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So, back to Themistocles! Who Herodotus clearly doesn’t think much of, but them’s the breaks in history books. When we left off, a dude on his ship was warning him that if everyone ran off now, there wouldn’t be an alliance left to stand against Xerxes.
Herodotus, VIII.58
This suggestion pleased Themistocles exceedingly, and responding nothing to these things, he went to the ship of Eurybiades. And on arriving he said he wished to discuss some common matter; so he [Eurybiades] told him to come on board the ship to speak, if he wanted something.
Then Themistocles, sitting beside him, recounted that whole thing which he heard from Mnesiphilos, as if he’d thought of it himself, and added in many other things; and by asking in this way persuaded him to call together the generals from their ships into a council.
VIII.59
And when they were assembled, before Eurybiades began his speech as to the reason why on he gathered the generals, Themistocles--being very much in need--fell immediately into speech. But when he spoke, the Corinthian general, Adeimantos son of Okytos, said, “O Themistocles, in the games, runners who start before the signal are flogged.”
Defending himself, he said, “The men left behind aren’t surrounded.”
VIII.60
Then he kindly answered the Corinthian, and he spoke to Eurybiades nothing of those things which were spoken before, how if they departed Salamis, they would run away; for with his allies present, it wouldn’t be polite to accuse them of anything. So he chose another approach, saying these things:
...come back next time for Themistocles' (awkwardly translated) speech!
Herodotus, VIII.58
This suggestion pleased Themistocles exceedingly, and responding nothing to these things, he went to the ship of Eurybiades. And on arriving he said he wished to discuss some common matter; so he [Eurybiades] told him to come on board the ship to speak, if he wanted something.
Then Themistocles, sitting beside him, recounted that whole thing which he heard from Mnesiphilos, as if he’d thought of it himself, and added in many other things; and by asking in this way persuaded him to call together the generals from their ships into a council.
VIII.59
And when they were assembled, before Eurybiades began his speech as to the reason why on he gathered the generals, Themistocles--being very much in need--fell immediately into speech. But when he spoke, the Corinthian general, Adeimantos son of Okytos, said, “O Themistocles, in the games, runners who start before the signal are flogged.”
Defending himself, he said, “The men left behind aren’t surrounded.”
VIII.60
Then he kindly answered the Corinthian, and he spoke to Eurybiades nothing of those things which were spoken before, how if they departed Salamis, they would run away; for with his allies present, it wouldn’t be polite to accuse them of anything. So he chose another approach, saying these things:
...come back next time for Themistocles' (awkwardly translated) speech!