tained the empire, greatly vexed him. And lastly, death, who hath no respect of any man's affairs, gave end to all his consultations and enterprises, and joined him to the earth of his ancestors, about a year after the battle of Marathon, and after that he had reigned six and thirty years. He left behind him five sons, namely, Artabasanes, born before he obtained the kingdom; Xerxes, who succeeded him; Achemenes governor of Egypt, Masistes, and Ariabignes.

CHAP. VI.

Of Xerxes.

SECT. I.

The preparation of Xerxes against Greece.

XERXES received from his father, as hereditary, a double war, one to be made against the Egyptians, which he finished so speedily that there is nothing remaining in writing how the same was performed; the other against the Grecians, of which it is hard to judge whether the preparations were more terrible, or the success ridiculous. In the consultation for the prosecution of this war, which was chiefly bent against the Athenians, the princes of Persia were divided in opinion. Mardonius, who had formerly commanded in Thrace and Macedon, under Darius, and had also Hystaspes for his grandfather, as Xerxes had, and married Xerxes's sister Artozostres, persuaded by many arguments the European war. But Artabanus, brother to the late Darius, and uncle to Xerxes, maintained the contrary counsel, laying before Xerxes the lamentable and ridiculous success of the two late invasions which Darius had made contrary to his counsel; the one in person upon the Scythians, the other by his lieutenants upon the Greeks; in each of which Darius left to his enemies both his army and his honour.

He therefore besought Xerxes to be right well advised

before he did too far embark himself in this business. For whatsoever undertaking hath deliberate and sound counsel for conductor, though the success do not always answer the probability, yet hath fortune nothing else thereof to vaunt, than the variableness of her own nature, which only the divine Providence, and not any human power, can constrain. But so obstinate was the resolution of Xerxes in prosecu tion of his former intent, that Artabanus, whether terrified by visions, (as it is written of him,) or fearing the king's hatred, which he made known to all those that opposed his desire to this war, (changing opinion and counsel,) assisted the Grecian expedition with all the power he had.

After the war of Egypt was ended, four years were consumed in describing and gathering an army for this invasion; which being compounded of all nations subject to the Persian empire, consisted of seventeen hundred thousand foot, and eighty thousand horsemen, besides chariots, camels, and other beasts for carriage, if we may believe y Herodotus ; for of this multitude Trogus finds the number less by seven hundred thousand footmen.

The commanders of the several nations were the princes of the blood of Persia, either by marriage in the king's house or otherwise; for to these were all commandments of this nature given, some few people excepted, who had of their own leaders.

The charge of the whole army was bestowed on Mardonius, the son of Gobryas by a sister of Darius, to whom were joined some others of Xerxes' nearest kindred, as generals over all; saving that the charge of ten thousand select Persians, called the immortal regiment, (because if any one of the whole number died or were slain, there was another presently chosen in his stead,) was given to Hydarnes; the eighty thousand horsemen were led by the sons of Datis, who commanded the late army of Darius in Greece.

The fleet of galleys were two thousand two hundred and eight, furnished by the Phoenicians, who had commanders of their own nation, and by the Cypriots, Cilicians, Pam

y Her. 1. 7.

philians, Lycians, Dorians, Carians, Ionians, Æolians, and Hellespontines; who were trusted with the furnishing of their own vessels, though commanded by the princes of Persia, as by Ariabignes the son of Darius, and others. The rest of the vessels for transportation were three thousand. There were also certain galleys furnished by Artemisia the daughter of Lygdamis, princess of Halicarnassus and the islands adjoining, which herself commanded. Those galleys, by her prepared and furnished, exceeded all the rest of the fleet, excepting those of Zidon, in which Xerxes himself was embarked.

SECT. II.

Xerxes' army entertained by Pythius; his cutting off mount Athos from the continent; his bridge of boats over the Hellespont; and the discourse between him and Artabanus upon the view of his army.

WHEN this world of an army was throughly furnished, he caused all the nations, of which it was compounded, to make their rendezvous and repair at Sardis in Lydia. And when he had assembled to the number of seventeen hundred thousand foot, as he entered the body of Celænas, he was by one Pythius a Lydian entertained, who out of his flocks and herds of cattle gave food to Xerxes and his whole army. The feast ended, he also presented him with two thousand talents of silver, and in gold four millions, wanting seven thousand of the Persian darici, which make so many of our marks.

The king, overcome with the exceeding liberality of Pythius, did not only refuse his treasure offered, but commanded that seven thousand darici should be given him to make up his four millions, of which so many thousands were wanting when he made the present. But soon after, when Pythius besought him to spare one of his five sons from his attendance into Greece, (because himself was old, and had none whom he could so well trust as his own son,) Xerxes most barbarously caused the young man, for whom his father sought exemption, to be sundered into two parts, commanding that the one half of his carcass

should be laid on the right, and the other half on the left hand of the common way by which the army marched.

Two things he commanded to be done before he came to the sea-side. The one was a passage for galleys to be cut behind mount Athos, making the same (with the half island or headland whereon it stood) to be an entire island, sundering thereby from the continent of Thrace five cities, besides the mountain and the Chersonesus, or neck of land itself; a work of more ostentation than of use, and yet an enterprise of no great wonder, the valley which held it to the continent having but twelve furlongs (which make about a mile and half) to cut through, and the ditch being broad enough only for two galleys to pass in front. The cities so severed from the main, were Dion, Olophyxus, Acrothoon, Thysus, and Cleonæ.

He also gave order, that a bridge upon boats should be made over the Hellespont between Abydos and Sestos, the sea there having a mile of breadth, wanting an eighth part; which after the finishing was by a tempest torn asunder and dissevered; wherewith Xerxes being more enraged than discouraged, commanded those to be slain that were masters of the work, and caused six hundred threescore and fourteen galleys to be coupled together, thereon to frame a new bridge; which, by the art and industry of the Phoeni cians, was so well anchored to resist both winds blowing into and from the Euxine sea, as the same being well boarded and railed, the whole army of seventeen hundred thousand foot, and fourscore thousand horse, with all the moyles and carriages, passed over it into Europe in seven days and seven nights, without intermission. This transportation of armies did Cæsar afterwards use; and Caligula, that mad emperor, in imitation of Xerxes' bridge, did build the like.

The bridge finished, and the army brought near to the sea-side, Xerxes took a view of all his troops, assembled in the plains of Abydos, being carried up and seated on a place overtopping the land round about it, and the sea adjoining; and after he had gloried in his own happiness, to

behold and command so many nations, and so powerful an army and fleet, he suddenly (notwithstanding) burst out into tears, moved with this contemplation, that in one hundred years there should not any one survive of that marvellous multitude; the cause of which sudden change of passion when he uttered to Artabanus his uncle, Artabanus spake to the king to this effect; That which is more lamentable than the dissolution of this great troop within that number of years by the king remembered, is, that the life itself which we enjoy is yet more miserable than the end thereof; for in those few days given us in the world, there is no man among all these, nor elsewhere, that ever found himself so accompanied with happiness, but that he oftentimes pleased himself better with the desire and hope of death, than of living; the incident calamities, diseases, and sorrows whereto mankind is subject being so many and inevitable, that the shortest life doth oftentimes appear unto us over-long; to avoid all which, there is neither refuge nor rest, but in desired death alone.

With this melancholy discourse Xerxes being not much pleased, prayed Artabanus not to overcast those joys which they had now in pursuit with sad remembrances. And holding still a doubtful conceit, that Artabanus utterly condemned the invasion of Greece, against which he had formerly given many strong reasons, desired him to deal freely with him, whether he were returned to his first resolution, that the enterprise of Greece could not be prosperous; or whether, according to the change of mind put into him by his late vision, he was confident of good success? Artabanus, notwithstanding that he assured himself of the king's resolution to go on, and dared not by any new arguments to batter the great purpose itself, yet he told the king, that there were two things which marvellously affrighted him, and which the king should find, as he feared, to be most adverse; to wit, the sea and the land; the sea, because it had nowhere in that part of the world any port capable of so great a fleet; insomuch, as if any tempest should arise, all the continent of Greece could hardly receive them, nor