valour, they would have met their death nobly.
Either they would have suffered this fate, or before this, seeing the
other Hellenes also taking the side of the Medes, they would have made
an agreement with Xerxes; and thus in either case Hellas would have come
to be under the rule of the Persians: for as to the good to be got from
the walls thrown across the Isthmus, I am unable to discover what it
would have been, when the king had command of the sea. As it is however,
if a man should say that the Athenians proved to be the saviours of
Hellas, he would not fail to hit the truth; for to whichever side these
turned, to that the balance was likely to incline: and these were they
who, preferring that Hellas should continue to exist in freedom, roused
up all of Hellas which remained, so much, that is, as had not gone over
to the Medes, and (after the gods at least) these were they who repelled
the king. Nor did fearful oracles, which came from Delphi and cast them
into dread, induce them to leave Hellas, but they stayed behind and
endured to receive the invader of their land.

140. For the Athenians had sent men to Delphi to inquire and were
preparing to consult the Oracle; and after these had performed the usual
rites in the sacred precincts, when they had entered the sanctuary 120
and were sitting down there, the Pythian prophetess, whose name was
Aristonike, uttered to them this oracle:

"Why do ye sit, O ye wretched? Flee thou 121 to the uttermost
limits, Leaving thy home and the heights of the wheel-round city
behind thee! Lo, there remaineth now nor the head nor the body in
safety,--Neither the feet below nor the hands nor the middle are
left thee,--All are destroyed 122 together; for fire and the
passionate War-god, 123 Urging the Syrian 124 car to speed, doth
hurl them 125 to ruin. Not thine alone, he shall cause many more
great strongholds to perish, Yes, many temples of gods to the
ravening fire shall deliver,--Temples which stand now surely with
sweat of their terror down-streaming, Quaking with dread; and lo!
from the topmost roof to the pavement Dark blood trickles,
forecasting the dire unavoidable evil. Forth with you, forth from
the shrine, and steep your soul in the sorrow!" 126

141. Hearing this the men who had been sent by the Athenians to consult
the Oracle were very greatly distressed; and as they were despairing by
reason of the evil which had been prophesied