herodotus

the only man who came forward to dissuade him, now came forward tourge on the design.19. Xerxes being thus desirous to make the expedition, there came tohim after this a third vision in his sleep, which the Magians, whenthey heard it, explained to have reference to the dominion of thewhole Earth and to mean that all men should be subject to him; and thevision was this:--Xerxes thought that he had been crowned with awreath of an olive-branch and that the shoots growing from the olivetreecovered the whole Earth; and after that, the wreath, placed as itwas about his head, disappeared. When the Magians had thus interpretedthe vision, forthwith every man of the Persians who had been assembledtogether departed to his own province and was zealous by all means toperform the commands, desiring each one to receive for himself thegifts which had been proposed: and thus Xerxes was gathering his armytogether, searching every region of the continent. 20. During fourfull years from the conquest of Egypt he was preparing the army andthe things that were of service for the army, and in the course of thefifth year[20] he began his campaign with a host of great multitude.For of all the armies of which we have knowledge this proved to be byfar the greatest; so that neither that led by Dareios against theScythians appears anything as compared with it, nor the Scythian host,when the Scythians pursuing the Kimmerians made invasion of the Medianland and subdued and occupied nearly all the upper parts of Asia, forwhich invasion afterwards Dareios attempted to take vengeance, northat led by the sons of Atreus to Ilion, to judge by that which isreported of their expedition, nor that of the Mysians and Teucrians,before the Trojan war, who passed over into Europe by the Bosphorusand not only subdued all the Thracians, but came down also as far asthe Ionian Sea[21] and marched southwards to the river Peneios. 21.All these expeditions put together, with others, if there be any,added to them,[22] are not equal to this one alone. For what nationdid Xerxes not lead out of Asia against Hellas? and what water was notexhausted, being drunk by his host, except only the great rivers? Forsome supplied ships, and others were appointed to serve in the landarmy;to some it was appointed to furnish cavalry, and to othersvessels to carry horses, while they served in the expeditionthemselves also;[23] others were ordered to furnish ships of war forthe bridges, and others again ships with provisions.22. Then in the first place, since the former fleet had suffereddisaster in sailing round Athos, preparations had been going on forabout three years past with regard to Athos: for triremes lay atanchor at Elaius in the Chersonese, and with this for their startingpoint men of all nations belonging to the army worked at digging,compelled by the lash; and the men went to the work regularly in