Xerxes, A great and famous emperour of Persia, sonne of Darius, in riches and power of men farre passing all other, but in noble prowes and vertue muche inferiour to his pre-decessors.Fiue yeares continually he made pronision for a voyage into Greece, to reuenge that great reproche and ouerthrowe that his father, not many yeares before, had taken of Miltiales in the ficldes of Marathon. Wherefore, hauing gathered togither an armie, as some write, of seuenteene hundred thousand, or as other more credibly affirme, of 1000000. He conuayed it ouer into Europe by making a bridge ouer the sea at Hellespont with his greate multitude of shippes. Through this his huge and mightie power, he bare hunself so proudely, that he did not only thinke all men oughte to obay him but commaunded the seas also to be quiet, & mountaynes to giue place vnto him. The multitnde of his armie and cattayle dranke certayne riuers drie, and at their Princes commaundement did cut downe the mountayne Athos in Thrace, that they might that way haue passage. Notwithstanding, shortly after, this mightie Prince with al his power on the sea by the yle of Salamine ioyning Battayle with the small nauie of the Grecians, was discomfited and put to flight, a great part of his armie destroyed, and himselfe for his safegarde with great feare gladde to flie in a fisher boate vnknowne: and so with muche dishonour returned home into Persia. Where afterwarde mistrusting the hazarde of warre, he gaue himselfe to delitious and sensuall life, propoling large rewards to such as did deuise any new fantasie of %ot to please his sensuall appetite. By which occasion he became in great contempt with his people, and was slayne by one Artabanus, when he had reigned eighte yeares,
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary
Xerxes (Xerses, Cic. Leg. 2, 10, 26), is (i, Nep. Reg. 1), m., = *ce/rchs, the celebrated king of Persia, son of Darius Hystaspis, vanquished by the Greeks at Salamis, Cic. Tusc. 5, 7, 20; id. N. D. 1, 41, 115.