Herodotus - The Histories.pdf

122 V Herodotus
for his life, on the charge of having dealt deceitfully
with the Athenians. Miltiades, though he
was present in court, did not speak in his own
defence; for his thigh had begun to mortify, and
disabled him from pleading his cause. He was
forced to lie on a couch while his defence was
made by his friends, who dwelt at most length on
the fight at Marathon, while they made mention
also of the capture of Lemnos, telling how
Miltiades took the island, and, after executing
vengeance on the Pelasgians, gave up his conquest
to Athens. The judgment of the people was in his
favour so far as to spare his life; but for the wrong
he had done them they fined him fifty talents.
Soon afterwards his thigh completely gangrened
and mortified: and so Miltiades died; and the fifty
talents were paid by his son Cimon.
Now the way in which Miltiades had made himself
master of Lemnos was the following. There
were certain Pelasgians whom the Athenians once
drove out of Attica; whether they did it- justly or
unjustly I cannot say, since I only know what is
reported concerning it, which is the following: