THE VENGEANCE OF APOLLO
By Sir George W. Cox
In the cool evening time King Darius walked in his royal garden, and the noblest of the Persians were around him. Then came there a messenger from the western land in haste and said, “O king, the men of Athens with the sons of Javan have taken the city of Sardes, and the temple of the great goddess Kybele has been burnt.” And King Darius answered quickly and said, “What sayest thou, O messenger, that men of whom I have never heard the name, have come with my slaves against the land of the great king?” Then he bade them bring a bow and arrows; and while some one went for them, the Persians stood round him in silence, for they feared to speak while the king was angry. He took the bow, fitted an arrow to it and shot it up into the sky, and prayed, “O Jupiter, that dwellest in the high heavens, suffer me to be avenged upon the men of Athens. The sons of Javan are my slaves, and sorely shall they be smitten for the deeds which they have done.” Then he gave command, and each day, when the banquet was spread in the gilded hall and the king sat down to meat, there stood forth one who said with a loud voice, “O king, forget not the men of Athens.”
But Jupiter hearkened not to the prayer of the great king, for the ships were made ready, and his chieftains and warriors hastened away to the Athenian land and fought in Marathon. They fared not well in the battle, for the men of Athens strove mightily for their country. So in great fear the Persians fled to the seashore, while the men of Athens slew them on the land and in the water as they struggled to reach the ships. And when the fight was over, they spoiled the Persians who lay dead on the seashore and took rich plunder, for scattered about they found embroidered turbans and bright swords and daggers, and golden bits and bridles, and silken robes and jewels.
Thus sped the hosts of King Darius; and the messenger came again in haste, as he sat on his golden throne in Susa, while the nobles of Persia did obeisance before him. Then the king said, “Speak, O man, hast thou brought good tidings that my slaves have chastised the people of the strange city?” And the messenger answered, saying, “O King, the men of Athens have slain thy mighty men with the sword, and burned thy ships; and few come back of all the great army which thou didst send against them.”
Great and fierce was the wrath of King Darius when he heard the tidings, and he hastened to make ready ships and men and horses, that he might go forth himself against the men of Athens. Then in every city of the Persian land was heard the noise as of men who have a great work to do; and the armorers wrought spears and swords and shields, and in the harbors they built countless ships to sail over the dark sea. But Jupiter hearkened not yet to the prayer of the king; so Darius died, and Xerxes his son sat upon his throne, and the chief men of the Persians were gathered round him. Then the king spake and said, “Be ready, O Persians, every one of you, for I will go forth with all my great power, and make slaves of the men of Athens; and so may the gods do to me, and more also, if I burn not the temples of their gods with fire, and bring not hither the golden treasures which lie in the house of Phœbus Apollo at Delphi.”
Then, with all his great hosts, King Xerxes set forth from Susa, and his governors and warriors and slaves followed him, with a great multitude of every nation and people; and they crossed over from the land of Asia by a bridge which was built over the sea of Helle. Thus they journeyed on in pomp and glory, and King Xerxes thought that they had done great things when his host slew Leonidas and three hundred men of Sparta who guarded the passes of Thermopylæ. So his heart was filled with pride, and he chose out the bravest of his warriors, and charged the men of Thessaly to lead them to Delphi and the temple of Phœbus Apollo.
There was great fear and terror in Delphi. A messenger came and said, “The hosts of King Xerxes are coming to slay the men of this land and take away the treasures which lie in the house of King Apollo.” So the Delphians went in great sorrow to the temple, and bowed their heads to the earth and prayed, saying, “Child of the light, who dwellest here in thy holy temple, thieves and robbers are coming against us, and they are purposed to take away thy sacred treasures; tell us, then, what we shall do, for at thy bidding we are ready to bury them deep in the earth till the storm of war be overpast.” Then came there a voice from the inmost shrine, but it was not the voice of the priestess, for Phœbus Apollo himself came down to speak his will, and said, “Move them not, men of Delphi. I will guard my holy place, and none shall lay hand on my sacred things.”