Greece -- History -- To 146 B.C.; History, Ancient
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?
However, neither in the future nor now at the present shalt thou escape
unpunished for trying to turn away that which is destined to come to
pass: and as for Xerxes, that which he must suffer if he disobeys, hath
been shown already to the man himself."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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