§8.68A.1εἰπεῖν μοι πρὸς βασιλέα, Μαρδόνιε, ὡς ἐγὼ τάδε λέγω, οὔτε κακίστη γενομένη ἐν τῇσι ναυμαχίῃσι τῇσι πρὸς Εὐβοίῃ οὔτε ἐλάχιστα ἀποδεξαμένη. δέσποτα, τὴν δὲ ἐοῦσαν γνώμην με δίκαιον ἐστὶ ἀποδείκνυσθαι, τὰ τυγχάνω φρονέουσα ἄριστα ἐς πρήγματα τὰ σά.
Mardonius, tell the king for me that I say this, I who was neither the most cowardly in the sea-fights off Euboea nor performed the least service. “Master, it is right for me to declare my real opinion, those things which I happen to think are best for your affairs.
καὶ τοι τάδε λέγω, φείδεο τῶν νεῶν μηδὲ ναυμαχίην ποιέο.
And I say this to you: spare your ships and do not engage in a sea-fight.
οἱ γὰρ ἄνδρες τῶν σῶν ἀνδρῶν κρέσσονες τοσοῦτο εἰσὶ κατὰ θάλασσαν ὅσον ἄνδρες γυναικῶν.
For their men are as much superior to your men at sea as men are to women.
§8.68A.2τί δὲ πάντως δέει σε ναυμαχίῃσι ἀνακινδυνεύειν;
Why must you run risks in sea-fights at all?
οὐκ ἔχεις μὲν τὰς Ἀθήνας, τῶν περ εἵνεκα ὁρμήθης στρατεύεσθαι, ἔχεις δὲ τὴν ἄλλην Ἑλλάδα;
Do you not hold Athens, for the sake of which you set out on this campaign, and do you not hold the rest of Greece?
ἐμποδὼν δέ τοι ἵσταται οὐδείς· οἳ δέ τοι ἀντέστησαν, ἀπήλλαξαν οὕτω ὡς κείνους ἔπρεπε.
No one stands in your way; and those who did oppose you have fared as they deserved.”