ARISTIDES. 297

concealed, to take courage and repent ; intimating that they had in the war a great tribunal, where they might clear their guilt by manifesting their sincere and good intentions towards their country. After this, Mardonius made trial of the Grecian courage, by sending his whole number of horse, in which he thought himself much the stronger, against them, while they were all pitched at the foot of Mount Cithaeron, in strong and rocky places, except the Megarians. They, being three thousand in number, were encamped on the plain, Avhere they were damaged by the horse charging and making inroads upon them on all hands. They sent, therefore, in haste to Pausanias, demanding relief, as not being able alone to sustain the great num- bers of the barbarians. Pausanias, hearing this, and per- ceiving the tents of the Megarians already hid by the multitude of darts and arrows, and themselves driven together into a narrow space, was at a loss himself how to aid them with his battalion of heavy-armed Lacedae- monians. He proposed it, therefore, as a point of emula- tion in valor and love of distinction, to the commanders and captains who were around lym, if any would volun- tarily take ujjon them the defence and succor of the Me- garians. The rest being backward, Aristides undertook the enterprise for the Athenians, and sent Olympiodorus, the most valiant of his inferior officers, with three hun- dred chosen men and some archers under his command. These being soon in readiness, and running upon the enemy, as soon as Masistius, who commanded the barba- rians' horse, a man of wonderful courage and of extraor- dinary bulk and comeliness of person, perceived it, turn- ing his steed he made towards them. And they sustaining the shock and joining battle with him, there was a sharp conflict, as though by this encounter they were to try the success of the whole war. But after Masistius's horse