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This answer seemed, as indeed it was, gentler than the former one;
so the envoys wrote it down, and went back with it to Athens. When,
however, upon their arrival, they produced it before the people, and
inquiry began to be made into its true meaning, many and various were
the interpretations which men put on it; two, more especially, seemed
to be directly opposed to one another. Certain of the old men were of
opinion that the god meant to tell them the citadel would escape; for
this was anciently defended by a palisade; and they supposed that
barrier to be the "wooden wall" of the oracle. Others maintained
that the fleet was what the god pointed at; and their advice was that
nothing should be thought of except the ships, which had best be at
once got ready. Still such as said the "wooden wall" meant the
fleet, were perplexed by the last two lines of the oracle -
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Holy Salamis, thou shall destroy the offspring of women,
When men scatter the seed, or when they gather the harvest.
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These words caused great disturbance among those who took the wooden
wall to be the ships; since the interpreters understood them to mean
that, if they made preparations for a sea-fight, they would suffer a
defeat off Salamis.
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