Page:Key to Easy Latin Stories for beginners.djvu/96

P8 KEY TO EASY LATIN STOEIES. [part iv. approaches with wooden ramparts, thinking that they had discovered the meaning of the oracle ‘that a wooden wall would be unconquerable.’ These, indeed, resisted the Persians for a long time. At last the Persians broke into his citadel, and slew all who were there, and plundered the temple. Then Xerxes, having got complete possession of Athens, sent a horseman to Susa to announce his success.

255.Next day Xerxes assembled the Athenian exiles and ordered them to go up to the citadel and sacrifice there according to their own rites. Kow, I shall tell you why I mention this. There is in the citadel a temple, in which is an olive tree, sacred to Minerva. Therefore this olive tree, with the rest of the temple, had been burnt by the barbarians; but on the day after the burning, when the exiles went up into the temple, on being ordered to sacrifice they saw a shoot growing from the stem about a cubit in length, whence it appeared tibat Athens would again be powerful.

256.Meanwhile the Grecian admirals assembled a council near Salamis. Many, however, were of opinion that they should fight near the Isthmus, not off Salamis. There and then Themistocles eagerly begged them to fight in that same place. And the Corinthian admiral, Adimantus, addressed him thus: ‘Themistocles, those who rise before the time at the (public) contests are beaten with whips.’ And he replied. ‘(Yes), but those who remain behind are not crowned.’ The opinions of his admirals were divided: Eurybiades and Adimantus affirmed that they ought to fight at the Isthmus. On the other hand, Themistocles (said), ‘that they should remain there, and fight with the barbarians.’

257.There then Themistocles, secretly leaving the council, sent a man to the Persian camp, thoroughly taught what to say. On arriving thither, he spoke as follows before the leaders of