him and also of the other Persians, will not cease until I
have conquered Athens and burnt it with fire; seeing that they did wrong
unprovoked to me and to my father. First they went to Sardis, having
come with Aristagoras the Milesian our slave, and they set fire to the
sacred groves and the temples; and then secondly, what things they did
to us when we disembarked in their land, at the time when Datis and
Artaphrenes were commanders of our army, ye all know well, as I think.
7 (c) For these reasons 8 I have resolved to make an expedition against
them, and reckoning I find in the matter so many good things as ye shall
hear:--if we shall subdue these and the neighbours of these, who dwell
in the land of Pelops the Phrygian, we shall cause the Persian land to
have the same boundaries as the heaven of Zeus; since in truth upon no
land will the sun look down which borders ours, but I with your help
shall make all the lands into one land, having passed through the whole
extent of Europe. For I am informed that things are so, namely that
there is no city of men nor any race of human beings remaining, which
will be able to come to a contest with us, when those whom I just now
mentioned have been removed out of the way. Thus both those who have
committed wrong against us will have the yoke of slavery, and also those
who have not committed wrong. (d) And ye will please me best if ye do
this:--whensoever I shall signify to you the time at which ye ought to
come, ye must appear every one of you with zeal for the service; and
whosoever shall come with a force best equipped, to him I will give
gifts such as are accounted in our land to be the most honourable.
Thus must these things be done: but that I may not seem to you to be
following my own counsel alone, I propose the matter for discussion,
bidding any one of you who desires it, declare his opinion."

9. Having thus spoken he ceased; and after him Mardonios said: "Master,
thou dost surpass not only all the Persians who were before thee, but
also those who shall come after, since thou didst not only attain in
thy words to that which is best and truest as regards other matters, but
also thou wilt not permit the Ionians who dwell in Europe to make a mock
of us, having no just right to do so: for a strange thing it would
be if, when we have subdued and kept as our servants Sacans, Indians,
Ethiopians, Assyrians, and other nations many in number and great, who
have done no wrong to