“But when the white–horsed morn o’er all the earth Shed her fair splendour, from the Grecian fleet A mighty sound rose tuneably, to wake The sleeping Echo, which returned a loud Heart–cheering answer from the island rock. Confused the Persians stood; for not for flight The Greeks rang forth that lofty battle–shout, But hurrying on rejoicing to the fight With high–souled valour. Then the trumpet’s clang Kindled the battle; then the word was given, And the quick oars with one united stroke Dashed into spray the salt resounding surge, And all bore down in sight. The right wing led First, in fair order; the main armament Pressed close behind, and all at once sent forth A mighty shout; ‘On, children of the Greeks, Set free your country, free your sons, your wives, The temples of your country’s gods, the tombs Of your forefathers—this day fights for all.’” [56] Frontinus, Strategematicon, lib. I. ii. 10. Frontinus wrote towards the end of the first century of the Christian era, and the story, as far as we know, is not noticed earlier. It may therefore very probably be false. [57] Vasæus, Hispaniæ Chronicon. [58] Herod., viii. c. 140–144. [59] The citizens replied to a summons to surrender, that they would not lack food, while their left arms remained, but feed on them, and fight for liberty with their right. Strada, de Bello Belgico, lib. viii. Vaunts of this kind are dangerous: the Leydenists, however, did no discredit to theirs. It was a maxim of the Maréchal de Grammout, that a governor who began by making a great to–do, and burnt his suburbs to make a brilliant defence, generally ended by making a very bad one. See the Mémoires de Grammont, chap, viii., where there is a capital story of the gallant defence of Lerida, by Don Gregorio Brice, bearing upon this point. [60] Strada says, with an expression of incredulity however, that by means of this inundation vessels came over–land to Leyden from a distance of forty miles. [61] The Dutch annoyed the Spaniards much with sharp hooks fastened to poles or ropes, by which they drew up the Spaniards into their shipping. One Peter Borgia was caught up with four hooks into a vessel holding six or seven men, and supposed to be mortally hurt: but presently, while they were deeply engaged in fishing for more men, he caught up a battle–axe, and set on them from behind with such fury, that he killed three, and frightened the rest overboard, and thus carried off to the Spanish camp a vessel laden with provisions.—_Strada_, BELL. BELG. lib. viii. [62] Bentivoglio, Hist. of Wars in Flanders, Englished by Henry Earl of Monmouth, 1698. [63] Watson’s Hist. of Philip II. [64] Corunna. [65] This is the classification of the provinces as given by Charnock.