herodotus

friendliness which is offered to him, but rather that he will acceptit with full contentment.[97] And I do not profess that I am able tofight either with ten men or with two, nay, if I had my will, I wouldnot even fight with one; but if there were necessity or if the causewhich urged me to the combat were a great one, I would fight mostwillingly with one of these men who says that he is a match for threeof the Hellenes. So also the Lacedemonians are not inferior to any menwhen fighting one by one, and they are the best of all men whenfighting in a body: for though free, yet they are not free in allthings, for over them is set Law as a master, whom they fear much moreeven than thy people fear thee. It is certain at least that they dowhatsoever that master commands; and he commands ever the same thing,that is to say, he bids them not flee out of battle from any multitudeof men, but stay in their post and win the victory or lose their life.But if when I say these things I seem to thee to be speaking atrandom, of other things for the future I prefer to be silent; and atthis time I spake only because I was compelled. May it come to passhowever according to thy mind, O king."105. He thus made answer, and Xerxes turned the matter to laughter andfelt no anger, but dismissed him with kindness. Then after he hadconversed with him, and had appointed Mascames son of Megadostes to begovernor at this place Doriscos, removing the governor who had beenappointed by Dareios, Xerxes marched forth his army through Thrace toinvade Hellas. 106. And Mascames, whom he left behind here, proved tobe a man of such qualities that to him alone Xerxes used to sendgifts, considering him the best of all the men whom either he himselfor Dareios had appointed to be governors,--he used to send him gifts,I say, every year, and so also did Artaxerxes the son of Xerxes to thedescendants of Mascames. For even before this march governors had beenappointed in Thrace and everywhere about the Hellespont; and theseall, both those in Thrace and in the Hellespont, were conquered by theHellenes after this expedition, except only the one who was atDoriscos; but Mascames at Doriscos none were ever[98] able to conquer,though many tried. For this reason the gifts are sent continually forhim from the king who reigns over the Persians. 107. Of those howeverwho were conquered by the Hellenes Xerxes did not consider any to be agood man except only Boges, who was at Eïon: him he never ceasedcommending, and he honoured very highly his children who survived himin the land of Persia. For in truth Boges proved himself worthy ofgreat commendation, seeing that when he was besieged by the Atheniansunder Kimon the son of Miltiades, though he might have gone forthunder a truce and so returned home to Asia, he preferred not to dothis, for fear that the king should that it was by cowardice that hesurvived; and he continued to hold out till the last. Then when therewas no longer any supply of provisions within the wall, he heaped