§7.147.1ἐπιλέγων δὲ τὸν λόγον τόνδε ταῦτα ἐνετέλλετο, ὡς εἰ μὲν ἀπώλοντο οἱ κατάσκοποι, οὔτʼ ἂν τὰ ἑωυτοῦ πρήγματα προεπύθοντο οἱ Ἕλληνες ἐόντα λόγου μέζω, οὔτʼ ἄν τι τοὺς πολεμίους μέγα ἐσίναντο, ἄνδρας τρεῖς ἀπολέσαντες· νοστησάντων δὲ τούτων ἐς τὴν Ἑλλάδα δοκέειν ἔφη ἀκούσαντας τοὺς Ἕλληνας τὰ ἑωυτοῦ πρήγματα πρὸ τοῦ στόλου τοῦ γινομένου παραδώσειν σφέας τὴν ἰδίην ἐλευθερίην, καὶ οὕτω οὐδὲ δεήσειν ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς στρατηλατέοντας πρήγματα ἔχειν.
He gave these commands, adding the following reasoning: that if the spies had been put to death, the Greeks would not have learned beforehand that his resources were beyond description, nor would they (the Persians) have done any great harm to their enemies by putting to death only three men; but if these men returned to Greece, he said he thought that the Greeks, upon hearing of his resources, would surrender their own freedom before the expedition took place, and thus there would be no need to take the trouble of marching against them.
§7.147.2οἶκε δὲ αὐτοῦ αὕτη ἡ γνώμη τῇ γε ἄλλῃ.
This opinion of his was similar to another one.
ἐὼν γὰρ ἐν Ἀβύδῳ ὁ Ξέρξης εἶδε πλοῖα ἐκ τοῦ Πόντου σιταγωγὰ διεκπλώοντα τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον, ἔς τε Αἴγιναν καὶ Πελοπόννησον κομιζόμενα.
For when Xerxes was at Abydos, he saw ships laden with corn from the Pontus sailing through the Hellespont, bound for Aegina and the Peloponnese.
οἱ μὲν δὴ πάρεδροι αὐτοῦ ὡς ἐπύθοντο πολέμια εἶναι τὰ πλοῖα, ἕτοιμοι ἦσαν αἱρέειν αὐτά, ἐσβλέποντες ἐς τὸν βασιλέα ὁκότε παραγγελέει.
His courtiers, when they learned that the ships belonged to the enemy, were ready to capture them, looking to the king to see when he would give the word.
§7.147.3ὁ δὲ Ξέρξης εἴρετο αὐτοὺς ὅκῃ πλέοιεν·
But Xerxes asked them where they were sailing.
οἳ δὲ εἶπαν
ἐς τοὺς σοὺς πολεμίους, ὦ δέσποτα, σῖτον ἄγοντες. ὁ δὲ ὑπολαβὼν ἔφη
οὐκῶν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐκεῖ πλέομεν ἔνθα περ οὗτοι, τοῖσί τε ἄλλοισι ἐξηρτυμένοι καὶ σίτῳ;
They replied, "To your enemies, master, carrying corn." And he, interrupting, said, "Are we not also sailing to the same place where these are going, equipped with all other things and with corn?
τί δῆτα ἀδικέουσι οὗτοι ἡμῖν σιτία παρακομίζοντες;
What wrong, then, are they doing, since they are conveying food for us?"