hem from no one at all. Now therefore be
well assured of this:--if thou do not make thy march forthwith, there
shall thence spring up for thee this result, namely that, as thou didst
in short time become great and mighty, so also thou shalt speedily be
again brought low."

15. Xerxes then, being very greatly disturbed by fear of the vision,
started up from his bed and sent a messenger to summon Artabanos; to
whom when he came Xerxes spoke thus: "Artabanos, at the first I was
not discreet, when I spoke to thee foolish words on account of thy good
counsel; but after no long time I changed my mind and perceived that I
ought to do these things which thou didst suggest to me. I am not able
however to do them, although I desire it; for indeed, now that I have
turned about and changed my mind, a dream appears haunting me and by no
means approving that I should do so; and just now it has left me even
with a threat. If therefore it is God who sends it to me, and it is his
absolute will and pleasure that an army should go against Hellas, this
same dream will fly to thee also, laying upon thee a charge such as it
has laid upon me; and it occurs to my mind that this might happen thus,
namely if thou shouldst take all my attire and put it on, and then seat
thyself on my throne, and after that lie down to sleep in my bed."

16. Xerxes spoke to him thus; and Artabanos was not willing to obey the
command at first, since he did not think himself worthy to sit upon
the royal throne; but at last being urged further he did that which was
commanded, first having spoken these words: (a) "It is equally good in
my judgment, O king, whether a man has wisdom himself or is willing to
follow the counsel of him who speaks well: and thou, who hast attained
to both these good things, art caused to err by the communications of
evil men; just as they say that the Sea, which is of all things the
most useful to men, is by blasts of winds falling upon it prevented from
doing according to its own nature. I however, when I was evil spoken of
by thee, was not so much stung with pain for this, as because, when
two opinions were laid before the Persians, the one tending to increase
wanton insolence and the other tending to check it and saying that it
was a bad thing to teach the soul to endeavour always to have something
more than the present possession,--because, I say, when such opinions as
these were laid before us, thou didst choose that one which was the