should assist others, and be opposed to us; but should remain quiet by yourselves: and if I succeed according to my wish, I shall esteem none greater than you." It is said that the Argives, when they heard this, considered it a great thing, and at once determined neither to promise any thing nor demand any thing in return; but when the Greeks wished to take them into the confederacy, they then, knowing that the Lacedæmonians would not share the command with them, made the demand in order that they might have a pretext for remaining quiet. 151. Some of the Greeks also say that the following circumstance, which occurred many years after, accords with this: Callias, son of Hipponicus, and those who went up with him as ambassadors of the Athenians, happened to be at the Memnonian Susa on some other business; and the Argives at the same time having sent ambassadors to Susa, asked Artaxerxes, son of Xerxes, "whether the alliance which they had formed with Xerxes still subsisted, or whether they were considered by him as enemies." King Artaxerxes answered, "that it certainly subsisted, and that he considered no city more friendly than Argos." 152. Now whether Xerxes did send a herald to Argos with such a message, and whether ambassadors of the Argives, having gone up to Susa, asked Artaxerxes about the alliance, I cannot affirm with certainty; nor do I declare any other opinion on the subject than what the Argives themselves say. But this much I know, that if all men were to bring together their own faults into one place, for the purpose of making an exchange with their neighbours, when they had looked closely into their neighbours' faults, each would gladly take back those which they brought with them. Thus, the conduct of the Argives was not the most base. But I am bound to relate what is said, though I am not by any means bound to believe every thing: and let this remark apply to the whole history. For even this is reported, that the Argives were the people who invited the Persian to invade Greece, since their war with the Lacedæmonians went on badly, wishing that any thing might happen to them rather than continue in their present troubles. This is sufficient concerning the Argives.

153. Other ambassadors went from the allies to Sicily, to confer with Gelon; and amongst them Syagrus on the part of the Lacedæmonians. An ancestor of this Gelon, who was an inhabit

ant of Gela, came from the island of Telus, which lies off Triopium; when Gela was founded by the Lindians from Rhodes and by Antiphemus, he was not left behind; and in course of time his descendants becoming priests of the infernal deities, continued to be so, Telines, one of their ancestors, having acquired that dignity in the following manner. Some of the

inhabitants of Gela being worsted in a sedition, had fled to Mactorium, a city situated above Gela; these men, then, Telines conducted back again, without the assistance of any human force, but with the sacred things to those deities; though whence he got them, or how he became possessed of them, I am unable to say. However, relying on these, he brought back the fugitives, on condition that his descendants should be priests of the deities. From what I hear, I am much astonished that Telines should have achieved such an action; for I have ever thought that such actions are not in the reach of every man, but proceed from a brave spirit and manly vigour. Whereas, on the contrary, he is reported by the inhabitants of Sicily to have been an effeminate and delicate man. Thus, however, he acquired this dignity. 154. On the death of Cleander, son of Pantares, who reigned seven years over Gela, but was killed by Sabyllus, a citizen of Gela, thereupon Hippocrates, who was brother to Cleander, succeeded to the sovereignty. While Hippocrates held the tyranny, Gelon, who was a descendant of Telines the priest, was with many others, and with Ænesidemus, son of Pataicus, one of the guards of Hippocrates; and soon after was made commander of the whole cavalry on account of his valour. For when Hippocrates besieged the Callipolitæ, the Naxians, the Zancleans, the Leontines, and besides the Syracusans, and divers of the barbarians, Gelon signalized himself in these several wars; and of the cities that I have mentioned, not one, except the Syracusans, escaped servitude at the hands of Hippocrates. But the Corinthians and Corcyræans saved the Syracusans, after they had been defeated in battle on the river Elorus ; and they saved them, having reconciled them on the following terms, that the Syracusans should give up Camarina to Hippocrates; but Camarina originally belonged to the Syracusans. 155. When Hippocrates, having reigned the same number of years as his brother Cleander, met with his death before Hybla, while carrying on the war against the Sicilians, Gelon there

upon, under colour of defending the rights of Euclides and Cleander, sons of Hippocrates, the citizens refusing to be any longer subject to them,-in fact, when he had defeated the Geloans in battle, possessed himself of the sovereignty, and deposed the sons of Hippocrates. After this success, Gelon leading back those Syracusans who were called Gamori,* and had been expelled by the people, and by their own slaves, called Cyllyrii, leading them back from the city of Casmene to Syracuse, got possession of this also. For the people of the Syracusans gave up the city and themselves to Gelon on his first approach. 156. When he had made himself master of Syracuse, he took less account of the government of Gela, and intrusted it to his brother Hiero; but he strengthened Syracuse, and Syracuse was every thing to him; and it grew up rapidly and flourished. For, first of all, he removed all the Camarinæans to Syracuse, and made them citizens, and destroyed the city of Camarina; and in the next place, he did with more than half the Geloans the same that he had done with the Camarinæans. Moreover, the Megarians in Sicily, when being besieged they came to terms, the more opulent of them, who had raised the war against him, and, therefore, expected to be put to death, he took to Syracuse and made citizens; but the populace of the Megarians, who had no part in promoting this war, nor expected to suffer any harm, he also took to Syracuse, and sold them for exportation from Sicily. He treated the Euboeans in Sicily in the same manner, and made the same distinction; and he treated them both in this way, from an opinion that a populace is a most disagreeable neighbour. By such means Gelon became a powerful tyrant.

157. At this time, when the ambassadors of the Grecians arrived at Syracuse, having come to a conference with him, they spoke as follows: "The Lacedæmonians, the Athenians, and their allies have sent us to invite you to join with them against the barbarian; for doubtless you have heard that he is marching against Greece, and that a Persian, having thrown a bridge over the Hellespont, and bringing with him all the eastern host out of Asia, is about to invade Greece, holding out as a pretence that he is advancing against Athens, but really designing to reduce all Greece under his own power.

4 Land-holders.

But you have attained to great power, and possess not the least part of Greece, since you rule Sicily; assist, therefore, those who are asserting the liberty of Greece, and join them in maintaining its liberty. For if all Greece is assembled, a large force is collected, and we become able to resist the invaders. But if some of us should betray the common cause, and others refuse to assist, so that the sound part of Greece should be small, then there is great danger that the whole of Greece will fall. For you must not expect that if the Persian should subdue us, having conquered in battle, he will not proceed also against you, but take precautions beforehand; for by assisting us, you protect yourself. A favourable result is generally wont to attend a well-devised plan." Thus they spoke. 158. Gelon was very vehement, speaking as follows: "Men of Greece, holding arrogant language, you have dared to invite me to come to your assistance against the barbarian. And yet you yourselves, when I formerly besought you to assist me in attacking a barbarian army when a quarrel was on foot between me and the Carthaginians, and when I exhorted you to avenge the death of Dorieus,5 son of Anaxandrides, upon the Ægestaans, and promised that I would join in freeing the ports, from whence great advantages and profits accrued to you; neither for my sake did you come to assist me, nor to avenge the death of Dorieus. So that as far as you are concerned, all this country is subject to barbarians. However, matters turned out well with me, and prospered; and now, when the war has come round and reached you, at length you remember Gelon. But though I met with disgraceful treatment from you, I shall not imitate your example, but am ready to assist you, furnishing two hundred triremes, twenty thousand heavy-armed troops, two thousand horse, two thousand bowmen, two thousand slingers, and two thousand light-horse; I likewise undertake to supply corn for the whole Grecian army until we have finished the war. But I promise these things on this condition, that I shall be general and leader of the Greeks against the barbarian: on no other condition will I come myself, or send others." 159. Syagrus, when he heard this, could not contain himself, but spoke as follows: " Agamemnon, the descendant of Pelops, would indeed groan aloud, if he heard that the Spartans had 5 See B. V. chap. 45, 46.

been deprived of the supreme command by a Gelon and by Syracusans. Never mention this proposition again, that we should give up the command to you; but if you are willing to succour Greece, know that you must be commanded by Lacedæmonians, or, if you will not deign to be commanded, you need not assist us." 160. Upon this Gelon, when he observed the indignant language of Syagrus, made this last proposal: "Spartan stranger, reproaches uttered against a man are wont to rouse his indignation. Yet, though you have used insulting words in your speech, you have not provoked me to be unseemly in return. Nevertheless, since you are so exceedingly anxious for the supreme command, it is reasonable that I also should be more anxious for it than you, since I am leader of a far greater army, and many more ships. However, since my proposal is so repugnant to you, I will abate something of my first demand. If, then, you choose to command the army, I will command the fleet; or if it please you rather to have the command at sea, I will lead the landforces. And you must either be content with these terms, or return destitute of such allies." 161. Gelon, then, proposed these terms; but the ambassador of the Athenians, anticipating that of the Lacedæmonians, answered him in these words: "King of the Syracusans, the Grecians sent us to you, not to ask for a general, but an army. You declare that you will not send an army, unless you have the command of Greece, and you are anxious to be made general of it: as long as you required to command all the forces of the Grecians, we Athenians were contented to remain silent, as we knew that the Spartan would be sufficient to answer for us both; but since, being excluded from the whole command, you require to govern the navy, the matter stands thus. Even if the Lacedæmonians should allow you to govern it, we shall not allow it, for that is ours, unless the Lacedæmonians wish to take it themselves. If they, indeed, wish to have the command, we shall not oppose them, but we will never cede to any one else the command of the navy. For in vain should we possess the greatest naval power of the Greeks, if we, being Athenians, should yield the command to the Syracusans, we who are the most ancient nation, and the only people of the Greeks who have never changed their country; from whom also Homer, the epic poet, said, the best man went to