Here it is poetically told of Xerxes, that he ascended the citadel of Priam, and anxiously and carefully surveyed the place, while the magi of the barbarian monarch directed libations to the manes of the Homeric heroes.
VIII.

Arrived at Abydos, the king reviewed his army.

High upon an eminence, and on a seat of white marble, he surveyed the plains covered with countless thousands, and the Hellespont crowded with sails and masts.

At first, as he gazed, the lord of Persia felt all the pride and exultation which the command over so many destinies was calculated to inspire.

But a sad and sudden thought came over him in the midst of his triumphs, and he burst into tears.