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Such were the words of Xerxes. Artabanus would not at first yield to
the command of the king; for he deemed himself unworthy to sit upon the
royal throne. At the last however he was forced to give way, and did
as Xerxes bade him; but first he spake thus to the king:
"To me, sire, it seems to matter little whether a man is wise
himself or willing to hearken to such as give good advice. In thee
truly are found both but the counsels of evil men lead thee astray:
they are like the gales of wind which vex the sea - else the most
useful thing for man in the whole world - and suffer it not to follow
the bent of its own nature. For myself, it irked me not so much to be
reproached by thee, as to observe that when two courses were placed
before the Persian people, one of a nature to increase their pride,
the other to humble it, by showing them how hurtful it is to allow
one's heart always to covet more than one at present possesses, thou
madest choice of that which was the worse both for thyself and for the
Persians. Now thou sayest that from the time when thou didst approve
the better course, and give up the thought of warring against Greece,
a dream has haunted thee, sent by some god or other, which will not
suffer thee to lay aside the expedition. But such things, my son,
have of a truth nothing divine in them. The dreams 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. 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."
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