Themistocles was now left supreme head of the re public. In this capacity he performed a signal ser vice to his country, and to all Greece. The war with JEgina reviving, made the Athenians continually sen sible of their naval deficiency. Impressed with this, Themistocles found means to persuade them, that the money produced by the silver mines, which had hither to been spent in feasting and entertaining the people, should be employed in constructing a fleet. A hun dred gallies were accordingly put upon the stocks ; and with such ability were the funds managed, that Athens soon became the first maritime power in Greece. This became the safety, both of herself and ' of all the other states, in the mighty storm which was now impending.
Darius, after the disastrous result of his expedition to Greece, was withheld from farther attempts by an insurrection in Egypt, as well as by domestic dissen sion. About five years after, however, he died, and was succeeded by Xerxes, a rash and ambitious young prince, who, persuaded by his flatterers that nothing was impossible to the master of such an empire, de termined to coa.!ct all his forces for this arduous en terprise. Darius had been three years occupied in preparations, which Xerxes devoted four to complete. All the ports of the Asiatic colonies, as well as of Egypt and Phoenicia, were employed in the construc tion of an innumerable multitude of vessels, surpassing in magnitude any that had yet appeared in those seas. Twelve hundred ships of war, and three thousand of burden, were at length completed. All the subjects and vassals of Persia were called upon to furnish their quo tas of troops, and an armament was thus collected, to which the world has seen nothing equal, either before or since. Herodotus has given an elaborate enumer ation, which makes them amount to upwards of two millions, besides women and eunuchs ; which, added to five hundred thousand who manned the fleet, raises the whole number employed to nearly three millions. Wishing to avoid the unfortunate example of Darius, as well as the inconveniences of a long navigation with so many troops on board, he determined to trans port his army over the Hellespont. After some diffi culty, a bridge of boats was extended from one side to the other, over which the army continued passing for seven days and seven nights without interruption, until the whole arrived on the Thracian territory. Then, separating into three divisions, -they advanced, covering the plains of Thrace, Macedonia, and Thes saly. Most of the inhabitants of these countries, over awed by this immense force, joined their standard.
A fter a memorable encounter, they penetrated through the pass of Thermopylx, and being joined by the Thebans, poured down with their whole force upon Attica and Peloponnesus. • The Peloponnesian states, conceiving themselves unequal to cope in the open field with so mighty a force, determined to withdraw within the peninsula, and to fortify the isthmus of Corinth, The consequence of this arrangement was, to leave exposed the territory of Attica. Themisto cles then saw, .that the land force of that state alone could never cope with the whole power of the Per sians, seconded, as it was, by a strong body of Gre cian auxiliaries. Instantly, with equal wis dom and decision, he formed his plan, which was to abandon the city, and embark on board the fleet all the hopes and fortunes of Athens. To persuade the people, however, to the adoption of such a measure, was no easy task. No where, perhaps, was local at tachment so strongly rooted as among the Grecian states. It. was interwoven with all the feelings of re ligion, of patriotism, and of parental veneration. To abandon, to a barbarous foe, their city, the temples of gods, the tombs of their ancestors, appeared ab solute profanation. Themistocles, on this occasion, exerted all his address. He represented to his coun trymen the necessity and advantage of this measure ; but his chief dependence was on a dexterous manage ment of that superstition, which at present formed a powerful obstacle to his scheme. He contrived to get an oracle from Delphi, which advised them to defend themselves with wooden tvalls ; which he inter preted to be their ships. He procured from the same quarter a high panegyric on Salamis, where he wished the fleet to station itself. He accompanied the eva cuation of the city with a variety of ceremonies, which gave it the appearance of a religious act. The T women and children were Troezene, which n generously received them, although Argos, to whose h territory it belonged, had baselyespoused the Persian 11 interest. When the time of departure, however, ar rived, the scene which ensued was affecting beyond expression. Besides separating from all those objects and places, which from infancy they had been accus tomed to regard with affection, they were obliged to leave behind a number of old citizens, whom they had not time to remove. Some emotions of tenderness were even inspired by those domestic animals, who, by dismal howlings, expressed their affection and re gret for their departing masters.