and the violence of
the storm could not be resisted.

189. There is a story reported that the Athenians had called upon Boreas
to aid them, by suggestion of an oracle, because there had come to them
another utterance of the god bidding them call upon their brother by
marriage to be their helper. Now according to the story of the
Hellenes Boreas has a wife who is of Attica, Oreithuia the daughter
of Erechththeus. By reason of this affinity, I say, the Athenians,
according to the tale which has gone abroad, conjectured that their
"brother by marriage" was Boreas, and when they perceived the wind
rising, as they lay with their ships at Chalkis in Euboea, or even
before that, they offered sacrifices and called upon Boreas and
Oreithuia to assist them and to destroy the ships of the Barbarians, as
they had done before round about mount Athos. Whether it was for this
reason that the wind Boreas fell upon the Barbarians while they lay at
anchor, I am not able to say; but however that may be, the Athenians
report that Boreas had come to their help in former times, and that at
this time he accomplished those things for them of which I speak; and
when they had returned home they set up a temple dedicated to Boreas by
the river Ilissos.

190. In this disaster the number of the ships which were lost was not
less than four hundred, according to the report of those who state the
number which is lowest, with men innumerable and an immense quantity
of valuable things; insomuch that to Ameinocles the son of Cretines,
a Magnesian who held lands about Sepias, this shipwreck proved very
gainful; for he picked up many cups of gold which were thrown
up afterwards on the shore, and many also of silver, and found
treasure-chests 195 which had belonged to the Persians, and made
acquisition of other things of gold 196 more than can be described. This
man however, though he became very wealthy by the things which he found,
yet in other respects was not fortunate; for he too suffered misfortune,
being troubled by the slaying of a child. 197

191. Of the corn-transplants and other vessels which perished there was
no numbering made; and so great was the loss that the commanders of the
fleet, being struck with fear lest the Thessalians should attack them
now that they had been brought into an evil plight, threw round their
camp a lofty palisade built of the fragments of wreck. For the storm
continued during three days; but at last the Magians, mak