herodotus

money, were being besieged: and Themistocles not ceasing in his desirefor gain sent threatening messages to the other islands and asked themfor money by the same envoys, employing those whom he had before sentto the king;[81] and he said that if they did not give that which wasdemanded of them, he would bring the fleet of the Hellenes againstthem to besiege and take them. Thus saying he collected great sums ofmoney from the Carystians and the Parians, who being informed howAndros was being besieged, because it had taken the side of the Medes,and how Themistocles was held in more regard than any of the othercommanders, sent money for fear of this. Whether any others of theislanders also gave money I am not able to say, but I think that someothers gave and not these alone. Yet to the Carystians at least therewas no respite from the evil on this account, but the Parians escapedthe attack, because they propitiated Themistocles with money. ThusThemistocles with Andros as his starting-point was acquiring sums ofmoney for himself from the men of the islands without the knowledge ofthe other commanders.113. Xerxes meanwhile with his army stayed for a few days after thesea-fight, and then they all began to march forth towards Bœotia bythe same way by which they had come: for Mardonios thought both thatit was well for him to escort the king on his way, and also that itwas now too late in the year to carry on the war; it was better, hethought, to winter in Thessaly and then at the beginning of spring toattempt the Peloponnese. When he came to Thessaly, then Mardonioschose out for himself first all those Persians who are called"Immortals," except only their commander Hydarnes (for Hydarnes saidthat he would not be left behind by the king), and after them of theother Persians those who wore cuirasses, and the body of a thousandhorse: also the Medes, Sacans, Bactrians and Indians, foot andhorsemen both.[82] These nations he chose in the mass,[83] but fromthe other allies he selected by few at a time, choosing whose who hadfine appearance of those of whom he knew that they had done goodservice. From the Persians he chose more than from any other singlenation, and these wore collars of twisted metal and bracelets; andafter them came the Medes, who in fact were not inferior in number tothe Persians, but only in bodily strength. The result was that therewere thirty myriads in all, including cavalry.114. During this time, while Mardonios was selecting his army andXerxes was in Thessaly, there had come an oracle from Delphi to theLacedemonians, bidding them ask satisfaction from Xerxes for themurder of Leonidas and accept that which should be given by him. TheSpartans therefore sent a herald as quickly as possible, who havingfound the whole army still in Thessaly came into the presence ofXerxes and spoke these words: "O king of the Medes, the Lacedemonians