in possession of the Chersonese; but it was precarious and
interrupted. He, however, availed himself of the opportunity
which his position gave him of conciliating the goodwill of his
fellow-countrymen at Athens, by conquering and placing under
Athenian authority the islands of Lemnos and Imbros, to which
Athens had ancient claims, but which she had never previously
been able to bring into complete subjection. At length, in 494
B.C., the complete suppression of the Ionian revolt by the
Persians left their armies and fleets at liberty to act against
the enemies of the Great King to the west of the Hellespont. A
strong squadron of Phoenician galleys was sent against the
Chersonese. Miltiades knew that resistance was hopeless; and
while the Phoenicians were at Tenedos, he loaded five galleys
with all the treasure that he could collect, and sailed away for
Athens. The Phoenicians fell in with him, and chased him hard
along the north of the AEgean. One of his galleys, on board of
which was his eldest son, Metiochus, was actually captured; but
Miltiades, with the other four, succeeded in reaching the
friendly coast of Imbros in safety. Thence he afterwards
proceeded to Athens, and resumed his station as a free citizen of
the Athenian commonwealth.

The Athenians at this time had recently expelled Hippias, the son
of Pisistratus, the last of their tyrants. They were in the full
glow of their newly-recovered liberty and equality; and the
constitutional changes of Cleisthenes had inflamed their
republican zeal to the utmost. Miltiades had enemies at Athens;
and these, availing themselves of the state of popular feeling,
brought him to trial for his life for having been tyrant of the
Chersonese. The charge did not necessarily import any acts of