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 the end of Aristagoras, the romantic and terrible flights of whole communities from the Persian vengeance; the hand of the king is uplifted over Greece. In the north the great Mardonius advances, persistently successful, recovering Thrace and the islands, and receiving the submission of Macedonia; in the south, Datis comes by sea direct upon Eretria and Athens. And at the same time heralds are sent to the Greek states demanding 'earth and water,' the token of submission to the king's will.

Through all these books, but in VI. more than any, the history of the Greek states has been gathered up in digressions and notes, historically on a higher plane than the main current of the narrative in Asia. Datis lands in Euboea and discharges the first part of his orders by sweeping Eretria from the face of the earth, then proceeds to Marathon to fulfil the remaining part. He is met, not by the united Greeks, not even by the great Dorian cities, only by the Athenians and a band of heroic volunteers from Plataea-met, and by God's help, to man's amazement, defeated. After this the progress of the narrative is steady. Book VII. indeed moves slowly: there is the death of Darius and the succession of Xerxes; the long massing of an invincible army, the preparations which 'shake Asia' for three years. There are the heart-searchings and waverings of various states, the terror, and the hardly-sustained heroism; the eager inquiries of men who find the plain facts to be vaster than their fears; the awful voice of the God in who they trust at Delphi, bidding them only despair, fly, "make their minds familiar with horrors." "Athens, who had offended the king, was lost. Argos and other towns might buy life by submission, by