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mained at their post, while some ran to the generals, and having arrived told them, "that a man had come on horseback from the camp of the Medes, who uttered not a word more, but, naming the generals, said he wished to confer with them." 45. When they heard this, they immediately followed to the out-posts; and on their arrival Alexander addressed them as follows: "O Athenians, I leave these words with you as a deposit, entreating you to keep them secret, and not tell them to any other than Pausanias, lest you should even ruin me. For I should not utter them, were I not extremely concerned for the safety of all Greece; for I am both myself a Grecian originally, and would by no means wish to see Greece enslaved instead of free. I tell you, then, that the victims have not been favourable to Mardonius and his army, or else you would have fought long ago; but now, he has determined to dismiss the victims, and to come to an engagement at dawn of day; fearing, as I conjecture, lest you should assemble in greater numbers. Therefore be ready. But if Mardonius should defer the engagement, and not undertake it, do you persevere remaining where you are, for in a few days provisions will fail him. And if this war should terminate according to your wishes, it is right that you should bear it in mind to effect my freedom, who on behalf of the Greeks have undertaken so hazardous a task, out of zeal for them, wishing to acquaint you with the intention of Mardonius, in order that the barbarians may not fall upon you unexpectedly. I am Alexander the Macedonian." He, having spoken thus, rode back to the camp and his own station.

46. The generals of the Athenians, having gone to the right wing, told Pausanias what they had heard from Alexander; but he, on receiving this intelligence, being in dread of the Persian, spoke thus: "Seeing an engagement will take place in the morning, it is proper that you Athenians should be placed opposite to the Persians, and we opposite to the Bootians and those Grecians who are now drawn up opposite to you, for this reason: you are acquainted with the Medes, and their manner of fighting, having fought with them at Marathon; whereas we are inexperienced in and unacquainted with those men, for no Spartan has ever made trial of the Medes; but we have made trial of the Boeotians and Thessalians. It is therefore right that you should take up your

arms and come to this wing, and we go to the left." To this the Athenians answered as follows: "To us also from the very first, when we saw the Persians drawn opposite to you, it occurred to mention the very thing which you have now been the first to propose; but we feared that the proposal might not be agreeable to you; since, however, you yourselves have mentioned it, the proposal is both agreeable to us, and we are ready to act accordingly. 47. As this pleased both parties, as soon as morning dawned they changed their stations: the Boeotians having perceived what was done, gave notice to Mardonius; and he, when he had heard it, immediately began to alter his order of battle, leading the Persians opposite to the Lacedæmonians. But when Pausanias observed that this was being done, perceiving that he was discovered, he led the Spartans back to the right wing; and Mardonius in like manner towards the left.

48. When they were stationed in their original positions, Mardonius, having sent a herald to the Spartans, spoke as follows: "O Lacedæmonians, you are said to be the bravest, by the people in these parts, who admire you exceedingly, because you neither fly from the field of battle, nor quit your ranks, but continuing firm, either kill your adversaries, or are killed yourselves. Of all this however nothing is true. For even before we engaged, and came to the decision of blows, we have seen you flying and quitting your ranks, leaving the first risk to the Athenians, and ranging yourselves against our slaves; this is by no means the conduct of brave men: we, then, have been very much deceived in you; for whereas we expected, on account of your renown, that you would have sent a herald to challenge us, and that you would be desirous of fighting with the Persians alone, though we were ready to accept these terms, we have found you proposing nothing of the kind, but rather shrinking from us. Now, therefore, since you have not begun this proposal, we will begin it; why, then, should not you, on the part of the Greeks, since you are deemed to be the bravest, and we, on the part of the barbarians, engage with equal numbers on both sides? If you think the rest ought also to fight, let them fight afterwards; but if you do not think so, and that we only are sufficient, we will fight it out; and whichever of us shall obtain the victory, let them be victorious for the whole army." 49. He having spoken thus,

and waited some time, when no one gave him any answer, returned back again, and on his arrival gave Mardonius an account of what had happened. But he, being above measure rejoiced and elated by a cold victory, sent his cavalry to charge the Greeks. When the horsemen rode up they harassed the whole Grecian army, hurling javelins and shooting arrows, since they were mounted archers, and very difficult to be brought to a close engagement; and they disturbed and choked up the fountain of Gargaphia, from which the whole Grecian army obtained water. Near this fountain the Lacedæmonians only were posted, but the fountain was farther off from the rest of the Greeks according as they severally happened to be stationed; but the Asopus was near. However, being repulsed from the Asopus, they then had recourse to the fountain; for it was impossible for them to get water from the river, by reason of the cavalry and the arrows.

50. When this happened, the generals of the Greeks, as the army was deprived of water and harassed by the cavalry, assembled together to deliberate on these and other matters, going to Pausanias on the right wing. For when these things were so, other circumstances troubled them still more; for they had no longer any provisions, and their attendants, who had been despatched to the Peloponnesus to get provisions, were shut out by the cavalry, and unable to reach the camp. 51. On consultation the generals resolved, if the Persians should defer making the attack on that day, to remove to the island. This island is ten stades distant from the Asopus and the fountain of Gargaphia, on which they were then encamped, before the city of the Plateans. Thus it is an island in the midst of the continent. For the river, dividing itself higher up, flows down to the plain from Mount Citharon, having its streams about three stades separate from each other; and then they unite together, and the name of it is Oëroë; the inhabitants say that she is the daughter of Asopus. To this place they determined to remove, that they might have an abundant supply of water, and the cavalry might not harass them, as when they were directly opposite. They determined to remove when it should be the second watch of the night, in order that the Persians might not see them setting out, and the cavalry might not follow and annoy them. They also resolved, that when they should arrive at this spot which the Asopian Oëroë

encompasses flowing from Citharon, they would on the same night send away one half of their forces to Citharon, in order to bring in the attendants who had gone for provisions; for they were shut up in Citharon. 52. Having taken these resolutions, during the whole of that day, they suffered incessant labour by the cavalry pressing on them; but when the day ended, and the cavalry had ceased to attack them, night having come, and it being the hour at which they had agreed to decamp, thereupon the greater part taking up their arms marched away, without any intention of going to the place agreed upon whilst others, as soon as they were put in motion, gladly fled from the cavalry towards the city of the Plateans; and in their flight they arrived at the temple of Juno: it stands before the city of the Plateans, twenty stades distant from the fountain of Gargaphia; and having arrived there, they stood to their arms before the sacred precinct. 53. They then encamped round the Heræum; and Pausanias, seeing them departing from the camp, ordered the Lacedæmonians also to take up their arms and go in the same direction as the others, supposing they were going to the place which they had agreed to go to. Whereupon all the other commanders of troops were ready to obey Pausanias; but Amompharetus, son of Poliades, captain of the band of Pitanetæ, said, "he would not fly from the foreigners, nor willingly bring disgrace on Sparta ;" and he was astonished at seeing what was being done, because he had not been present at the preceding conference. Pausanias and Euryanax considered it a disgrace that he should not obey them, but still more disgraceful, when he had so resolved, to forsake the band of Pitanetæ, lest if they should forsake him in order to do what they had agreed on with the rest of the Grecians, Amompharetus himself, being left behind, and those with him should perish. Considering these things, they kept the Laconian forces unmoved, and endeavoured to persuade him that it was not right for him to do as he did.

54. They, then, were expostulating with Amompharetus, who alone of the Lacedæmonians and Tegeans was left behind. But the Athenians did as follows: they kept themselves unmoved where they had been stationed, knowing the dispositions of the Lacedæmonians, who purpose one thing and say 7 Amompharetus.

another. When, therefore, the army was in motion, they sent one of their horsemen to see whether the Spartans were beginning to depart, or whether they did not intend to depart at all; and to inquire of Pausanias what it was right to do. 55. When the herald came up to the Lacedæmonians, he saw them drawn up in the same spot, and their chiefs engaged in disputes. For when Euryanax and Pausanias urged Amompharetus not to incur danger by remaining with his men alone of all the Lacedæmonians, they were by no means able to prevail with him, until they fell into an open quarrel; and the herald of the Athenians having come up stood by them. And Amompharetus quarrelling, took up a stone with both his hands, and laying it down at the feet of Pausanias, said, "With this pebble I give my vote, not to fly from the foreigners;" by foreigners meaning the barbarians. But Pausanias, calling him a mad-man and out of his senses, then turned to the herald of the Athenians, who was making the inquiry he had been ordered to make, and bade him inform them of the present posture of affairs, and entreated the Athenians to come over to them, and act, in relation to the departure, just as they should. 56. He accordingly went back to the Athenians. But when morning found them still disputing with one another, Pausanias, having stayed during all that time, and supposing (as indeed happened) that Amompharetus would not stay behind when the rest of the Lacedæmonians were gone, having given the signal, led all the rest away along the hills; and the Tegeans followed. But the Athenians, drawn up in order of battle, marched by a different way from the Lacedæmonians; for they kept to the rising ground and the base of Citharon, through fear of the cavalry; but the Athenians took their route towards the plain. 57. But Amompharetus, thinking that Pausanias would on no account dare to forsake them, was very earnest that they should remain there and not abandon their post; but when those with Pausanias had advanced some distance, supposing that they were in real earnest deserting him, he ordered his band to take up their arms, and led them slowly towards the main body; which, having marched about ten stades, waited for the band of Amompharetus, halting at the river Moloeis, at a place called Argiopius, where stands a temple of Eleusinian Ceres; and they waited there for this reason, that if Amompharetus and his band