“Instead of breaking down the existing bridge for him, Themistokles,” said he, “we ought rather, if possible, at once to build another, and send the man out of Europe as quickly as possible.”  “Well then,” answered Themistokles, “if you think that our interest lies in that direction, we ought all to consider and contrive to send him out of Greece as fast as we can.”  When this resolution was adopted, Themistokles sent one of the king’s eunuchs, whom he had found among the prisoners, bidding him warn Xerxes that “the Greeks had determined after their victory to sail to the Hellespont and break the bridge, but that Themistokles, out of his regard for the king, advises him to proceed as fast as he can to his own sea, and cross over it, while he (Themistokles) gained time for him by delaying the allied fleet.”  Xerxes, hearing thus, was much alarmed and retired in all haste.  And indeed the battle with Mardonius at Plataea shows us which of the two was right; for the Greeks there could scarcely deal with a small part of the Persian army, and what therefore could they have done with the whole?

XVII.  Herodotus tells us that, of Greek States, Aegina received the prize of valour, and that, of the generals, it was awarded to Themistokles, though against the will of the voters.  When the armies retired to the Isthmus all the generals laid their votes on the altar there, and each man declared himself to deserve the first prize for valour, and Themistokles to deserve the second.  However, the Lacedaemonians brought him home with them to Sparta, and gave Eurybiades the first prize for valour, but Themistokles that for wisdom, a crown of olive-leaves.  They also gave him the best chariot in their city, and sent three hundred of their young men to escort him out of the country.  It is also related that at the next Olympian games, when Themistokles appeared upon the race-course, all the spectators took no further interest in the contests, but passed the whole day in admiring and applauding him, and in pointing him out to such as were strangers; so that he was delighted, and said to his friends that he had now received his reward for all his labours on behalf of Greece.

XVIII.  He was by nature excessively fond of admiration, as we may judge from the stories about him which have been preserved.  Once, when he was made admiral of the Athenian fleet, he put off all the necessary business of his office until the day appointed for sailing, in order that he might have a great many dealings with various people all at once, and so appear to be a person of great influence and importance.  And when he saw the corpses floating in the sea with gold bracelets and necklaces, he himself passed them by, but pointed them out to a friend who was following, saying, “Do you pick them up and keep them; for you are not Themistokles.”  A beautiful youth, named Antiphates, regarded him coolly at first, but eventually became submissive to him because of his immense reputation.  “Young man,”