Greece -- History -- To 146 B.C.; History, Ancient
the fight were at the Isthmus; and thou wilt not lead the enemy to
Peloponnese, if thou art wise. Then if that which I expect come to pass
and we gain a victory with our ships, the Barbarians will not come to
you at the Isthmus nor will they advance further than Attica, but they
will retire in disorder; and we shall be the gainers by the preservation
of Megara and Egina and Salamis, at which place too an oracle tells us
that we shall get the victory over our enemies. 37 Now when men take
counsel reasonably for themselves, reasonable issues are wont as a rule
to come, but if they do not take counsel reasonably, then God is not
wont generally to attach himself to the judgment of men."
61. When Themistocles thus spoke, the Corinthian Adeimantos inveighed
against him for the second time, bidding him to be silent because he
had no native land, and urging Eurybiades not to put to the vote
the proposal of one who was a citizen of no city; for he said that
Themistocles might bring opinions before the council if he could show a
city belonging to him, but otherwise not. This objection he made against
him because Athens had been taken and was held by the enemy. Then
Themistocles said many evil things of him and of the Corinthians both,
and declared also that he himself and his countrymen had in truth a city
and a land larger than that of the Corinthians, so long as they had two
hundred ships fully manned; for none of the Hellenes would be able to
repel the Athenians if they came to fight against them.
62. Signifying this he turned then to Eurybiades and spoke yet more
urgently: "If thou wilt remain here, and remaining here wilt show
thyself a good man, well; but if not, thou wilt bring about the
overthrow of Hellas, for upon the ships depends all our power in the
war. Nay, but do as I advise. If, however, thou shalt not do so, we
shall forthwith take up our households and voyage to Siris in Italy,
which is ours already of old and the oracles say that it is destined
to be colonised by us; and ye, when ye are left alone and deprived of
allies such as we are, will remember my words."
63. When Themistocles thus spoke, Eurybiades was persuaded to change his
mind; and, as I think, he changed his mind chiefly from fear lest the
Athenians should depart and leave them, if he should take the ships to
the Isthmus; for if the Athenians left them and departed, the rest would
be no longer able to fight with the enemy. He chose then this counsel,
to stay in that place and decide matters there by a sea-fight.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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