Polymnia   

sanctuary of the god, when the Pythoness, Aristonice by name, thus
prophesied-

Wretches, why sit ye here? Fly, fly to the ends of creation,
Quitting your homes, and the crags which your city crowns with
her circlet.
Neither the head, nor the body is firm in its place, nor at
bottom
Firm the feet, nor the hands; nor resteth the middle uninjur'd.
All- all ruined and lost. Since fire, and impetuous Ares,
Speeding along in a Syrian chariot, hastes to destroy her.
Not alone shalt thou suffer; full many the towers he will level,
Many the shrines of the gods he will give to a fiery destruction.
Even now they stand with dark sweat horribly dripping,
Trembling and quaking for fear; and lo! from the high roofs
trickleth
Black blood, sign prophetic of hard distresses impending.
Get ye away from the temple; and brood on the ills that await ye!

When the Athenian messengers heard this reply, they were filled
with the deepest affliction: whereupon Timon, the son of Androbulus,
one of the men of most mark among the Delphians, seeing how utterly
cast down they were at the gloomy prophecy, advised them to take an
olive-branch, and entering the sanctuary again, consult the oracle
as suppliants. The Athenians followed this advice, and going in once
more, said- "O king! we pray thee reverence these boughs of
supplication which we bear in our hands, and deliver to us something
more comforting concerning our country. Else we will not leave thy
sanctuary, but will stay here till we die." Upon this the priestess
gave them a second answer, which was the following:-

Pallas has not been able to soften the lord of Olympus,
Though she has often prayed him, and urged him with excellent
counsel.
Yet once more I address thee in words than adamant firmer.
When the foe shall have taken whatever the limit of Cecrops
Holds within it, and all which divine Cithaeron, shelters,
Then far-seeing Jove grants this to the prayers of Athene;
Safe shall the wooden wall continue for thee and thy children.
Wait not the tramp of the horse, nor the footmen mightily moving
Over the land, but turn your hack to the foe, and retire ye.
Yet shall a day arrive when ye shall meet him in battle.
Holy Salamis, thou shalt destroy the offspring of women,
When men scatter the seed, or when they gather the harvest.

This answer seemed, as indeed it was, gentler than the former one;
so the envoys wrote it down, and went back with it to Athens. When,
however, upon their arrival, they produced it before the people, and
inquiry began to be made into its true meaning, many and various
were the interpretations which men put on it; two, more especially,
seemed to be directly opposed to one another. Certain of the old men
were of opinion that the god meant to tell them the citadel would
escape; for this was anciently defended by a palisade; and they
supposed that barrier to be the "wooden wall" of the oracle. Others
maintained that the fleet was what the god pointed at; and their
advice was that nothing should be thought of except the ships, which
had best be at once got ready. Still such as said the "wooden wall"
meant the fleet, were perplexed by the last two lines of the oracle-

Holy Salamis, thou shall destroy the offspring of women,
When men scatter the seed, or when they gather the harvest.

These words caused great disturbance among those who took the wooden
wall to be the ships; since the interpreters understood them to mean