HERODOTUS

BOOK VIII. 113-114winter in Thessaly, and then attack the Peloponnesein the spring. When they were arrived in Thessaly,Mardonius there chose out first all the Persianscalled Immortals, save only Hydarnes their general,who said that he would not quit the king's person ;and next, the Persian cuirassiers, and the thousandhorse, 1 and the Medes and Sacae and Bactrians andIndians, alike their footmen and the rest of thehorsemen. He chose these nations entire ;of therest of his allies he picked out a few from eachpeople, the goodliest men and those that he knewto have done some good service ;but the Persiansthat he chose (men that wore torques and bracelets) 2were more in number than those of any other nation,and next to them the Medes ;these indeed were asmany as the Persians, but not so stout fighters.Thereby the whole number, with the horsemen,grew to three hundred thousand men.114. Now while Mardonius was making choice ofhis army and Xerxes was in Thessaly, there came anoracle from Delphi to the Lacedaemonians, that theyshould demand justice of Xerxes for the slaying ofLeonidas, and take what answer he should givethem. The Spartans then sent a herald with allspeed who ; finding the army yet undivided inThessaly, came into Xerxes' presence and thusspoke " The Lacedaemonians and the Heraclidae:of Sparta demand of you, king of the Medes ! thatyou pay the penalty for the death of their king,whom you slew while he defended Hellas." Atthat Xerxes laughed ;and after a long while he1 Two regimentsvii. 40 and 55of a thousand horse are mentioned inacp. vi. 83.H7