abandoning their common interest, would not fly, but fought, rowing about through the vessels of the enemy and breaking through them; until after taking many ships they themselves lost the greater part of their own. It is well known that the Ionians were utterly conquered, with considerable loss. But Dionysius, understanding that it was all up with the fleets sailed to Sicily; and starting from there began to plunder; never indeed lying in wait for Grecian vessels, but for Carthaginian and Tuscan ships.
Capture of Miletus.
184.The Persians, after conquering the Ionians in the naval engagement, attacked Miletus by sea and land, and having dug under the walls, and brought up machines of every kind, they took it with the citadel itself, in the sixth year after the revolt of Aristagoras; and having taken it, reduced it to slavery. So the city of Miletus was utterly defeated by that very calamity which had been predicted against it by the Oracle.
The prediction of the oracle.
185.For when the Argives had consulted the Oracle of the Delphians about the safety of their city, the priestess of Apollo uttered some things about the Argives, others about the Milesians. Now, these were the things which had to do with the Milesians: ‘Then also, Miletus, deviser of evil works, thou shalt become a supper and splendid gifts to many; thy wife also shall wash the feet of many long-haired men, and of our temple its (proper) care shall remain among the Didymi.’ So then these things happened to the Milesians, when the greater part of its men were slain by the Persians, who grow their hair long, and the temple in the country of (lit. among) the Didymi was plundered (and) burnt with fire.
A too affecting drama.
186.Now the Athenians showed both, in many other ways, how great sorrow they felt from that storming of Miletus, and when Phrynichus, a celebrated poet, had written and put on the stage a play about the storming of Miletus, all the spectators burst into tears, and the poet was fined a thousand drachmas
