ch one by night
to his own people announcing to them this. The Ionians however, that
is those to whom these messages came, continued obstinate and would not
accept the thought of treason to their cause; and each people thought
that to them alone the Persians were sending this message.

11. This happened as soon as the Persians came to Miletos; and after
this the Ionians being gathered together at Lade held meetings; and
others no doubt also made speeches to them, but especially the Phocaian
commander Dionysios, who said as follows: "Seeing that our affairs are
set upon the razor's edge, Ionians, whether we shall be free or slaves,
and slaves too to be dealt with as runaways, now therefore if ye shall
be willing to take upon yourselves hardships, ye will have labour for
the time being, but ye will be able to overcome the enemy and be free;
whereas if ye continue to be self-indulgent and without discipline, I
have no hope for you that ye will not pay the penalty to the king for
your revolt. Nay, but do as I say, and deliver yourselves over to me;
and I engage, if the gods grant equal conditions, that either the
enemy will not fight with us, or that fighting he shall be greatly
discomfited.".

12. Hearing this the Ionians delivered themselves to Dionysios; and he
used to bring the ships out every day in single file, 3 that he might
practise the rowers by making the ships break through one another's
line, 4 and that he might get the fighting-men in the ships under arms;
an then for the rest of the day he would keep the ships at anchor; and
thus he gave the Ionians work to do during the whole day. For seven
days then they submitted and did that which he commanded; but on the
day after these the Ionians, being unaccustomed to such toils and
being exhausted with hard work and hot sun, spoke to one another thus:
"Against which of the deities have we offended, that we thus fill up the
measure of evil? for surely we have delivered ourselves to a Phocaian,
an impostor, who furnishes but three ships: and he has taken us into
his hands and maltreats us with evil dealing from which we can never
recover; and many of us in fact have fallen into sicknesses, and many
others, it may be expected, will suffer the same thing shortly; and for
us it is better to endure anything else in the world rather than these
ills, and to undergo the slavery which will come upon us, whatever that
shall be, rather than to be oppressed by that which we have