in Ancient Geography, a promontory on the north-east of Euboea, (called Leon and Cole Acte by Ptolemy), memorable for the first sea engagements between the Greeks and Xerxes.

The Grecian fleet was stationed in the harbour; while that of the Persians, too numerous for any harbour to contain, had anchored in the road that extends between the city of Castansea and the promontory of Sepias, on the coast of Thessaly.

The first line of their fleet was sheltered by the coast of Thessaly; but the other lines, to the number of seven, rode at anchor, at small intervals, with the prows of the vessels turned to the sea. When they adopted this arrangement, the waters were smooth, the sky clear, the weather calm and serene: but on the morning of the second day after their arrival on the coast, the sky began to lower; the appearance of the heavens grew threatening and terrible; a dreadful storm succeeded, and for three days raged with unabating fury. Four hundred galleys were destroyed by its violence, besides a vast number of storeships and transports. Eight hundred ships of war, however, besides innumerable vessels of burden, sailed into the Pegasean bay, and anchored in the road of Aphete, which at the distance of a few miles, lies directly opposite to the harbour of Artemisium.

The Grecians had posted centinels on the heights of Euboea to observe the consequence of the storm, and to watch the motions of the enemy. When informed of the disaster which had befallen them, they poured out a joyous libation, and sacrificed with pious gratitude, to "Neptune the Deliverer."

The Persians, however, being recovered from the terrors of the storm, prepared for battle; and as they entertained not the smallest doubt of conquering, they detached 200 of their best sailing vessels round the isle of Euboea, to intercept the expected flight of the enemy through the narrow Euripus.

About sunset the Grecian fleet approached in a line; and the Persians met them with the confidence of victory, as their ships were still sufficiently numerous to surround those of their opponents. At the first signal the Greeks formed into a circle, at the second they began the fight. Though crowded into a narrow compass, and having the enemy on every side, they soon took 30 of their ships, and sunk many more. Night came on, accompanied with an impetuous storm of rain and thunder; the Greeks retired into the harbour of Artemisium; the enemy were driven to the coast of Thessaly.

By good fortune, however, rather than by design, the greatest part of the Persian fleet escaped immediate destruction, and gained the Pegasean bay; but the ships ordered to sail round Euboea met with a more dreadful disaster. They were overtaken by the storm, after they had adventured further from the shore than was usual with the wary mariners of antiquity. Clouds soon intercepted the stars, by which alone they directed their course; and after continuing during the greatest part of the night the sport of the elements, they all perished miserably amidst the shoals and rocks of an unknown coast.

The morning arose with different prospects and hopes to the Persians and the Greeks. To the former it discovered the extent of their misfortunes; to the latter it brought a reinforcement of 53 Athenian ships. Encouraged by this favourable circumstance, they determined again to attack the enemy, at the same hour as on the preceding day, because their knowledge of the coast and their skill in fighting their ships rendered the dusk peculiarly propitious to their designs. At the appointed time, they sailed towards the road of Aphete; and having cut off the Cilician squadron from the rest, totally destroyed it, and returned at night to Artemisium.—The Persian commanders being deeply affected with their repeated disasters, but still more alarmed at the much-dreaded resentment of their king, they determined to make one vigorous effort for restoring the glory of their arms. By art and stratagem, and under favour of the night, the Greeks had hitherto gained many important advantages. It now belonged to the Persians to choose the time for action. On the third day at noon, they sailed forth in the form of a crescent, which was still sufficiently The Greeks, animated by former success, were averse to decline any offer of battle; yet it is probable that their admirals, and particularly Themistocles, would much rather have delayed it to a more favourable opportunity. Rage, resentment, and indignation, supplied the defect of the barbarians in skill and courage. The battle was longer, and more doubtful, than on any former occasion; many Grecian vessels were destroyed, five were taken by the Egyptians, who particularly signalized themselves on the side of the barbarians, as the Athenians did on that of the Greeks. The persevering valour of the latter at length prevailed, the enemy retiring, and acknowledging their superiority, by leaving them in possession of the dead and the wreck. But the victory cost them dear; since their vessels, particularly those of the Athenians, were reduced to a very shattered condition; and their great inferiority in the number and size of their ships, made them feel more sensibly every diminution of strength.

**Artemesium**, a town of Oenotria, (Stephanus): now S. Agatha, in the Hither Calabria, on the river Pissaurus, or la Foglia, distant eight miles from the Tuscan sea.—Another of the Contestanti, in Spain, (Strabo); otherwise called Dianium: now Denia, on the sea coast of Valencia.

**Arteriotomy,** the opening an artery, with design to procure an evacuation of blood. See Surgery.

**Artery,** in Anatomy, a conical tube or canal which conveys the blood from the heart to all parts of the body. See Anatomy.

**Arthritis,** in Medicine, the Gout. See the Index subjoined to Medicine.

**Arthrodia,** in Natural History, a genus of imperfect crystals, found always in complex masses, and forming long single pyramids, with very short and slender columns.

**Arthrodia,** in Anatomy, a species of articulation, wherein the flat head of one bone is received into a shallow socket in the other. The humerus and scapula are joined by this species of articulation.

**Arthur,** the celebrated hero of the Britons, is said to have been the son of Uther Pendragon king of Britain, and to have been born in 501. His life is a continued scene of wonders. It is said that he killed four hundred and seventy Saxons with his own hand in one day; and, after having subdued many mighty nations, and instituted the order of the Knights of the Round Table, died A.D. 542, of wounds which he received in battle. The most particular detail of his story and his exploits is that given by Geoffrey of Monmouth: but the probable there is so blended with the marvellous and the extravagant, that not only the truth of the whole, but even the reality of Arthur's existence, has been called in question.

In this controversy, Mr Whittaker has taken much pains to vindicate the existence, and discriminate between the real and the fabulous transactions, of the British worthy. "Many of the actions (he observes) attributed to Arthur by the Welsh chronicles of Britain, are as absurd in themselves as they are spurious in their authority. Written, as those narratives were, many centuries after the facts, and being merely the authentic accounts of Arthur, embellished with the fictions and distorted by the perversions of folly; they are inconsistent equally with the state of the times, and the history of the continent and the island. And the History of ignorance of the forgers, and the credulity of their abettors, can be equalled only by the injudiciousness and incredulity of the opponents to both. If some accounts of Arthur and Cunobeline in these histories be certainly spurious, others are as certainly genuine. And the relations of Suetonius, Dio, and Nennius, are not to be rejected, because of the falsehoods which imposture has grafted upon them, and absurdity admitted with them.

"The existence of Arthur is evinced by that of the fables, which have at once annihilated his actions and his name with the misjudging critic. And the reasoner's own arguments really turn against himself, and demonstrate the point which they were intended to disprove. The annals of Wales have long laboured in Arthur's commendation. The Highlanders have long had a poetical history of his exploits in their own language. The whole island is in traditionary possession of his character; and 600 or 700 places within it are still distinguished by his name.

"The genuine actions of the chief are mentioned by his own historians, with a modesty and conciseness that is no bad argument of the truth, and with a particularity of time and place that is a good evidence of the facts. They are noticed by men, whom the death of the hero had exempted from all temptation to flattery: they are recited by persons, whom a proximity to the time had precluded from all possibility of mistake; and they are attested by the best historical authority, writers who lived cotemporary with him, authors who conversed with his warriors, and historians that wrote within a few years after him. He is spoken of as the honourable father of the British heroes by the aged Llomarch, a writer actually cotemporary with him, and some time resident at his court. One of his greater actions is incidentally recorded by Taliesin, an historical bard living under Maelwn Gwined, who was a sovereign among the Britons in the days of Arthur, Gildas, and Llomarch. Another of his considerable exploits is casually intimated by Myrddin Wyllt or Merlinus Caledonius, who complains of the severe treatment which he himself received from Rydderch Hacl, a king cotemporary with Urien Reged, and engaged with him in a war against the Saxons on the death of Ida in 590. And all his actions are particularly recited by Nennius.

"In the Historia Britonum of this last author, Arthur's victories over the Saxons are thus recorded. The first battle was fought at the mouth of the river which is denominated Glen. The second, third, fourth, and fifth, were upon another river, that is called Douglas, and lies in the region Linuis. The sixth was on a stream, which bears the appellation of Bassar. The seventh was in the wood of Celidon, that is, in Cat Coit Celidon. The eighth was at Castle Gunnion; and the ninth was at the city of the Legion. The tenth was on the bank of the river Ribnuit; the eleventh at the hill Aged Cathregonion; and the twelfth at Mount Badon. These twelve battles of Arthur are described to us in the same manner as Vortimer's three. Only the general facts are mentioned, and only the common names of places are recited, in both."