advised them " to refer the matter to the noisy mob 8 , and
" beseech their nearest 9 friends." Those that were sent to con-
sult the divinity, having returned and called an assembly of the
people, reported the oracle. When the Thebans understood
from them that they were to beseech their nearest friends, they
said, " Are not the Tanagraei, the Coronaei, and the Thespies,
" those that dwell the nearest to us ? But do not they at any
" rate uniformly share our battles with us, and contribute with
" ardour to the war ? What needs can there be of beseeching
" them ? Surely it must rather be that this is not the sense
80 " of the oracle." While they were thus arguing, a certain
5 Herodotus does not mean equality 7 The reader will surely pause, to pay
in ranks, riches, and honours, but in a tribute of admiration to these senti-
rights, in the distribution of justice, the ments of the honest republican. Translat.
dispensation of honours and rewards. s Supply ayogtiv after trXt/^^y. He-
Larcher. The derivation of ifnyatfa is sych. quoted by Larcher, -aXu^^ . . .
from 'wyteiu, and that from ayogivu ; i*xX<r/a li % reXXai <fr,ftau xa.i *XtiSoiy
it therefore signifies " an equal right and tlff'n.
freedom to speak," the foundation of 9 <ru a.y^ntra.. See Matthias, Gr.
rational liberty. Translat. Gramm. p. 395, or sect. 270. The am-
6 tl KO.I, quamquum, rem ita esse, ut biguity of the oracle lies in this word,
dicitur, significat. Herm. Not. Vig. 307, which may signify either the nearest
p. 642. neighbours or the nearest relations.
TERPSICHORE. V. 81, 82. 41
individual at last, understanding what was going on, said,
" Methinks I see what the oracle wishes to give us to under-
" stand. Thebe and ^Egina, are said to be the daughters of
" Asopus ; since they are sisters, methinks the god proclaims
" to us that we should beseech the /Eginetae to become our
"avengers." As no opinion was started, that appeared pre-
ferable to this, the Thebans forthwith sent to beseech the
/Eginetae, calling upon them in the name of the oracle to
come to their assistance, as being their nearest connexions.
The JEgmetse, in answer to their request, promised to send
the /Eacidas 1 to their assistance. But the Thebans, strength- 81
ened by the assistance of the ^Eacidse, having made essay of
the fortune of war, and being grievously handled by the
Athenians, sent once more to the ^Eginetas, restored the
sEacidve. to them, and asked for a body of men. The
^Eginetae, elated with their great wealth, and calling to mind
their ancient enmity 2 against the Athenians, now, at the
request of the Thebans, carried war against them, without
any manifesto 3 ; for while the Athenians were pressing the
Boeotians, they sailed over to Attica aboard some long vessels,
and pillaged Phalerus, together with several places on the
sea shore, and by so doing did considerable mischief to the
Athenians.
The old grudge 4 on the part of the ^Eginetaa against the 82
Athenians proceeded from this origin. The soil of the
Epidaurians produced no crops; they, therefore, consulted
the oracle at Delphi respecting that calamity ; when the
Pythia bade them erect statues .of Damia and Auxesia 5 , and
told them, that by so doing, it would fare better with them :
the Epidaurians accordingly enquired whether they should
make the statues of brass, or of stone ; but the Pythia would
not consent to either of those materials, and bade them make
them of the wood of the cultivated olive 6 . The Epidaurians,
1 It appears that Herodotus is speak- 4 ^ Jf^jj * #m$ti\opivv, " the enmity
ing of the statues of the JEacida?, which due as a debt on the part of the ^gineta;
were sent to accompany those whom one to the Athenians."
wished to favour. This is corroborated 5 That is to say, Ceres and Proserpine.
by ihe following paragraph, where we See Valckenaer's note.
are informed that the Thebans gave them 6 There is a great deal of difference
back. Lurcher. between the Cultivated olive, from which
2 This is an instance of the neutral oil is obtained, and the" wild olive,
sense in which Herodotus frequently uses with which the Olympian victors were
the verb 'i^tiv, " the enmity directed crowned : not only is the form of the
against the Athenians." latter different from that, of the former,
3 &xnVKrov, "not proclaimed by a but the fruit even is by no means similar :
herald." Schneider however explains i*.aios is the general name for the culti-
yroK'.^ii; axfyuxreis by " a war in which vated tree, and xo-rms for the wild ; but
no flag of truce, xnu%, is received, an as the latter is sometimes called like-
implacable war.'' wise ay^os ihaies, so is the former some-
VOL. II. G
42 TERPSICHORE. V. 83, 84.
in consequence, asked the Athenians to give them an olive
tree to cut down, as they regarded the trees of that country
as the most sacred ; it is even asserted, that at that time there
were olives in no other place 6 but at Athens. The Athe-
nians agreed to give it on the following conditions 7 ; namely,
that every year they should bring victims to Minerva Polias 8 ,
and to Erectheus. The Epidaurians having assented to
these terms, obtained what they wanted, and making some
statues out of the olive trees, set them up; their land then
bore fruit to them, and they fulfilled their engagements to
83 the Athenians. Up to that period still, and previously, the
/Eginetae acknowledged the sovereignty of the Epidaurians
in various respects, and they used to go over to Epidaurus to
prosecute and defend the actions they had among themselves 9 :
but subsequently, having built them ships, and confiding in
their strength 1 , they detached themselves from the Epidaurians;
and acting now as their enemies, and being powerful at sea, they
injured them in various ways, and among other things took
from them the above-mentioned images of Damia and Auxesia,
which they carried off with them, and set up in the centre of
their own territory, the name of which is CEa, about twenty
stades distance from the city. When they had set them up
on that spot, they propitiated them with sacrifice and chorusses
of women, who vented abuse against one another 2 , and ap-
pointed to either of the goddesses ten men as presidents of
the chorus 3 . Those chorusses did not direct their abuse 4
against any man, but against the women of the country :
similar ceremonies were observed among the Epidaurians,
84 who have also some sacred rites which are kept secret. After
times distinguished by the epithet Hfifgaf, ignorance, acting under the forms of
This I think is a sufficient reason to pride, obstinacy, rashness, and, in this
account for Herodotus's using the terms case, ingratitude. See Schneid. Gr.
iXa/a; r.ft'orjf, and to shew that there is Germ. Lex. and Port. Lex. Ion.
no necessity of altering the reading to ~ There is no excess of which men
agay. Translat. have not been guilty when left to them-
aXA.^/ <ynt ai^afnu, " any where else selves and to their reprobate senses,
intheworld." SeeMatthiae, Gr. Gramm. Could it be believed that people would
p. 502, or sect. 357. ever have thought of honouring the
7 Iri expressing "condition." See divinity by abusing one another? The
Malthia?, Gr. Gramm. p. 900, or sect. Hebrews, who had received at the hands
585, ft. of God himself that worship with which
8 The distinctive name of the Minerva he wished to be honoured, were perhaps
placed on the acropolis, as the protectress the only people who refrained from si-
of the city. milar excesses. Larcher.
9 "Pcenas (satisfactionem) invicem 3 The Choregi presided over the cho-
- dabant et accipiebant." russes, and settled the expences of the
1 I have followed Schweighaeuser, actors, dancers, and musicians, at public
" virium fiducia ferocientes." I think, festivals. Larcher.
^ however, that the word et<y>u(ttffviti al- 4 *** nyipvti i'uSjas. See Alatthife,
" ways conveys more or less the idea of Gr. Gramm. p. 582, or sect. 410.
TERPSICHORE. V. 85, 86. 43
these images had been stolen, the Epidaurians would not
fulfil their engagements with the Athenians ; whereupon the
Athenians sent to expostulate with the Epidaurians ; but the
latter shewed that in fact 5 they were not guilty of any
injustice, for that as long as they had had the images in their
territory, they had acquitted themselves of what they had
agreed to; and that now they were deprived of 'them, it was
not right that they should still continue to pay the tribute, and
bade them make the demand from the JEgmetse, who were in
possession of them. Accordingly the Athenians sent to
./Egina, and claimed back the statues ; but the ^ginetse
replied, that they had nothing to do with the Athenians 6 .
The Athenians therefore state, that after this claim had been 85
made, some 7 persons sent by the commonwealth departed
aboard one trireme, and on their arrival at JKgina endeavoured
to wrest those statues (as they were made of their wood) from
the foundations, in order they might carry them off'; that not
being able to obtain possession of them in this manner, they
threw a rope round them and pulled at the statues; and as
they were hauling, thunder supervened, accompanied with an
earthquake. The crew of the trireme^ who were hauling,
were in consequence of these circumstances disordered in
their intellects to such a degree, that they fell on one another
as if they had been foes, till at last, out of the whole number,
one only was left, who returned alone to Phalerus. The 86
Athenians therefore say, that matters happened as above.
But the JEginetae state, that the Athenians did not come with
only one vessel ; for supposing even that they had had no
ships themselves, still might they easily have repulsed one
vessel, or even a few more than one : on the contrary, they
say the Athenians came upon their country with a numerous
fleet, and that they themselves submitted to them, and did
not hazard a sea fight. This circumstance however they
cannot explain satisfactorily, namely, whether they yielded
because they knew they would have the worst of a sea
fight, or with the intention 8 of doing what they did there-
after. They add, that accordingly the Athenians, seeing no
one prepared to give them battle, disembarked from their
vessels, and proceeded towards the statues; that not being
able to wrench them from their places, they in consequence
threw ropes around them, and began to pull, till the statues,
5 Xe'yai i. q. u.\ti6'ti z.byiu. See Schweig. Graram. p. 675, c.
Lex. Herod, voc. Xo'ya;, ii. 3, 1. 8 jhis project was that of calHng the
6 See Matthiae, Gr. Gramm. p. 538, Argives to their assistance, mentioned a
or sect. 385, 10. little lower down. Lurcher.
7 reunvf, 01 eurox. See Matthias, Gr.
44 TERPSICHORE. V. 87.
being thus pulled, performed both one and the same action,
(in which their account does not appear probable to me, but
may so to another 6 ,) for they fell on their knees, and from
that time have continued to preserve the same - posture 7 .
This therefore was what they declare the Athenians to have
done ; whereas the ^ginetas, according to their own account,
having an inkling that the Athenians were about to lead an
expedition against them, besought the Argians to be in
readiness to assist them ; that, accordingly, at the same time
the Athenians made the descent upon ^gina 8 , the Argians
arrived to their assistance, and having crossed over from
Epidaurus to the island, unknown 9 to the Athenians, fell upon
them unexpectedly, having cut off the retreat to their vessels ;
and that at the same time the thunder and earthquake occurred
87 to increase their terror 1 . The above account is given by the
Argians as well as by the .^Eginetae. It is likewise allowed by
the Athenians even, as far as regards the circumstance of only
one of their number escaping back to Attica, except that the Ar-
gians assert, that it was in consequence of their destroying the
Attic army, that the one only survived ; whereas the Athenians
assert, it was in consequence of the divine vengeance 2 , and that
even that one did not escape death, but was destroyed in the
following manner. For coming to Athens, he gave tidings of
the calamity ; when the wives of the men sent on the expedi-
tion against -^Egina, hearing what had happened, and indignant
that he alone should be saved out of the whole number, crowded
around the man, and pricking him with the hooks 1 ' of their gar-
ments, asked him each where her husband was. In this man-
ner they relate the man died : and that this action of the women
appeared to the Athenians still more deplorable than the cala-
mity itself, and as they could not punish them in any other
manner, they made them change their dress for the Ionian ; for
previously to that, the Athenian women used *the Dorian
costume, which is extremely similar to the Corinthian : they
changed it therefore for the linen vest, to the end that they
might not have need of any hooks 4 ; that dress however is not
Literally, the sEginetie staff, &c. nui itS^a;.
" saying things not credible to me, but so 3 The Dorian dress of the females
perhaps to another." consisted of a garment \\ithout sleeves ;
7 S;asTiX;v eSru f%e>nt. See Mat- the fore part of which was fastened to
thiaj, Gr. Gramm. p. 933, or sect. 604: the hinder by a hook on each shoulder:
and p. 840, or sect. 552, 1. if we may judge from the ancient statues,
8 Understand ? with Alytvaini. those hooks were not unlike the fasten-
Wessel. ings used in the sleeves of our shirts',
9 Xa&Jv 5//3vr;. See Matthia?, Gr. commonly called studs. Translat.
Gramm. p. 840, or sect. 552, 2. 4 The Ionian dress was with sleeves,
1 ytiifftcti uliTgifi, " illis extitisse." therefore the hooks mentioned in the pre-
2 Supply after Ixtponou 'Siu^hifanre; ceding note were not necessary. Translat.
TERPSICHORE. 'V. 88 90. 45
in fact 5 originally Ionian, but Carian ; since all the ancient
female costumes of the Greeks were precisely the same as that
\ve call now the Dorian. It is said, that, in consequence of 88
this, a custom was instituted both among the Argians and the
jEginetae, which holds to the present day, that the hooks
should be made one half larger than the customary size at
that time, and that the women should principally dedicate
hooks in the temple of those deities; likewise that nothing
whatever from Attica should be brought into the sacred pre-
cinct, not even a piece of earthenware, but that it should be
enacted for the future, that they should drink in those places
out of cups 6 made in the country. Hence both the women
of the Argians and those of the ^ginetas from that date 7 in
conformity with their hatred to the Athenians, have worn
down even to my time hooks larger than before.
The origin of the hostility existing in the Athenians against 89
the ^Eginetse was such as has been described. The Thebans
having, accordingly, at this period called them to their assist-
ance, the JEiginetse, remembering what had taken place in
respect of the statues, went eagerly to the help of the Breo-
tians. They, therefore, laid waste the shores of Attica : but as
the Athenians were preparing to march against them, they
received an oracle from Delphi, " that they must wait for
" thirty years from the date of the insult committed on them
" by the J^ginetae, and in the thirty-first year, after rearing a
" temple to Ajax, commence a war against them, when they
" would succeed to their wish ; whereas, if they immediately
" took the field, they would themselves in the mean while suffer
" much, though at the same time they would perform much ;
" at last however they would subdue vEgina." When the
Athenians heard this oracle reported to them, they reared to
Ajax that temple that now stands on the market-place ; but
they could not brook to listen to the necessity of delaying
thirty years 8 , having suffered such insults at the hands of the
JSginetae. As they were preparing for vengeance, an obstacle, 90
arising from the Lacedaemonians, came in their way. Fov
the Lacedaemonians, having understood the proceedings of
i, " if we speak " ab illo inde tempore ex conteutione
the truth." cum Atheniensibus, ad" &c. Schweig.
6 The %vrgif was a vase generally Vers. Lai. " Ex tanta cum Atheni-
used to hold boiled grain, which was ensibus contentione : carrying their
offered before the image of some god. hatred towards the Athenians so far,
Boiled grain is at the present day of- that." Lurcher, from Steph. Thes. Gr.
fered at the altar in the Greek churches, 8 Construction : oi/x jcnir%/H>ra axtu-
particularly those situate in the wilds of fawn (did not brook to hear) t*as %t*>v
Arcadia. Translat. ttti (av<rauf), vrtir, iffis Aty. uiK^ffitt,
i IX. T6 rOTiU X.O.T !JV TUV ' hlwKIIUV ,
46 TERPSICHORE. V. 91.
the Alcmaeonidae with the Pythia, and those of the Pythia
with themselves and the Pisistratidae, felt a double sorrow ;
first, because they had driven out of their homes men who
were connected with them by hospitality ; and secondly, be-
cause, though they had acted in that manner, no gratitude
appeared to be felt towards them by the Athenians. Add to
these reasons likewise, that the oracles urged them on, declar-
ing that many and dire calamities would befal them from the
part of the Athenians, oracles with which they were previ-
ously unacquainted, but which they had just then learnt,
Cleomenes having brought them to Sparta. These oracles
Cleomenes had obtained out of the aci'opolis of the Athenians;
the Pisistratidag had formerly been in possession of them, and
when they withdrew had left them in the temple ; and being
91 thus left behind, Cleomenes had seized them. At this period,
when the Lacedaemonians had obtained the oracles, and saw
the Athenians were increasing in power, and not inclined to
pay obedience to them, taking into consideration that if the
Attic nation remained free it would become of equal weight
with their own, whereas if it was oppressed by tyranny it
would be feeble, and ready to obey: considering, I say, each
of these things, they sent for Hippias, son of Pisistratus, from
Sigeum on the Hellespont, to which place the Pisistratidae had
fled. A\ r hen Hippias, according to the invitation, had come
to them, they sent also for ambassadors from the rest of their
confederates, to \vhom the Spartans spoke as follows : " Friends
" and allies, we acknowledge that we have ourselves acted 9
" unjustly ; for induced by lying 1 oracles we have driven from
" their country men strictly bound to us by hospitality, and
" who had undertaken to keep Athens subject to ourselves, and
" we have delivered the state into the hands of an ungrateful
*' people, a people, who, when freed by our means they began
" to lift up their heads, have insulted and driven away our-
" selves and our king, and gathering self-conceit, increase in
" strength*, as full well their neighbours, the Boeotians and
9 See Matthias, Gr. Graram. p. 829, letter , calling them ^'/S
or sect. 547, 2. but the custom afterwards prevailed of
1 *<'/3$nX occurs in i. 75, where it changing x'if&n)<M into *//3SXa, for the
evidently signifies ambiguous, not false, softness of the pronunciation. Tramlat.
as the oracle was in one sense fulfilled. 2 J 'g a , tpuft .vZ,<inreu. Two inter-
In this passage however it must, ac- pretations are given of 2*, fame, re-
cording to the context, be taken in noun, and self-opiniatedness ; the last I
the sense of false. This word is gene- have adopted, after Schneider, who
rally used of base gold, and indeed of renders S| <pw<rf , " einen Diinkel-
any adulterated wares. Larcher quotes Stolz bekommen." t|ic is likewise
the Scholiast on Aristophanes, vers. 158, takeu by some in the sense of daily
of the Birds, who states that the Athe- increasing in self-conceit ; by others, of
mans marked the base coins with the increasing in power.
TERPSICHORE. V.-92. 47
" Clialcideans, have learnt, and as others likewise will soon
" Jearn, if they fail to take good counsel 3 . As in what we
" have done we have erred, let us now endeavour, in admin-
" istering the remedy, with your assistance to punish them.
" Indeed for that purpose we have sent for Hippias, who is
" before you 4 , and have called you yourselves from your cities,
" to the end that by common consent, and with a confederate
" army, we may take him back to Athens, and restore to him
" that of which we also have deprived him."
So spoke the Spartans : the majority of the confederates did 92
not approve of this discourse, but they all held their peace,
excepting Sosicles of Corinth, who spoke as follows : " Surely l
" the firmament will sink beneath the earth, and the earth
" take its place aloft above the sky ; mankind will have their
" dwelling in the sea, and the fishes where heretofore mankind ;
" now that you Lacedaemonians, abolishing democracies, pre-
" pare to restore tyrannies in the cities ; than which nothing
" is there more unjust among men, nothing more cruel. For
" if of a truth it appears to you advantageous that the
ik cities should be ruled by tyrants, begin by appointing one
" over yourselves, and then seek to place them over others !
" But now, inexperienced as you are of tyrants, and watching
" with the greatest fear and anxiety lest that form of govern-
" ment should arise in Sparta, you hold it of little importance
" that your allies should be subject thereto 5 . Were you
" experienced yourselves of tyrants, as we are, you would
" be able to form a better opinion 6 on the subject than you
" now have. For formerly the constitution of the Corin- 2
" thians was this : it was an oligarchy, and those oligarchs 7 ,
" called the Bacchiadae, swayed the city ; they gave and took
" in marriage only from their own family. Amphion, who
" was one of those men, had a daughter halt, whose name
" was Labda 8 ; as none of the Bacchiadse would marry her,
3 apetgrcut, " qui recta non inieriut act quite otherwise with respect to the
consilia.' 1 Schweig. Ven. Lot. " If confederates." See Schneid. Gr. Germ,
they offend never so little that na- Lex. voc. #agit%gaa. Schweighasuser
tion." Larclier. Matthias gives a very translates, " indigne cum sociis agitis."
different translation from either of the Schweig. Vers. Lut.
above; "intelliget se peccasse." See 6 Construction: ii%trt v <rvftfiaM.ifftat
Matthia?, Gr. Gramm. p. 829, or sect, (the verb i%w being, I think, taken here
*548. in the sense of posse, although there is
4 To'vSi T 'l?T!r/tj, " this man, no negative) yviuftets api'movecs &ti>i a-lirtZ
Hippias." #* vuv. The words fuptfi. yveaftriv sig-
5 Construction: vea.yt.^^.sSi (rawra nify " to think." Soph. (Ed. Col. 1151.
yivivQai) if rws ffUfjt.ff.a.^avs ' " you think 7 XKI ourat (i oX/yaj^w), Bcoi^ici^ai
it of no importance that such a form of xa.Kioft.tvoi, 'inp,ov rv tr*.i. See Schweig.
government should fall to the confe- Not.
derates." Schneider translates, "you R A/JS was tlie original name of the
48 TERPSICHORE. V. 92.
" Action, the son of Echecras, took her to wife ; he was of
" the canton of Petra, but by extraction a Lapith, and de-
" scended from Caeneus. As he had no children, either by
" this woman, or by any other 9 , he went to Delphi, to consult
" respecting a progeny. Immediately as he entered, the
" Pythia addressed him in these words : ' Aetion, none ho-
" ' nours thee, worthy of much honour though thou art ; Labda
" ' is big, and will a crag bring forth ; and the crag shall fall
" ' on the despots, and chasten Corinth. 1 " This oracle pro-
" nounced to Aetion was perchance reported to the Bac-
" chiadse, to whom one previously pronounced respecting
" Corinth was unintelligible, alluding to the same thing as
" that given to Aetion, and saying thus: 'An eagle in the
" 'rocks 1 is big; and she shall bring forth a lion strong,
" 'devourer of flesh, who shall relax the joints of .many.
" ' On this brood well, Corinthians, you who dwell around
3 IC 'fair Pirene and in frowning Corinth. 1 This oracle, which,
" as I have said, had been previously given to the Bacchiadse,
" was inexplicable to them ; but now, when they learnt that
" which had been pronounced to Aetion, they instantly com-
" prehended the former one likewise, as it was consonant wit I)
" that given to Aetion. But, although they understood it, they
" remained quiet 2 , having the intention of putting to death
" the progeny that was about to be born to Aetion. As
" soon therefore as the woman was delivered, they sent ten
" of their own number to the place where Aetion dwelt, in