The histories of Herodotus;

92] SPEECH OF SOSICLES 307
given before, was unintelligible to the Bacchiadse; but now,
when they heard that which was delivered to Eetion, they
presently understood the former one, since it agreed with that
given to Eetion. And though they comprehended, they kept
it secret, purposing to destroy the offspring that should be
born to Eetion. As soon as the woman brought forth, they
sent ten of their own number to the district where Eetion
lived to put the child to death ; and when they arrived at Petra,
and entered the court of Eetion, they asked for the child;
but Labda, knowing nothing of the purpose for which they
had come, and supposing that they asked for it out of affection
for the father, brought the child, and put it into the hands
of one of them. Now, it had been determined by them on the
way that whichever of them should first receive the child should
dash it on the ground. When, however, Labda brought and
gave it to one of them, the child, by a divine providence,
smiled on the man who received it; and when he perceived
this, a feeling of pity restrained him from killing it; and,
moved by compassion, he gave it to the second, and he to the
third; thus the infant, being handed from one to another,
passed through the hands of all the ten, and not one of them
was willing to destroy it. Having therefore delivered the
child again to its mother, and gone out, they stood at the door,
and attacked each other with mutual recriminations ; and especially
the first who took the child, because he had not done
as had been determined : at last, when some time had elapsed,
they determined to go in again, and that every one should
share in the murder. But it was fated that misfortunes should
spring up to Corinth from the progeny of Eetion. For Labda,
standing at the very door, heard all that had passed ; and fearing
that they might change their resolution, and having obtained
the child a second time might kill it, she took and hid
it, in a place which appeared least likely to be thought of, in
a chest; being very certain that if they should return and
come back to search, they would pry everywhere; which, in
fact, did happen : but when, having come and made a strict*
search, they could not find the child, they resolved to depart
and tell those who sent them that they had done all that they
had commanded. After this Eetion's son grew up, and, having
escaped this danger, the name of Cypselus was given him,
from the chest. When Cypselus reached man's estate, and
consulted the oracle, an ambiguous answer was given him at
Delphi ; relying on which, he attacked and got possession of
' Corinth. The oracle was this : Happy this man, who is come
down to my dwelling; Cypselus, son of Eetion, King of re-