in his sleep.  In his dreams he thought that Zeus the Preserver appeared and enquired of him what the Greeks had decided to do, and that he answered, “Lord, to-morrow we shall lead away the army to Eleusis, and fight the Persians there, according to the oracle.”  Upon this the god answered, that they had missed the meaning of the oracle, for the places mentioned were near Plataea, where they themselves were encamped, and if they sought they would find them.  Arimnestus, after this distinct vision, awoke.  He at once sent for the oldest and most learned of the citizens of Plataea, and after debating the matter with them, discovered that near Hysiae, under Mount Kithaeron, stood a very ancient temple, dedicated to the Eleusinian Demeter and her daughter.  He immediately took Aristeides with him and proceeded to the spot, which was excellently placed for the array of an infantry force in the presence of an overwhelming cavalry, because the spurs of Mount Kithaeron, where they run down into the plain by the temple, render the ground impassable for cavalry.  Close by is the chapel of the hero Androkrates, in the midst of a thick matted grove of trees.  In order, however, that the oracle might in no way be defective in its promise of victory, Arimnestus proposed, and the Plataeans decreed, that the boundary marks of their territory on the side towards Attica should be removed, and the country given to the Athenians, so that they might fight in their own land for Greece, according to the oracle.  This noble act of the Plataeans became so famous in later times, that, many years afterwards, Alexander the Great himself, when he had conquered all Asia, caused the walls of Plataea to be rebuilt, and made proclamation at the Olympian games by a herald, “that the king bestowed this honour upon the Plataeans in memory of their magnanimous conduct in giving up their territory, and venturing their lives on behalf of the Greeks in the Persian war.”

XII.  A controversy arose between the Athenians and the men of Tegea about their respective places in the line of battle.  The Tegeans argued that if the Lacedaemonians had the right wing, they ought to be posted on the left; and they spoke at great length about the achievements of their ancestors, as entitling them to that honour.  The Athenians were vexed at their pretensions, but Aristeides said:  “The present time is not suitable for disputing with the Tegeans about bravery; but to you, men of Sparta, and to the rest of the Greeks, we say that a particular post neither confers courage nor takes it away, but, that in whatever part of the line you may think fit to place us, we will endeavour so to array our ranks and fight the enemy as not to impair the honour which we have gained in former battles.  We did not come hither to quarrel with our allies, but to fight the enemy; not to boast about our ancestors, but to fight bravely for Greece.  The coming struggle will clearly show to all the Greeks the real worth and value of each city, each general, and each single citizen.”  When the council of generals heard this speech, they allowed the claim of the Athenians, and gave up the left wing to them.