eantime, day came upon them; and Mardonious having his army in array,
fell upon the Lacedaemonians with great shouting and noise of barbarous
people, as if they were not about to join battle, but crush the Greeks
in their flight--a thing which very nearly came to pass. For Pausanius,
perceiving what was done, made a halt, and commanded every one to put
themselves in order for the battle; but through the disturbance he was
in, on account of the sudden approach of the enemy, he forgot to give
the signal to the Greeks in general. Whence it was, that they did
not come immediately, or in a body, to their assistance, but by small
companies and straggling, when the fight was already begun. Pausanias,
offering sacrifice, could not procure favorable omens, and so commanded
the Lacedaemonians to set down their shields at their feet and wait
quietly await for his directions, making no resistance to any of their
enemies. At this time, Callicrates, who, we are told, was the most
comely man in the army, being shot with an arrow and upon the point of
expiring, said that he did not lament his death (for he came from home
to lay down his life in defense of Greece) but that he died without
action. While Pausanias was thus in the act of supplication, the
sacrifices appeared propitious, and the soothsayers foretold victory.
The word being given, the Lacedaemonian battalion of foot seemed, on the
sudden, like some fierce animal, setting up his bristles, and
betaking himself to the combat; and the barbarians perceived that they
encountered with men who would fight to the death. Therefore, holding
their wicker shields before them, they shot their arrows amongst the
Lacedaemonians. But they, keeping together in the order of a phalanx,
and falling upon their enemies forced their shields out of their hands,
and, striking with their pikes at the breasts and faces of the Persians,
overthrew many of them; they, however, fell neither unrevenged nor
without courage. For taking hold of the spears with their bare hands,
they broke many of them, and betook themselves with effect to the
sword; and making use of their falchions and scimitars, and wresting the
Lacedaemonians' shields from them, and grappling with them, for a long
time stood their ground.

Meanwhile, the Athenians were standing still, waiting for the
Lacedaemonians to come up. But when they heard a great noise as of men
engaged in fight, and a messenger came from Pausanias to inform them
of