Page:History of Greece Vol V.djvu/178

 154 mSTORY OF GREECE. Olympia and the Karneia in the preceding year, so now did the Hyakinthia, prevail over the necessities of defence, putting out of sight both the duties of fidelity towards an exposed ally, and the bond of an express promise. Meanwhile, Mardonius, informed of the unfavorable reception which his proposals had received at Athens, put his army in mo- tion forthwith from Thessaly, joined by all his Grecian auxil- iaries, and by fresh troops from Thrace and Macedonia. As he marched through Boeotia, the Thebans, who heartily espoused bis cause, endeavored to dissuade him from farther military operations against the united force of his enemies, — urging him to try the efficacy of bribes, presented to the leading men in the different cities, for the purpose of disuniting them. But Mardo- nius, eager to repossess himself of Attica, heeded not their advice : about ten months after the retreat of Xerxes, he entered the country without resistance, and again established the Persian head-quarters in Athens, May or June, 479 e.g."^ Before he arrived, the Athenians had again removed to Sala- mis, under feelings of bitter disappointment and indignation. They had in vain awaited the fulfilment of the Spartan promise, that a Peloponnesian army should join them in Boeotia for the defence of their frontier ; at length, being unable to make head against the enemy alone, they found themselves compelled to transport their famiUes across to Salamis.2 The migration was far less terrible than that of the preceding summer, since Mar- donius had no fleet to harass them ; but it was more gratuitous, and might have been obviated had the Spartans executed their covenant, which would have brought about the battle of Plataea two months earlier than it actually was fought. Mardonius, though master of Athens, was so anxious to con- ciliate the Athenians, that he at first abstained from damaging either the city or the country, and despatched a second envoy to Nearlv a century after this, we are told that it was always the practice for the Amyklaean hoplites to go home for the celebration of the Hyakin- thia, on whatever expedition they might happen to be employed (Xenoph. Hellen. iv, 5, 11). • Diodor. xi, 28 ; Herodot. ix, 2, 3, 17. ol (ilv uX'Aoi nuvrec napelxov cTpariT/v Kal (jvveaej3a?iOv i( 'A.'&ijvaq oaoi nep i/i7]6i^ov ''E'k'Xrjvuv tuv ravTTi o'lKTj/xivuv, etc. ' Herodot. ix, 4.