herodotus

to this he had now been the destroyer of the man who had cleansed himof it; and that life for him was no more worth living. But Crœsushearing this pitied Adrastos, although he was himself suffering sogreat an evil of his own, and said to him: "Guest, I have alreadyreceived from thee all the satisfaction that is due, seeing that thoudost condemn thyself to suffer death; and not thou alone art the causeof this evil, except in so far as thou wert the instrument of itagainst thine own will, but some one, as I suppose, of the gods, whoalso long ago signified to me that which was about to be." So Crœsusburied his son as was fitting: but Adrastos the son of Gordias, theson of Midas, he who had been the slayer of his own brother and theslayer also of the man who had cleansed him, when silence came of allmen round about the tomb, recognising that he was more grievouslyburdened by misfortune than all men of whom he knew, slew himself uponthe grave.46. For two years then Crœsus remained quiet in his mourning, becausehe was deprived of his son: but after this period of time theoverthrowing of the rule of Astyages the son of Kyaxares by Cyrus theson of Cambyses, and the growing greatness of the Persians causedCrœsus to cease from his mourning, and led him to a care of cuttingshort the power of the Persians, if by any means he might, while yetit was in growth and before they should have become great.So having formed this design he began forthwith to make trial of theOracles, both those of the Hellenes and that in Libya, sendingmessengers some to one place and some to another, some to go toDelphi, others to Abai of the Phokians, and others to Dodona; and somewere sent to the shrine of Amphiaraos and to that of Trophonios,others to Branchidai in the land of Miletos: these are the Oracles ofthe Hellenes to which Crœsus sent messengers to seek divination; andothers he sent to the shrine of Ammon in Libya to inquire there. Nowhe was sending the messengers abroad to the end that he might try theOracles and find out what knowledge they had, so that if they shouldbe found to have knowledge of the truth, he might send and ask themsecondly whether he should attempt to march against the Persians. 47.And to the Lydians whom he sent to make trial of the Oracles he gavecharge as follows,--that from the day on which they set out fromSardis they should reckon up the number of the days following and onthe hundredth day they should consult the Oracles, asking what Crœsusthe son of Alyattes king of the Lydians chanced then to be doing: andwhatever the Oracles severally should prophesy, this they should causeto be written down[39] and bear it back to him. Now what the otherOracles prophesied is not by any reported, but at Delphi, so soon asthe Lydians entered the sanctuary of the temple[40] to consult the godand asked that which they were commanded to ask, the Pythian