90 ^EY TO EASY LATIN STOKIES. [pabt iv.
Artemisia, Queen of Caria.
260.Now as regards others, how individuals among the barbarians or Greeks fought, I cannot say; but as regards Artemisia, the following things were done. After the royal fleet had begun to take to flight, about that time an Athenian vessel was in pursuit of the ship of Artemisia. And she, being unable to escape, since before her were many other vessels of the barbarians, while her own ship was very close to the enemy, forms this plan. For when the Athenian ship was pressing her close, she herself attacked and wrecked a vessel belonging to the barbarians. Then the sailors of the Athenian ship, when they saw her make an attack on a vessel belonging to the barbarians, thinking that the ship of Artemisia was a Greek one, or was deserting from the barbarians to the Greeks, and was assisting them, attacked other barbarian ships. So she in the first place gained this advantage (namely), that she got off safe; it also happened to her that, thpngh she had visited the king with loss, she was greatly praised by him for this very deed: for they say that while Xerxes was watching the fight, he saw this vessel striking against the other: and when some one had said to him, ‘Thou seest, O king, how bravely Artemisia is fighting;’ that he asked, ‘If this was really the deed of Artemisia?’ and that they replied to him,‘That they knew her ship well.’ Therefore Xerxes is said to have made this remark, ‘My men have become women; but my women, men.’
Loyalty to the death.
261.They say that a great storm attacked the vessel on which Xerxes had embarked. These then, when the wind began to rage more and mpre, and there was too heavy a load in the ship, for a great number of Persians were standing on the deck, the king stricken with apprehension asked the sailors if there was any hope of safety. And the sailors replied to him, ‘There is no other hope, O king, unless part of this multitude of many men should leap into the sea.’ When they heard this some of the Persians knelt before the king, and threw themselves into the sea. So the vessel being freed from the load, came safe to Asia.
