herodotus

at last but one of the whole number was left; and he returned alone toPhaleron. 86. Thus the Athenians report that it came to pass: but theEginetans say that it was not with a single ship that the Athenianscame; for a single ship, and even a few more than one, they could haveeasily repelled, even if they had not happened to have ships of theirown: but they say that the Athenians sailed upon their country with alarge fleet of ships, and they gave way before them and did not fighta sea-battle. They cannot however declare with certainty whether theygave way thus because they admitted that they were not strong enoughto fight the battle by sea, or because they intended to do somethingof the kind which they actually did. The Athenians then, they say, asno one met them in fight, landed from their ships and made for theimages; but not being able to tear them up from their pedestals, atlast they threw ropes round them and began to pull, until the images,as they were being pulled, did both the same thing (and here theyreport something which I cannot believe, but some other man may), forthey say that the images fell upon their knees to them and that theycontinue to be in that position ever since this time. The Athenians,they say, were doing thus; and meanwhile they themselves (say theEginetans), being informed that the Athenians were about to make anexpedition against them, got the Argives to help them; and just whenthe Athenians had disembarked upon the Eginetan land, the Argives hadcome to their rescue, and not having been perceived when they passedover from Epidauros to the island, they fell upon the Athenians beforethese had heard anything of the matter, cutting them off secretly fromthe way to their ships; and at this moment it was that the thunder andthe earthquake came upon them. 87. This is the report which is givenby the Argives and Eginetans both, and it is admitted by the Atheniansalso that but one alone of them survived and came back to Attica: onlythe Argives say that this one remained alive from destruction wroughtby them upon the army of Athens, while the Athenians say that thedivine power was the destroyer. However, even this one man did notremain alive, but perished, they say, in the following manner:--whenhe returned to Athens he reported the calamity which had happened; andthe wives of the men who had gone on the expedition to Egina, hearingit and being very indignant that he alone of all had survived, cameround this man and proceeded to stab him with the brooches of theirmantles, each one of them asking of him where her husband was. Thus hewas slain; and to the Athenians it seemed that the deed of the womenwas a much more terrible thing even than the calamity which hadhappened; and not knowing, it is said, how they should punish thewomen in any other way, they changed their fashion of dress to that ofIonia,--for before this the women of the Athenians wore Dorian dress,very like that of Corinth,--they changed it therefore to the linentunic, in order that they might not have use for brooches. 88. Intruth however this fashion of dress is not Ionian originally but