Histories

“Lacedaemonians, the Athenians ask you to come to their aid and not allow the most ancient city among the Hellenes to fall into slavery at the hands of the foreigners. Even now +Eretria [23.8083,38.3917] (Perseus) Eretria has been enslaved, and Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas has become weaker by an important city.”

He told them what he had been ordered to say, and they resolved to send help to the Athenians, but they could not do this immediately, for they were unwilling to break the law. It was the ninth day of the rising month, and they said that on the ninth they could not go out to war until the moon's circle was full.[*](This statement probably applies only to the month Carneius (Attic Metageitnion), when the Carneia was celebrated at Sparta [22.4417,37.0667] (Perseus) Sparta in honor of Apollo, from the 7th to the 15th of the month.)

So they waited for the full moon, while the foreigners were guided to Marathon by Hippias son of Pisistratus. The previous night Hippias had a dream in which he slept with his mother.

He supposed from the dream that he would return from exile to Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens, recover his rule, and end his days an old man in his own country. Thus he reckoned from the dream. Then as guide he unloaded the slaves from +Eretria [23.8083,38.3917] (Perseus) Eretria onto the island of the Styrians called Aegilia, and brought to anchor the ships that had put ashore at Marathon, then marshalled the foreigners who had disembarked onto land.

As he was tending to this, he happened to sneeze and cough more violently than usual. Since he was an elderly man, most of his teeth were loose, and he lost one of them by the force of his cough. It fell into the sand and he expended much effort in looking for it, but the tooth could not be found.

He groaned aloud and said to those standing by him: “This land is not ours and we will not be able to subdue it. My tooth holds whatever share of it was mine.”