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Our next series of anecdotes in Plutarch begin to take us back into the war against Xerxes, which brings us closer to where we started off in Herodotus. (Though frankly Plutarch’s chronology is not particularly reliable at the best of times.)
Plutarch - Themistocles 6
And when the Mede was advancing on Greece and the Greeks were discussing who would be general, they say that the other men willingly avoided the office of general, fearing its danger. But Epicydes son of Euphemides, a demagogue who was clever at speaking but cowardly in spirit and weak towards money, set his sights on the position and was likely to win at the vote. Therefore Themistocles, fearing that matters might be ruined by the command falling to such a man, bought off Epicydes’ ambition with money.
And he is commended for this, the matter concerning the bilingual envoy in the requests of the king for earth and water. For he seized the interpreter and killed him, after a decree was passed by vote, [saying that] he had dared to use the Greek language for barbarian commands. The the matter concerning Arthmius of Zeletia [should be commended] also; for by Themistocles’ advice, this man and his children and his family were inscribed on [the list of] the dishonored, on the grounds that he carried gold from the Medes against the Greeks.
But greatest of all was putting an end to the wars among the Greeks and making the cities friends with each other, having convinced them to cast aside their hatreds because of the war. They say Chelios the Arcadian also especially helped him towards this goal.
Plutarch - Themistocles 7
And once he had gotten leadership, he immediately tried to push the citizens into the triremes and to persuade them to abandon the city so that they would approach the barbarians on the sea, as far from Greece as possible. But since many people resisted [this plan], he led out a large army to Tempe with the Spartans, for getting into battle immediately before Thessaly, which wasn’t yet expected to join the Medes; but then they marched back from there having done nothing, and when the Thessalonians joined up with the king, the places as far as Boeotia fell into Persian control.* The Athenians finally took heed of Themistocles’ [advice] concerning the sea, and he was sent with the ships to guard the straits of Artemisia.
At this point the Greeks were urging Eurybiades and the Spartans to take charge, but the Athenians--since the large number of their ships came to more than all the others in the same place--didn’t want to take orders from someone else. Themistocles himself understood the danger and conceded the leadership to Eurybiades, and he appeased the Athenians, promising that, should they show themselves to be worthy men during the war, the other Greeks would willingly obey them and grant them other things afterward.
Because of this it seems he became the most praised for the salvation of Greece, and especially [the one responsible] for promoting the reputation of the Athenians; [namely, that they were] superior in manliness towards war and kindness towards allies.
But when the barbarian fleet came near Aphetae, Eurybiades was terrified by the great number of ships at the channel, and discovering that another two hundred were sailing around him from Sciathos, he wanted to get back into Greece to join up at the Peloponnese and throw the land armies around the ships, thinking that the power of the king’s forces on the sea were unconquerable. The Euboeans, fearing the Greeks would hand them over [to the enemy], secretly had a conversation with Themistocles, sending Pelagon with a large amount of money. Themistocles took this money, as Herodotus records, and he gave some to Eurybiades.
But Architeles, captain of the sacred ship, opposed him the most of his fellow citizens; not having the money to pay his sailors, he was eager to sail away. So Themistocles provoked the sailors even more against him, so that they rushed at him together and stole his dinner. While Architeles was still upset over this and handling it poorly, Themistocles sent him a dinner of breads and meats in a basket, hiding a talent of silver beneath it, and urged him to dine immediately, and to take care of the sailors in the morning; and if not, he would call him out in front of the others, for holding silver from the enemy. That’s what Phanias of Lesbos says.
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* In this passage, I’ve translated the same verb as “to join the Medes” and “to fall into Persian control”, as there seems to be a difference in deliberate intent vs. being captured, despite the verb being the same. This is also the same verb that was used back in Thucydides to describe the Spartan who’d been passing information to Xerxes; to be “Mede-ized” was apparently a fairly broad term for being in some way under Persian control.
Plutarch - Themistocles 6
And when the Mede was advancing on Greece and the Greeks were discussing who would be general, they say that the other men willingly avoided the office of general, fearing its danger. But Epicydes son of Euphemides, a demagogue who was clever at speaking but cowardly in spirit and weak towards money, set his sights on the position and was likely to win at the vote. Therefore Themistocles, fearing that matters might be ruined by the command falling to such a man, bought off Epicydes’ ambition with money.
And he is commended for this, the matter concerning the bilingual envoy in the requests of the king for earth and water. For he seized the interpreter and killed him, after a decree was passed by vote, [saying that] he had dared to use the Greek language for barbarian commands. The the matter concerning Arthmius of Zeletia [should be commended] also; for by Themistocles’ advice, this man and his children and his family were inscribed on [the list of] the dishonored, on the grounds that he carried gold from the Medes against the Greeks.
But greatest of all was putting an end to the wars among the Greeks and making the cities friends with each other, having convinced them to cast aside their hatreds because of the war. They say Chelios the Arcadian also especially helped him towards this goal.
Plutarch - Themistocles 7
And once he had gotten leadership, he immediately tried to push the citizens into the triremes and to persuade them to abandon the city so that they would approach the barbarians on the sea, as far from Greece as possible. But since many people resisted [this plan], he led out a large army to Tempe with the Spartans, for getting into battle immediately before Thessaly, which wasn’t yet expected to join the Medes; but then they marched back from there having done nothing, and when the Thessalonians joined up with the king, the places as far as Boeotia fell into Persian control.* The Athenians finally took heed of Themistocles’ [advice] concerning the sea, and he was sent with the ships to guard the straits of Artemisia.
At this point the Greeks were urging Eurybiades and the Spartans to take charge, but the Athenians--since the large number of their ships came to more than all the others in the same place--didn’t want to take orders from someone else. Themistocles himself understood the danger and conceded the leadership to Eurybiades, and he appeased the Athenians, promising that, should they show themselves to be worthy men during the war, the other Greeks would willingly obey them and grant them other things afterward.
Because of this it seems he became the most praised for the salvation of Greece, and especially [the one responsible] for promoting the reputation of the Athenians; [namely, that they were] superior in manliness towards war and kindness towards allies.
But when the barbarian fleet came near Aphetae, Eurybiades was terrified by the great number of ships at the channel, and discovering that another two hundred were sailing around him from Sciathos, he wanted to get back into Greece to join up at the Peloponnese and throw the land armies around the ships, thinking that the power of the king’s forces on the sea were unconquerable. The Euboeans, fearing the Greeks would hand them over [to the enemy], secretly had a conversation with Themistocles, sending Pelagon with a large amount of money. Themistocles took this money, as Herodotus records, and he gave some to Eurybiades.
But Architeles, captain of the sacred ship, opposed him the most of his fellow citizens; not having the money to pay his sailors, he was eager to sail away. So Themistocles provoked the sailors even more against him, so that they rushed at him together and stole his dinner. While Architeles was still upset over this and handling it poorly, Themistocles sent him a dinner of breads and meats in a basket, hiding a talent of silver beneath it, and urged him to dine immediately, and to take care of the sailors in the morning; and if not, he would call him out in front of the others, for holding silver from the enemy. That’s what Phanias of Lesbos says.
---
* In this passage, I’ve translated the same verb as “to join the Medes” and “to fall into Persian control”, as there seems to be a difference in deliberate intent vs. being captured, despite the verb being the same. This is also the same verb that was used back in Thucydides to describe the Spartan who’d been passing information to Xerxes; to be “Mede-ized” was apparently a fairly broad term for being in some way under Persian control.