And deriding the Greeks still further, he says, that
Themistocles, who was called another Ulysses for his wisdom, was so blind that he could not foresee what was fit
to be done; but that Artemisia, who was of the same city
with Herodotus, without being taught by any one, but by
her own consideration, said thus to Xerxes: ‘The Greeks
will not long be able to hold out against you, but you will
scatter them, and they will flee to their own cities; nor is
it probable, if you march your army by land to Peloponnesus, that they will sit still, or take care to fight at sea
for the Athenians. But if you make haste to give them a
naval battle, I fear lest your fleets receiving damage may
prove also very prejudicial to your land-forces.’
1 Certainly Herodotus wanted nothing but verses to make Artemisia another Sibyl, so exactly prophesying of things to
come. Therefore Xerxes also delivered his sons to her to
be carried to Ephesus; for he had (it seems) forgot
to bring women with him from Susa, if indeed the boys
wanted a train of female attendants.
1 Herod. VIII. 68.
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