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For these orders Xerxes gave afterwards the following reasons. "Had
the spies been put to death," he said, "the Greeks would have
continued ignorant of the vastness of his army, which surpassed the
common report of it; while he would have done them a very small injury
by killing three of their men. On the other hand, by the return of
the spies to Greece, his power would become known; and the
Greeks," he expected, "would make surrender of their freedom before
he began his march, by which means his troops would be saved all the
trouble of an expedition." This reasoning was like to that which he
used upon another occasion. While he was staying at Abydos, he saw
some corn-ships, which were passing through the Hellespont from the
Euxine, on their way to Egina and the Peloponnese. His
attendants, hearing that they were the enemy's, were ready to capture
them, and looked to see when Xerxes would give the signal. He,
however, merely asked "whither the ships were bound?" and when they
answered, "For thy foes, master, with corn on board, "We too are
bound thither," he rejoined, "laden, among other things, with
corn. What harm is it, if they carry our provisions for us?"
So the spies, when they had seen everything, were dismissed, and
came back to Europe.
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