herodotus

aise their hands at all in opposition, but leave the land of Atticaand settle in some other. 144. Another opinion too of Themistoclesbefore this one proved the best at the right moment, when theAthenians, having got large sums of money in the public treasury,which had come in to them from the mines which are at Laureion, wereintending to share it among themselves, taking each in turn the sum often drachmas. Then Themistocles persuaded the Athenians to give upthis plan of division and to make for themselves with this money twohundred ships for the war, meaning by that the war with the Eginetans:for this war having arisen[130] proved in fact the salvation of Hellasat that time, by compelling the Athenians to become a naval power. Andthe ships, not having been used for the purpose for which they hadbeen made, thus proved of service at need to Hellas. These ships then,I say, the Athenians had already, having built them beforehand, and itwas necessary in addition to these to construct others. They resolvedthen, when they took counsel after the oracle was given, to receivethe Barbarian invading Hellas with their ships in full force,following the commands of the god, in combination with those of theHellenes who were willing to join them.145. These oracles had been given before to the Athenians: and whenthose Hellenes who had the better mind about Hellas[131] came togetherto one place, and considered their affairs and interchanged assuranceswith one another, then deliberating together they thought it wellfirst of all things to reconcile the enmities and bring to an end thewars which they had with one another. Now there were wars engaged[132]between others also, and especially between the Athenians and theEginetans. After this, being informed that Xerxes was with his army atSardis, they determined to send spies to Asia to make observation ofthe power of the king; and moreover they resolved to send envoys toArgos to form an alliance against the Persian, and to send others toSicily to Gelon the son of Deinomenes and also to Corcyra, to urgethem to come to the assistance of Hellas, and others again to Crete;for they made it their aim that if possible the Hellenic race mightunite in one, and that they might join all together and act towardsthe same end, since dangers were threatening all the Hellenes equally.Now the power of Gelon was said to be great, far greater than anyother Hellenic power.146. When they had thus resolved, they reconciled their enmities andthen sent first three men as spies to Asia. These having come toSardis and having got knowledge about the king's army, werediscovered, and after having been examined by the generals of theland-army were being led off to die. For these men, I say, death hadbeen determined; but Xerxes, being informed of this, found fault withthe decision of the generals and sent some of the spearmen of his