Plutarch's lives for boys and girls : being selected lives freely retold . safety andpreservation of Greece. He approved also of the plansof Themistocles, and set himself to further them. Hisformer rival especially begged his support in impressingupon the Spartan Eurybiades the necessity of fightingthe Persian fleet at once in the narrow seas, for heknew that Aristides had more influence with theSpartan leader than he himself had. In the councilof war which assembled on this occasion, a Corinthianofficer who was present said to Themistocles, Aristidesdoes not agree with your opinion, for he sa
Plutarch's lives for boys and girls : being selected lives freely retold . safety andpreservation of Greece. He approved also of the plansof Themistocles, and set himself to further them. Hisformer rival especially begged his support in impressingupon the Spartan Eurybiades the necessity of fightingthe Persian fleet at once in the narrow seas, for heknew that Aristides had more influence with theSpartan leader than he himself had. In the councilof war which assembled on this occasion, a Corinthianofficer who was present said to Themistocles, Aristidesdoes not agree with your opinion, for he says nothing. You are mistaken, said Aristides, for I should nothave been silent had I not considered the counsels ofThemistocles the best for our situation. Hence, it wasdetermined to fight in accordance with this then, seeing that a small island which liesin the straits over against Salamis was full of theenemys troops, embarked a number of the bravest andmost determined of his countrymen on board somesmall transports. With these troops he attacked the. LSrinES AND THE CITIZE> ARISTIDES 9 enemy upon the island so fiercely that they were all cutto pieces, except a few of the most important persons,who were made prisoners. Aristides then placed astrong guard round the island, so that, of those whowere driven ashore there, none of the Greeks shouldperish and none of the Persians escape. For it wasround about this island that the battle raged mostfiercely. After the battle Xerxes, alarmed at the report thatthe Greeks intended to break down the bridge of boatsacross the Hellespont and thus cut off his retreat,hastened thither with all speed. However, he leftbehind him three hundred thousand of his best troopsunder Mardonius. With so great an army the Persians were still veryformidable, and Mardonius wrote menacing letters tothe Greeks in such terms as these : You have indeedat sea defeated landsmen unused to naval war. Thereremain, however, the wide plains of the
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