se out of the camp of the Medes,
who discovered nothing further, but only named the generals and said
that he desired to have speech with them..

45. Having heard this, forthwith they accompanied the men to the
guard-posts, and when they had arrived there, Alexander thus spoke
to them: "Athenians, I lay up these words of mine as a trust to you,
charging you to keep them secret and tell them to no one except only to
Pausanias, lest ye bring me to ruin: for I should not utter them if I
did not care greatly for the general safety of Hellas, seeing that I am
a Hellene myself by original descent and I should not wish to see Hellas
enslaved instead of free. I say then that Mardonios and his army cannot
get the offerings to be according to their mind, 50 for otherwise ye
would long ago have fought. Now however he has resolved to let the
offerings alone and to bring on a battle at dawn of day; for, as
I conjecture, he fears lest ye should assemble in greater numbers.
Therefore prepare yourselves; and if after all Mardonios should put
off the battle and not bring it on, stay where ye are and hold out
patiently; for they have provisions only for a few days remaining. And
if this way shall have its issue according to your mind, then each one
of you ought to remember me also concerning liberation, 51 since I have
done for the sake of the Hellenes so hazardous a deed by reason of my
zeal for you, desiring to show you the design of Mardonios, in order
that the Barbarians may not fall upon you when ye are not as yet
expecting them: and I am Alexander the Macedonian." Thus having spoken
he rode away back to the camp and to his own position.

46. Then the generals of the Athenians came to the right wing and told
Pausanias that which they had heard from Alexander. Upon this saying he
being struck with fear of the Persians spoke as follows: "Since then at
dawn the battle comes on, it is right that ye, Athenians, should take
your stand opposite to the Persians, and we opposite to the Boeotians
and those Hellenes who are now posted against you; and for this reason,
namely because ye are acquainted with the Medes and with their manner
of fighting, having fought with them at Marathon, whereas we have had no
experience of these men and are without knowledge of them; for not
one of the Spartans has made trial of the Medes in fight, but of the
Boeotians and Thessalians we have had experience. It is right therefore
that ye should take up your ar