Polymnia   

Then Demaratus answered- "O king! since thou askest my advice so
earnestly, it is fitting that I should inform thee what I consider
to be the best course. Detach three hundred vessels from the body of
thy fleet, and send them to attack the shores of Laconia. There is
an island called Cythera in those parts, not far from the coast,
concerning which Chilon, one of our wisest men, made the remark that
Sparta would gain if it were sunk to the bottom of the sea- so
constantly did he expect that it would give occasion to some project
like that which I now recommend to thee. I mean not to say that he had
a foreknowledge of thy attack upon Greece; but in truth he feared
all armaments. Send thy ships then to this island, and thence affright
the Spartans. If once they have a war of their own close to their
doors, fear not their giving any help to the rest of the Greeks
while thy land force is engaged in conquering them. In this way may
all Greece be subdued; and then Sparta, left to herself, will be
powerless. But if thou wilt not take this advice, I will tell thee
what thou mayest look to see. When thou comest to the Peloponnese,
thou wilt find a narrow neck of land, where all the Peloponnesians who
are leagued against thee will be gathered together; and there thou
wilt have to fight bloodier battles than any which thou hast yet
witnessed. If, however, thou wilt follow my plan, the Isthmus and
the cities of Peloponnese will yield to thee without a battle."
Achaeamenes, who was present, now took the word, and spoke- he was
brother to Xerxes, and, having the command of the fleet, feared lest
Xerxes might be prevailed upon to do as Demaratus advised "I perceive,
O king" (he said), "that thou art listening to the words of a man
who is envious of thy good fortune, and seeks to betray thy cause.
This is indeed the common temper of the Grecian people- they envy good
fortune, and hate power greater than their own. If in this posture
of our affairs, after we have lost four hundred vessels by
shipwreck, three hundred more be sent away to make a voyage round
the Peloponnese, our enemies will be, come a match for us. But let
us keep our whole fleet in one body, and it will be dangerous for them
to venture on an attack, as they will certainly be no match for us
then. Besides, while our sea and land forces advance together, the
fleet and army can each help the other; but if they be parted, no
aid will come either from thee to the fleet, or from the fleet to
thee. Only order thy own matters well, and trouble not thyself to
inquire concerning the enemy- where they will fight, or what they will
do, or how many they are. Surely they can manage their own concerns
without us, as we can ours without them. If the Lacedaemonians come
out against the Persians to battle, they will scarce repair the
disaster which has befallen them now."
Xerxes replied- "Achaeamenes, thy counsel pleases me well, and I
will do as thou sayest. But Demaratus advised what he thought best-
only his judgment was not so good as thine. Never will I believe
that he does not wish well to my cause; for that is disproved both
by his former counsels, and also by the circumstances of the case. A
citizen does indeed envy any fellow-citizen who is more lucky than
himself, and often hates him secretly; if such a man be called on
for counsel, he will not give his best thoughts, unless indeed he be a
man of very exalted virtue; and such are but rarely found. But a
friend of another country delights in the good fortune of his
foreign bond-friend, and will give him, when asked, the best advice in
his power. Therefore I warn all men to abstain henceforth from
speaking ill of Demaratus, who is my bond-friend."
When Xerxes had thus spoken, he proceeded to pass through the
slain; and finding the body of Leonidas, whom he knew to have been the
Lacedaemonian king and captain, he ordered that the head should be
struck off, and the trunk fastened to a cross. This proves to me
most clearly, what is plain also in many other ways- namely, that King
Xerxes was more angry with Leonidas, while he was still in life,
than with any other mortal. Certes, he would not else have used his
body so shamefully. For the Persians are wont to honour those who show