noticed them. At the moment when Kimon observed this, the priest came
up to him to tell him that the liver of the victim was defective.
However, he could not avoid going on the expedition, and sailed
forthwith. He despatched sixty of his ships to Egypt, but kept the
rest with him. He conquered the Phoenician fleet in a sea-fight,
recovered the cities of Cilicia, and began to meditate an attack upon
those of Egypt, as his object was nothing less than the utter
destruction of the Persian empire, especially when he learned that
Themistokles had risen to great eminence among the Persians, and had
undertaken to command their army in a campaign against Greece. It is
said that one of the chief reasons which caused Themistokles to
despair of success was his conviction that he could not surpass the
courage and good fortune of Kimon. He therefore committed suicide,
while Kimon, who was now revolving immense schemes of conquest as he
lay at Cyprus with his fleet, sent an embassy to the shrine of Ammon
to ask something secret. What it was no one ever knew, for the god
made no response, but as soon as the messengers arrived bade them
return, as Kimon was already with him. On hearing this, they retraced
their steps to the sea, and when they reached the headquarters of the
Greek force, which was then in Egypt, they heard that Kimon was dead.
On counting back the days to that on which they received the response,
they perceived that the god had alluded to Kimon's death when he said
that he was with him, meaning that he was among the gods.

XIX. According to most authorities Kimon died of sickness during a
siege; but some writers say that he died of a wound which he received
in a battle with the Persians. When dying he ordered his friends to
conceal his death, but at once to embark the army and sail home. This
was effected, and we are told by Phanodemus that no one, either of the
enemy or of the Athenian allies conceived any suspicion that Kimon had
ceased to command the forces until after he had been dead for thirty
days. After his death no great success was won by any Greek general
over the Persians, but they were all incited by their popular orators
and the war-party to fight with one another, which led to the great
Peloponnesian war. This afforded a long breathing-time to the
Persians, and wrought terrible havoc with the resources of Greece.
Many years afterwards Agesilaus invaded Asia, and carried on war for a
short time against t