Story of Greece: Told to Boys and Girls

<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XLI">CHAPTER XLI<br/> <span class="subhead">THE BATTLE OF MARATHON</span></h2></div> <p class="in0"><span class="firstword">While</span> the council of war was being held, a youth named Philippides was on his way to Sparta to beg the citizens to hasten to the help of their country. Philippides was sometimes called by his friends Pheidippides.</p> <p>As Philippides sped on his errand a strange adventure befell him, for it is told that he met the great god Pan:</p> <div class="poetry-container"> <div class="poetry"> <div class="stanza"> <div class="verse indentsq">‘There, in the cool of a cleft, sat he—majestical Pan.</div> <div class="verse indent0">Ivy drooped wanton, kissed his head, moss cushioned his hoof,</div> <div class="verse indent0">All the great God was good in the eyes grave-kindly—the curl</div> <div class="verse indent0">Carved on the bearded cheek, amused at a mortal’s awe,</div> <div class="verse indent0">As under the human trunk, the goat thighs grand I saw.</div> <div class="verse indent0">“Halt, Pheidippides!” halt I did, my brain in a whirl;</div> <div class="verse indent0">“Hither to me; why pale in my presence?” he gracious began.’</div> </div></div> </div> <p>The young Athenian was too amazed to answer, he but gazed at the god in silence. Then Pan asked why he was no longer worshipped in Athens, and promised that he would fight among the ranks of the Athenians against Persia, so that henceforth they would worship him in gratitude for his help.</p> <div class="poetry-container"> <div class="poetry"> <div class="stanza"> <div class="verse indent36">‘Test Pan, trust me!</div> <div class="verse indent0">Go bid Athens take heart, laugh Persia to scorn; have faith</div> <div class="verse indent0">In the temples and tombs. Go say to Athens, “The Goat-God saith;</div> <div class="verse indent0">When Persia—so much as strews not the soil—is flung under the sea,</div> <div class="verse indent0">Then praise Pan who fought in the ranks with your most and least,</div> <div class="verse indent0">Goat-thigh to greaved-thigh, made one cause with the free and the bold.”’</div> </div></div> </div> <p class="in0">As a pledge the god then gave to Philippides a handful of a herb called fennel.</p> <p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_135">135</span></p> <p>The youth then sped on as before until he reached Sparta. But although the Spartans said they were willing to fight, they could not march until the moon was full, for their religious rites forbade that they should.</p> <p>So Philippides, having done his errand, hastened back to Athens and told the citizens all that had befallen him.</p> <p>Glad that the god had promised his aid the Athenians at once set out on their march to Marathon. Here they were joined by a force of one thousand men from the little town of Plataea. They came to show their gratitude to the Athenians who had sent help to them when they were attacked by their enemies.</p> <p>From their camp on a hill above the plain of Marathon, the Greeks looked down upon the vast army of the Persians. For several days no battle was fought, the Persians being unable to attack the Athenians without danger as they were on the hill.</p> <p>At length Miltiades, whom the other nine generals were willing to follow, resolved to wait no longer. He ordered his men to advance at a sharp run down the hill and to charge the enemy.</p> <p>When they had started, the soldiers could not stop themselves. Quicker and quicker they ran, until, when they reached the plain, they crashed into the Persian army with tremendous force.</p> <p>The shock was so great that the enemy gave way before it and was driven by the Athenians toward the sea or toward a small marsh that lay at one end of the plain.</p> <p>But while both wings of the Greek army were victorious, the centre, which was weak, would have been beaten, had not Miltiades seen the danger and called back those who were pursuing the scattered Persian wings. Only after a fierce struggle was the centre of the Persian army also driven to the shore in utter confusion.</p> <p>Those who escaped the sword of the Athenians tried to reach their ships, but seven of the vessels had been seized by<span class="pagenum" id="Page_136">136</span> the victors. In the struggle on the shore, Callimachus the polemarch was slain.</p> <p>The battle of Marathon was won, and the glory of the victory was due to the prowess and skill of Miltiades.</p> <p>No sooner was the victory certain, than the whole army cried that Philippides should race once again, but this time to the Acropolis, to tell Athens that by the help of Pan she was indeed saved.</p> <div class="poetry-container"> <div class="poetry"> <div class="stanza"> <div class="verse indentsq">‘So Pheidippides flung down his shield,</div> <div class="verse indent0">Ran like fire once more; and the space ’twixt the Fennel-field</div> <div class="verse indent0">And Athens was stubble again, a field which a fire runs through,</div> <div class="verse indent0">Till in he broke; “Rejoice, we conquer.” Like wine through clay</div> <div class="verse indent0">Joy in his blood bursting his heart, he died—the bliss!...</div> <div class="verse indent0">So is Pheidippides happy for ever, the noble, strong man</div> <div class="verse indent0">Who could race like a god, bear the face of a god, whom a god loved so well.</div> <div class="verse indent0">He saw the land saved he had helped to save and was suffered to tell</div> <div class="verse indent0">Such tidings, yet never decline, but gloriously as he began</div> <div class="verse indent0">So to end gloriously—once to shout, thereafter be mute:</div> <div class="verse indent0">“Athens is saved!” Pheidippides dies in the shout for his meed.’</div> </div></div> </div> <div id="if_i_136" class="figcenter" style="max-width: 29em;"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_136.jpg" width-obs="1807" height-obs="2501" alt="" /> <div class="caption">They crashed into the Persian army with tremendous force</div> </div> <hr /> <p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_137">137</span></p> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />