 Volume 2, Part 16 of Herodotus's Histories. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Graham Redman. Histories Volume 2 by Herodotus of Halecarnassus. Translated by A.D. Godly. Volume 2, Part 16. The Lacedaemonians are the only Greeks who tell this story, but in what I write I follow the Greek report and hold that the Greeks correctly recount these kings of the Dorians as far back as Pursus' son of Dany. They make no mention of the God, and prove these kings to be Greek, for by that time they had come to be classified as Greeks. I said as far back as Pursus, and I took the matter no further than that, because no one is named as the mortal father of Pursus as Amphitrian is named father of Heracles. So I used correct reasoning when I said that the Greek record is correct as far back as Pursus. Farther back than that, if the king's ancestors in each generation from Dany E. Daughter of Eccrisius upward be reckoned, then the leaders of the Dorians will be shown to be true-born Egyptians. Thus have I traced their lineage according to the Greek story. But the Persian tale is that Pursus himself was an Assyrian and became a Greek, which his forebears had not been. The Pursians say that the ancestors of Eccrisius had no bond of kinship with Pursus, and they indeed were, as the Greeks say, Egyptians. Enough of these matters. Why, and for what achievements these men, being Egyptian, won the kinship of the Dorians, has been told by others? So I will let it go, and will make mention of matters which others have not touched. These privileges the Spartans have given to their kings. Two priesthoods of Zeus called Lassodimone and of Zeus of Heaven. They wage war against whatever land they wish, and no Spartan can hinder them in this on peril of being put under a curse. When the armies go forth the kings go out first and return last. One hundred chosen men guard them in their campaigns. They sacrifice as many sheep and goats as they wish at the start of their expeditions, and take the hides and backs of all sacrificed beasts. Such are their rights in war. In peace the powers given them are as follows. At all public sacrifices the kings first sit down to the banquet and are first served, each of them receiving a portion double of what is given to the rest of the company. They make the first libations, and the hides of the sacrificed beasts are theirs. At each new moon and each seventh day of the first part of the month a full-grown victim for Apollo's temple, a bushel of barley-meal, and a Laconian quart of wine are given to each from the public store, and chief seats are set apart for them at the games. It is their right to appoint whatever citizens they wish to be protectors of foreigners, and they each choose two pithians. The pithians are the ambassadors to Delphi and eat with the kings at the public expense. If the kings do not come to the public dinner two kenixes of barley-meal and half a pint of wine are sent to their houses, but when they come they receive a double share of everything, and the same honour shall be theirs when they are invited by private citizens to dinner. They keep all oracles that are given, though the pithians also know them. The kings alone judge cases concerning the rightful possessor of an unwedded heiress if her father has not betrothed her, and cases concerning public roads. If a man desires to adopt a son, it is done in the presence of the kings. They sit with the twenty-eight elders in council. If they do not come, the elders most closely related to them hold the king's privilege, giving two votes over and above the third which is their own. The kings are granted these rights from the Spartan commonwealth while they live. When they die their rights are as follows. Horsemen proclaim their death in all parts of Laconia, and in the city women go about beating on cauldrons. When this happens two free persons from each house, a man and a woman, are required to wear mourning or incur heavy penalties if they fail to do so. The Lacodemonians have the same custom at the deaths of their kings as the foreigners in Asia. Most foreigners use the same custom at their king's deaths. When a king of the Lacodemonians dies, a fixed number of their subject-neighbours must come to the funeral from all Lacodemen besides the Spartans. When these and the helots and the Spartans themselves have assembled in one place for the number of many thousands together with the women, they zealously beat their foreheads and make long and loud lamentation, calling that king that is most recently dead the best of all their kings. Whenever a king dies in war they make an image of him and carry it out on a well-spread beer. For ten days after the burial there are no assemblies or elections and they mourn during these days. The Lacodemonians also resemble the Persians in this. When one king is dead and another takes his office, this successor releases from debt any Spartan who owes a debt to the king or to the Commonwealth. Among the Persians the king at the beginning of his reign forgives all cities their arrears of tribute. The Lacodemonians resemble the Egyptians in that their heralds and flute players and cooks inherit the craft from their fathers, a flute player's son being a flute player and a cook's son a cook and a herald's son a herald. No others usurp their places making themselves heralds by loudness of voice. They ply their craft by right of birth. Such is the way of these matters. While Cleomenes was in Aegina working for the common good of Helas, Demeratus slandered him not out of care for the Aegeanetans but out of jealousy and envy. Once Cleomenes returned home from Aegina, he planned to remove Demeratus from his kingship using the following affair as a pretext against him. Ariston, king of Sparta, had married twice but had no children. He did not admit that he himself was responsible so he married a third time. This is how it came about. He had among the Spartans a friend to whom he was especially attached. This man's wife was by far the most beautiful woman in Sparta but she who was now most beautiful had once been the ugliest. Her nurse considered her inferior looks and how she was of wealthy people yet unattractive and seeing how the parents felt her appearance to be a great misfortune she contrived to carry the child every day to the sacred precinct of Helin which is in the place called Therapne, beyond the sacred precinct of Phoebus. Every time the nurse carried the child there she set her beside the image and beseeched the goddess to release the child from her ugliness. Once as she was leaving the sacred precinct it is said that a woman appeared to her and asked her what she was carrying in her arms. The nurse said she was carrying a child and the woman bade her show it to her but she refused saying that the parents had forbidden her to show it to anyone. But the woman strongly bade her show it to her and when the nurse saw how important it was to her she showed her the child. The woman stroked the child's head and said that she would be the most beautiful woman in all Sparta. From that day her looks changed and when she reached the time for marriage Ajitas son of Alcidas married her. This man was Ariston's friend. So love for this woman pricked Ariston and he contrived as follows. He promised to give to his comrade any one thing out of all he owned, whatever Ajitas might choose and he bade his comrade make him the same promise. Ajitas had no fear about his wife seeing that Ariston was already married so he agreed and they took oaths on these terms. Ariston gave Ajitas whatever it was that he chose out of all his treasures and then seeking equal recompense from him tried to take the wife of his comrade. Ajitas said that he had agreed to anything but that he was forced by his oath and by the deceitful trick to let his wife be taken. In this way Ariston married his third wife after divorcing the second one but his new wife gave birth to Demaratus too soon before ten lunar months had passed. When one of his servants announced to him as he sat in council with the effers that he had a son Ariston knowing the time of the marriage counted up the months on his fingers and swore on oath it's not mine. The effers heard this but did not make anything of it. When the boy grew up Ariston regretted having said that he firmly believed Demaratus to be his own son. He named him Demaratus because before his birth all the Spartan populace had prayed that Ariston the man most highly esteemed out of all the kings of Sparta might have a son. Thus he was named Demaratus which means answer to the people's prayer. Time passed and Ariston died so Demaratus held the kingship but it seems that these matters had to become known and cause Demaratus to lose his kingship. He had already fallen out with Cleomenes when he had brought the army back from Eleusis and now they were even more at odds when Cleomenes crossed over after the Egyonetans who were midising. Cleomenes wanted revenge so he made a deal with Leotichides son of Menaries son of Aegis of the same family as Demaratus. The deal was that Leotichides would go with Cleomenes against the Egyonetans if he became king. Leotichides had already become strongly hostile to Demaratus for the following reason. Leotichides was betrothed to Perkulus, daughter of Demaminus, but Demaratus plotted and robbed him of his marriage, stealing Perkulus and marrying her first. From this affair Leotichides was hostile toward Demaratus so at Cleomenes' instigation he took an oath against him saying that he was not king of the Spartans by right since he was not a Ristan son. After making this oath he prosecuted him recalling that utterance which a Ristan had made when the servant told him he had a son and he counted up the months and swore that it was not his. Taking his stand on this remark Leotichides declared that Demaratus was not a Ristan son and that he was not rightly king of Sparta, bringing as witnesses the effers who had been sitting beside a Ristan and heard him say this. Disputes arose over it so the Spartans resolved to ask the oracle at Delphi if Demaratus was the son of a Ristan. At Cleomenes' instigation this was revealed to the Pythia. He had won over a man of great influence among the Delphians, Cobon son of Aristophanus and Cobon persuaded the priestess Perialus to say what Cleomenes wanted her to. When the ambassadors asked if Demaratus was the son of a Ristan the Pythia gave judgment that he was not. All this came to light later. Cobon was exiled from Delphi and Perialus was deposed from her position. So it was concerning Demaratus' loss of the kingship and from Sparta he went into exile among the Medes because of the following reproach. After he was deposed from the kingship he was elected to office. When it was the time of the gymnopedia Leotichides, now king in his place saw him in the audience and as a joke and an insult sent a messenger to him to ask what it was like to hold office after being king. He was grieved by the question and said that he had experience of both while Leotichides did not and that this question would be the beginning for Sparta of either immense evil or immense good fortune. He said this, covered his head, left the theatre and went home where he immediately made preparations and sacrificed an ox to Zeus. Then he summoned his mother. When she came in he put some of the entrails in her hands and entreated her saying, Mother, appealing to Zeus of the household and to all the other gods I beseech you to tell me the truth. Who is my father? Tell me truly. Leotichides said in the disputes that you were already pregnant by your former husband when you came to Aristan. Others say more foolishly that you approached to one of the servants, the ass-keeper, and that I am his son. I adjure you by the gods to speak what is true. If you have done anything of what they say you are not the only one. You are in company with many women. There is much talk at Sparta that Aristan did not have childbearing seed in him or his former wives would have given him children. Thus he spoke. His mother answered, My son, since you adjure me by entreaties to speak the truth I will speak out to you all that is true. On the third night after Aristan brought me to his house a phantom resembling him came to me. It came and lay with me and then put on me the garlands which it had. It went away and when Aristan came in later and saw me with the garlands he asked who gave them to me. I said he did, but he denied it. I swore an oath that just a little while before he had come in and lain with me and given me the garlands and I said it was not good of him to deny it. When he saw me swearing he perceived that this was some divine affair for the garlands had clearly come from the hero's precinct which is established at the courtyard doors which they call the precinct of Astrabacus and the seers responded that this was the same hero who had come to me. Thus, my son, you have all you want to know. Either you are from this hero and Astrabacus the hero is your father or Aristan is, for I conceived you that night. As for how your enemies chiefly attack you saying that Aristan himself, when your birth was announced denied in front of a large audience that you were his because the ten months had not yet been completed he spoke an idle word out of ignorance of such things. Some women give birth after nine months or seven months not all complete the ten months. I gave birth to you, my son, after seven months. A little later Aristan himself recognized that he had blurted out that speech because of foolishness. Do not believe other stories about your manner of birth. You have heard the whole truth. May the wife of Leotichides himself and the wives of the others who say these things give birth to children fathered by ass-keepers. Thus his mother spoke. After learning what he desired Demoratus took provisions and travelled to Elis pretending that he was going to Delphi to inquire of the oracle. But the Lacedaemonians suspected that he planned to escape and went in pursuit. Demoratus somehow went across to Zechinthys from Elis before them. The Lacedaemonians crossed over after him and laid hands on him carrying off his servants. But the Zechinthians refused to give him up and later he crossed from there to Asia and went to King Darius who received him in grand style and gave him lands and cities. So Demoratus reached Asia through such chances a man who had gained much renown in Lacedaemon by his many achievements and his wisdom and by conferring on the state the victory in a chariot race he had won at Olympia. He was the only king of Sparta who did this. Leotichides' son of Menaries succeeded to the kingship after Demoratus was deposed. A son was born to him, Zucsidemus, called by some of the Spartans Cyniscus. This Zucsidemus never became king of Sparta for he died before Leotichides leaving his son Archidemus. After the loss of Zucsidemus Leotichides married a second wife, Eurydemy, sister of Menaries and daughter of Diatorides. By her he had no male offspring but a daughter, Lampito, to whom Archidemus' son of Zucsidemus was married by Leotichides. But Leotichides also did not come to old age in Sparta. He was punished for his dealings with Demoratus as I will show. He led a Lassidemonian army to Thessaly and when he could have subdued all the country he took a great bribe. After being caught in the act of hoarding a sleeve full of silver there in the camp he was brought before a court and banished from Sparta and his house was destroyed. He went into exile at Tegea and died in that country. This happened long afterwards. When Cleomenes' dealings with Demoratus came off successfully he immediately took Leotichides with him and went to punish the Egenetans with whom he was terribly angry because of their insulting behaviour. When the Egenetans saw that both kings had come after them they now deemed it best to offer no further resistance. The kings chose ten men of Aegina who were most honoured for wealth and lineage among them Crius, son of Polycritus and Cassambus, son of Aristocrates the two most powerful men in Aegina. They carried them to Attica and gave them into the keeping of the Athenians the bitterest foes of the Egenetans. Later Cleomenes treacherous plot against Demoratus became known. He was seized with fear of the Spartans and secretly fled to Thessaly. From there he came to Arcadia and stirred up disorder uniting the Arcadians against Sparta. Among his methods of binding them by oath to follow him wherever he led was his zeal to bring the chief men of Arcadia to the city of Nonacris and make them swear by the water of the Styx. Near this city is said to be the Arcadian water of the Styx and this is its nature. It is a stream of small appearance dropping from a cliff into a pool. A wall of stones runs round the pool. Nonacris, where this spring rises is a city of Arcadia near Phenus. When the Lacedaemonians learned that Cleomenes was doing this they took fright and brought him back to Sparta to rule on the same terms as before. Cleomenes had already been not entirely in his right mind and on his return from exile a mad sickness fell upon him. Any Spartan that he happened to meet he would hit in the face with his staff. For doing this and because he was out of his mind his relatives bound him in the stocks. When he was in the stocks and saw that his guard was left alone he demanded a dagger. The guard at first refused to give it but Cleomenes threatened what he would do to him when he was freed until the guard, who was a helot was frightened by the threats and gave him the dagger. Cleomenes took the weapon and set about slashing himself from his shins upwards from the shin to the thigh he cut his flesh lengthways then from the thigh to the hip and the sides until he reached the belly and cut it into strips. Thus he died, as most of the Greeks say because he persuaded the Pythian priestess to tell the tale of Demoratus. The Athenians alone say it was because he invaded Ilyusis and laid waste the precinct of the gods. The Argyves say it was because when Argyves had taken refuge after the battle in their temple of Argus he brought them out and cut them down then paid no heed to the sacred grove and set it on fire. As Cleomenes was seeking divination at Delphi the oracle responded that he would take Argos when he came with Spartans to the river Eresinus which is said to flow from the Stemphalian lake. This lake is used into a cleft out of sight and reappears at Argos and from that place onwards the stream is called by the Argyves Eresinus. When Cleomenes came to this river he offered sacrifices to it. The omens were in no way favourable for his crossing so he said that he honoured the Eresinus for not betraying its countrymen but even so the Argyves would not go unscathed. Then he withdrew and led his army seaward to Thyria where he sacrificed a bull to the sea and carried his men on shipboard to the region of Tirins and to Norplia. The Argyves heard of this and came to the coast to do battle with him. When they had come near Tirins and were at the place called Hesipiah they encamped opposite the Lacedaemonians leaving only a little space between the armies. There the Argyves had no fear of fair fighting but rather of being captured by a trick. This was the affair referred to by that oracle which the Pythian priestess gave to the Argyves and Milesians in common which ran thus. When the female defeats the male and drives him away winning glory in Argos she will make many Argyve women tear their cheeks as some day one of men to come will say the dread thrice-coiled serpent died tamed by the spear. All these things coming together spread fear among the Argyves or they resolved to defend themselves by making use of the enemies Herald and they performed their resolve in this way. Whenever the Spartan Herald signalled anything to the Lacedaemonians the Argyves did the same thing. When Cleomines saw that the Argyves did whatever was signalled by his Herald he commanded that when the Herald cried the signal for breakfast they then put on their armor and attack the Argyves. The Lacedaemonians performed this command and when they assaulted the Argyves they caught them at breakfast in obedience to the Herald's signal. They killed many of them and far more fled for refuge into the grove of Argos which the Lacedaemonians encamped around and guarded. Then Cleomines' plan was this he had with him some deserters from whom he learnt the names. Then he sent a Herald calling by name the Argyves that were shut up in the sacred precinct and inviting them to come out saying that he had their ransom. Among the Peloponnesians there is a fixed ransom of two money to be paid for every prisoner. So Cleomines invited about fifty Argyves to come out one after another and murdered them. Somehow the rest of the men in the temple precinct did not know this was happening for the grove was thick and those inside could not see how those outside were faring until one of them climbed a tree and saw what was being done. Thereafter they would not come out at the Herald's call. Then Cleomines bared all the helots with a smile wood about the grove. They obeyed and he burnt the grove. When the fire was now burning he asked of one of the deserters to what God the grove belonged. The man said it was of Argos. When he heard that he groaned aloud Apollo, God of oracles you have gravely deceived me by saying that I would take Argos. This, I guess, is the fulfilment of that prophecy. Then Cleomines sent most of his army back to Sparta while he himself took a thousand of the best warriors and went to the temple of Hera to sacrifice. When he wished to sacrifice at the altar the priest forbade him saying that it was not holy but a stranger to sacrifice there. Cleomines ordered the helots to carry the priest away from the altar and whip him and he performed the sacrifice. After doing this he returned to Sparta. But after his return his enemies brought him before the effers saying that he had been bribed not to take Argos when he might have easily taken it. Cleomines alleged whether falsely or truly I cannot rightly say but this he alleged in his speech that he had supposed the God's oracle to be fulfilled by his taking of the temple of Argos. Therefore he had thought it best not to make any attempt on the city before he had learned from the sacrifices whether the God would deliver it to him or withstand him. When he was taking Omen's in Hera's temple a flame of fire had shone forth from the breast of the image and so he learned the truth of the matter that he would not take Argos. If the flame had come out of the head of the image he would have taken the city from head to foot utterly but it's coming from the breast signified that he had done as much as the God willed to happen. This plea of his seemed to the Spartans to be credible and reasonable and he far out distanced the pursuit of his accusers. End of Volume 2 Part 16 Recording by Graham Redman Volume 2 Part 17 of Herodotus Histories This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Graham Redman Histories Volume 2 by Herodotus of Helicarnassus translated by A.D. Godly Volume 2 Part 17 But Argos was so wholly deprived of men that their slaves took possession of all affairs ruling and governing until the sons of the slain men grew up. Then they recovered Argos for themselves and cast out the slaves. When they were driven out the slaves took possession of Tirins by force. For a while they were at peace with each other but then there came to the slaves a prophet, Cleander, a man of Phigalia in Arcadia by birth. He persuaded the slaves to attack their masters. From that time there was a long-lasting war between them until with difficulty the Argyves got the upper hand. The Argyves say this was the reason Cleomenes went mad and met an evil end. The Spartans themselves say that Cleomenes' madness arose from no divine agent but that by consorting with Scythians he became a drinker of strong wine and the madness came from this. The nomadic Scythians after the Darius had invaded their land were eager for revenge so they sent to Sparta and made an alliance. They agreed that the Scythians would attempt to invade media by way of the river Faces and they urged the Spartans to set out and march inland from Ephesus and meet the Scythians. They say that when the Scythians had come for this purpose Cleomenes kept rather close company with them and by consorting with them more than was fitting he learned from them to drink strong wine. The Spartans consider him to have gone mad from this ever since as they themselves say whenever they desire a strong drink they call for a Scythian cup such is the Spartan story of Cleomenes but to my thinking it was for what he did to Demeratus that he was punished thus. When the Egenetans heard that Cleomenes was dead they sent messengers to Sparta to cry out against Leotics concerning the hostages that were held at Athens. The Lacedaemonians then assembled a court and gave judgment that Leoticides had done violence to the Egenetans and they condemned him to be given up and carried to Igina in requital for the men that were held at Athens. But when the Egenetans were about to carry Leoticides away a man of repute at Sparta Theacides son of Leoprapies said to them men of Igina what are you planning to do to have the king of the Spartans given up to you by the citizens and carry him away if the Spartans have now so judged in their anger see that they do not bring utter destruction upon your country if you do this. The Egenetans heard this and refrained from carrying the king away and made an agreement that Leoticides should go with them to Athens and restore the men to the Igenetans. When Leoticides came to Athens and demanded back the hostages the Athenians were unwilling to give them back and made excuses saying that two kings had given them the trust and they deemed it wrong to restore it to one without the other. When the Athenians refused to give them back Leoticides said to them men of Athens do which ever thing you desire if you give them back you do righteously if you do not give them back you do the opposite but I want to tell you the story of what happened at Sparta in the matter of a trust We Spartans say that three generations ago there was at Lacedaemon one Glorcus the son of Episides. We say that this man added to his other excellences a reputation for justice above all men who at that time dwelt in Lacedaemon but we say that at the fitting time this befell him. There came to Sparta a certain man of Miletus who desired to have a talk with Glorcus and made him this offer I am a Milesian and I have come to have the benefit of your justice Glorcus since there is much talk about your justice throughout all the rest of Helas and even in Ionia I considered the fact that Ionia is always in danger while the Peloponnes is securely established and nowhere in Ionia are the same men seen continuing in possession of wealth considering and taking counsel concerning these matters I resolved to turn half of my property into silver and deposit it with you being well assured that it will lie safe for me in your keeping accept the money for me and take and keep these tokens restore the money to whoever comes with the same tokens and demands it back thus spoke the stranger who had come from Miletus and Glorcus received the trust according to the agreement after a long time had passed the sons of the man who had deposited the money came to Sparta they spoke with Glorcus showing him the tokens and demanding the money back but Glorcus put them off and answered in turn I do not remember the matter and nothing of what you say carries my mind back let me think I wish to do all that is just if I took the money I will duly restore it if I never took it at all I will deal with you according to the customs of the Greeks I will put off making my decision for you until the fourth month from this day so the Milesians went away in sorrow as men robbed of their possessions but Glorcus journeyed to Delphi to question the oracle when he asked the oracle whether he should seize the money under oath the Pythian priestess threatened him in these verses Glorcus son of Episides it is more profitable now to prevail by your oath and seize the money swear for death awaits even the man who swears true but oath has a son nameless he is without hands or feet but he pursues swiftly until he catches and destroys all the family and the entire house the line of a man who swears true is better later on when Glorcus heard this he entreated the god to pardon him for what he had said the priestess answered that to tempt the god and to do the deed had the same effect so Glorcus summoned the Milesian strangers and gave them back their money and here now, Athenians, why I began to tell you this story there is today no descendant of Glorcus nor any household that bears Glorcus' name he has been utterly rooted out of Sparta so good is it not even to think anything concerning a trust except giving it back on demand thus spoke Leotichides even so the Athenians would not listen to him and he departed the Aegeanetans, before paying the penalty for the violence they had done to the Athenians to please the Thebans acted as follows blaming the Athenians and deeming themselves wronged they prepared to take vengeance on the Athenians who were now celebrating a quinquennial festival at Sunium the Aegeanetans set an ambush and captured the sacred ship with many leading Athenians on board and put in prison the men they seized suffering this from the Aegeanetans the Athenians no longer put off devising all mischief against Egyna there was a notable man in Egyna Nicodremus, son of Knethus by name who held a grudge against the Aegeanetans for his former banishment from the island when he learned that the Athenians were now set upon harming the Aegeanetans he agreed to betray Egyna to the Athenians naming the day when he would make the attempt and when they must come to aid him later, Nicodremus, according to his agreement with the Athenians took possession of the old city, as it was called but the Athenians were not there at the right time for they did not have ships worthy to fight the Aegeanetans while they were asking the Corinthians to lend them ships the affair was ruined the Corinthians at that time were their close friends so they consented to the Athenians plea and gave them twenty ships at a price of five drachmas apiece by their law they could not make a free gift of them taking these ships and their own the Athenians manned seventy in all and sailed for Egyna but they came a day later than the time agreed when the Athenians did not show up at the right time Nicodremus took ship and escaped from Egyna other Aegeanetans followed him and the Athenians gave them Sunium to dwell in setting out from there they harried the Aegeanetans of the island but this happened later the rich men of Egyna gained mastery over the people who had risen against them with Nicodremus then made them captive and led them out to be killed because of this a curse fell upon them which despite all their efforts they could not get rid of by sacrifice and they were driven out of their island before the goddess would be merciful to them they had taken seven hundred of the people alive as they led these out for slaughter one of them escaped from his bonds and fled to the temple gate of Demeter the lawgiver where he laid hold of the door handles and clung to them they did not tear him away by force so they cut off his hands and carried him off and those hands were left clinging fast to the door handles thus the Aegeanetans dealt with each other when the Athenians came they fought them at sea with seventy ships the Aegeanetans were defeated in the sea fight and asked for help from the Argives as they had done before but this time the Argives would not aid them holding a grudge because ships of vagina had been taken by four Spike Leomenes and put in on the Argelid coast where their crews landed with the Lacedaemonians men from ships of Scythian also took part in the same invasion the Argives laid on them the payment of a fine of a thousand talents, five hundred each the Scythianians confessed that they had done wrong and agreed to go free with a payment of a hundred talents but the Aegeanetans made no such confession and remained stubborn for this cause the Argives state sent no one to aid them at their request but about a thousand came voluntarily led by a captain whose name was Yuri Bates a man who practiced the Pentathlon most of these never returned meeting their death at the hands of the Athenians in Aegina Yuri Bates himself, their captain fought in single combat and thus killed three men but was slain by the fourth Sophonies the son of Desiles the Aegeanetan ships found the Athenians in disarray and attacked and overcame them taking four Athenian ships and their crews thus Athens and Aegina grappled together in war the Persian was going about his own business for his servant was constantly reminding him to remember the Athenians and the Pisces strategy were at his elbow maligning the Athenians moreover Darius desired to take this pretext for subduing all the men of Helas who had not given him earth and water he dismissed from command Mardonius who had fared so badly on his expedition and appointed other generals to lead his armies against Athens and Eretria Taitis, a mead by birth and his own nephew Artefrennes, son of Artefrennes the order he gave them at their departure was to enslave Athens and Eretria and bring the slaves into his presence when these appointed generals on their way from the king reached the Aelian plain in Silicia bringing with them a great and well furnished army they camped there and were overtaken by all the fleet that was assigned to each they also arrived the transports for horses which in the previous year Darius had bidden his tributary subjects to make ready having loaded the horses into these and embarked the land army in the ships they sailed to Ionia with six hundred dry reams from there they held their course not by the mainland and straight towards the helispont and Thrace but setting forth from Samos they sailed by the Akarian sea and from island to island this to my thinking was because they feared above all the voyage around Aethos seeing that in the previous year they had come to great disaster by holding their course that way moreover Naxos was still unconquered and constrained them when they approached Naxos from the Akarian sea and came to land for it was Naxos which the Persians intended to attack first the Naxians remembering what had happened before fled away to the mountains instead of waiting for them the Persians enslaved all of them that they caught and burnt their temples and their city after doing this they set sail for the other islands while they did this the Delians also left Delos and fled away to Tinos as his expedition was sailing land woods Datus went on ahead and bared his fleet anchor not off Delos but across the water off Free Nia learning where the Delians were he sent a herald to them with this proclamation Holy men! Why have you fled away and so misjudged my intent? It is my own desire and the kings command to me to do no harm to the land where the two gods were born neither to the land itself nor to its inhabitants so return now to your homes and dwell on your island he made this proclamation to the Delians and then piled up three hundred talents of frankincense on the altar and burnt it after doing this Datus sailed with his army against Eretria first taking with him Ionians and Iolians and after he had put out from there Delos was shaken by an earthquake the first and last as the Delians say before my time this portent was sent by heaven as I suppose to be an omen of the ills that were coming on the world for in three generations that is in the time of Darius son of Hystaspis and Xerxes son of Darius and Artaxerxes son of Xerxes more ills happened to Helas than in twenty generations before Darius some coming from the Persians some from the wars for preeminence among the chief of the nations themselves thus it was no marvel that there should be an earthquake in Delos when there had been none before also there was an oracle concerning Delos where it was written I will shake Delos though unshaken before in the Greek language these names have the following meanings Darius is the doer Xerxes the warrior Artaxerxes the great warrior the Greeks would rightly call the kings thus in their language launching out to sea from Delos the foreigners put in at the islands and gathered an army from there taking the sons of the islanders for hostages when in their voyage about the islands they put in at Caristus the Caristians gave them no hostages and refused to join them against neighbouring cities meaning Eretria and Athens the Persians besieged them and laid waste their land until the Caristians too came over to their side when the Eretrians learned that the Persian expedition was sailing to attack them they asked for help from the Athenians the Athenians did not refuse the aid but gave them for defenders the 4000 tenant farmers who held the land of the Calcydian horse breeders but it seems that all the plans of the Eretrians were unsound they sent to the Athenians for aid but their councils were divided some of them planned to leave the city and make for the heights of Euboea others plotted treason in hope of winning advantages from the Persians when Eskenes son of Nothon a leading man in Eretria learned of both designs he told the Athenians who had come how matters stood and asked them to depart to their own country so they would not perish like the rest the Athenians followed Eskenes advice so they saved themselves by crossing over to Oropus the Persians sailed holding their course for Temenos and Kyrie and Ejilea all in Eretrian territory landing at these places they immediately unloaded their horses and made preparation to attack their enemies the Eretrians had no intention of coming out and fighting all their care was to guard their walls if they could since it was the prevailing council not to leave the city the walls were strongly attacked and for six days many fell on both sides but on the 7th two Eretrians of Repute Euphorbos son of Alcimacus and Vilagras son of Sinias betrayed the city to the Persians they entered the city and plundered and burnt the Temples in revenge for the Temples that were burnt at Sardis moreover they enslaved the townspeople according to Darius command after subduing Eretria the Persians waited a few days and then sailed away to the land of Attica pressing ahead in expectation of doing to the Athenians exactly what they had done to the Eretrians Marathon was the place in Attica most suitable for riding horses and closest to Eretria so Hippias son of Pisistratus led them there when the Athenians learned this they too marched out to Marathon with ten generals leading them the 10th was Miltiades and it had befallen his father Simon son of Stisagoras to be banished from Athens by Pisistratus son of Hippocrates while in exile he happened to take the Olympic prize in the Four Horse Chariot and by taking this victory he won the same prize as his half-brother Miltiades at the next Olympic Games he won with the same horses but permitted Pisistratus to be proclaimed victor and by resigning the victory to him he came back from exile to his own property under truce after taking yet another Olympic prize with the same horses he happened to be murdered by Pisistratus sons since Pisistratus was no longer living they murdered him by placing men in ambush at night near the town hall Simon was buried in front of the city across the road called through the hollow and buried opposite him are the mares who won the three Olympic prizes the mares of Ivegaras the Laconian did the same as these but none others Stisagoras the elder of Simon's sons was then being brought up with his uncle Miltiades in the Cursonies the younger was with Simon at Athens and he took the name Miltiades from Miltiades the founder of the Cursonies it was this Miltiades who was now the Athenian general after coming from the Cursonies and escaping a twofold death the Phoenicians pursued him as far as Imbros considering it of great importance to catch him and bring him to the king he escaped from them but when he reached his own country and thought he was safe then his enemies met him they brought him to court and prosecuted him for tyranny in the Cursonies but he was acquitted and appointed Athenian general chosen by the people End of Volume 2 Part 17 Recording by Graham Redman Volume 2 Part 18 of Herodotus Histories This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Graham Redman Histories Volume 2 by Herodotus of Halicarnassus translated by A. D. Godley Volume 2 Part 18 While still in the city the generals first sent to Sparta the herald Phylipides an Athenian and a long-distance runner who made that his calling As Phylipides himself said when he brought the message to the Athenians when he was in the Parthenian mountain above Tegea he encountered Pan Pan called out Phylipides' name and bade him ask the Athenians why they paid him no attention he was of good will to the Athenians had often been of service to them and would be in the future the Athenians believed that these things were true and when they became prosperous they established a sacred precinct of Pan beneath the Acropolis ever since that message they propitiate him with annual sacrifices and a torch race this Phylipides was in Sparta on the day after leaving the city of Athens that time when he was sent by the generals and said that Pan had appeared to him he came to the magistrates and said, Lacedemonians the Athenians ask you to come to their aid and not allow the most ancient city among the Helens to fall into slavery at the hands of the foreigners even now Eretria has been enslaved and Helas has become weaker by an important city he told them what he had been ordered to say and they resolved to send help to the Athenians but they could not do this immediately for they were unwilling to break the law it was the ninth day of the rising month and they said that on the ninth they could not go out to war until the moon's circle was full so they waited for the full moon while the foreigners were guided to Marathon by Hippias son of Pisistratus the previous night Hippias had a dream in which he slept with his mother he supposed from the dream that he would return from exile to Athens, recover his rule and end his days an old man in his own country thus he reckoned from the dream then as guide he unloaded the slaves from Eretria onto the island of the Styrians called Aegilia and brought to anchor the ships that had put ashore at Marathon then marshaled the foreigners who had disembarked on to land as he was tending to this he happened to sneeze and cough more violently than usual since he was an elderly man most of his teeth were loose and he lost one of them by the force of his cough it fell into the sand and he expended much effort in looking for it but the tooth could not be found he groaned aloud and said to those standing by him this land is not ours and we will not be able to subdue it my tooth holds whatever share of it was mine Hippias supposed that the dream had in this way come true as the Athenians were marshaled in the precinct of Heracles the Platians came to help them in full force the Platians had put themselves under the protection of the Athenians and the Athenians had undergone many labours on their behalf this is how they did it when the Platians were pressed by the Thebans they first tried to put themselves under the protection of Cleomenes son of Anaxandrides and the Lacedaemonians who happened to be there but they did not accept them saying we live too far away and our help would be cold comfort to you you could be enslaved many times over before any of us heard about it we advise you to put yourselves under the protection of the Athenians since they are your neighbours and not bad men at giving help the Lacedaemonians gave this advice not so much out of good will toward the Platians as wishing to cause trouble for the Athenians with the Beotians so the Lacedaemonians gave this advice to the Platians who did not disobey it when the Athenians were making sacrifices to the twelve gods they sat at the altar as suppliants and put themselves under protection when the Thebans heard this they marched against the Platians but the Athenians came to their aid as they were about to join battle the Corinthians who happened to be there prevented them and brought about a reconciliation since both sides desired them to arbitrate they fixed the boundaries of the country on condition that the Thebans leave alone those Beotians who were unwilling to be enrolled as Beotian after rendering this decision the Corinthians departed the Beotians attacked the Athenians as they were leaving but were defeated in battle the Athenians went beyond the boundaries the Corinthians had made for the Platians fixing the Ossopus River as the boundary for the Thebans in the direction of Plataea and Hizzii so the Platians had put themselves under the protection of the Athenians in the aforesaid manner and now came to help at Marathon the Athenian generals were of divided opinion some advocating not fighting because they were too few to attack the army of the Medes others including Miltiades advocating fighting thus they were at odds and the inferior plan prevailed an eleventh man had a vote chosen by lot to be polymark of Athens and by ancient custom the Athenians had made his vote of equal weight with the generals Calimacus of a Fidney was polymark at this time Miltiades approached him and said Calimacus it is now in your hands to enslave Athens or make her free and thereby leave behind for all posterity a memorial such as not even Hormodius and Aristogitan left now the Athenians have come to their greatest danger since they first came into being and if we surrender it is clear what we will suffer when handed over to Hippias but if the city prevails it will take first place among Hellenic cities I will tell you how this can happen and how the deciding voice on these matters has devolved upon you the ten generals are of divided opinion some urging to attack others urging not to if we do not attack now I expect that great strife will fall upon and shake the spirit of the Athenians leading them to Medes but if we attack now before anything unsound corrupts the Athenians we can win the battle if the gods are fair all this concerns and depends on you in this way if you vote with me your country will be free and your city the first in Hellas but if you side with those eager to avoid battle you will have the opposite to all the good things I enumerated by saying this Miltiades won over Calimacus the Polymark's vote was counted in and the decision to attack was resolved upon thereafter the generals who had voted to fight turned the presidency over to Miltiades as each one's day came in turn he accepted the office but did not make an attack until it was his own day to preside when the presidency came round to him he arrayed the Athenians for battle with the Polymark Calimacus commanding the right wing since it was then the Athenian custom for the Polymark to hold the right wing he led and the other tribes were numbered out in succession next to each other the Platians were marshaled last holding the left wing ever since that battle when the Athenians are conducting sacrifices at the festivals every fourth year the Athenian Herald prays for good things for the Athenians and Platians together as the Athenians were marshaled at Marathon it happened that their line of battle was as long as the line of the Medes the center where the line was weakest was only a few ranks deep but each wing was strong in numbers when they had been set in order and the sacrifices were favorable the Athenians were sent forth and charged the foreigners at a run the space between the armies was no less than eight stadia the Persians saw them running to attack and prepared to receive them thinking the Athenians absolutely crazy since they saw how few of them there were and that they ran up so fast without either cavalry or archers so the foreigners imagined but when the Athenians all together fell upon the foreigners they fought in a way worthy of record these are the first Helians whom we know of to use running against the enemy they are also the first to endure looking at median dress and men wearing it for up until then just hearing the name of the Medes caused the Helians to panic they fought a long time at Marathon in the center of the line the foreigners prevailed where the Persians and Sacy were arrayed the foreigners prevailed there and broke through in pursuit inland but on each wing the Athenians and Platians prevailed in victory they let the routed foreigners flee and brought the wings together to fight those who had broken through the center the Athenians prevailed then followed the fleeing Persians and struck them down when they reached the sea they demanded fire and laid hold of the Persian ships in this labor Calimacus the polymark was slain a brave man and of the general Ctesileus son of Thracileus died Sinogyrus son of Euphorion fell there his hand cut off with an axe as he grabbed a ship's finger head many other famous Athenians also fell there in this way the Athenians overpowered seven ships the foreigners pushed off with the rest picked up the Eretrian slaves from the island where they had left them and sailed around Sunium hoping to reach the city before the Athenians there was an accusation at Athens that they devised this by a plan of the alchemyonidii who were said to have arranged to hold up a shield as a signal once the Persians were in their ships they sailed around Sunium but the Athenians marched back to defend the city as fast as their feet could carry them and got there ahead of the foreigners coming from the sacred precinct of Heracles in Marathon they pitched camp in the sacred precinct of Heracles in Sino-Sergies the foreigners lay at anchor of Falyrum the Athenian naval port at that time after riding anchor there they sailed their ships back to Asia in the battle at Marathon about 6,400 men of the foreigners were killed and 192 Athenians that many fell on each side the following marvel happened there an Athenian Episela's son of Cufagoras was fighting as a brave man in the battle when he was deprived of his sight those struck or hit nowhere on his body and from that time on he spent the rest of his life in blindness I have heard that he tells this story about his misfortune he saw opposing him a tall armed man whose beard overshadowed his shield but the phantom passed him by and killed the man next to him I learned by inquiry that this is the story Episela's tells Datus journeyed with his army to Asia and when he arrived at Mykonos he saw a vision in his sleep what that vision was is not told but as soon as day broke Datus made a search of his ships he found in a Phoenician ship a gilded image of Apollo and asked where this plunder had been taken learning from what temple it had come he sailed in his own ship to Delos the Delians had now returned to their island and Datus set the image in the temple instructing the Delians to carry it away to Theban Delium on the coast opposite Calces Datus gave this order and sailed away but the Delians never carried that statue away twenty years later the Thebans brought it to Delium by command of an oracle when Datus and Artifrenes reached Asia in their voyage they carried the enslaved Eretriums inland to Sousa before the Eretriums were taken captive King Darius had been terribly angry with them for doing him unprovoked wrong but when he saw them brought before him and subject to him he did them no harm but settled them in a domain of his own called Arderica in the Sician land this place is 210 stadia distant from Sousa and 40 from the well that is of three kinds asphalt and salt and oil are drawn from it in the following way a windlass is used in the drawing with half a skin tied to it in place of a bucket this is dipped into the well and then poured into a tank then what is drawn is poured into another tank and goes three ways the asphalt and the salt congeal immediately the oil which the Persians call radinacy is dark and evil smelling there King Darius settled the Eretriums and they dwelt in that place until my time keeping their ancient language such was the fate of the Eretriums after the full moon 2,000 Lacedaemonians came to Athens making such great haste to reach it that they were in Attica on the third day after leaving Sparta although they came too late for the battle they desired to see the Medes so they went to Marathon and saw them then they departed again praising the Athenians and their achievement it is a wonder to me and I do not believe the story that the alchemyonidae would ever have agreed to hold up a shield as a sign for the Persians out of a desire to make Athens subject to foreigners and to Hippias for it is plain to see that they were tyrant haters as much as Calias son of Finipus and father of Hipponicus or even more so Calias was the only Athenian who dared to buy Pisistratus possessions when they were put up for sale by the state after Pisistratus' banishment from Athens and he devised other acts of bitter hatred against him this Calias is worthy of all men's remembrance for many reasons first because he so excellently freed his country as I have said second for what he did at Olympia where he won a horse race and was second in a four-horse chariot after already winning a Pythian prize and was the sinus year of all Hellas for the lavishness of his spending and third for his behaviour regarding his three daughters when they were of marriageable age he gave them a most splendid gift and one very pleasant to them promising that each would wed that man whom she chose for herself from all the Athenians the alchemyonady were tyrant haters as much as Calias or not less so therefore I find it a strange and unbelievable accusation that they of all men should have held up a shield at all times they shunned tyrants and it was by their contrivance that the sons of Pisistratus were deposed from their tyranny thus in my judgment it was they who freed Athens much more than did Hermodius and Aristogiton these only enraged the remaining sons of Pisistratus by killing Hipparchus and did nothing to end the tyranny of the rest of them but the alchemyonady plainly liberated their country if they truly were the ones who persuaded the Pythian priestess to signify to the Lacerdemonians that they should free Athens as I have previously shown perhaps out of some grudge against the Athenian people they betrayed their country but there were no others at Athens more esteemed or more honoured than they therefore plain reason forbids believing that they of all men could have held up the shield for any such cause a shield was held up this cannot be denied for it happened but who did it I do not know and I can say no further the alchemyonady had been men of renown at Athens even in the old days and from the time of alchemyon and then megacles there renown increased when the Lydians from Sardis came from Cresus to the Delphic Oracle alchemyon son of megacles worked with them and zealously aided them when Cresus heard from the Lydians who visited the Oracle of alchemyon's benefits to him he summoned alchemyon to Sardis and there made him a gift of as much gold as he could carry away at one time on his person considering the nature of the gift alchemyon planned and employed this device he donned a wide tunic leaving a deep fold in it and put on the most spacious boots that he could find then went into the treasury to which they led him falling upon a heap of gold dust first he packed next to his legs as much gold as his boots would contain then he filled all the fold of his tunic with gold and strewed the dust among the hair of his head and took more of it into his mouth when he came out of the treasury hardly dragging the weight of his boots he was like anything rather than a human being with his mouth crammed full and all his body swollen Cresus burst out laughing at the sight and gave him all the gold he already had and that much more again thus the family grew very rich alchemyon came to keep four horse chariots and one with them at Olympia in the next generation Kleisthenes the tyrant of Sychion raised that house still higher so that it grew much more famous in Helas than it had formally been Kleisthenes son of Aristonomus son of Myron son of Andreas had one daughter whose name was Agaristi he desired to wed her to the best man he could find in Helas it was the time of the Olympian games and when he was victor there with a four horse chariot Kleisthenes made a proclamation that whichever Greek thought himself worthy to be his son-in-law should come on the sixtieth day from then or earlier to Sychion and Kleisthenes would make good his promise of marriage in a year from that sixtieth day then all the Greeks who were proud of themselves and their country came as suitors and to that end Kleisthenes had them compete in running and wrestling contests from Italy came Smyndyrides of Sibiris son of Hippocrates the most luxurious liver of his day and Sibiris was then at the height of its prosperity and Damasus of Syris son of that Amyrus who was called the Wise these came from Italy from the Ionian Gulf and Finestus son of Epistrophus an Epidamnion he was from the Ionian Gulf from Etolia came Males the brother of that Titormus who surpassed all the Greeks in strength and fled from the sight of men to the farthest parts of the Etolian land from the Peloponnes came Leosides son of Phaidon the tyrant of Argos that Phaidon who made weights and measures for the Peloponnesians and acted more arrogantly than any other Greek he drove out the Ilean contest directors and held the contests at Olympia himself this man's son now came and Amiantus an Arcadian from Trapezius son of Lycurgus and a Nazinian from the town of Pius Laphonies son of that Euphorion who as the Arcadian tale relates gave lodging to the Dioschiri and ever since kept open house for all men and Onomastus from Elis son of Igeus these came from the Peloponnes itself from Athens Megacles son of that Alchmion who visited Cresus and also Hippoclides son of Tysandrus who surpassed the Athenians in wealth and looks from Eretria which at that time was prosperous came Lysanius he was the only man from Euboea from Thessaly came a Scopad, Diatorides of Cranon and from the Melossians Alcon these were the suitors when they arrived on the appointed day Klysthanes first inquired the country and lineage of each then he kept them with him for a year testing their manliness and temper and upbringing and manner of life this he did by consorting with them alone and in company putting the younger of them to contests of strength but especially watching their demeanor at the common meal for as long as he kept them with him he did everything for them and entertain them with magnificence the suitors that most pleased him were the ones who had come from Athens and of these Hippoclides son of Tysandrus was judged foremost both for his manliness and because in ancestry he was related to the Cipcelids of Corinth when the appointed day came for the marriage feast and for Klysthanes declaration of whom he had chosen out of them all Klysthanes sacrificed a hundred oxen and gave a feast to the suitors and to the whole of Sician after dinner the suitors vied with each other in music and in anecdotes for all to hear as they sat late drinking Hippoclides now far out doing the rest ordered the flute player to play him a dance tune the flute player obeyed and he began to dance I suppose he pleased himself with his dancing but Klysthanes saw the whole business with much disfavor Hippoclides then stopped for a while and ordered a table to be brought in when the table arrived he danced Laconian figures on it first and then Attic last of all he rested his head on the table and made gestures with his legs in the air now Klysthanes at the first and the second bout of dancing could no more bear to think of Hippoclides as his son-in-law because of his dancing and his shamelessness but he had held himself in check not wanting to explode at Hippoclides but when he saw him making gestures with his legs he could no longer keep silence and said son of Tysandrus you have danced away your marriage Hippoclides said in answer it does not matter to Hippoclides since then this is proverbial then Klysthanes bade them all be silent and spoke to the company at large suitors for my daughter's hand I thank you one and all if it were possible I would grant each of you his wish neither choosing out one to set him above another nor disparaging the rest but since I have but one maiden to plan for and so cannot please all of you to those of you whose suit is rejected I make a gift of a talent of silver to each for his desire to take a wife from my house and for his surgeon away from his home and to Megoclides son of Alchemyon do I betroth my daughter Agaristi by the laws of the Athenians Megoclides accepted the betrothal and Klysthanes brought the marriage to pass End of Volume 2 Part 18 Recording by Graham Redman Volume 2 Part 19 of Herodotus Histories This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Graham Redman Histories Volume 2 by Herodotus of Helicarnassus Translated by A.D. Godley Volume 2 Part 19 Such is the tale of the choice among the suitors and thus the fame of the Alchemyonidae resounded throughout Helas From this marriage was born that Klysthanes named after his mother's father from Sycyon who gave the Athenians their tribes and their democracy He and Hippocrates were born to Megoclides Hippocrates was father of another Megoclides and another Agaristi called after Agaristi who was Klysthanes' daughter She was married to Zanthippus' son of a riferon and when she was pregnant she saw in her sleep a vision in which she thought she gave birth to a lion In a few days she bore Zanthippus a son, Pericles After the Persian disaster at Marathon the reputation of Miltiades already great at Athens very much increased He asked the Athenians for seventy ships and army and money not revealing against what country he would lead them but saying that he would make them rich if they followed him He would bring them to a country from which they could easily carry away an abundance of gold so he said when he asked for the ships The Athenians were induced by these promises and granted his request Miltiades took his army and sailed for Peros on the pretext that the Perians had brought this on themselves by first sending triremes with the Persian fleet to Marathon Such was the pretext of his argument but he had a grudge against the Perians because Lysagoras' son of Tysias, a man of Perian descent, had slandered him to Hydanes the Persian When he reached his voyages' destination Miltiades with his army drove the Perians inside their walls and besieged them He sent in a herald and demanded a hundred talents saying that if they did not give it to him his army would not return home before it had stormed their city The Perians had no intention of giving Miltiades any money at all and they contrived how to defend their city They did this by building their wall at night to double its former height where it was most assailable and also by other devices All the Greeks tell the same story up to this point After this the Perians themselves say that the following happened As Miltiades was in a quandary a captive woman named Taimo, Perian by birth and an under-priestess of the goddesses of the dead, came to talk with him Coming before Miltiades she advised him if taking Peros was very important to him to do whatever she suggested Then following her advice he passed through to the hill in front of the city and jumped over the fence of the precinct of Demeter the Lawgiver since he was unable to open the door After leaping over he went to the shrine whether to move something that should not be moved or with some other intention When he was right at the doors he was immediately seized with panic and hurried back by the same route Leaping down from the wall he twisted his thigh but some say he hit his knee So Miltiades sailed back home in a sorry condition, neither bringing money for the Athenians nor having won Peros He had besieged the town for 26 days and ravaged the island The Perians learned that Taimo the under-priestess of the goddesses had been Miltiades' guide and desired to punish her for this Since they now had respite from the siege they sent messengers to Delphi to ask if they should put the under-priestess to death for guiding their enemies to the capture of her native country and for revealing to Miltiades the rights that no male should know But the Pythian priestess forbade them, saying that Taimo was not responsible Miltiades was doomed to make a bad end and an apparition had led him in these evils Such was the priestess reply to the Perians The Athenians had much to say about Miltiades on his return from Peros, especially Zanthippus, son of a riferon, who prosecuted Miltiades before the people for deceiving the Athenians and called for the death penalty Miltiades was present but could not speak in his own defence since his thigh was festering He was laid before the court on a couch and his friends spoke for him, often mentioning the fight at Marathon and the conquest of Lemnos How Miltiades had punished the Pelasgians and taken Lemnos delivering it to the Athenians The people took his side as far as not condemning him to death, but they find him fifty talents for his wrongdoing Miltiades later died of gangrene and rot in his thigh and the fifty talents were paid by his son Simon Miltiades' son of Simon took possession of Lemnos in this way When the Pelasgians were driven out of Attica by the Athenians, whether justly or unjustly I cannot say beyond what is told, namely that Hecateus, the son of Heges Andrus, declares in his history that the act was unjust For when the Athenians saw the land under Hymetus, formerly theirs, which they had given to the Pelasgians as a dwelling place in reward for the wall that had once been built around the Acropolis When the Athenians saw how well this place was tilled, which previously had been bad and worthless, they were envious and coveted the land And so drove the Pelasgians out on this and no other pretext But the Athenians themselves say that their reason for expelling the Pelasgians was just The Pelasgians set out from their settlement at the foot of Hymetus and wronged the Athenians in this way Neither the Athenians nor any other Helens had servants yet at that time and their sons and daughters used to go to the Nine Wells for water And whenever they came the Pelasgians maltreated them out of mere arrogance and pride And this was not enough for them, finally they were caught in the act of planning to attack Athens The Athenians were much better men than the Pelasgians since when they could have killed them caught plotting as they were, they would not do so But ordered them out of the country The Pelasgians departed and took possession of Lemnos besides other places This is the Athenian story, the other is told by Hecateus These Pelasgians dwelt at that time in Lemnos and desired vengeance on the Athenians Since they well knew the time of the Athenian festivals they acquired fifty odd ships and set an ambush for the Athenian women celebrating the festival of Artemis at Braoron They seized many of the women then sailed away with them and brought them to Lemnos to be their concubines These women bore more and more children and they taught their sons the speech of Attica and Athenian manners These boys would not mix with the sons of the Pelasgian women, if one of them was beaten by one of the others they would all run to his aid and help each other These boys even claimed to rule the others and were much stronger When the Pelasgians perceived this they took council together It troubled them much in their deliberations to think what the boys would do when they grew to manhood if they were resolved to help each other against the sons of the lawful wives and attempted to rule them already Thereupon the Pelasgians resolved to kill the sons of the Attic women They did this and then killed the boys' mothers also From this deed and the earlier one which was done by the women when they killed their own husbands who were Thoas companions A Lemnian crime has been a proverb in Helas for any deed of cruelty But when the Pelasgians had murdered their own sons and women their land brought forth no fruit nor did their wives and their flocks and herds bear offspring as before Crushed by hunger and childlessness they sent to Delphi to ask for some release from their present ills The Pythian priestess ordered them to pay the Athenians whatever penalty the Athenians themselves judged The Pelasgians went to Athens and offered to pay the penalty for all their wrongdoing The Athenians set in their town hall a couch adorned as finely as possible and placed beside it a table covered with all manner of good things Then ordered the Pelasgians to deliver their land to them in the same condition The Pelasgians answered, we will deliver it when a ship with a north wind accomplishes the voyage from your country to ours in one day They supposed that this was impossible since Attica is far to the south of Lemnos At the time that was all, but a great many years later when the Cursonis on the Helispont was made subject to Athens Miltiades son of Simon accomplished the voyage from Ilias on the Cursonis to Lemnos with the Aetesian winds then constantly blowing He proclaimed that the Pelasgians must leave their island reminding them of the oracle which the Pelasgians thought would never be fulfilled The Hephaestians obeyed but the Myrinians would not agree that the Cursonis was Attica and were besieged until they too submitted Thus did Miltiades and the Athenians take possession of Lemnos End of Volume 2, Part 19 End of Herodotus Histories, Volume 2, translated by A. D. Godley Recording by Graham Redman