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tantly　did　he　expect　that　it　would　give　occasion　to　some　project　like　that　which　I　now　recommend　to　thee。　I　mean　not　to　say　that　he　had　a　foreknowledge　of　thy　attack　upon　Greece；　but　in　truth　he　feared　all　armaments。　Send　thy　ships　then　to　this　island；　and　thence　affright　the　Spartans。　If　once　they　have　a　war　of　their　own　close　to　their　doors；　fear　not　their　giving　any　help　to　the　rest　of　the　Greeks　while　thy　land　force　is　engaged　in　conquering　them。　In　this　way　may　all　Greece　be　subdued；　and　then　Sparta；　left　to　herself；　will　be　powerless。　But　if　thou　wilt　not　take　this　advice；　I　will　tell　thee　what　thou　mayest　look　to　see。　When　thou　comest　to　the　Peloponnese；　thou　wilt　find　a　narrow　neck　of　land；　where　all　the　Peloponnesians　who　are　leagued　against　thee　will　be　gathered　together；　and　there　thou　wilt　have　to　fight　bloodier　battles　than　any　which　thou　hast　yet　witnessed。　If；　however；　thou　wilt　follow　my　plan；　the　Isthmus　and　the　cities　of　Peloponnese　will　yield　to　thee　without　a　battle。〃　　　　　Achaeamenes；　who　was　present；　now　took　the　word；　and　spoke…　he　was　brother　to　Xerxes；　and；　having　the　command　of　the　fleet；　feared　lest　Xerxes　might　be　prevailed　upon　to　do　as　Demaratus　advised　〃I　perceive；　O　king〃　（he　said）；　〃that　thou　art　listening　to　the　words　of　a　man　who　is　envious　of　thy　good　fortune；　and　seeks　to　betray　thy　cause。　This　is　indeed　the　common　temper　of　the　Grecian　people…　they　envy　good　fortune；　and　hate　power　greater　than　their　own。　If　in　this　posture　of　our　affairs；　after　we　have　lost　four　hundred　vessels　by　shipwreck；　three　hundred　more　be　sent　away　to　make　a　voyage　round　the　Peloponnese；　our　enemies　will　be；　come　a　match　for　us。　But　let　us　keep　our　whole　fleet　in　one　body；　and　it　will　be　dangerous　for　them　to　venture　on　an　attack；　as　they　will　certainly　be　no　match　for　us　then。　Besides；　while　our　sea　and　land　forces　advance　together；　the　fleet　and　army　can　each　help　the　other；　but　if　they　be　parted；　no　aid　will　come　either　from　thee　to　the　fleet；　or　from　the　fleet　to　thee。　Only　order　thy　own　matters　well；　and　trouble　not　thyself　to　inquire　concerning　the　enemy…　where　they　will　fight；　or　what　they　will　do；　or　how　many　they　are。　Surely　they　can　manage　their　own　concerns　without　us；　as　we　can　ours　without　them。　If　the　Lacedaemonians　come　out　against　the　Persians　to　battle；　they　will　scarce　repair　the　disaster　which　has　befallen　them　now。〃　　　　　Xerxes　replied…　〃Achaeamenes；　thy　counsel　pleases　me　well；　and　I　will　do　as　thou　sayest。　But　Demaratus　advised　what　he　thought　best…　only　his　judgment　was　not　so　good　as　thine。　Never　will　I　believe　that　he　does　not　wish　well　to　my　cause；　for　that　is　disproved　both　by　his　former　counsels；　and　also　by　the　circumstances　of　the　case。　A　citizen　does　indeed　envy　any　fellow…citizen　who　is　more　lucky　than　himself；　and　often　hates　him　secretly；　if　such　a　man　be　called　on　for　counsel；　he　will　not　give　his　best　thoughts；　unless　indeed　he　be　a　man　of　very　exalted　virtue；　and　such　are　but　rarely　found。　But　a　friend　of　another　country　delights　in　the　good　fortune　of　his　foreign　bond…friend；　and　will　give　him；　when　asked；　the　best　advice　in　his　power。　Therefore　I　warn　all　men　to　abstain　henceforth　from　speaking　ill　of　Demaratus；　who　is　my　bond…friend。〃　　　　　When　Xerxes　had　thus　spoken；　he　proceeded　to　pass　through　the　slain；　and　finding　the　body　of　Leonidas；　whom　he　knew　to　have　been　the　Lacedaemonian　king　and　captain；　he　ordered　that　the　head　should　be　struck　off；　and　the　trunk　fastened　to　a　cross。　This　proves　to　me　most　clearly；　what　is　plain　also　in　many　other　ways…　namely；　that　King　Xerxes　was　more　angry　with　Leonidas；　while　he　was　still　in　life；　than　with　any　other　mortal。　Certes；　he　would　not　else　have　used　his　body　so　shamefully。　For　the　Persians　are　wont　to　honour　those　who　show　themselves　valiant　in　fight　more　highly　than　any　nation　that　I　know。　They；　however；　to　whom　the　orders　were　given；　did　according　to　the　commands　of　the　king。　　　　　I　return　now　to　a　point　in　my　History；　which　at　the　time　I　left　incomplete。　The　Lacedaemonians　were　the　first　of　the　Greeks　to　hear　of　the　king's　design　against　their　country；　and　it　was　at　this　time　that　they　sent　to　consult　the　Delphic　oracle；　and　received　the　answer　of　which　I　spoke　a　while　ago。　The　discovery　was　made　to　them　in　a　very　strange　way。　Demaratus；　the　son　of　Ariston；　after　he　took　refuge　with　the　Medes；　was　not；　in　my　judgment；　which　is　supported　by　probability；　a　well…wisher　to　the　Lacedaemonians。　It　may　be　questioned；　therefore；　whether　he　did　what　I　am　about　to　mention　from　good…will　or　from　insolent　triumph。　It　happened　that　he　was　at　Susa　at　the　time　when　Xerxes　determined　to　lead　his　army　into　Greece；　and　in　this　way　becoming　acquainted　with　his　design；　he　resolved　to　send　tidings　of　it　to　Sparta。　So　as　there　was　no　other　way　of　effecting　his　purpose；　since　the　danger　of　being　discovered　was　great；　Demaratus　framed　the　following　contrivance。　He　took　a　pair　of　tablets；　and；　clearing　the　wax　away　from　them；　wrote　what　the　king　was　purposing　to　do　upon　the　wood　whereof　the　tablets　were　made；　having　done　this；　he　spread　the　wax　once　more　over　the　writing；　and　so　sent　it。　By　these　means；　the　guards　placed　to　watch　the　roads；　observing　nothing　but　a　blank　tablet；　were　sure　to　give　no　trouble　to　the　bearer。　When　the　tablet　reached　Lacedaemon；　there　was　no　one；　I　understand；　who　could　find　out　the　secret；　till　Gorgo；　the　daughter　of　Cleomenes　and　wife　of　Leonidas；　discovered　it；　and　told　the　others。　〃If　they　would　scrape　the　wax　off　the　tablet；〃　she　said；　〃they　would　be　sure　to　find　the　writing　upon　the　wood。〃　The　Lacedaemonians　took　her　advice；　found　the　writing；　and　read　it；　after　which　they　sent　it　round　to　the　other　Greeks。　Such　then　is　the　account　which　is　given　of　this　matter。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　The　Eighth　Book；　Entitled　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　URANIA

　　　　THE　Greeks　engaged　in　the　sea…service　were　the　following。　The　Athenians　furnished　a　hundred　and　twenty…seven　vessels　to　the　fleet；　which　were　manned　in　part　by　the　Plataeans；　who；　though　unskilled　in　such　matters；　were　led　by　their　active　and　daring　spirit　to　undertake　this　duty；　the　Corinthians　furnished　a　contingent　of　forty　vessels；　the　Megarians　sent　twenty；　the　Chalcideans　also　manned　twenty；　which　had　been　furnished　to　them　by　the　Athenians；　the　Eginetans　came　with　eighteen；　the　Sicyonians　with　twelve；　the　Lacedaemonians　with　ten；　the　Epidaurians　with　eight；　the　Eretrians　with　seven；　the　Troezenians　with　five；　the　Styreans　with　two；　and　the　Ceans　with　two　triremes　and　two　penteconters。　Last　of　all；　the　Locrians　of　Opus　came　in　aid　with　a　squadron　of　seven　penteconters。　　　　　Such　were　the　nations　which　furnished　vessels　to　the　fleet　now　at　Artemisium；　and　in　mentioning　them　I　have　given　the　number　of　ships　furnished　by　each。　The　total　number　of　the　ships　thus　brought　together；　without　counting　the　penteconters；　was　two　hundred　and　seventy…one；　and　the　captain；　who　had　the　chief　command　over　the　whole　fleet；　was　Eurybiades　the　son　of　Eurycleides。　He　was　furnished　by　Sparta；　since　the　allies　had　said　that　〃if　a　Lacedaemonian　did　not　take　the　command；　they　would　break　up　the　fleet；　for　never　would　they　serve　under　the　Athenians。〃　　　　　From　the　first；　even　earlier　than　the　time　when　the　embassy　went　to　Sicily　to　solicit　alliance；　there　had　been　a　talk　of　intrusting　the　Athenians　with　the　command　at　sea；　but　the　allies　were　averse　to　the　plan；　wherefore　the　Athenians　did　not　press　it；　for　there　was　nothing　they　had　so　much　at　heart　as　the　salvation　of　Greece；　and　they　knew　that；　if　they　quarrelled　among　themselves　about　the　command；　Greece　would　be　brought　to　ruin。　Herein　they　judged　rightly；　for　internal　strife　is　a　thing　as　much　worse　than　war　carried　on　by　a　united　people；　as　war　itself　is　worse　than　peace。　The　Athenians　therefore；　being　so　persuaded；　did　not　push　their　claims；　but　waived　them；　so　long　as　they　were　in　such　great　need　of　aid　from　the　other　Greeks。　And　they　afterwards　showed　their　motive；　for　at　the　time　when　the　Persians　had　been　driven　from　Greece；　and　were　now　threatened　by　the　Greeks　in　their　own　country；　they　took　occasion　of　the　insolence　of　Pausanias　to　deprive　the　Lacedaemonians　of　their　leadership。　This；　however；　happened　afterwards。　　　　　At　the　present　time　the　Greeks；　on　their　arrival　at　Artemisium；　when　they　saw　the　number　of　the　ships　which　lay　at　anchor　near　Aphetae；　and　the　abundance　of　troops　everywhere；　feeling　disappointed　that　matters　had　gone　with　the　barbarians　so　far　otherwise　than　they　had　expected；　and　full　of　alarm　at　what　they　saw；　began　to　speak　of　drawing　back　from　Artemisium　towards　the　inner　parts　of　their　country。　So　when　the　Euboeans　heard　what　was　in　debate；　they　went　to　Eurybiades；　and　besought　him　to　wait　a　few　days；　while　they　removed　their　children　and　their　slaves　to　a　place　of　safety。　But；　as　they　found　that　they　prevailed　nothing；　they　left　him　and　went　to　Themistocles；　the　Athenian　commander；　to　whom　they　gave　a　bribe　of　thirty　talents；　on　his　promise　that　the　fleet　should　remain　and　risk　a　battle　in　defence　of　Euboea。　　　　　And　Themistocles　succeeded　in　detaining　the　fleet　in　the　way　which　I　will　now　relate。　He　made　over　to　Eurybiades　five　talents　out　of　the　thirty　paid　him；　which　he　gave　as　if　they　came　from　himself；　and　havin