This celebrated field is about twelve miles in circumference, and a day's march from Athens. It is washed by the sea on the east, and surrounded by mountains on every other side, except the south-east corner, where the flat is continued a short space along the shore, and afterwards terminated by hills. The part where this slip joins the grand plain, has a large morass in its center, which extends pretty close to the hills on one side, and near the water's edge on the other. There are two roads from the plains to Athens; the one by the morass, the other through the town of Marathon, which lies at the foot of the hills, nearly opposite the center of the plains. Miltiades' army, in point of numbers, was not equal to one tenth of the Persians; but he knew that by waiting for them under the walls of Athens, he should abandon the country to their ravages, and submit to see them receive their convoys, and gather provisions unmolested; and possibly even subject himself to a famine. He therefore determined, at all events, to keep from between the enemy and the capital, and wait for an opportunity of attacking them to advantage. And this Fortune soon gave him. The Persians having reached the plains of Marathon, accompanied by their fleet, pursued the road nearest the sea. Their van had already ascended the heights, their main body filled the flat beneath, and their rear was passing the narrow space on the sides of the morass. Historians tell us, that Miltiades drew his whole strength into his wings, and particularly his right, leaving his center almost open. But as they have not been sufficiently minute in describing the scene of this memorable action, I could not thoroughly perceive the excellence of his disposition, until I beheld the field of battle. The morass supplied the place of troops in his center. The space on the left was but narrow, consequently his greatest exertions were required on his right. This the General thoroughly understood, and at the moment the Persians were in the situation I have just described, he rushed from the town of Marathon, and by his admirable disposition, brought his whole force to act on the enemy's rear.