Polymnia   

that wander to and fro among mankind, I will tell thee of what
nature they are- I who have seen so many more years than thou.
Whatever a man has been thinking of during the day is wont to hover
round him in the visions of his dreams at night. Now we during these
many days past have had our hands full of this enterprise. (SS 3.)
If however the matter be not as I suppose, but God has indeed some
part therein, thou hast in brief declared the whole that can be said
concerning it- let it e'en appear to me as it has to thee, and lay
on me the same injunctions. But it ought not to appear to me any the
more if I put on thy clothes than if I wear my own, nor if I go to
sleep in thy bed than if I do so in mine- supposing, I mean, that it
is about to appear at all. For this thing, be it what it may, that
visits thee in thy sleep, surely is not so far gone in folly as to see
me, and because I am dressed in thy clothes, straightway to mistake me
for thee. Now however our business is to see if it will regard me as
of small account, and not vouchsafe to appear to me, whether I wear
mine own clothes or thine, while it keeps on haunting thee
continually. If it does so, and appears often, I should myself say
that it was from God. For the rest, if thy mind is fixed, and it is
not possible to turn thee from thy design, but I must needs go and
sleep in thy bed, well and good, let it be even so; and when I have
done as thou wishest, then let the dream appear to me. Till such time,
however, I shall keep to my former opinion."
Thus spake Artabanus; and when he had so said, thinking to show
Xerxes that his words were nought, he did according to his orders.
Having put on the garments which Xerxes was wont to wear and taken his
seat upon the royal throne, he lay down to sleep upon the king's own
bed. As he slept, there appeared to him the very same dream which
had been seen by Xerxes; it came and stood over Artabanus, and said:-
"Thou art the man, then, who, feigning to be tender of Xerxes,
seekest to dissuade him from leading his armies against the Greeks!
But thou shalt not escape scathless, either now or in time to come,
because thou hast sought to prevent that which is fated to happen.
As for Xerxes, it has been plainly told to himself what will befall
him, if he refuses to perform my bidding."
In such words, as Artabanus thought, the vision threatened him,
and then endeavoured to burn out his eyes with red-hot irons. At
this he shrieked, and, leaping from his couch, hurried to Xerxes, and,
sitting down at his side, gave him a full account of the vision; after
which he went on to speak in the words which follow:-
"I, O King! am a man who have seen many mighty empires
overthrown by weaker ones; and therefore it was that I sought to
hinder thee from being quite carried away by thy youth; since I knew
how evil a thing it is to covet more than one possesses. I could
remember the expedition of Cyrus against the Massagetae, and what
was the issue of it; I could recollect the march of Cambyses against
the Ethiops; I had taken part in the attack of Darius upon the
Scyths-bearing therefore all these things in mind, I thought with
myself that if thou shouldst remain at peace, all men would deem
thee fortunate. But as this impulse has plainly come from above, and a
heaven-sent destruction seems about to overtake the Greeks, behold,
I change to another mind, and alter my thoughts upon the matter. Do
thou therefore make known to the Persians what the god has declared,
and bid them follow the orders which were first given, and prepare
their levies. Be careful to act so that the bounty of the god may
not be hindered by slackness on thy part."
Thus spake these two together; and Xerxes, being in good heart
on account of the vision, when day broke, laid all before the
Persians; while Artabanus, who had formerly been the only person
openly to oppose the expedition, now showed as openly that he favoured
it.
After Xerxes had thus determined to go forth to the war, there
appeared to him in his sleep yet a third vision. The Magi were
consulted upon it, and said that its meaning reached to the whole