ans poured libations in
honour of the heroes: and after they had done this, a fear fell upon
the army in the night. Then at break of day he set forth from thence,
keeping on his left hand the cities of Rhoition and Ophryneion and
Dardanos, which last borders upon Abydos, and having on the right hand
the Gergith Teucrians.

44. When Xerxes had come into the midst of Abydos, 45 he had a desire to
see all the army; and there had been made purposely for him beforehand
upon a hill in this place a raised seat of white stone, 46 which the
people of Abydos had built at the command of the king given beforehand.
There he took his seat, and looking down upon the shore he gazed both
upon the land-army and the ships; and gazing upon them he had a longing
to see a contest take place between the ships; and when it had taken
place and the Phenicians of Sidon were victorious, he was delighted both
with the contest and with the whole armament.

45. And seeing all the Hellespont covered over with the ships, and all
the shores and the plains of Abydos full of men, then Xerxes pronounced
himself a happy man, and after that he fell to weeping.

46. Artabanos his uncle therefore perceiving him,--the same who at
first boldly declared his opinion advising Xerxes not to march against
Hellas,--this man, I say, having observed that Xerxes wept, asked as
follows: "O king, how far different from one another are the things
which thou hast done now and a short while before now! for having
pronounced thyself a happy man, thou art now shedding tears." He said:
"Yea, for after I had reckoned up, it came into my mind to feel pity at
the thought how brief was the whole life of man, seeing that of these
multitudes not one will be alive when a hundred years have gone by." He
then made answer and said: "To another evil more pitiful than this we
are made subject in the course of our life; for in the period of life,
short as it is, no man, either of these here or of others, is made by
nature so happy, that there will not come to him many times, and not
once only, the desire to be dead rather than to live; for misfortunes
falling upon us and diseases disturbing our happiness make the time
of life, though short indeed, seem long: thus, since life is full of
trouble, death has become the most acceptable refuge for man; and God,
having given him to taste of the sweetness of life, is discovered in
this matter to be full of jealousy."

47. Xerxes made answer sayi