The histories of Herodotus;

143-145] ASSEMBLING THE GREEKS 411
rightly understood the whole, saying thus: If the word that
had been uttered really did refer to the Athenians, he did not
think that it would have been expressed so mildly, but thus,
" O unhappy Salamis," instead of " O divine Salamis," if the
therefore who-
inhabitants were about to perish on its shores ;
ever understood them rightly would conclude that the oracle
was pronounced by the god against their enemies, and not
against the Athenians. He advised them, therefore, to make
preparations for fighting by sea, since that was the wooden
wall. When Themistocles thus declared his opinion, the Athenians
considered it preferable to that of the interpreters who
dissuaded them from making preparations for a sea-fight, and
in short advised them not to make any resistance at all, but
to abandon the Attic territory and settle in some other. Another
opinion of Themistocles had before this opportunely pre-
vailed. When the Athenians, having great riches in the treasury,
which came in from the mines of Laureum, were about
to share them man by man, to each ten drachmas; then
Themistocles persuaded them to refrain from this distribution,
and to build two hundred ships with this money, meaning
for the war with the ^Eginetse. For that war springing up,
at this time saved Greece, by compelling the Athenians to
apply themselves to maritime affairs. The ships, however,
were used for the purpose for which they were built, but were
thus very serviceable to Greece. These, therefore, were already
built for the Athenians, and it was necessary to construct
others besides. And it was resolved, on their consulting
after the receipt of the oracle, to await the barbarian, who
was invading Greece, with their whole people on shipboard,
in obedience to the god, together with such Greeks as would
join them. Such, then, were the oracles delivered to the
Athenians.
When the Greeks who were better affected toward Greece
were assembled together, and consulted with each other, and
gave pledges of mutual fidelity, it was thereupon determined,
on deliberation, that, before all things, they should reconcile
all existing enmities and wars with each other. For there
were wars in hand between several others, but the most considerable
was that between the Athenians and ^ginetae. After
this, being informed that Xerxes was with his army at Sardis,
they determined to send spies into Asia, in order to discover
the true state of the king's affairs; and to send ambassadors
to Argos to conclude an alliance against the Persians, and
others to Sicily, to Gelon, son of Dinomenes, and to Corcyra,
and others to Crete, begging them to come to the assistance