enemy's ships; but there he fell sick and died. As he lay dying he said to the sailors about him:
"Conceal my death. If the Persians know I am dead, they will attack you with the more boldness. Sail away before they learn the fact."
And the sails were spread, and the Athenian fleet made its way toward Greece as the sun was setting; and the sun went down, and the admiral died. His last thought was for the city which he loved.
THE MAN WHO MADE ATHENS BEAUTIFUL
"YOUR head is like an onion!"
No answer.
"You brute, you scamp, your head is too big for your body."
No answer.
The man who did not answer was Pericles[1] (Per-i-kleez), ruler of the State of Athens. Why the fellow was shouting at him along the street in this way I do not know. Pericles quietly kept on his road till he reached the door of his house. It was getting dusk, but through the darkness the
- ↑ The date of his birth is uncertain. He was the most prominent figure in the public affairs of Athens for the greater part of the time from 469 B.C. to his death, 429 B.C.
