Caucones; and having driven them out from their country, distributed themselves into six divisions, and then founded the following cities there: Leprium, Macistus, Phrixas, Pyrgus, Epium, and Nudium; most of these the Eleans have destroyed in my time. The name of Thera was given to the island after the founder. His son refused to accompany him in his voyage, therefore he said that he would leave him as a sheep among wolves; in consequence of this speech, the name of Oiolycus was given to this youth, and this name chanced to prevail. To this Oiolycus was born Ægeus, from whom the Ægidæ, a principal tribe in Sparta, are named. As the children of the men of this tribe did not survive, they erected a temple, in obedience to an oracle, to the furies of Laius and Edipus; and after that the same thing happened in Thera to those who were descended from these men.

To this part of the story the Lacedæmonians agree with the Theræans; but after this the Theræans only say that what follows took place: Grinus, son of Esanius, who was a descendant of this Theras, and reigned over the island Thera, came to Delphi, bringing a hecatomb from the city; and divers of the citizens attended him, and among them Battus, son to Polymnestus, who was of the family of Euphemus, one of the Minyæ. And as Grinus, King of the Theræans, was consulting the oracle concerning other affairs, the Pythian admonished him to build a city in Libya. But he answered: "I, O prince, am now too old and heavy to move myself; therefore command one of these young men to do this "; and as he said these words he pointed to Battus. At that time so much passed. But after their departure they paid no attention to the oracle, neither knowing in what part of the world Libya was, nor daring to send out a colony on an uncertainty. For seven years after this no rain fell in Thera; during which period every tree in the island, except one, was withered up; and when the Theræans consulted the oracle, the Pythian objected to them the colonization of Libya. When they found no remedy for the evil, they despatched messengers to Crete to inquire if any of the Cretans, or strangers settled among them, had ever gone to Libya. These messengers, wandering about the island, arrived in the city of Itanus; and here they became acquainted with a purple-dyer, whose name was Corobius; he said that, being driven by the winds, he had gone to Libya, and to Platea, an island of Libya: having persuaded this man by a promise of reward, they took him to Thera. At first men sailed from Thera to explore, not many in number: and when Corobius had conducted them to this

island Platea, they left Corobius there with provisions for a few months, and themselves sailed back with all speed to give the Theræans tidings of the island. But these men staying away longer than the time agreed upon, Corobius was reduced to the last necessity; when a Samian vessel, whose master was Colæus, sailing for Egypt, was driven to this Platea. The Samians, having heard the whole account from Corobius, left him provisions for a year; and they, having got under way from the island, and being anxious to reach Egypt, set sail, and were carried away by an east wind; and as the wind did not abate, having passed through the columns of Hercules, they arrived at Tartessus, under divine guidance. That port was at that time unfrequented; so that these men returning home, gained from their cargo the largest profits of any of the Grecians we know of with certainty, next to Sostratus, son of Laodamas of Ægina, for with him it is impossible for any one to compete. The Samians, therefore, having set apart the tenth of their gains, amounting to six talents, made a vessel of brass, after the fashion of an Argolic bowl, and around it the heads of griffins project over; and they dedicated it in the Temple of Juno, having placed under it three colossal figures of brass, seven cubits in height, leaning on their knees. And on this occasion the Cyrenæans and Theraans first contracted a great friendship with the Samians. The Theræans, when they left Corobius in the island and returned to Thera, took back word that they had taken possession of an island off the coast of Libya: the Theræans therefore resolved to send one of every family, chosen by lot; and to send men from all their districts, which were seven in number; and appointed Battus to be their leader and king. Thus, then, they fitted out two fifty-oared galleys for Platea.

The Theræans give this account; in the rest of the story the Theræans are supported by the Cyrenæans: for the Cyrenæans in no respect agree with the Theræans in what relates to Battus, for they tell the story thus: There is a city of Crete called Axus, in which Etearchus was king; he, having a motherless daughter, whose name was Phronima, married another wife; she coming into the family, thought proper to be a stepmother indeed to Phronima, treating her shamefully, and contriving every mischief she could against her; and at last, having charged her with unchastity, persuaded her husband that such was the case. He, prevailed on by his wife, formed a wicked design against his daughter. There was then at Axus one Themison, a Theræan merchant; this man Etearchus received hospitably, and made him swear that he would serve

him in anything he should desire. When he had bound him. by oath he delivered his daughter to him, and commanded him to take her away, and throw her into the sea. But Themison, grieved at the deceitfulness of the oath, broke off the compact of friendship, and did as follows: Having taken the damsel with him, he set sail; and when he was in the open sea, for the purpose of absolving himself from the oath imposed by Etearchus, he bound her round with ropes, and let her down into the sea; then having drawn her up again, he departed for Thera. After that Polymnestus, a man of distinction among the Theræans, took Phronima for his concubine, and after some time he had a son by her, who had an impediment in his speech and lisped, to whom the name of Battus was given, as both the Theræans and Cyrenæans say; but, as I am of opinion, some other name; and it was afterward changed to Battus when he arrived in Libya, deriving that name both from the oracle pronounced to him at Delphi and from the rank to which he attained. For the Libyans call a king Battus, and for this reason I think that the Pythian, when delivering the oracle, addressed him in the Libyan tongue, knowing that he would be a king in Libya. For when he had reached man's estate he came to Delphi about his voice; and to his inquiries the Pythian gave the following answer: "Battus, you are come about your voice; King Phoebus Apollo sends you to found a colony in Libya, abounding in sheep." As if she had said in the Grecian language, "O king, you are come about your voice." He answered as follows: "O king, I came indeed to consult you about my voice, but you give me an answer as to other impossible things, bidding me colonize Libya with what power? with what force?" By saying this he did not persuade the Pythian to give him any other answer; and as she was repeating the same response as before, he in the meanwhile left her and returned to Thera. After this Battus himself and the other Theræans fell anew into troubles; but the Theræans, not knowing whence their misfortunes came, sent to Delphi to inquire concerning their present sufferings. The Pythian answered that it would fare better with them when with Battus they had founded Cyrene in Libya. Upon this the Theræans despatched Battus with two fifty-oared galleys. But these having sailed to Libya, for they had nothing else that they could do, returned back to Thera; the Theræans, however, beat them off as they drew to shore, and would not suffer them to approach the land, but commanded them to sail back again. Thus compelled, they sailed back again, and settled in an island that lies off Libya, whose

name, as I before mentioned, is Platea. This island is said to be equal in extent to the present city of the Cyrenæans.

Having inhabited this island for two years, as nothing turned out prosperously for them, they left one of their company behind, and the rest set sail for Delphi; and having come to the oracle, they consulted it, saying that they had settled in Libya, and fared no better since they had settled there. But the Pythian gave them the following answer: "If you, who have never been there, know Libya abounding in sheep, better than I who have been there, I very much admire your wisdom." When Battus and his companions heard this, they sailed back again; for the god did not release them from founding the colony until they had come to Libya itself. Having, therefore, arrived at the island, they took on board the man they had left there, and settled in a place on Libya itself, opposite the island: its name was Aziris, and most beautiful hills inclose it on two sides, and a river flows by it on the third. They inhabited this spot for six years, but in the seventh the Libyans, having promised to conduct them to a better place, persuaded them to leave it. But the Libyans, having removed them, conducted them from thence toward the west; and in order that the Greeks might not see the most beautiful part of their country as they passed through, they computed the time of the day, so as to lead them through it by night: the name of this country is Irasa. Having conducted them to a fountain, accounted sacred to Apollo, they said, "Grecians, here it is fitting for you to dwell, for here the heavens are open." Now, during the life of Battus the founder, who reigned forty years, and of his son Arcesilaus, who reigned sixteen years, the Cyrenæans continued the same in number as when they were first sent to settle the colony: but under the third king, Battus, surnamed the Fortunate, the Pythian by an oracle encouraged all Grecians to sail to Libya and join the Cyrenæans in colonizing it; for the Cyrenæans invited them to a division of the country. The words of the oracle were these: "He who shall come too late to lovely Libya, when the land is divided, shall hereafter one day repent.' A great multitude having assembled at Cyrene, the neighbouring Libyans and their king, whose name was Adicran, being curtailed of much of their land, finding that they were deprived of their territory, and injuriously treated by the Cyrenæans, sent an embassy to Egypt, and gave themselves up to Apries, King of Egypt; and he, having assembled a large army of Egyptians, sent it against Cyrene; and the Cyrenæans, having drawn out their forces to the district of Irasa, and

near the fountain Thestes, came to an engagement with the Egyptians, and conquered them: for the Egyptians, not having before made trial of the Greeks, and despising them, were so thoroughly defeated that only a few of them returned to Egypt. In consequence of this the Egyptians, laying the blame on Apries, revolted from him.

This Battus had a son, Arcesilaus, who, having come to the throne, first of all quarrelled with his own brothers, so that they left him, and went to another part of Libya; and consulting among themselves, they founded the city which was then and is still called Barce; and as they were building it, they persuaded the Libyans to revolt from the Cyrenæans. But afterward Arcesilaus led an army against those Libyans who had received them, and against the revolters themselves; but the Libyans, through dread of him, fled to the eastern Libyans. Arcesilaus pursued them in their flight, until he overtook them at Leucon in Libya, and the Libyans resolved to attack him; and having come to an engagement, they conquered the Cyrenæans so completely that seven thousand heavy armed of the Cyrenæans fell upon the spot. After this blow his brother Learchus strangled Arcesilaus, who was sick and under the influence of some drug. The wife of Arcesilaus, whose name was Eryxo, put Learchus to death by stratagem. Battus, the son of Arcesilaus, a lame man, and not perfect in his feet, succeeded to the kingdom. The Cyrenæans, on account of the disaster that had befallen them, sent to Delphi to inquire of the Delphian oracle under what form of government they might live most happily; the Pythian commanded them to procure an arbitrator from Mantinea, a city of the Arcadians. The Cyrenæans accordingly asked, and the Mantineans gave them a man, highly esteemed among the citizens, whose name was Demonax. This person, therefore, having arrived in Cyrene, and become acquainted with the state of affairs, first of all formed them into three tribes, dividing them as follows: of the Theræans and their immediate neighbours, he formed one division; another of Peloponnesians and Cretans; and a third of all the islanders: and in the next place, having reserved certain portions of land and the office of the priesthood for King Battus, he restored to the people everything else that the kings had before.

During the reign of this Battus matters continued in this state; but in the time of his son Arcesilaus great disorders arose about the public offices. For Arcesilaus, son of the lame Battus and Pheretime, declared he would not submit to the constitutions of Demonax, but demanded back the pre