Histories

After he passed by all his fleet and disembarked from the ship, he sent for Demaratus[*](The exiled king of Sparta [22.4417,37.0667] (Perseus) Sparta; see Hdt. 7.3.) son of Ariston, who was on the expedition with him against Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas. He summoned him and said, “Demaratus, it is now my pleasure to ask you what I wish to know. You are a Greek, and, as I am told both by you and by the other Greeks whom I have talked to, a man from neither the least nor the weakest of Greek cities.

So tell me: will the Greeks offer battle and oppose me? I think that even if all the Greeks and all the men of the western lands were assembled together, they are not powerful enough to withstand my attack, unless they are united.

Still I want to hear from you what you say of them.” To this question Demaratus answered, “O king, should I speak the truth or try to please you?” Xerxes bade him speak the truth and said that it would be no more unpleasant for him than before.