Herodotus - The Histories.pdf

The Histories–Book Five V 21
in the games, and had come to Olympia with no
other view, the Greeks who were about to run
against him would have excluded him from the
contest- saying that Greeks only were allowed to
contend, and not barbarians. But Alexander
proved himself to be an Argive, and was distinctly
adjudged a Greek; after which he entered the
lists for the foot-race, and was drawn to run in
the first pair. Thus was this matter settled.
Megabazus, having reached the Hellespont with
the Paeonians, crossed it, and went up to Sardis.
He had become aware while in Europe that
Histiaeus the Milesian was raising a wall at
Myrcinus- the town upon the Strymon which he
had obtained from King Darius as his guerdon for
keeping the bridge. No sooner therefore did he
reach Sardis with the Paeonians than he said to
Darius, “What mad thing is this that thou hast
done, sire, to let a Greek, a wise man and a
shrewd, get hold of a town in Thrace, a place too
where there is abundance of timber fit for shipbuilding,
and oars in plenty, and mines of silver,