Page:History of Greece Vol V.djvu/145

BATTLE OF SALAMIS.- RETREAT OF XERXES. 121 vote for removing to the Isthmus, but as night was approaching, actual removal was deferred until the next morning.i Now was felt the want of a position like that of Thermopylae, which had served as a protection to all the Greeks at once, so as to check the growth of separate fears and interests. We can hardly wonder that the Peloponnesian chiefs, — the Corinthian in particular, who furnished so large a naval contingent, and within whose territory the land-battle at the Isthmus seemed about to take place, — should manifest such an obstinate reluc- tance to fight at Salamis, and should insist on removing to a position where, in case of naval defeat, they could assist, and be assisted by, their own soldiers on land. On the other hand, Salamis was not only the most favorable position, in consequence of its narrow strait, for the inferior numbers of the Greeks, but could not be abandoned without breaking up the unity of the allied fleet ; since Megara and -i-Egina would thus be left uncov- ered, and the contingents of each would immediately retire for the defence of their own homes, — while the Athenians also, a large portion of whose expatriated families were in Salamis and ^gina, would be in like manner distracted from combined mari- time efforts at the Isthmus. If transferred to the latter place, probably not even the Peloponnesians themselves would have remained in one body ; for the squadrons of Epidaurus, Troezen, Hermione, etc., each fearing that the Persian fleet might make a descent on one or other of these separate ports, would go home to repel such a contingency, in spite of the efforts of Eurybiades to keep them together. Hence the order for quitting Salamis and repairing to the Isthmus was nothing less than a sentence of extinction for all combined maritime defence ; and it thus became doubly abhorrent to all those who, like the Athenians, ^gine- tans, and Megarians, were also led by their own separate safety to cling to the defence of Salamis. In spite of all such opposi- tion, however, and in spite of the protest of Themistokles, the obstinate determination of the Peloponnesian leaders carried the vote for retreat, and each of them went to his ship to prepare fot it on the following morning. When Themistokles returned to his ship, with the gloom ot ' Herodot. viii; 49, 50, 56. . roL» V. 6