herodotus

their houses or converse with him should be bound to pay a fine[43] toApollo, stating the amount that it should be. Accordingly, by reasonof this proclamation no one was willing either to converse with him orto receive him into their house; and moreover even he himself did notthink it fit to attempt it, since it had been forbidden, but he layabout in the porticoes enduring exposure: and on the fourth day afterthis, Periander seeing him fallen into squalid misery and starvationfelt pity for him; and abating his anger he approached him and beganto say: "Son, which of these two is to be preferred, the fortune whichthou dost now experience and possess,[44] or to inherit the power andwealth which I possess now, by being submissive to thy father's will?Thou however, being my son and the prince[45] of wealthy Corinth,didst choose nevertheless the life of a vagabond by making oppositionand displaying anger against him with whom it behoved thee least todeal so; for if any misfortune happened in those matters, for whichcause thou hast suspicion against me, this has happened to me first,and I am sharer in the misfortune more than others, inasmuch as I didthe deed[46] myself. Do thou however, having learnt by how much to beenvied is better than to be pitied, and at the same time what agrievous thing it is to be angry against thy parents and against thosewho are stronger than thou, come back now to the house." Perianderwith these words endeavoured to restrain him; but he answered nothingelse to his father, but said only that he ought to pay a fine to thegod for having come to speech with him. Then Periander, perceivingthat the malady of his son was hopeless and could not be overcome,despatched a ship to Corcyra, and so sent him away out of his sight,for he was ruler also of that island; and having sent him away,Periander proceeded to make war against his father-in-law Procles,esteeming him most to blame for the condition in which he was; and hetook Epidauros and took also Procles himself and made him a prisoner.53. When however, as time went on, Periander had passed his prime andperceived within himself that he was no longer able to overlook andmanage the government of the State, he sent to Corcyra and summonedLycophron to come back and take the supreme power; for in the elder ofhis sons he did not see the required capacity, but perceived clearlythat he was of wits too dull. Lycophron however did not deign even togive an answer to the bearer of his message. Then Periander, clingingstill in affection to the youth, sent to him next his own daughter,the sister of Lycophron, supposing that he would yield to herpersuasion more than to that of others; and she arrived there andspoke to him thus: "Boy, dost thou desire that both the despotismshould fall to others, and also the substance of thy father, carriedoff as plunder, rather than that thou shouldest return back andpossess them? Come back to thy home: cease to torment thyself. Prideis a mischievous possession. Heal not evil with evil. Many prefer thatwhich is reasonable to that which is strictly just; and many ere now