Hiftiæus his intentions to commence a revolt met with the general approbation of the affembly, Hecatæus the hiftorian being the only one who diffented. To diffuade them from any act of hoftility against the Perfian monarch, he enumerated the various nations which Darius had fubdued, and the prodigious power he poffeffed: when he found thefe arguments ineffectual, he advised them to let their fleet take immediate poffeffion of the fea, as the only means by which they might expect fuccefs. He confessed that the resources of the Milefians were but few; but he suggested the idea, that if they would make a feizure of the wealth deposited by Crafus the Lydian in the Branchidian temple 32, they might promife themselves thefe two advanta

39 Branchidian temple.]-For an account of the temple of Branchide, fee vol. i. p. 47. "If Ariftagoras," fays Larcher, "had followed the prudent counsel of Hecatæus, he would have had an increase of power against the Perfian, and deprived Xerxes of the opportunity of pillaging this temple, and employing its riches against Greece."-T.

ges;

ges; they would be able to make themselves maf ters of the fea, and by thus ufing thefe riches themfelves would prevent their being plundered by the enemy. That thefe riches were of very confiderable value, I have explained in my firft book. This advice, however, was as ill received, although the determination to revolt was fixed and univerfal: it was agreed, that one of their party fhould fail to the army, which, on its return from Naxos, had difembarked at Myus 40, with the view of feizing the perfons of the officers.

XXXVII. Iatragoras was the perfon employed in this business; who fo far fucceeded, that he captured Oliatus the Mylaffenfian, fon of Ibanolis, Hiftiæus of Termene "', fon of Tymnis, Coës the fon of Erxander, to whom Darius had given Mitylene, together with Ariftagoras the Cymaan, fon of Heraclides, with many others. Ariftagoras thus commenced a regular revolt, full of indignation against

40 Myus. This city was given to Themistocles, to furnish his table with fifh, with which the bay of Myus formerly abounded: the bay, in procefs of time, became a fresh-water lake, and produced fuch fwarms of gnats, that the inhabitants deferted the place, and were afterwards incorporated with the .Milefians. Chandler, who vifited this place, complains that the old nuifance of Myus tormented him and his companions exceedingly, and that towards the evening the infide of their tent was made quite black by the number of gnats which infefted them.-7.

4 Termene.]-Larcher remarks on this word, that no fuch place exilted in Caria as Termere, which is the common reading it certainly ought to be Termene.-7.

Darius,

i

Darius. To engage the Milefians to act in concert with him, he established among them a republican form of government. He adopted a fimilar conduct with respect to the rest of Ionia; and to excite a general prejudice in his favour, he expelled the tyrants from fome places, and he alfo fent back those who had been taken in the veffels which ferved against Naxos, to the cities to which they feverally belonged.

XXXVIII. The inhabitants of Mitylene had no fooner got Coës into their hands, than they put him to death, by ftoning him. The Cymeans fent their tyrant back again; and the generality of those who had poffeffed the fupreme authority being driven into exile, an equal form of government was eftablished this being accomplished, Ariftagoras the Milesian directed magiftrates 42, elected by the people, to be established in the different cities; after which he himself failed in a trireme to Lacedæmon, convinced of the neceffity of procuring fome powerful allies.

XXXIX. Anaxandrides, fon of Leontes, did not then fit upon the throne of Sparta; he was deceased, and his fon Cleomenes had fucceeded him, rather on account of his family than his virtues: Anaxan

42 Magiftrates.-The original is ogarnyos, which, as M. Larcher remarks, does not in this place mean the leader of an army, but a magiftrate, correfponding with the archons of Athens, &c.-T.

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