Page:History of Greece Vol V.djvu/152

 128 mSTOEY OF GREECE. the north as well as to the south of the town of Salamis, at the risk of their heads if any opening were left for the Greeks to escape. The station of the numerous Persian fleet was along the coast of Attica, — its head-quarters were in the bay of Pha- lerum, but doubtless parts of it would occupy those three natural harbors, as yet unimproved by art, which belonged to the deme of Peirreus, — and would perhaps extend besides to other por- tions of the western coast southward of Phalerum : while the Greek fleet was in the harbor of the town called Salamis, in the portion of the island facing mount ^galeos, in Attica. During the night,! a portion of the Persian fleet, sailing from Peirseus northward along the western coast of Attica, closed round to the north of the toAvn and harbor of Salamis, so as to shut up the northern issue from the strait on the side of Eleusis : while another portion blocked up the other issue between Peirasus and the southeastern comer of the island, landing a detachment of troops on the desert island of Psyttaleia, near to that corner.^ Sikinnus as having been made to the Persian generals, and the night-moTe ment as undertaken by them. The statement of the contemporary poet seems the more probable of the two : bat he omits, as might be expected, all notice of the perilous dissensions in the Greek camp. ' Diodorus (xi, 17) states that the Egjrptian squadron in the fleet of Xerxes was detached to block up the outlet between Salamis and the Mcgarid : that is, to sail round the southwestern comer of the island to the northwestern strait, where the northwestern comer of the island is separated by a naiTow strait from Megara, near the spot where the fort of Budonim was aftenvards situated, during the Peloponnesian war. Herodotus mentions nothing of this movement, and his account evi- dently implies that the Greek fleet was inclosed to the north of the town of Salamis, the Persian right wing having got between that town and Eleusis. The movement announced by Diodoras appears to me unnecessary and improbable. If the Egj-ptian squadron had been placed there, they would have been far indeed removed from the scene of the action, but we may see that Herodotus believed them to have taken actual part in the battle along with the rest (viii, 100). ^ Herodot. viii, 76. Tolai 6e ug TnaTu iyivero ru ayyf/liJevTa, tovto filv, ec T//V VTjaida rr/v 'i'VTTu^.eiav, fiera^v '2a?iafilv6c re KeifXEV7)v Kal rri( yireipov, 7ro/.?.oi)c Tuv Hepceov uTvepljSaffav tovto Se, kireidfi kyivovTo ^eaai vvktcc, uvTJyov fiEV Tb drr' kanepTj^ Kepag kvkXov/ievoi irpbg rrjv ^a?ia/LLlva • iivrjyov 6e oi afiiil TTiv Keov te koi ttjv Kwoaovpav TETayfiEVOi, Kareixov re fiEXP^ yiovvvxiTj^ iruvra Tbv izopdubv T^ffi vr)vai.