HOW THE SPARTANS DIED AT THERMOPYLA, 145

daring, and skilful sailors, and when Themistocles
urged that they should build a powerful fleet he
found approving listeners. Longer of sight than his
fellow-citizens, he warned them of the coming peril
from Persia. The conflict with the small island of
Aigina was a small matter compared with that
threatened by the great kingdom of Persia. But to
prepare against one was to prepare against both.
And Athens was just then rich. It possessed valu-
able silver-mines at Laurium, in Attica, from which
much wealth came to the state. This money The-
mistocles urged the citizens to use in building ships,
and they were wise enough to take his advice, two
hundred ships of war being built. These ships, as it
happened, were not used for the purpose originally
intended, that of the war with /Ngina. But they
proved of inestimable service to Athens in the Per-
sian war.

The vast preparations of Xerxes were not beheld
without deep terror in Greece. Spies were sent into
Persia to discover what was being done. They were
captured and condemned to death, but Xerxes
ordered that they should be shown his total army
and fleet, and then sent home to report what they
had seen. He hoped thus to double the terror of the
Grecian states.

At home two things were done. Athens and
Sparta called a congress of all the states of Greece
on the Isthmus of Corinth, and urged them to lay
aside all petty feuds and combine for defence against
the common foe. It was the greatest and most suc-
cessful congress that Greece had ever yet held. All

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