the history-第165章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


st　the　very　next　day　submit　to　slavery；　so　that　they　were　bound　to　assist　her　to　the　very　uttermost　of　their　power。〃　But　notwithstanding　that　they　answered　so　smoothly；　yet　when　the　time　came　for　the　succours　to　be　sent；　they　were　of　quite　a　different　mind；　and　though　they　manned　sixty　ships；　it　was　long　ere　they　put　to　sea　with　them；　and　when　they　had　so　done；　they　went　no　further　than　the　Peloponnese；　where　they　lay　to　with　their　fleet；　off　the　Lacedaemonian　coast；　about　Pylos　and　Taenarum…　like　Gelo；　watching　to　see　what　turn　the　war　would　take。　For　they　despaired　altogether　of　the　Greeks　gaining　the　day；　and　expected　that　the　Persian　would　win　a　great　battle；　and　then　be　master　of　the　whole　of　Greece。　They　therefore　acted　as　I　have　said；　in　order　that　they　might　be　able　to　address　Xerxes　in　words　like　these：　〃O　king！　though　the　Greeks　sought　to　obtain　our　aid　in　their　war　with　thee；　and　though　we　had　a　force　of　no　small　size；　and　could　have　furnished　a　greater　number　of　ships　than　any　Greek　state　except　Athens；　yet　we　refused；　since　we　would　not　fight　against　thee；　nor　do　aught　to　cause　thee　annoyance。〃　The　Corcyraeans　hoped　that　a　speech　like　this　would　gain　them　better　treatment　from　the　Persians　than　the　rest　of　the　Greeks；　and　it　would　have　done　so；　in　my　judgment。　At　the　same　time；　they　had　an　excuse　ready　to　give　their　countrymen；　which　they　used　when　the　time　came。　Reproached　by　them　for　sending　no　succours；　they　replied　〃that　they　had　fitted　out　a　fleet　of　sixty　triremes；　but　that　the　Etesian　winds　did　not　allow　them　to　double　Cape　Malea；　and　this　hindered　them　from　reaching　Salamis…　it　was　not　from　any　bad　motive　that　they　had　missed　the　sea…fight。〃　In　this　way　the　Corcyraeans　eluded　the　reproaches　of　the　Greeks。　　　　　The　Cretans；　when　the　envoys　sent　to　ask　aid　from　them　came　and　made　their　request；　acted　as　follows。　They　despatched　messengers　in　the　name　of　their　state　to　Delphi；　and　asked　the　god；　whether　it　would　make　for　their　welfare　if　they　should　lend　succour　to　Greece。　〃Fools！〃　replied　the　Pythoness；　〃do　ye　not　still　complain　of　the　woes　which　the　assisting　of　Menelaus　cost　you　at　the　hands　of　angry　Minos？　How　wroth　was　he；　when；　in　spite　of　their　having　lent　you　no　aid　towards　avenging　his　death　at　Camicus；　you　helped　them　to　avenge　the　carrying　off　by　a　barbarian　of　a　woman　from　Sparta！〃　When　this　answer　was　brought　from　Delphi　to　the　Cretans；　they　thought　no　more　of　assisting　the　Greeks。　　　　　Minos；　according　to　tradition；　went　to　Sicania；　or　Sicily；　as　it　is　now　called；　in　search　of　Daedalus；　and　there　perished　by　a　violent　death。　After　a　while　the　Cretans；　warned　by　some　god　or　other；　made　a　great　expedition　into　Sicania；　all　except　the　Polichnites　and　the　Praesians；　and　besieged　Camicus　（which　in　my　time　belonged　to　Agrigentum）　by　the　space　of　five　years。　At　last；　however；　failing　in　their　efforts　to　take　the　place；　and　unable　to　carry　on　the　siege　any　longer　from　the　pressure　of　hunger；　they　departed　and　went　their　way。　Voyaging　homewards　they　had　reached　Iapygia；　when　a　furious　storm　arose　and　threw　them　upon　the　coast。　All　their　vessels　were　broken　in　pieces；　and　so；　as　they　saw　no　means　of　returning　to　Crete；　they　founded　the　town　of　Hyria；　where　they　took　up　their　abode；　changing　their　name　from　Cretans　to　Messapian　Iapygians；　and　at　the　same　time　becoming　inhabitants　of　the　mainland　instead　of　islanders。　From　Hyria　they　afterwards　founded　those　other　towns　which　the　Tarentines　at　a　much　later　period　endeavoured　to　take；　but　could　not；　being　defeated　signally。　Indeed　so　dreadful　a　slaughter　of　Greeks　never　happened　at　any　other　time；　so　far　as　my　knowledge　extends：　nor　was　it　only　the　Tarentines　who　suffered；　but　the　men　of　Rhegium　too；　who　had　been　forced　to　go　to　the　aid　of　the　Tarentines　by　Micythus　the　son　of　Choerus；　lost　here　three　thousand　of　their　citizens；　while　the　number　of　the　Tarentines　who　fell　was　beyond　all　count。　This　Micythus　had　been　a　household　slave　of　Anaxilaus；　and　was　by　him　left　in　charge　of　Rhegium：　he　is　the　same　man　who　was　afterwards　forced　to　leave　Rhegium；　when　he　settled　at　Tegea　in　Arcadia；　from　which　place　he　made　his　many　offerings　of　statues　to　the　shrine　at　Olympia。　　　　　This　account　of　the　Rhegians　and　the　Tarentines　is　a　digression　from　the　story　which　I　was　relating。　To　return…　the　Praesians　say　that　men　of　various　nations　now　flocked　to　Crete；　which　was　stript　of　its　inhabitants；　but　none　came　in　such　numbers　as　the　Grecians。　Three　generations　after　the　death　of　Minos　the　Trojan　war　took　place；　and　the　Cretans　were　not　the　least　distinguished　among　the　helpers　of　Menelaus。　But　on　this　account；　when　they　came　back　from　Troy；　famine　and　pestilence　fell　upon　them；　and　destroyed　both　the　men　and　the　cattle。　Crete　was　a　second　time　stript　of　its　inhabitants；　a　remnant　only　being　left；　who　form；　together　with　fresh　settlers；　the　third　〃Cretan〃　people　by　whom　the　island　has　been　inhabited。　These　were　the　events　of　which　the　Pythoness　now　reminded　the　men　of　Crete；　and　thereby　she　prevented　them　from　giving　the　Greeks　aid；　though　they　wished　to　have　gone　to　their　assistance。　　　　　The　Thessalians　did　not　embrace　the　cause　of　the　Medes　until　they　were　forced　to　do　so；　for　they　gave　plain　proof　that　the　intrigues　of　the　Aleuadae　were　not　at　all　to　their　liking。　No　sooner　did　they　hear　that　the　Persian　was　about　to　cross　over　into　Europe　than　they　despatched　envoys　to　the　Greeks　who　were　met　to　consult　together　at　the　Isthmus；　whither　all　the　states　which　were　well　inclined　to　the　Grecian　cause　had　sent　their　delegates。　These　envoys　on　their　arrival　thus　addressed　their　countrymen：…　　　　　〃Men　of　Greece；　it　behoves　you　to　guard　the　pass　of　Olympus；　for　thus　will　Thessaly　be　placed　in　safety；　as　well　as　the　rest　of　Greece。　We　for　our　parts　are　quite　ready　to　take　our　share　in　this　work；　but　you　must　likewise　send　us　a　strong　force：　otherwise　we　give　you　fair　warning　that　we　shall　make　terms　with　the　Persians。　For　we　ought　not　to　be　left；　exposed　as　we　are　in　front　of　all　the　rest　of　Greece；　to　die　in　your　defence　alone　and　unassisted。　If　however　you　do　not　choose　to　send　us　aid；　you　cannot　force　us　to　resist　the　enemy；　for　there　is　no　force　so　strong　as　inability。　We　shall　therefore　do　our　best　to　secure　our　own　safety。〃　　　　　Such　was　the　declaration　of　the　Thessalians。　　　　　Hereupon　the　Greeks　determined　to　send　a　body　of　foot　to　Thessaly　by　sea；　which　should　defend　the　pass　of　Olympus。　Accordingly　a　force　was　collected；　which　passed　up　the　Euripus；　and　disembarking　at　Alus；　on　the　coast　of　Achaea；　left　the　ships　there；　and　marched　by　land　into　Thessaly。　Here　they　occupied　the　defile　of　Tempe；　which　leads　from　Lower　Macedonia　into　Thessaly　along　the　course　of　the　Peneus；　having　the　range　of　Olympus　on　the　one　hand　and　Ossa　upon　the　other。　In　this　place　the　Greek　force　that　had　been　collected；　amounting　to　about　10；000　heavy…armed　men；　pitched　their　camp；　and　here　they　were　joined　by　the　Thessalian　cavalry。　The　commanders　were；　on　the　part　of　the　Lacedaemonians；　Evaenetus；　the　son　of　Carenus；　who　had　been　chosen　out　of　the　Polemarchs；　but　did　not　belong　to　the　blood　royal；　and　on　the　part　of　the　Athenians　Themistocles；　the　son　of　Neocles。　They　did　not　however　maintain　their　stat