Pallas cannot prevail to soften Zeus the Olympian, Though she assail him with words and ply him with counsels of wisdom, Yet will I give thee afresh an answer firm and unchanging: Conquered must lie the land where stands the fortress Cecropian, Conquered the peaceful mead of sacred Cithaeron; but thenceforth Zeus, wide-gazing, permits to keep in honour of Pallas Walls of wood unshaken to shelter thee and thy children. Wait not for horse nor for foot that come to ruin thy country, Out of the mainland afar; but rather yield to the foeman, Turning thy back in flight, for yet shalt thou meet him in battle. O divine Salamis! how many children of women Shalt thou slay at the sowing of corn or the ripening of harvest![9] {160} With this answer the Athenians returned home, and there great discussion arose as to the meaning of the Oracle. Some interpreted it as meaning that they should build a fence of wood round the city, others that the "walls of wood" could only mean ships, and that they should leave everything and betake themselves to their fleet. Then there were some who thought that the last lines foretold a terrible defeat for Athens, but Themistocles rose up in the Assembly and declared that had the god meant that, he would have said "Salamis the cruel or the merciless," but since he had said "Salamis the divine," the slaughter must refer to the enemy and not to the Athenians. Themistocles was also on the side of those who held that the wooden walls were the ships, and he persuaded the Athenians to remove to a place of safety out of Attica their wives and children, and as much of their property as they could. This they did, and then leaving only a few men to guard the Acropolis, the fighting men betook themselves to their ships and anchored near the island of Salamis. All this was done none too soon, for the Barbarians had now arrived in Attica and all the land was being laid waste with fire. They reached Athens, and took the lower city, and then finding that there were still a few of the Athenians left in the temple, they took their post upon the rising ground opposite the Acropolis and besieged them. The Athenians continued to defend themselves although they had come to the extremity of distress, so for a long time Xerxes was not able to capture them. But at length, finding a place {161} where no one was keeping guard, because no one would have supposed that any man could ascend that way, the Persians forced their way up to the Acropolis, and after entering the gates they slew all the defenders, plundered the temple and set fire to the whole of the Acropolis. And so Athens fell into the hands of the Barbarians. IV. SALAMIS TO THE END