The histories of Herodotus;

484 HERODOTUS—BOOK VIII, URANIA [130-133
rior. While they were at Samos they at the same time consulted
together whether they could do the enemy any damage,
and listened anxiously for news of how the affairs of Mardonius
would succeed. The approach of spring, and Mardonius
being in Thessaly, aroused the Grecians. Their land
forces were not yet assembled ; but their fleet arrived at
^Egina, in number one hundred and ten ships. Their leader
and admiral was Leotychides, son of Menares, son of Agesilaus,
son of Hippocratides, son of Leotychides, son of Anaxilaus,
son of Archidamus, son of Anaxandrides, son of Theopompus,
son of Nicander, son of Charillus, son of Eunomus,
son of Polydectes, son of Prytanis, son of Euryphon, son of
Procles, son of Aristodemus, son of Aristomachus, son of
Cleodaeus, son of Hyllus, son of Hercules : he was of the second
branch of the royal family. All these, except the two mentioned
first after Leotychides, were Kings of Sparta. Xanthippus,
son of Ariphron, commanded the Athenians. When
all these ships were assembled at ^Egina, ambassadors from
the Ionians arrived at the encampment of the Greeks ; who
a short time before had gone to Sparta, and entreated the Lacedaemonians
to liberate Ionia; and among them was Herodotus,
son of Basilides. These, who were originally seven in
number, having conspired together, formed a plan of putting
Strattis, the tyrant of Chios, to death; but as they were detected
in their plot, one of the accomplices having given information
of the attempt, thereupon the rest, being six, withdrew
from Chios and went to Sparta, and at the present time
to yEgina, beseeching the Greeks to sail down to Ionia ; they
with difficulty prevailed on them to advance as far as Delos.
For all beyond that was dreaded by the Greeks, who were
unacquainted with those countries, and thought all parts were
full of troops ; Samos, they were convinced in their imagina-
tions, was as far distant as the Columns of Hercules. Thus it
fell out that at the same time the barbarians durst not sail
farther westward than Samos ; nor the Greeks, though the
Chians besought them, farther eastward than Delos. Thus
fear protected the midway between them.
The Greeks, then, sailed to Delos, and Mardonius was in
winter quarters about Thessaly. When preparing to set out
from thence, he sent a man, a native of Europus, whose name
was Mys, to consult the oracles, with orders to go everywhere
and consult all that it was possible for him to inquire of.
What he wished to learn from the oracles when he gave these
orders I am unable to say, for it is not related ; I am of opinion,
however, that he sent to inquire about the affairs then