The histories of Herodotus;

478 HERODOTUS—BOOK VIII, URANIA [111-114
these deities, would not give any money; for that the power
of the Athenians would never prove superior to their inabil-
ity. They then, having made this answer, and refused to
give money, were besieged. Themistocles, for he never ceased
coveting more wealth, sending threatening messages to the
other islands, demanded money by the same persons, using
the same language he had used with the Andrians ; saying
that, unless they gave what was demanded, he would lead the
forces of the Greeks against them, and would besiege and
destroy them. By saying this he collected large sums from the
Carystians and the Parians ; who being informed respecting
Andros that it was besieged for siding with the Mede, and
with regard to Themistocles, that he was in the greatest reputation
of the generals, alarmed at these things, sent money.
Whether any other of the islanders gave it I am unable to
say ; but I am of opinion that some others did, and not these
only. However, the Carystians did not by these means at all
defer calamity; though the Parians, having conciliated Themistocles
with money, escaped a visit from the army. Themistocles
accordingly, setting out from Andros, obtained
money from the islanders unknown to the other generals.
The army with Xerxes having stayed a few days after the
sea-fight, marched back into Bceotia by the same way, for it
appeared to Mardonius both that he should escort the king
and that the season of the year was unfit for military operations
; and that it would be better to winter in Thessaly, and
to make an attempt on the Peloponnesus early in the spring.
When he arrived in Thessaly, Mardonius there selected, first,
all the Persians who are called Immortals, except Hydarnes,
their general, for he declared he would not leave the king;
after these, out of the rest of the Persians, the cuirassiers, and
the body of a thousand horse, and the Medes, Sacse, Bactrians,
and Indians, both infantry and cavalry, he chose these whole
nations ; but from the rest of the allies he selected a few, choos-
ing such as were of a good stature, or by whom he knew some
gallant action had been performed. Among them, he chose
the greatest part of the Persians, who wore necklaces and
bracelets ; next to them, the Medes ; these were not less numerous
than the Persians, but were inferior in strength. Thus
the whole, together with the cavalry, made up the number of
three hundred thousand. At this time, while Mardonius was
selecting his army, and Xerxes was in Thessaly, an oracle
came to the Lacedaemonians from Delphi, admonishing them
to demand satisfaction of Xerxes for the death of Leonidas,
and to accept whatever should be given by him. Accordingly,