herodotus

deed, while thou art still young; seeing that as the body grows thespirit grows old also with it, and is blunted for every kind ofaction." Thus she spoke according to instructions received, and heanswered thus: "Woman, thou hast said all the things which I myselfhave in mind to do; for I have made the plan to yoke together a bridgefrom this continent to the other and to make expedition against theScythians, and these designs will be by way of being fulfilled withina little time." Then Atossa said: "Look now,--forbear to go firstagainst the Scythians, for these will be in thy power whenever thoudesirest: but do thou, I pray thee, make an expedition against Hellas;for I am desirous to have Lacedemonian women and Argive and Athenianand Corinthian, for attendants, because I hear of them by report: andthou hast the man who of all men is most fitted to show thee allthings which relate to Hellas and to be thy guide, that man, I mean,who healed thy foot." Dareios made answer: "Woman, since it seems goodto thee that we should first make trial of Hellas, I think it betterto send first to them men of the Persians together with him of whomthou speakest, to make investigation, that when these have learnt andseen, they may report each several thing to us; and then I shall go toattack them with full knowledge of all."135. Thus he said, and he proceeded to do the deed as he spoke theword: for as soon as day dawned, he summoned fifteen Persians, men ofrepute, and bade them pass through the coasts of Hellas in companywith Demokedes, and take care not to let Demokedes escape from them,but bring him back at all costs. Having thus commanded them, next hesummoned Demokedes himself and asked him to act as a guide for thewhole of Hellas and show it to the Persians, and then return back: andhe bade him take all his movable goods and carry them as gifts to hisfather and his brothers, saying that he would give him in their placemany times as much; and besides this, he said, he would contribute tothe gifts a merchant ship filled with all manner of goods, whichshould sail with him. Dareios, as it seems to me, promised him thesethings with no crafty design; but Demokedes was afraid that Dareioswas making trial of him, and did not make haste to accept all that wasoffered, but said that he would leave his own things where they were,so that he might have them when he came back; he said however that heaccepted the merchant ship which Dareios promised him for the presentsto his brothers. Dareios then, having thus given command to him also,sent them away to the sea. 136. So these, when they had gone down toPhenicia and in Phenicia to the city of Sidon, forthwith manned twotriremes, and besides them they also filled a large ship of burdenwith all manner of goods. Then when they had made all things readythey set sail for Hellas, and touching at various places they saw thecoast regions of it and wrote down a description, until at last, whenthey had seen the greater number of the famous places, they came to