Page:Light and truth.djvu/201

Rh

was the last of all the Grecian generals, who did any thing, considerable or glorious, against the barbarians. He gained several victories, which reduced Artaxerxes to the necessity of concluding a treaty highly honorable to the Greeks. Greece was first colonized by the Phoenicians and Egyptians.

In A. M. 3554, Cimon stifled the sparks of war which were going to break out among the Greeks; reconciled the two cities, and prevailed with them to conclude a truce for five years. And to prevent the Athenians, who were grown haughty in effect of the many victories they had gained, from having an opportunity, or harboring a design to attack their neighbors and allies, he thought it advisable to lead them to a great distance from home against the common enemy; thus endeavoring, in an honorable way, to inure the citizens to war, and enrich them at the same time. Accordingly he put to sea with a fleet of two hundred sail. He sent sixty of these into Egypt to the aid of Amyrteus, and himself sailed with the rest against the island of Cyprus. Artabazus was at that time in those seas with a fleet of three hundred sail; and Megabysus, the other general of Artaxerxes, with an army of three hundred thousand men, on the coast of Cilicia. As soon as the squadron which Cimon sent into Egypt had joined his fleet, he sailed and attacked Artabazus, and took an hundred of his ships. He sunk many of them, and chased the rest as far as the coasts of Phoenicia. But as if this victory had been only a prelude to a second, he made a descent on Cilicia in his return—attacked Megabysus—defeated him, and cut to pieces a prodigious number of his troops. He afterwards returned to Cyprus with this double triumph, and laid siege to Citium, a strong city of very great importance. His design, after he had reduced that island, was to sail to Egypt, and again embroil the affairs of the Barbarians; for he had very extensive views, and meditated no less a prospect than that of the entire subversion of the mighty empire of Persia. The rumors which prevailed, that Themistocles was to command against him, added fresh fire to his courage; and almost assured of success, he was infinitely pleased with the occasion of trying