more
dangerous both for thyself and for the Persians. (b) And now that
thou hast turned to the better counsel, thou sayest that when thou art
disposed to let go the expedition against the Hellenes, a dream haunts
thee sent by some god, which forbids thee to abandon thy enterprise.
Nay, but here too thou dost err, my son, since this is not of the Deity;
16 for the dreams of sleep which come roaming about to men, are of such
nature as I shall inform thee, being by many years older than thou. The
visions of dreams are wont to hover above us 17 in such form 18 for the
most part as the things of which we were thinking during the day; and we
in the days preceding were very much occupied with this campaign. (c) If
however after all this is not such a thing as I interpret it to be, but
is something which is concerned with God, thou hast summed the matter up
in that which thou hast said: let it appear, as thou sayest, to me also,
as to thee, and give commands. But supposing that it desires to appear
to me at all, it is not bound to appear to me any the more if I have thy
garments on me than if I have my own, nor any more if I take my rest in
thy bed than if I am in thy own; for assuredly this thing, whatever
it may be, which appears to thee in thy sleep, is not so foolish as
to suppose, when it sees me, that it is thou, judging so because the
garments are thine. That however which we must find out now is this,
namely if it will hold me in no account, and not think fit to appear to
me, whether I have my own garments or whether I have thine, but continue
still to haunt thee; 19 for if it shall indeed haunt thee perpetually,
I shall myself also be disposed to say that it is of the Deity. But if
thou hast resolved that it shall be so, and it is not possible to turn
aside this thy resolution, but I must go to sleep in thy bed, then let
it appear to me also, when I perform these things: but until then I
shall hold to the opinion which I now have."

17. Having thus said Artabanos, expecting that he would prove that
Xerxes was speaking folly, did that which was commanded him; and having
put on the garments of Xerxes and seated himself in the royal throne,
he afterwards went to bed: and when he had fallen asleep, the same dream
came to him which used to come to Xerxes, and standing over Artabanos
spoke these words: "Art thou indeed he who endeavours to dissuade Xerxes
from making a march against Hellas, pretending to have a care of him?