Calliope   

had burnt her dwelling at Eleusis. Such, then, was the issue of this
battle.
Artabazus, the son of Pharnaces, who had disapproved from the
first of the king's leaving Mardonius behind him, and had made great
endeavours, but all in vain, to dissuade Mardonius from risking a
battle, when he found that the latter was bent on acting otherwise
than he wished, did as follows. He had a force under his orders
which was far from inconsiderable, amounting, as it did, to near forty
thousand men. Being well aware, therefore, how the battle was likely
to go, as soon as the two armies began to fight, he led his soldiers
forward in an orderly array, bidding them one and all proceed at the
same pace, and follow him with such celerity as they should observe
him to use. Having issued these commands, he pretended to lead them to
the battle. But when, advancing before his army, he saw that the
Persians were already in flight, instead of keeping the same order, he
wheeled his troops suddenly round, and beat a retreat; nor did he even
seek shelter within the palisade or behind the walls of Thebes, but
hurried on into Phocis, wishing to make his way to the Hellespont with
all possible speed. Such accordingly was the course which these
Persians took.
As for the Greeks upon the king's side, while most of them
played the coward purposely, the Boeotians, on the contrary, had a
long struggle with the Athenians. Those of the Thebans who were
attached to the Medes, displayed especially no little zeal; far from
playing the coward, they fought with such fury that three hundred of
the best and bravest among them were slain by the Athenians in this
passage of arms. But at last they too were routed, and fled away- not,
however, in the same direction as the Persians and the crowd of
allies, who, having taken no part in the battle, ran off without
striking a blow- but to the city of Thebes.
To me it shows very clearly how completely the rest of the
barbarians were dependent upon the Persian troops, that here they
all fled at once, without ever coming to blows with the enemy,
merely because they saw the Persians running away. And so it came to
pass that the whole army took to flight, except only the horse, both
Persian and Boeotian. These did good service to the flying foot-men,
by advancing close to the enemy, and separating between the Greeks and
their own fugitives.
The victors however pressed on, pursuing and slaying the remnant
of the king's army.
Meantime, while the flight continued, tidings reached the Greeks
who were drawn up round the Heraeum, and so were absent from the
battle, that the fight was begun, and that Pausanias was gaining the
victory. Hearing this, they rushed forward without any order, the
Corinthians taking the upper road across the skirts of Cithaeron and
the hills, which led straight to the temple of Ceres; while the
Megarians and Phliasians followed the level route through the plain.
These last had almost reached the enemy, when the Theban horse
espied them, and, observing their disarray, despatched against them
the squadron of which Asopodorus, the son of Timander, was captain.
Asopodorus charged them with such effect that the left six hundred
of their number dead upon the plain, and, pursuing the rest, compelled
them to seek shelter in Cithaeron. So these men perished without
honour.
The Persians, and the multitude with them, who fled to the
wooden fortress, were able to ascend into the towers before the
Lacedaemonians came up. Thus placed, they proceeded to strengthen
the defences as well as they could; and when the Lacedaemonians
arrived, a sharp fight took place at the rampart. So long as the
Athenians were away, the barbarians kept off their assailants, and had
much the best of the combat, since the Lacedaemonians were unskilled
in the attack of walled places: but on the arrival of the Athenians, a
more violent assault was made, and the wall was for a long time
attacked with fury. In the end the valour of the Athenians and their