§8.1τρίτῳ δʼ ἔτει Ξέρξου διὰ Θετταλίας καὶ Βοιωτίας ἐλαύνοντος ἐπὶ τὴν Ἀττικήν, λύσαντες τὸν νόμον ἐψηφίσαντο τοῖς μεθεστῶσι κάθοδον, μάλιστα φοβούμενοι τὸν Ἀριστείδην, μὴ προσθέμενος τοῖς πολεμίοις διαφθείρῃ καὶ μεταστήσῃ πολλοὺς τῶν πολιτῶν πρὸς τὸν βάρβαρον, οὐκ ὀρθῶς στοχαζόμενοι τοῦ ἀνδρός, ὅς γε καὶ πρὸ τοῦ δόγματος τούτου διετέλει προτρέπων καὶ παροξύνων τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἐπὶ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, καὶ μετὰ τὸ δόγμα τοῦτο, Θεμιστοκλέους στρατηγοῦντος αὐτοκράτορος, πάντα συνέπραττε καὶ συνεβούλευεν, ἐνδοξότατον ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ κοινῇ ποιῶν τὸν ἔχθιστον.
In the third year, when Xerxes was marching through Thessaly and Boeotia against Attica, they suspended the law and voted a return for those who had been banished, fearing Aristeides most of all, lest he should join the enemy and ruin and win over many of the citizens to the barbarian. Yet they misjudged the man, seeing that even before this decree he had continued encouraging and provoking the Greeks to liberty, and after this decree, when Themistocles was general with absolute power, he cooperated with him in all things and assisted him with counsel, making his bitterest enemy most illustrious for the common safety.
§8.2ὡς γὰρ ἀπολιπεῖν τὴν Σαλαμῖνα βουλευομένων τῶν περὶ Εὐρυβιάδην αἱ βαρβαρικαὶ τριήρεις νύκτωρ ἀναχθεῖσαι καὶ περιβαλοῦσαι τόν τε πόρον ἐν κύκλῳ καὶ τὰς νήσους κατεῖχον, οὐδενὸς προειδότος τὴν κύκλωσιν ἧκεν ὁ Ἀριστείδης ἀπʼ Αἰγίνης παραβόλως διὰ τῶν πολεμίων νεῶν διεκπλεύσας· καὶ νυκτὸς ἐλθὼν ἐπὶ τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ Θεμιστοκλέους καὶ καλέσας αὐτὸν ἔξω μόνον.
For when Eurybiades and his party were planning to abandon Salamis, and the barbarian triremes, having put to sea by night and surrounded the passage in a circle, held the islands, while no one knew beforehand of the encirclement, Aristeides arrived from Aegina, having sailed daringly through the enemy's ships.
§8.3ἡμεῖς,
εἶπεν,
ὦ Θεμιστόκλεις, εἰ σωφρονοῦμεν, ἤδη τὴν κενὴν καὶ μειρακιώδη στάσιν ἀφέντες ἀρξώμεθα σωτηρίου καὶ καλῆς φιλονεικίας πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἁμιλλώμενοι σῶσαι τὴν Ἑλλάδα, σὺ μὲν ἄρχων καὶ στρατηγῶν, ἐγὼ δʼ ὑπουργῶν καὶ συμβουλεύων, ἐπεὶ καὶ νῦν σε πυνθάνομαι μόνον ἅπτεσθαι τῶν ἀρίστων λογισμῶν, κελεύοντα διαναυμαχεῖν ἐν τοῖς στενοῖς τὴν ταχίστην.
And coming by night to the tent of Themistocles, and calling him out alone, he said: "Themistocles," he said, "if we are wise, let us now lay aside our vain and childish rivalry and begin a saving and honorable contest, striving with one another to save Greece—you commanding and leading as general, and I assisting and advising.
§8.4καί σοι τῶν συμμάχων ἀντιπραττόντων οἱ πολέμιοι συνεργεῖν ἐοίκασι· τὸ γὰρ ἐν κύκλῳ καὶ κατόπιν ἤδη πέλαγος ἐμπέπλησται νεῶν πολεμίων, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς μὴ θέλοντας ἀνάγκη κατείληφεν ἀγαθοὺς ἄνδρας εἶναι καὶ μάχεσθαι· φυγῆς γὰρ ὁδὸς οὐ λέλειπται. §8.5πρὸς ταῦτα ὁ Θεμιστοκλῆς εἶπεν· οὐκ ἂν ἐβουλόμην, ὦ Ἀριστείδη, σὲ κατὰ τοῦτό μου κρείττονα γενέσθαι, πειράσομαι δὲ πρὸς καλὴν ἀρχὴν ἁμιλλώμενος ὑπερβάλλεσθαι τοῖς ἔργοις. ἅμα δʼ αὐτῷ φράσας τὴν ὑφʼ ἑαυτοῦ κατασκευασθεῖσαν ἀπάτην πρὸς τὸν βάρβαρον, παρεκάλει πείθειν τὸν Εὐρυβιάδην καὶ διδάσκειν, ὡς ἀμήχανόν ἐστι σωθῆναι μὴ ναυμαχήσαντας· εἶχε γὰρ αὐτοῦ μᾶλλον πίστιν.
For even now I hear that you alone are grasping the best counsels, bidding them fight a sea-fight in the narrows as quickly as possible." "And while your allies oppose you, the enemy seem to cooperate with you; for the sea all around and behind is already filled with hostile ships, so that a necessity has overtaken even those who are unwilling, forcing them to be brave men and fight; for no way of escape is left." To this Themistocles replied: "I would not have wished, Aristeides, that you should prove superior to me in this; but I will endeavor, striving against so noble a beginning, to surpass you in deeds." And at the same time, explaining to him the trick he had devised against the barbarian, he urged him to persuade Eurybiades and instruct him that it was impossible to be saved without fighting a sea-fight; for Eurybiades had more confidence in him.
§8.6ὅθεν ἐν τῷ συλλόγῳ τῶν στρατηγῶν εἰπόντος Κλεοκρίτου τοῦ Κορινθίου πρὸς τὸν Θεμιστοκλέα, μηδʼ Ἀριστείδῃ τὴν γνώμην ἀρέσκειν αὐτοῦ, παρόντα γὰρ σιωπᾶν, ἀντεῖπεν ὁ Ἀριστείδης, ὡς οὐκ ἂν ἐσιώπα μὴ λέγοντος τὰ ἄριστα τοῦ Θεμιστοκλέους· νῦν δʼ ἡσυχίαν ἄγειν οὐ διʼ εὔνοιαν τοῦ ἀνδρός, ἀλλὰ τὴν γνώμην ἐπαινῶν.
Hence, when Cleocritus the Corinthian said to Themistocles in the council of the generals that not even Aristeides approved of his opinion, since he was present and remained silent, Aristeides replied that he would not have remained silent if Themistocles were not speaking what was best; but as it was, he kept quiet, not out of goodwill toward the man, but because he approved of his opinion.