In the case of Hannibal it was the battle of Cannae, in that of
Alexander the battle of Arbela. Caesar's great conflict was at
Pharsalia, Napoleon's at Waterloo. Marathon was, in some respects,
Darius's Waterloo. The place is a beautiful plain, about twelve miles
north of the great city of Athens. The battle was the great final
contest between Darius and the Greeks, which, both on account of the
awful magnitude of the conflict, and the very extraordinary
circumstances which attended it, has always been greatly celebrated
among mankind.

The whole progress of the Persian empire, from the time of the first
accession of Cyrus to the throne, was toward the westward, till it
reached the confines of Asia on the shores of the AEgean Sea. All the
shores and islands of this sea were occupied by the states and the
cities of Greece. The population of the whole region, both on the
European and Asiatic shores, spoke the same language, and possessed
the same vigorous, intellectual, and elevated character. Those on the
Asiatic side had been conquered by Cyrus, and their countries had been
annexed to the Persian empire. Darius had wished very strongly, at the
commencement of his reign, to go on in this work of annexation, and
had sent his party of commissioners to explore the ground, as is
related in a preceding chapter. He had, however, postponed the
execution of his plans, in order first to conquer the Scythian
countries north of Greece, thinking, probably, that this would make
the subsequent conquest of Greece itself more easy. By getting a firm
foothold in Scythia, he would, as it were, turn the flank of the
Grecian territories, which would tend to make his final descent upon
them more effectual and sure.

This plan, however, failed; and yet, on his retreat from Scythia,
Darius did not withdraw his armies wholly from the European side of
the water. He kept a large force in Thrace, and his generals there
were gradually extending and strengthening their power, and preparing
for still greater conquests. They attempted to extend their dominion,
sometimes by negotiations, and sometimes by force, and they were
successful and unsuccessful by turns, whichever mode they employed.

One very extraordinary story is told of an attempted negotiation with
Macedon, made with a view of bringing that kingdom, if possible, under
the Persian dominion, without the necessity of a resort to force. The
commanding general of Darius's armies in Thrace,