The history of philosophy, in eight parts by Thomas Stanley.

CHAP. II.

How by his means the Athenians took Salamis, Cyrrha, and the Thracian Chersonesus.

MAny (saith* 1.1 Demosthenes) of obscure and contemp••ible have become illustrious by profession of wisdome. Solon both living and dead flourish'd in extraordinary glory, to whom the utmost honours were not denyed, for he left a monument of his valour, the Megaraean Trophie, and of his wisdome, the recovery of Salamis; the occasions these.

* 1.2 The Island Salamis revolted from the Athenians to the Mega∣renses; * 1.3 the Athenians having had a long troublesome war with the Magarenses for its recovery, grew at length so weary, that giving it over, they made a Law, forbidding any upon pain of death to speak or write any thing to perswade the City to re∣attempt it: Solon brooking with much reluctance this ignominy, & seeing many young men in the City desirous to renew the war, (though not daring to move it, by reason of the Edict) coun∣terfeited himselfe mad, which he caused to be given out through the City, and having privately composed some elegiack verses and got them by heart, came skipping into the ••orum with his Cap (or as Laertius saith, a Garland) on; the people flocking about him, he went up into the place of the Cryer, and sung his Elegy beginning thus,

A crier I, from Salamis the fair, Am come in verse this message to declare:

* 1.4 The lines wherewith they were most excited were these.

Rather then Athens would, I ow'd my birth To Pholegondrian, or Sicinian earth: For men where ere I goe will say this is One of the Athenians that lost Salamis.

And,

Then lets to Salamis, renew our claime, And with the Isle recover our lost same.

* 1.5 This Poem was intituled Salamis, it consisted of a hun∣dred verses, very elegant: when he had made an end of singing, it was much applauded by his friends, particularly by Pisistratus, who excited the Citizens to follow his advice: By this means the law was repealed, the war recommenced, wherein Solon was made Generall: the common report is, that taking Pisistratus along with him (whence it is, that some ascribe the whole glory of the action to Pisistratus, of whom are Frontinus, Aeneas, and Justine) he sailed to Colias, where finding all the women celebrating the festivall of Ceres, he sent a trusty messenger to Salamis, who pre∣tending to be a runnagate, told the Megarenses, that if they would surprise the principall women of Athens, they should go immediately with him to Colias: The Megarenses believing what he said, manned a ship, and sent it along with him; Solon, assoon as he saw the ship come from the Island, comman∣ded the women to retire, and as many beardlesse young men to put on their gownes, head-tyre, and shoes, hiding daggers under their Garments, and so danced and plaid by the Sea-side, till the enemy were landed, & their ship at ••achor: By this time the Megarenses, deceived by their outward appearance, landed in great hast, and came upon them, thinking to take them away by force,* 1.6 but they suddenly drawing their swords, shew'd themselves to be men, not women;* 1.7 the Megarenses were all slain, not one esca∣ping, the Athenians going immediately to the Island took it.

* 1.8 Others deny it was taken in this manner, but that first re∣ceiving this answer from the Delphian Oracle,

Let sacrifice be to those Hero's paid, Who under the Asopian ground are laid, And dead, are by the setting Sun survey'd.

Solon by night sailed to the Island, and sacrificed burnt offe∣rings to the Heroes, Periphemus, and Cichris; then he received five hundred men of the Athenians, with condition, that if they gained the Island, the supream government thereof should be in them: Shipping his men in fisher boats, attended by one ship of thirty Oars, they cast anchor by Salamis, near a point opposite to Euboea: The Megarenses who were in Salamis hearing an un∣certain rumor hereof, betook themselves confusedly to armes, sending forth a ship to bring them more certain intelligence from the enemy, which Solon, as soon as it came neer, took, and killing the Megarenses, manned with choice Athenians, whom he commanded to make directly for the Citty, with all possible secrecy; in the mean time, he, with the rest of the A••henians,

assaulted the Megarenses by Land, and whilst they were in sight, they who were in the ship, making hast, possest themselves of the Town. This relation is confirmed by their solemnitie, an Athenian ship comes thither first in silence, then falling on with cries and shouts, an armed man leaps forth, and runs directly towards the Scirradian Promontory, against those that come from the Land: hard by is the Temple of Mars built by Solon, for he overcame the Megarenses, and let go ransomelesse all those that escaped the misery of the war:* 1.9 Aelian saith, he took two ships of the Megarenses, whereinto he put Athenian Officers, and Souldiers, bidding them put on the armour of the enemy, whereby de∣ceiving the Megarenses, he slew many of them unarmed.

* 1.10 But the Megaren ses persisting in obstinacy, to the losse of many lives on both sides, the businesse was referred to the La∣cedaemonians to be decided; many affirme Solon alledg'd the authority of Homer, inserting a verse into his catalogue of ships, which he thus recited at the triall.

Ajax twelve vessell▪ brought to Salamis, And where the Athenian men had stood, rank'd his.

(By which second verse of his own making and addition he ••vinc'd, that Salamis of old belonged to the Athenians.) But the Athenians esteem this relation fabulous, affirming, Solon demonstrated to the Judges, that Phylaeus and Eurisaces, sons of Ajax, being made free denizons by the Athenians, delivered this Island to them, and dwelt, one at Branco, in Attica, the other in Melita, whence there is a Tribe named Philaidae, from Philaeus, of which was Pisistratus. * 1.11 He ov••rcame the Megarenses in an oration, getting the better of them, not with specious words, but weight of argument:* 1.12 more cleerly to convince them, he instanced in the buriall of the dead, and in∣scription of the names of townes, used by those of Salamis,* 1.13 as he shew∣ed, by digging up some graves, after the manner of the Athenians, not of the Megarenses, for in Megara they buried their dead with their faces to the east, in Athens, to the west. But Hereas of Megara denying this, affirmes, the Megarenses buried also with their faces toward the west; for further confirmation, Solon al∣ledg'd, that the Athenians had for each man a severall Co••••in, the Megarenses buried three or foure in the same. It is said al∣so, that Solon was much helped by certain Oracles of Apollo, wherein he calls Salamis Ionia. This cause was decided by five Spartans, Critolaidas, Amomphoretus, Hypsechidas, Anaxilas, and Cleomenes.

* 1.14 By this action, Solon grew into great esteem and honour, but he became [not long after] much more admired and cried up by the Greeks,* 1.15 for speaking concerning the Temple at Delphi. The Cyrrhaeans committed many impieties against Apollo,* 1.16 and cut off

part of the land belonging to him.]* 1.17 Solon declared, that it behoved them to relieve it, and not to suffer the Cyrrhaeans to prophane the Oracle, but that they should vindicate the Gods cause. The Amphictions thus instigated by him, undertook the war with much eagernesse, as Aristotle a••••irms, ascribing to Solon the honour of that Enterprise. Aeschines saith, the motion made by Solon was confirmed by the Oracle. Some affirme he was made Gene∣rall, others Alcmaeon: But the whole Army of the Greeks was (according to* 1.18 Pausanias) led by Clisthenes, ••yrant of Sycionia, along with whom they sent Solon from Athens to be his counsellor.* 1.19 Suidas saith, he was chosen counsellor by those, who were pickt out for the service of that war. * 1.20 Whilst Clisthenes besieged Cirrha,* 1.21 they enquired concerning the victory, and from the Pythian Oracle, received this Answer.

This Cities fort you shall not take before Blew Amphitrites swelling billowes roare Against my water wash't grove, and hallow'd shore.

Where upon Solon advis'd to consecrate the Cyrrhaean field to Apollo, by which means the sea should touch sacred land.* 1.22 He used also another stratagem against the Cirrhaeans; the River Plistus which ran through the Cittie, he diverted another way, the Town holding out against the besiegers, some drunk well-water, others rain, which they saved in Cisterns. He caused roots of Hellebore to be thrown into Plistus, and when he found it was fully poison'd, turned the River again into its proper channell: The Cyrrhaeans drinking greedily of that water, were taken with a conti∣nuall flux, and forced thereby to give over the defence of their works: the Amphictions being possest of the Citty, punished the Cirrhaeans, and a∣veng'd the Gods. These two stratagems were ascribed to Clisthenes, the first by* 1.23 Poliaenus, the second by* 1.24 Frontinus, but the reason is apparent, he doing them by the direction of Solon

* 1.25 Solon perswaded also the Athenians to reduce into their power the Thracian Chersonesus.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Orat. de falsa legat.
• * 1.2

  Pausan.
• * 1.3

  Plut.
• * 1.4

  Pausan.
• * 1.5

  Plut.
• * 1.6

  Poly••n lib. 1.
• * 1.7

  Plut.
• * 1.8

  Plut.
• * 1.9

  V••r. hist. 7. 19.
• * 1.10

  Plut.
• * 1.11

  Elian. var. hist. 7. 19.
• * 1.12

  Plut.
• * 1.13

  Laert.
• * 1.14

  Plut.
• * 1.15

  P••usan. in phoc.
• * 1.16

  Pausan in phoc.
• * 1.17

  Plu••.
• * 1.18

  In Phoc:
• * 1.19

  In voce Solon.
• * 1.20

  Polyaen. lib. 3.
• * 1.21

  Pausan.
• * 1.22

  Pausan. ibid.
• * 1.23

  Lib. 3.
• * 1.24

  Lib. 3. cap. 7:
• * 1.25

  ••aert.