The histories of Herodotus;

346 HERODOTUS—BOOK VI, ERATO [85-86
to Athens, and restore the men to the vEginetae. When Leutychides,
on his arrival at Athens, demanded back the pledges,
the Athenians had recourse to evasion, not wishing to give
them up ;
and said that two kings had deposited them, and it
would not be right to deliver them up to one without the
other. When the Athenians refused to give them up, Leutychides
addressed them as follows : " O Athenians, do which-
ever you yourselves wish ; for if you deliver them up, you
will do what is just, and if you do not deliver them up, the
contrary. I will, however, tell you what once happened in
Sparta respecting a deposit. We Spartans say that about
three generations before my time there lived in Lacedaemon
one Glaucus, son of Epicydes : we relate that this man both
attained to the first rank in all other respects, and also bore
the highest character for justice of all who at that time dwelt
at Lacedaemon. We say that in due time the following events
befell him : A certain Milesian, having come to Sparta, wished
to have a conference with him, and made the following state-
ment :
' I am a Milesian, and am come, Glaucus, with the
desire of profiting by your justice. For since throughout all
the rest of Greece, and particularly in Ionia, there was great
talk of your justice, I considered with myself that Ionia is continually
exposed to great dangers, and that, on the contrary,
Peloponnesus is securely situated, and consequently that with
us one can never see the same persons retaining property.
Having, therefore, reflected and deliberated on these things,
I have determined to change half of my whole substance into
silver and deposit it
placed with you, it
with you, being well assured that, being
will be safe. Do you, then, take this
money, and preserve these tokens ; and whosoever possessing
these shall demand it back again, restore it
stranger who came from Miletus spoke thus.
to him.' The
And Glaucus
received the deposit, on the condition mentioned. After a
long time had elapsed, the sons of this man who had deposited
the money came to Sparta, and having addressed themselves
to Glaucus, and shown the tokens, demanded back the money.
' Glaucus repulsed them, answering as follows : I neither remember
the matter, nor does it occur to me that I know any
of the circumstances you mention ; but if I can recall it to my
mind, I am willing to do everything that is just ; and if indeed
I have received it, I wish to restore it correctly ; but if I have
not received it at all, I shall have recourse to the laws of the
Greeks against you. I therefore defer settling this matter with
you for four months from the present time.' The Milesians,
accordingly, considering it a great calamity, departed, as