I conclude by the truth of thy
words, for all that thou saidest turned out so as thou didst say. Now,
however, tell me how many in number are the remaining Lacedemonians, and
of them how many are like these in matters of war; or are they so even
all of them?" He said: "O king, the number of all the Lacedemonians is
great and their cities are many, but that which thou desirest to learn,
thou shalt know. There is in Lacedemon the city of Sparta, having about
eight thousand men; and these are all equal to those who fought here:
the other Lacedemonians are not equal to these, but they are good men
too." To this Xerxes said: "Demaratos, in what manner shall we with
least labour get the better of these men? Come set forth to us this; for
thou knowest the courses of their counsels, 236 seeing that thou wert
once their king."

235. He made answer: "O king, if thou dost in very earnest take counsel
with me, it is right that I declare to thee the best thing. What if thou
shouldest send three hundred ships from thy fleet to attack the Laconian
land? Now there is lying near it an island named Kythera, about which
Chilon, who was a very wise man among us, said that it would be a
greater gain for the Spartans that it should be sunk under the sea than
that it should remain above it; for he always anticipated that something
would happen from it of such a kind as I am now setting forth to thee:
not that he knew of thy armament beforehand, but that he feared equally
every armament of men. Let thy forces then set forth from this island
and keep the Lacedemonians in fear; and while they have a war of their
own close at their doors, there will be no fear for thee from them that
when the remainder of Hellas is being conquered by the land-army, they
will come to the rescue there. Then after the remainder of Hellas has
been reduced to subjection, from that moment the Lacedemonian power will
be left alone and therefore feeble. If however thou shalt not do this,
I will tell thee what thou must look for. There is a narrow isthmus
leading to the Peloponnese, and in this place thou must look that other
battles will be fought more severe than those which have taken place,
seeing that all the Peloponnesians have sworn to a league against thee:
but if thou shalt do the other thing of which I spoke, this isthmus and
the cities within it will come over to thy side without a battle."

236. After him spoke Achaimenes, brother of Xerxes and also commander