Lands, classical and sacred . the inscriptions they bear ;but, where the earth herself is made to change hershape in memory of the acts done there and of themen who wrought them, if the acts or the men beworthy of remembrance, such a monument illus-trated by history alone is surely the most worthythat can be raised by hands. The story of this famous battle, though so elo-quently and minutely told by its great historian(Herodotus vi.), has given rise to different opinionsas to the probable position taken up by the Grecianarmy on that day. Of the formation of the host ofDarius, in front of its c
Lands, classical and sacred . the inscriptions they bear ;but, where the earth herself is made to change hershape in memory of the acts done there and of themen who wrought them, if the acts or the men beworthy of remembrance, such a monument illus-trated by history alone is surely the most worthythat can be raised by hands. The story of this famous battle, though so elo-quently and minutely told by its great historian(Herodotus vi.), has given rise to different opinionsas to the probable position taken up by the Grecianarmy on that day. Of the formation of the host ofDarius, in front of its camp, flanked by its shipswhich lined that part of the bay, and with themarsh in its rear, into which, after the defeat, somany thousands were driven to perish, nothing isleft in doubt. Whatever may have been the mili-tary disadvantages of such a disposition, made, too,by the two best generals in his service, Datis and * Demosth. pro Coron. Those of your ancestors whorisked their lives formerly at Marathon. ( 26 ) -dV^ ?o mr^. .Marathon, and Country round KEMAKKS ON THE BATTLE. 37 Artapliernes, to whom the command hud beengiven in the field, it is clearly laid down by He-rodotus ; and indeed the nature of the ground,circumscribed as it is, leaves no other mode of dis-position open for so enormous a body of men. TheGreeks, on the other hand, amounting in all to notmore than ten thousand, with, according to theirown historian, not less than ten times their numberopposed to them in front, must have formed onsome part of the plain where both their flanks weresecured, and from which also they might advancewithout exposing them to be turned. For He-rodotus expressly says that their first line ranforward the length of a whole stadium and madethe first attack. Some have, with this view, sup-posed that they formed an oblique line aboutparallel with that between the roots of the twomountains Kotroni and Argaliki. But in so doingthey must, upon their advance, have made a fullwheel to their
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1840, booksubjectmiddlee, bookyear1846
