第 101 节
作者:
孤独半圆 更新:2021-02-21 16:05 字数:9322
a founder; and they have further established in his honour a gymnic contest and a chariot…race; in neither of which is it lawful for any Lampsacenian to contend。 Before the war with Lampsacus was ended Stesagoras too died childless: he was sitting in the hall of justice when he was struck upon the head with a hatchet by a man who pretended to be a deserter; but was in good sooth an enemy; and a bitter one。 Thus died Stesagoras; and upon his death the Pisistratidae fitted out a trireme; and sent Miltiades; the son of Cimon; and brother of the deceased; to the Chersonese; that he might undertake the management of affairs in that quarter。 They had already shown him much favour at Athens; as if; forsooth; they had been no parties to the death of his father Cimon… a matter whereof I will give an account in another place。 He upon his arrival remained shut up within the house; pretending to do honour to the memory of his dead brother; whereupon the chief people of the Chersonese gathered themselves together from all the cities of the land; and came in a procession to the place where Miltiades was; to condole with him upon his misfortune。 Miltiades commanded them to be seized and thrown into prison; after which he made himself master of the Chersonese; maintained a body of five hundred mercenaries; and married Hegesipyla; daughter of the Thracian king Olorus。 This Miltiades; the son of Cimon; had not been long in the country when a calamity befell him yet more grievous than those in which he was now involved: for three years earlier he had had to fly before an incursion of the Scyths。 These nomads; angered by the attack of Darius; collected in a body and marched as far as the Chersonese。 Miltiades did not await their coming; but fled; and remained away until the Scyths retired; when the Dolonci sent and fetched him back。 All this happened three years before the events which befell Miltiades at the present time。 He now no sooner heard that the Phoenicians were attacking Tenedos than he loaded five triremes with his goods and chattels; and set sail for Athens。 Cardia was the point from which he took his departure; and as he sailed down the gulf of Melas; along the shore of the Chersonese; he came suddenly upon the whole Phoenician fleet。 However he himself escaped; with four of his vessels; and got into Imbrus; one trireme only falling into the hands of his pursuers。 This vessel was under the command of his eldest son Metiochus; whose mother was not the daughter of the Thracian king Olorus; but a different woman。 Metiochus and his ship were taken; and when the Phoenicians found out that he was a son of Miltiades they resolved to convey him to the king; expecting thereby to rise high in the royal favour。 For they remembered that it was Miltiades who counselled the Ionians to hearken when the Scyths prayed them to break up the bridge and return home。 Darius; however; when the Phoenicians brought Metiochus into his presence; was so far from doing him any hurt; that he loaded him with benefits。 He gave him a house and estate; and also a Persian wife; by whom there were children born to him who were accounted Persians。 As for Miltiades himself; from Imbrus he made his way in safety to Athens。 At this time the Persians did no more hurt to the Ionians; but on the contrary; before the year was out; they carried into effect the following measures; which were greatly to their advantage。 Artaphernes; satrap of Sardis; summoned deputies from all the Ionian cities; and forced them to enter into agreements with one another; not to harass each other by force of arms; but to settle their disputes by reference。 He likewise took the measurement of their whole country in parasangs… such is the name which the Persians give to a distance of thirty furlongs… and settled the tributes which the several cities were to pay; at a rate that has continued unaltered from the time when Artaphernes fixed it down to the present day。 The rate was very nearly the same as that which had been paid before the revolt。 Such were the peaceful dealings of the Persians with the Ionians。 The next spring Darius superseded all the other generals; and sent down Mardonius; the son of Gobryas; to the coast; and with him a vast body of men; some fit for sea; others for land service。 Mardonius was a youth at this time; and had only lately married Artazostra; the king's daughter。 When Mardonius; accompanied by this numerous host; reached Cilicia; he took ship and proceeded along shore with his fleet; while the land army marched under other leaders towards the Hellespont。 In the course of his voyage along the coast of Asia he came to Ionia; and here I have a marvel to relate which will greatly surprise those Greeks who cannot believe that Otanes advised the seven conspirators to make Persia a commonwealth。 Mardonius put down all the despots throughout Ionia; and in lieu of them established democracies。 Having so done; he hastened to the Hellespont; and when a vast multitude of ships had been brought together; and likewise a powerful land force; he conveyed his troops across the strait by means of his vessels; and proceeded through Europe against Eretria and Athens。 At least these towns served as a pretext for the expedition; the real purpose of which was to subjugate as great a number as possible of the Grecian cities; and this became plain when the Thasians; who did not even lift a hand in their defence; were reduced by the sea force; while the land army added the Macedonians to the former slaves of the king。 All the tribes on the hither side of Macedonia had been reduced previously。 From Thasos the fleet stood across to the mainland; and sailed along shore to Acanthus; whence an attempt was made to double Mount Athos。 But here a violent north wind sprang up; against which nothing could contend; and handled a large number of the ships with much rudeness; shattering them and driving them aground upon Athos。 'Tis said the number of the ships destroyed was little short of three hundred; and the men who perished were more than twenty thousand。 For the sea about Athos abounds in monsters beyond all others; and so a portion were seized and devoured by these animals; while others were dashed violently against the rocks; some; who did not know how to swim; were engulfed; and some died of the cold。 While thus it fared with the fleet; on land Mardonius and his army were attacked in their camp during the night by the Brygi; a tribe of Thracians; and here vast numbers of the Persians were slain; and even Mardonius himself received a wound。 The Brygi; nevertheless; did not succeed in maintaining their own freedom: for Mardonius would not leave the country till he had subdued them and made them subjects of Persia。 Still; though he brought them under the yoke; the blow which his land force had received at their hands; and the great damage done to his fleet off Athos; induced him to set out upon his retreat; and so this armament; having failed disgracefully; returned to Asia。 The year after these events; Darius received information from certain neighbours of the Thasians that those islanders were making preparations for revolt; he therefore sent a herald; and bade them dismantle their walls; and bring all their ships to Abdera。 The Thasians; at the time when Histiaeus the Milesian made his attack upon them; had resolved that; as their income was very great; they would apply their wealth to building ships of war; and surrounding their city with another and a stronger wall。 Their revenue was derived partly from their possessions upon the mainland; partly from the mines which they owned。 They were masters of the gold mines at Scapte…Hyle; the yearly produce of which amounted in all to eighty talents。 Their mines in Thasos yielded less; but still were so far prolific that; besides being entirely free from land…tax; they had a surplus income; derived from the two sources of their territory on the main and their mines; in common years of two hundred; and in the best years of three hundred talents。 I myself have seen the mines in question: by far the most curious of them are those which the Phoenicians discovered at the time when they went with Thasus and colonised the island; which afterwards took its name from him。 These Phoenician workings are in Thasos itself; between Coenyra and a place called Aenyra; over against Samothrace: a huge mountain has been turned upside down in the search for ores。 Such then was the source of their wealth。 On this occasion no sooner did the Great King issue his commands than straightway the Thasians dismantled their wall; and took their whole fleet to Abdera。 After this Darius resolved to prove the Greeks; and try the bent of their minds; whether they were inclined to resist him in arms or prepared to make their submission。 He therefore sent out heralds in divers directions round about Greece; with orders to demand everywhere earth and water for the king。 At the same time he sent other heralds to the various seaport towns which paid him tribute; and required them to provide a number of ships of war and horse…transports。 These towns accordingly began their preparations; and the heralds who had been sent into Greece obtained what the king had bid t