herodotus

in seeking the things of their mother have lost the things of theirfather. Despotism is an insecure thing, and many desire it: moreoverhe is now an old man and past his prime. Give not thy good things untoothers." She thus said to him the most persuasive things, having beenbefore instructed by her father: but he in answer said, that he wouldnever come to Corinth so long as he heard that his father was yetalive. When she had reported this, Periander the third time sent anenvoy, and said that he desired himself to come to Corcyra, exhortingLycophron at the same time to come back to Corinth and to be hissuccessor on the throne. The son having agreed to return on theseterms, Periander was preparing to sail to Corcyra and his son toCorinth; but the Corcyreans, having learnt all that had taken place,put the young man to death, in order that Periander might not come totheir land. For this cause it was that Periander took vengeance onthose of Corcyra.54. The Lacedemonians then had come with a great armament and werebesieging Samos; and having made an attack upon the wall, theyoccupied the tower which stands by the sea in the suburb of the city,but afterwards when Polycrates came up to the rescue with a large bodythey were driven away from it. Meanwhile by the upper tower which isupon the ridge of the mountain there had come out to the fight theforeign mercenaries and many of the Samians themselves, and thesestood their ground against the Lacedemonians for a short while andthen began to fly backwards; and the Lacedemonians followed and wereslaying them. 55. Now if the Lacedemonians there present had all beenequal on that day to Archias and Lycopas, Samos would have beencaptured; for Archias and Lycopas alone rushed within the walltogether with the flying Samians, and being shut off from retreat wereslain within the city of the Samians. I myself moreover had conversein Pitane (for to that deme he belonged) with the third in descentfrom this Archias, another Archias the son of Samios the son ofArchias, who honoured the Samians of all strangers most; and not onlyso, but he said that his own father had been called Samios because/his/ father Archias had died by a glorious death in Samos; and hesaid that he honoured Samians because his grandfather had been granteda public funeral by the Samians. 56. The Lacedemonians then, when theyhad been besieging Samos for forty days and their affairs made noprogress, set forth to return to Peloponnesus. But according to theless credible account which has been put abroad of these mattersPolycrates struck in lead a quantity of a certain native coin, andhaving gilded the coins over, gave them to the Lacedemonians, and theyreceived them and upon that set forth to depart. This was the firstexpedition which the Lacedemonians (being Dorians)[46a] made intoAsia.