Page 216 agreed between them, That Xerxes should Land his Forces in Greece, and that the Carthaginians at the same time should with a great Army invade the Greeks in Italy and Sicily.
According to which Compact the Carthaginians raised a great sum of Money, and hired many Soldiers out of the Provinces of Liguria in ItalyGallia and Iberia; and raised Men of their own throughout all Lybia, and out of Carthage it-self. In which preparations were spent Three Years, and an Army of Three Hundred Thousand Men were mustered, and Two Hundred Ships fitted out.
On the other part Xerxes stirr'd up by the Industry of the Carthaginians, (by way of Emulation) as far exceeded them in Warlike Preparations, as he did in Dominion and Empire. He commanded Ships to be built every where upon the Sea-Coasts within his Dominions, as Egypt, Phaenicia, and Cyprus, and likewise through Cilicia, Pamphilia, Pisidia, Licia, Caria, Misia, Troas, the Cities of the Hellespont, Pontus and Bithynia, and in Three Years time (as the Carthaginians had done) set forth above Twelve Hundred Gallies. And this was the better accomplished by means of the Preparations of those great Forces rais'd by Darius his Father in his Life time. For Datis, Darius his General, being not long before overcome by the Athenians in the Battel of Marathon, Darius ever afterwards bore an implacable hatred against them: But just as he was ready to pass over into Greece, he was prevented by Death.
Xerxes, therefore incourag'd both by his Father's Assistance, and the Advice of Mardonius (as is before related) resolved to invade the Grecians.
When all things were prepared, he commanded the Officers of his Navy to randezvouze his Fleet as * Cyme, and Phocea. And he himself with the whole Army, both of Horse and Foot, rais'd out of every Province of his Dominion, marched from Susa; and advancing to Sardis, forthwith sent Heralds, into Greece, commanding them to go to all the Cities and demand in the Name of the King Earth and Water.
There dividing his Army, part he sent (sufficient as was conceiv'd) to make a Bridge over the Hell •spant, and another part to cut a Way through the Mountain Athos, both judging it safe for his Soldiers to have so short a Cut for their March, and hoping likewise by such an extraordinary Work upon the first Attempt, to strike a Terror into the Grecians. They therefore that were sent, having so great a multitude of Hands at work, speedily dispatcht the Business.
But the Grecians being now alarum'd with the vast Army of the Persians, sent Ten Thousand Men at Arms into Thessaly, to possess themselves of the Passages or Posts of Tempe. The General of the Lacedemonians was Synetus, and of the Athenians Themistocles: These sent Messengers to all the Cities, to require them to raise Soldiers for the defence of the Passages at the common Charge; for they made it their Business with all Expedition to interest all the Cities of Greece in the War, that so the Persians might be opposed by the combin'd Force of all Greece together.
But when they heard that the greatest part of the Thessalians, and those that inhabited the Straits, had submitted unto the Kings Delegates or Commissioners, they return'd home, despairing to make any effectual Defence at Tempe.
And here it will not be from the purpose to declare what part of Greece assisted the Barbarians, that (deservingly branding them with disgrace) Traitors to the Common Liberty of their Country may out of a sense of shame and Dishonour be deterr'd from the like practice. We say therefore, that the Dolopians, Aenians, Milesians, Perrhaebians, and * Magnesians, sided with the Barbarians; and even while the Guards were in Tempe, the Achaeans, Phthiotians, Locreans, and Thessalians joyn'd with them; and after they were withdrawn, most of the Beotians, went over to the Persians. Hereupon the Grecians, in a common Assembly at the Istmos, decreed, that if they should be victorious, those Grecians that sided with the Persians, should be sacrificed to the Gods every Tenth Man. And they order'd Embassadors to be sent to such as at present stood neuter, to stir them up forthwith to take up Arms for the Common Liberty.