Page:History of Greece Vol V.djvu/194

 170 HISTORY OF GREECE. will not tell, I, who know well, will myself speak out. There is an Oracle to the effect, that Persian invaders of" Greece shall plunder the temple of Delphi, and shall afterwards all be de- stroyed. Kow we, being aware of this, shall neither go against that temple, nor try to jilunder it : on that ground, therefore, we shall not be destroyed. Rejoice ye, therefore, ye who are well- affected to the Persians, — we shall get the better of the Greeks." ~ With that he gave orders to prepare everj^thing for a general attack and battle on the morrow.' It is not improbable that the Orchomenian Tliersander was present at this interview, and may have reported it to Herodotus. But the reflection of the historian himself is not the least curious part of the whole, as illustrating the manner in which these proph- ecies sunk into men's minds, and determined their judgments. Hei'odotus knew, though he does not cite it, the particular prophecy to which Mardonius made allusion ; and he pronounces, in the most affirmative tone,2 that it had no reference to the Persians : it referred to an ancient invasion of Greece by the Illyrians and the Encheleis. But both Bakis, from whom he quotes four lines, and Musffius had prophesied, in the plainest manner, the destruc- tion of the Persian army on the banks of the Thermodon and Asopus. And these are the prophecies which we must suppose the officers convoked by Mardonius to have known also, though they did not dare to speak out : it was the fault of Mardonius himself that he did not take warning. The attack of a multitude like that of Mardonius was not likely under any circumstances to be made so rapidly as to take the Greeks by surprise : but the latter were forewarned of it by a secret visit from Alexander, king of Macedon ; who, riding up to the Athenian advanced posts in the middle of the night, desired to speak with Aristeides and the other generals. Announcing to them alone his name, and proclaiming his earnest sympathy for the Grecian cause, as well as the hazard which he incurred by this nightly visit, — he apprized them that Mardonius, though 1 Herodot. ix, 42. ^ Herodot. ix, 43. Tovrovo'' ejuys tov xPV^f^ov rbv Mapdoviog elne ig mpaac e;i;«v, if 'IX/,vpiovf re kuI rbv 'Ey^Ye/^fw oTparbv old a ne- ■no IT) iiivov, u7JX' ovk £<; Tiiptjag. 'AA?.d rd uev BuKidt ^f tuvttjv t^v uaxvv ioTC ■tfeiroiTJii.iva, etc.