herodotus

many things to her did not persuade her, he contrived for his purposea device as follows:--Providing himself with asses he filled someskins with wine and laid them upon the asses, and after that he drovethem along: and when he came opposite to those who were guarding thecorpse hung up, he drew towards him two or three of the necks[102] ofthe skins and loosened the cords with which they were tied. Then whenthe wine was running out, he began to beat his head and cry outloudly, as if he did not know to which of the asses he should firstturn; and when the guards saw the wine flowing out in streams, theyran together to the road with drinking vessels in their hands andcollected the wine that was poured out, counting it so much gain; andhe abused them all violently, making as if he were angry, but when theguards tried to appease him, after a time he feigned to be pacifiedand to abate his anger, and at length he drove his asses out of theroad and began to set their loads right. Then more talk arose amongthem, and one or two of them made jests at him and brought him tolaugh with them; and in the end he made them a present of one of theskins in addition to what they had. Upon that they lay down therewithout more ado, being minded to drink, and they took him into theircompany and invited him to remain with them and join them in theirdrinking: so he (as may be supposed) was persuaded and stayed. Then asthey in their drinking bade him welcome in a friendly manner, he madea present to them also of another of the skins; and so at lengthhaving drunk liberally the guards became completely intoxicated; andbeing overcome by sleep they went to bed on the spot where they hadbeen drinking. He then, as it was now far on in the night, first tookdown the body of his brother, and then in mockery shaved the rightcheeks of all the guards; and after that he put the dead body upon theasses and drove them away home, having accomplished that which wasenjoined him by his mother. (e) Upon this the king, when it wasreported to him that the dead body of the thief had been stolen away,displayed great anger; and desiring by all means that it should befound out who it might be who devised these things, did this (so atleast they said, but I do not believe the account),--he caused his owndaughter to sit in the stews, and enjoined her to receive all equally,and before having commerce with any one to compel him to tell her whatwas the most cunning and what the most unholy deed which had been doneby him in all his life-time; and whosoever should relate that whichhad happened about the thief, him she must seize and not let him goout. Then as she was doing that which was enjoined by her father, thethief, hearing for what purpose this was done and having a desire toget the better of the king in resource, did thus:--from the body ofone lately dead he cut off the arm at the shoulder and went with itunder his mantle: and having gone in to the daughter of the king, andbeing asked that which the others also were asked, he related that hehad done the most unholy deed when he cut off the head of his brother,