§8.97.1Ξέρξης δὲ ὡς ἔμαθε τὸ γεγονὸς πάθος, δείσας μή τις τῶν Ἰώνων ὑποθῆται τοῖσι Ἕλλησι ἢ αὐτοὶ νοήσωσι πλέειν ἐς τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον λύσοντες τὰς γεφύρας, καὶ ἀπολαμφθεὶς ἐν τῇ Εὐρώπῃ κινδυνεύσῃ ἀπολέσθαι, δρησμὸν ἐβούλευε.
When Xerxes learned of the disaster that had occurred, fearing lest some of the Ionians should suggest to the Greeks, or the Greeks themselves should think of sailing to the Hellespont to destroy the bridges, and that he, being cut off in Europe, should be in danger of perishing, he began to plan his flight.
θέλων δὲ μὴ ἐπίδηλος εἶναι μήτε τοῖσι Ἕλλησι μήτε τοῖσι ἑωυτοῦ, ἐς τὴν Σαλαμῖνα χῶμα ἐπειρᾶτο διαχοῦν, γαύλους τε Φοινικηίους συνέδεε, ἵνα ἀντί τε σχεδίης ἔωσι καὶ τείχεος, ἀρτέετό τε ἐς πόλεμον ὡς ναυμαχίην ἄλλην ποιησόμενος.
But wishing not to make his intention obvious either to the Greeks or to his own men, he attempted to construct a mole leading to Salamis, and lashed together Phoenician merchant ships so that they might serve both as a bridge and as a wall, and made preparations for war as if he were going to fight another sea-battle.
§8.97.2ὁρῶντες δέ μιν πάντες οἱ ἄλλοι ταῦτα πρήσσοντα εὖ ἠπιστέατο ὡς ἐκ παντὸς νόου παρεσκεύασται μένων πολεμήσειν· Μαρδόνιον δʼ οὐδὲν τούτων ἐλάνθανε ὡς μάλιστα ἔμπειρον ἐόντα τῆς ἐκείνου διανοίης.
All the others, seeing him doing these things, were well convinced that he had prepared himself in all earnestness to remain and fight; but none of these things escaped Mardonius, as he was of all men the most experienced in the king's way of thinking.