herodotus

supposing that they go with us, either they must prove themselvesdoers of great wrong, if they join in reducing their mother city toslavery, or doers of great right, if they join in freeing her: now ifthey show themselves doers of great wrong, they bring us no very largegain in addition; but if they show themselves doers of great right,they are able then to cause much damage to thy army. Therefore lay toheart also the ancient saying, how well it has been said that at thefirst beginning of things the end does not completely appear." 52. Tothis Xerxes made answer: "Artabanos, of all the opinions which thouhast uttered, thou art mistaken most of all in this; seeing that thoufearest lest the Ionians should change side, about whom we have a mostsure proof, of which thou art a witness thyself and also the rest arewitnesses who went with Dareios on his march against the Scythians,--namely this, that the whole Persian army then came to be dependentupon these men, whether they would destroy or whether they would saveit, and they displayed righteous dealing and trustworthiness, andnought at all that was unfriendly. Besides this, seeing that they haveleft children and wives and wealth in our land, we must not evenimagine that they will make any rebellion.[50] Fear not then thisthing either, but have a good heart and keep safe my house and mygovernment; for to thee of all men I entrust my sceptre of rule."53. Having thus spoken and having sent Artabanos back to Susa, nextXerxes summoned to his presence the men of most repute among thePersians, and when they were come before him, he spoke to them asfollows: "Persians, I assembled you together desiring this of you,that ye should show yourselves good men and should not disgrace thedeeds done in former times by the Persians, which are great andglorious; but let us each one of us by himself, and all together also,be zealous in our enterprise; for this which we labour for is a commongood for all. And I exhort you that ye preserve in the war withoutrelaxing your efforts, because, as I am informed, we are marchingagainst good men, and if we shall overcome them, there will not be anyother army of men which will ever stand against us. Now therefore letus begin the crossing, after having made prayer to those gods who havethe Persians[51] for their allotted charge."54. During this day then they were making preparation to cross over;and on the next day they waited for the Sun, desiring to see him rise,and in the meantime they offered all kinds of incense upon the bridgesand strewed the way with branches of myrtle. Then, as the Sun wasrising, Xerxes made libation from a golden cup into the sea, andprayed to the Sun, that no accident might befall him such as shouldcause him to cease from subduing Europe, until he had come to itsfurthest limits. After having thus prayed he threw the cup into theHellespont and with it a golden mixing-bowl and a Persian sword, which