the history-第147章

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idst　approve　the　better　course；　and　give　up　the　thought　of　warring　against　Greece；　a　dream　has　haunted　thee；　sent　by　some　god　or　other；　which　will　not　suffer　thee　to　lay　aside　the　expedition。　But　such　things；　my　son；　have　of　a　truth　nothing　divine　in　them。　The　dreams　that　wander　to　and　fro　among　mankind；　I　will　tell　thee　of　what　nature　they　are…　I　who　have　seen　so　many　more　years　than　thou。　Whatever　a　man　has　been　thinking　of　during　the　day　is　wont　to　hover　round　him　in　the　visions　of　his　dreams　at　night。　Now　we　during　these　many　days　past　have　had　our　hands　full　of　this　enterprise。　（SS　3。）　If　however　the　matter　be　not　as　I　suppose；　but　God　has　indeed　some　part　therein；　thou　hast　in　brief　declared　the　whole　that　can　be　said　concerning　it…　let　it　e'en　appear　to　me　as　it　has　to　thee；　and　lay　on　me　the　same　injunctions。　But　it　ought　not　to　appear　to　me　any　the　more　if　I　put　on　thy　clothes　than　if　I　wear　my　own；　nor　if　I　go　to　sleep　in　thy　bed　than　if　I　do　so　in　mine…　supposing；　I　mean；　that　it　is　about　to　appear　at　all。　For　this　thing；　be　it　what　it　may；　that　visits　thee　in　thy　sleep；　surely　is　not　so　far　gone　in　folly　as　to　see　me；　and　because　I　am　dressed　in　thy　clothes；　straightway　to　mistake　me　for　thee。　Now　however　our　business　is　to　see　if　it　will　regard　me　as　of　small　account；　and　not　vouchsafe　to　appear　to　me；　whether　I　wear　mine　own　clothes　or　thine；　while　it　keeps　on　haunting　thee　continually。　If　it　does　so；　and　appears　often；　I　should　myself　say　that　it　was　from　God。　For　the　rest；　if　thy　mind　is　fixed；　and　it　is　not　possible　to　turn　thee　from　thy　design；　but　I　must　needs　go　and　sleep　in　thy　bed；　well　and　good；　let　it　be　even　so；　and　when　I　have　done　as　thou　wishest；　then　let　the　dream　appear　to　me。　Till　such　time；　however；　I　shall　keep　to　my　former　opinion。〃　　　　　Thus　spake　Artabanus；　and　when　he　had　so　said；　thinking　to　show　Xerxes　that　his　words　were　nought；　he　did　according　to　his　orders。　Having　put　on　the　garments　which　Xerxes　was　wont　to　wear　and　taken　his　seat　upon　the　royal　throne；　he　lay　down　to　sleep　upon　the　king's　own　bed。　As　he　slept；　there　appeared　to　him　the　very　same　dream　which　had　been　seen　by　Xerxes；　it　came　and　stood　over　Artabanus；　and　said：…　　　　　〃Thou　art　the　man；　then；　who；　feigning　to　be　tender　of　Xerxes；　seekest　to　dissuade　him　from　leading　his　armies　against　the　Greeks！　But　thou　shalt　not　escape　scathless；　either　now　or　in　time　to　come；　because　thou　hast　sought　to　prevent　that　which　is　fated　to　happen。　As　for　Xerxes；　it　has　been　plainly　told　to　himself　what　will　befall　him；　if　he　refuses　to　perform　my　bidding。〃　　　　　In　such　words；　as　Artabanus　thought；　the　vision　threatened　him；　and　then　endeavoured　to　burn　out　his　eyes　with　red…hot　irons。　At　this　he　shrieked；　and；　leaping　from　his　couch；　hurried　to　Xerxes；　and；　sitting　down　at　his　side；　gave　him　a　full　account　of　the　vision；　after　which　he　went　on　to　speak　in　the　words　which　follow：…　　　　　〃I；　O　King！　am　a　man　who　have　seen　many　mighty　empires　overthrown　by　weaker　ones；　and　therefore　it　was　that　I　sought　to　hinder　thee　from　being　quite　carried　away　by　thy　youth；　since　I　knew　how　evil　a　thing　it　is　to　covet　more　than　one　possesses。　I　could　remember　the　expedition　of　Cyrus　against　the　Massagetae；　and　what　was　the　issue　of　it；　I　could　recollect　the　march　of　Cambyses　against　the　Ethiops；　I　had　taken　part　in　the　attack　of　Darius　upon　the　Scyths…bearing　therefore　all　these　things　in　mind；　I　thought　with　myself　that　if　thou　shouldst　remain　at　peace；　all　men　would　deem　thee　fortunate。　But　as　this　impulse　has　plainly　come　from　above；　and　a　heaven…sent　destruction　seems　about　to　overtake　the　Greeks；　behold；　I　change　to　another　mind；　and　alter　my　thoughts　upon　the　matter。　Do　thou　therefore　make　known　to　the　Persians　what　the　god　has　declared；　and　bid　them　follow　the　orders　which　were　first　given；　and　prepare　their　levies。　Be　careful　to　act　so　that　the　bounty　of　the　god　may　not　be　hindered　by　slackness　on　thy　part。〃　　　　　Thus　spake　these　two　together；　and　Xerxes；　being　in　good　heart　on　account　of　the　vision；　when　day　broke；　laid　all　before　the　Persians；　while　Artabanus；　who　had　formerly　been　the　only　person　openly　to　oppose　the　expedition；　now　showed　as　openly　that　he　favoured　it。　　　　　After　Xerxes　had　thus　determined　to　go　forth　to　the　war；　there　appeared　to　him　in　his　sleep　yet　a　third　vision。　The　Magi　were　consulted　upon　it；　and　said　that　its　meaning　reached　to　the　whole　earth；　and　that　all　mankind　would　become　his　servants。　Now　the　vision　which　the　king　saw　was　this：　he　dreamt　that　he　was　crowned　with　a　branch　of　an　olive　tree；　and　that　boughs　spread　out　from　the　olive　branch　and　covered　the　whole　earth；　then　suddenly　the　garland；　as　it　lay　upon　his　brow；　vanished。　So　when　the　Magi　had　thus　interpreted　the　vision；　straightway　all　the　Persians　who　were　come　together　departed　to　their　several　governments；　where　each　displayed　the　greatest　zeal；　on　the　faith　of　the　king's　offers。　For　all　hoped　to　obtain　for　themselves　the　gifts　which　had　been　promised。　And　so　Xerxes　gathered　together　his　host；　ransacking　every　corner　of　the　continent。　　　　　Reckoning　from　the　recovery　of　Egypt；　Xerxes　spent　four　full　years　in　collecting　his　host　and　making　ready　all　things　that　were　needful　for　his　soldiers。　It　was　not　till　the　close　of　the　fifth　year　that　he　set　forth　on　his　march；　accompanied　by　a　mighty　multitude。　For　of　all　the　armaments　whereof　any　mention　has　reached　us；　this　was　by　far　the　greatest；　insomuch　that　no　other　expedition　compared　to　this　seems　of　any　account；　neither　that　which　Darius　undertook　against　the　Scythians；　nor　the　expedition　of　the　Scythians　（which　the　attack　of　Darius　was　designed　to　avenge）；　when　they；　being　in　pursuit　of　the　Cimmerians；　fell　upon　the　Median　territory；　and　subdued　and　held　for　a　time　almost　the　whole　of　Upper　Asia；　nor；　again；　that　of　the　Atridae　against　Troy；　of　which　we　hear　in　story；　nor　that　of　the　Mysians　and　Teucrians；　which　was　still　earlier；　wherein　these　nations　crossed　the　Bosphorus　into　Europe；　and；　after　conquering　all　Thrace；　pressed　forward　till　they　came　to　the　Ionian　Sea；　while　southward　they　reached　as　far　as　the　river　Peneus。　　　　　All　these　expeditions；　and　others；　if　such　there　were；　are　as　nothing　compared　with　this。　For　was　there　a　nation　in　all　Asia　which　Xerxes　did　not　bring　with　him　against　Greece？　Or　was　there　a　river；　except　those　of　unusual　size；　which　sufficed　for　his　troops　to　drink？　One　nation　furnished　ships；　another　was　arrayed　among　the　foot…soldiers；　a　third　had　to　supply　horses；　a　fourth；　transports　for　the　horse　and　men　likewise　for　the　transport　service；　a　fifth；　ships　of　war　towards　the　bridges；　a　sixth；　ships　and　provisions。　　　　　And　in　the　first　place；　because　the　former　fleet　had　met　with　so　great　a　disaster　about　Athos；　preparations　were　made；　by　the　space　of　about　three　years；　in　that　quarter。　A　fleet　of　triremes　lay　at　Elaeus　in　the　Chersonese；　and　from　this　station　detachments　were　sent　by　the　various　nations　whereof　the　army　was　composed；　which　relieved　one　another　at　intervals；　and　worked　at　a　trench　beneath　the　lash　of　taskmasters；　while　the　people　dwelling　about　Athos　bore　likewise　a　part　in　the　labour。　Two　Persians；　Bubares；　the　son　of　Megabazus；　and　Artachaees；　the　son　of　Artaeus；　super