herodotus

deprived of his rule by Aristagoras the Milesian, like the otherdespots of Ionia. 14. So when the Phenicians sailed to the attack, theIonians also put out their ships from shore against them, sailing insingle file:[3] and when they came near and engaged battle with oneanother, as regards what followed I am not able exactly to recordwhich of the Ionians showed themselves cowards or good men in thissea-fight, for they throw blame upon one another. The Samians however,it is said, according to their agreement with Aiakes put up theirsails then and set forth from their place in the line to sail back toSamos, excepting only eleven ships: of these the captains stayed intheir places and took part in the sea-fight, refusing to obey thecommanders of their division; and the public authority of the Samiansgranted them on account of this to have their names written up on apillar with their fathers' names also,[6a] as having proved themselvesgood men; and this pillar exists still in the market-place. Then theLesbians also, when they saw that those next them in order were takingto flight, did the same things as the Samians had done, and so alsomost of the Ionians did the very same thing. 15. Of those whichremained in their places in the sea-fight the Chians suffered veryseverely,[7] since they displayed brilliant deeds of valour andrefused to play the coward. These furnished, as was before said, ahundred ships and in each of them forty picked men of their citizensserved as fighting-men;[8] and when they saw the greater number oftheir allies deserting them, they did not think fit to behave like thecowards among them, but left along with a few only of their alliesthey continued to fight and kept breaking through the enemy's line;until at last, after they had conquered many ships of the enemy, theylost the greater number of their own. 16. The Chians then with theremainder of their ships fled away to their own land; but those of theChians whose ships were disabled by the damage which they hadreceived, being pursued fled for refuge to Mycale; and their shipsthey ran ashore there and left them behind, while the men proceededover the mainland on foot: and when the Chians had entered theEphesian territory on their way, then since[8a] they came into it bynight and at a time when a festival of Thesmophoria was beingcelebrated by the women of the place, the Ephesians, not having heardbeforehand how it was with the Chians and seeing that an armed bodyhad entered their land, supposed certainly that they were robbers andhad a design upon the women; so they came out to the rescue in a bodyand slew the Chians.17. Such was the fortune which befell these men: but Dionysios thePhocaian, when he perceived that the cause of the Ionians was ruined,after having taken three ships of the enemy sailed away, not to Pocaiaany more, for he knew well that it would be reduced to slaverytogether with the rest of Ionia, and he sailed forthwith straight to