66

daules: for among the Lydians, and even almost all other foreign nations, it is held a great disgrace, for a man even, to 11 be seen naked. She accordingly held her peace for the time, and made nothing known; but as soon as day dawned, she ordered such of her household as she saw were the most attached to her person to be ready, and summoned Gyges to her presence. He, fancying she knew nothing of what had taken place, came as soon as he was called: indeed, he was wont, even before, to attend whenever the queen sent for him. As soon as Gyges arrived, the lady addressed him thus: "Here, Gyges, I give you your choice of two ways, "that are open to you: take which you like: for, either you shall put to death Candaules, and take possession of myself and the Lydian throne, or you shall yourself perish "by the hands of these 26: thus, obeying Candaules in all things, you may hereafter behold no more what is not "lawful to you. Therefore, either he that gave such counsel "shall be cut off; or you, who have seen me naked, and have "done what is not decent." Gyges stood some time amazed at this speech: then he besought the queen not to chain him down to the necessity of such a choice: he was, however, unable to persuade, but saw before his eyes the necessity in which he was placed, either to destroy his master, or to be destroyed himself by others: he elected, therefore, to survive; and so put the following question: "Since you compel me, "however against my will, to murder my lord and master, come, let me hear also in what manner we shall lay our "hands on him." The queen resumed, and said: "The onset "shall be from the very spot where he exhibited me naked: "the blow shall be struck when he lies asleep." The plot thus laid, at nightfall (for she would not let Gyges go, and he had no mode of escape, being forced either to kill Candaules or be himself killed) he followed the lady to the bedroom: she put a dagger in his hand, and concealed him behind the same door: some time after, when Candaules was asleep, Gyges crept up to him, and, inflicting a mortal thrust, won both the woman and the kingdom. [Of this event, Archilochus, who flourished about this period, has made 13 mention, in an iambic trimeter poem.] Gyges obtained, accordingly, the power; in which he was confirmed by the authority of the Delphian oracle; for the Lydians, exasperated at the murder of Candaules, were up in arms; and the partisans of Gyges came to these terms with the rest of the

12

26 oura, "thus": she seems to have pointed to her attendants; who stood

prepared to kill him, if he hesitated to accept the proposal.

Lydians, that if the oracle should declare Gyges king of the Lydians, he should rule; if not, he was to give back the power again to the Heraclidæ. Accordingly, the oracle acknowledged Gyges, and so he became king: it must be observed, however, that the Pythia added, 'Vengeance would be vouchsafed to the Heraclidæ on the fifth generation of Gyges;' but of this prophecy neither the Lydians nor their kings took any account, until it was fulfilled".

30

Such, therefore, was the way in which the Mermnadæ 14 possessed themselves of the supreme power, and deprived the Heraclidæ. Gyges, become sovereign, sent no inconsiderable gifts to Delphi; most of the silver offerings at that shrine are his 28: but, besides the silver, he dedicated also abundance of gold; and, among the rest, what29 is especially deserving of mention, are the wine-bowls of gold, consecrated by him, six in number. These wine-bowls stand in the treasury of the Corinthians, and are thirty talents in weight.-Correctly speaking, however, this treasury does not belong to the whole Corinthian people, but is that of Cypselus son of Eetion.-This Gyges was the first alien, we know of, tat made any dedications at Delphi, with the exception of Midas son of Gordius, king of Phrygia; for that prince dedicated the royal throne on which he sat in judgment, an object worthy of being looked at. This throne lies in the same place as the wine-bowls of Gyges. The gold and silver presented by Gyges are by the Delphians denominated Gygads, from the founder's name. This prince, after his accession to the throne, made also an inroad on Miletus and Smyrna, and captured the fort of Colophon. He performed no other great action, during his reign of forty years, all but two: I shall therefore dismiss him, having said thus much. I must however mention Ardys, the son and successor of 15 Gyges: he took Priene, and invaded Miletus. During the time that he ruled 32 at Sardis, the Cimmerians, driven from their seats by the Scythians, came into Asia, and obtained possession of Sardis, the citadel excepted.

33

Ardys, after a reign of fifty years, all but one33, was suc- 16 ceeded by his son Sadyattes, who occupied the throne during

27 See Herod. i. 94.

28 The construction is perhaps this: ἀλλ ̓ ὅσα μέν ἐστιν ἀναθήματα ἀργύρου ἐν Δελφοῖς, τούτων τὰ πλεῖστα ἔστιν οἱ. But see Matt. 445, c.

29 Tou for ou. Matt. 291.

30 The crater was a bowl in which

VOL. I.

water and wine were mixed it was usually placed on a tripod; but sometimes was made with a foot or stand, like a goblet.

31 Matt. 414. 2, b.

32 Matt.337. Comp. Herod. i. 23; 59. 33 Matt. 141. obs. 1.

E

37

twelve years: Sadyattes was succeeded by Alyattes. This prince [Alyattes] waged war against Cyaxares, a descendant of Deïoces, and against the Medes: he drove the Cimmerians out of Asia: he took Smyrna, a city peopled from Colophon, and invaded Clazomena: from this last, however, he came off, not as he wished", being sorely beaten. The other actions most deserving of description, performed by this 17 king during his reign, are these. He inherited from his father, and followed up, the war against the people of Miletus, overrunning and harassing their territory in the manner I am going to relate. At the time the fruits were ripe on the ground, he marched his troops into the country, to the sound of fifes and stringed instruments, and of flutes masculine and feminine 3. When Alyattes entered Milesia, he would not pull down the farm-houses scattered about the fields, nor set fire to them, nor wrench the doors, but left them standing as they were: on the other hand, he never returned until he had destroyed all the plants and fruits of the earth; for this reason, that the Milesians prevailing by sea, a blockade by the land-forces would be impracticable. The motive, however, that led the Lydian prince not to pull down the houses, was, that the Milesians might come from the city to till and sow the ground; so that, when he renewed his inroads, he should, in consequence of their husbandry, 18 have something to plunder. Acting thus, he carried on the war eleven years; in the course of which, two great defeats befel the Milesians; one at the battle of Limenaïum in their own territory, the other in the plain of the Mæander. During six years, therefore, of the eleven, Sadyattes the son of Ardys still occupied the throne of Lydia, and was, in that period, the leader of these inroads on Miletus; for Sadyattes it was that began the war: but during the five years subsequent to the six, Alyattes the son of Sadyattes, inheriting (as I just observed) the war from his father, prosecuted it

34 Herod. i. 74. Phraortes, father of Cyaxares, ruled over Media in the days of Ardys, the grandsire of Alyattes. This was the second irruption of the Cimmerians: see Herod. i. 6.

35 οὐκ ὡς ἤθελε ἀπήλλαξε. Such is the manner in which the Greeks expressed themselves, in order to soften, in some measure, what might be too harsh in a narration. In the Andromache of Euripides, the Chorus, addressing itself to Peleus (to whom they were bringing the corpse of his grandson), says, "Unfortunate old

vigorously". None of the Ionians, however, afforded any help to the Milesians, saving the people of Chios, who came to their assistance, in return for a similar service 40: for, at a former period, the Milesians had taken the part of the Chians, in the war against the Erythræans". In the twelfth 19 year, the harvest being again set on fire by the army, the following accident occurred: as soon as the halm was lighted, the flames, fanned by the wind, caught a temple of Minerva, called the Assesian: the temple, thus set on fire, was burnt to the ground. At the immediate time, no notice was taken of this; but after the return of the expedition to Sardis, Alyattes fell sick the disease lasting a considerable time, he sent some person to consult the oracle at Delphi-whether counselled by somebody, or himself conceiving the idea, to send and inquire of the god concerning his malady: the Pythia, however, refused to make any response to the persons who came to Delphi, until they had rebuilt the temple of Minerva, which they had set on fire at Assesus in the territory of Milesia. So far I know what took place, by the 20 information I obtained from the Delphians. To which the Milesians add the following particulars: That 'Periander 12 the son of Cypselus, who was a most intimate friend of Thrasybulus, then the ruler of Miletus, having ascertained what answer the oracle had made to Alyattes, sent off a messenger to report it to Thrasybulus, so that, knowing all beforehand, he might take some counsel for the present conjuncture. Alyattes, apprised by his messengers, forth-21 with sent a herald to Miletus, requesting to make a truce with Thrasybulus and the Milesians till such time as he should have rebuilt the temple: the herald, therefore, went his way to Miletus; and meanwhile Thrasybulus, authentically informed of all particulars, and knowing what were the intentions of Alyattes, devised the following artifice: He collected in the market-square all the wheat there was in the place, the property of himself and others, and notified to the Milesians that, when he gave the signal, they should all fall to drinking and eating among themselves 13. This was arranged and commanded by Thrasybulus for the purpose that the Sardinian herald, after witnessing the vast quantity of corn heaped up, and the inhabitants enjoying themselves,

39 Hostilities against Miletus began with the dynasty of the Mermnada; and continued under every king of that house, with various interruptions (i. 14, 15, 17).

40 Literally, giving back the like.'

43

41 The citizens of Erythræ, one of the Ionian states. See Herod. i. 142. 42 Concerning Periander, see Herod. iii. 48. 43 Matt. 413.

23

should report accordingly to Alyattes. And so indeed matters came to pass; for the herald, having seen these things, and communicated the message from Alyattes to Thrasybulus, went back to Sardis; and I am informed that the reconciliation was brought about by this, and nothing more for Alyattes had hoped that a severe famine was raging in Miletus, and that the people were ground down to extreme misery; but now he heard from the herald, returned from Miletus, a statement so directly opposite to what he had pictured to himself. Soon after, a reconciliation took place between the two parties: a treaty was framed, on the condition they should be mutual friends and allies. Alyattes built two temples of Minerva at Assesus instead of one, and he himself recovered from sickness.

44

45

46

49

Periander, the person who gave notice to Thrasybulus of the oracle, was the son of Cypselus; he was sovereign over Corinth in his life-time, there occurred an astonishing prodigy, according to the account of the Corinthians, which is borne out by that of the Lesbians; That Arion, a native of Methymna, was conveyed by a dolphin to Tænarum: he was second to no cithern-player of that age 16, and was the first man, we know of", that invented, named, and performed the 24 dithyrambus at Corinth 8. It is asserted, that this Arion, after spending a considerable portion of his time at the court of Periander, conceived a wish to cross over into Italy and Sicily: having there accumulated, by his profession, great wealth, he determined to return back to Corinth. He took his departure, in consequence, from Tarantum; and confiding in none more than Corinthians, he freighted a merchant-bark, manned by a crew of that nation. The mariners however, when at sea, conspired to throw Arion overboard, and take to themselves his money: the musician, aware of their project, entreated that they would spare his life, offering to deliver up to them his money; but he was unable to prevail upon them; the sailors ordering him either to lay violent hands on himself, so that he might find sepulture on shore, or to jump instantly into the sea. Arion, reduced to this strait, requested, since such was their pleasure, to be permitted to stand at the poop, in full attire, and sing: he pledged

44. Matt. 585, p.

45 The tagados played the cithar or cithern, accompanying himself with his own voice.

46 Matt. 272, c. and 334.

47 Matt. 473.

48 διδάσκειν δράμα, ' docere (in sce

nam producere, agere) fabulam.'Schweig. Lex. Herod. Matthiæ, 473. 49 Matt. 442, 2.

50 iλayos, "the deep sea," in contradistinction of Jáλaora, closer in

land.