Histories

This is how you would best please me: when I declare the time for your coming, every one of you must eagerly appear; and whoever comes with his army best equipped will receive from me such gifts as are reckoned most precious among us.

Thus it must be done; but so that I not seem to you to have my own way, I lay the matter before you all, and bid whoever wishes to declare his opinion.” So spoke Xerxes and ceased.

After him Mardonius said: “Master, you surpass not only all Persians that have been but also all that shall be; besides having dealt excellently and truly with all other matters, you will not suffer the Ionians [*](To an oriental all Greeks alike were “Ionians,” Persian Yauna; cp. the “Javan” of the Bible. In Aristoph. Ach. 104 the Persian ambassador addresses a Greek as xauno/prwkt *iaonau=.) who dwell in Europe (continent)Europe to laugh at us, which they have no right to do.