herodotus

y Oroites is possessed by our slave. This give to me withoutbloodshed or selling into slavery." 141. Dareios having heard thisprepared to send an expedition with Otanes as commander of it, who hadbeen one of the seven, charging him to accomplish for Syloson all thatwhich he had requested. Otanes then went down to the sea-coast and waspreparing the expedition.142. Now Maiandrios the son of Maiandrios was holding the rule overSamos, having received the government as a trust from Polycrates; andhe, though desiring to show himself the most righteous of men, did notsucceed in so doing: for when the death of Polycrates was reported tohim, he did as follows:--first he founded an altar to Zeus theLiberator and marked out a sacred enclosure round it, namely thatwhich exists still in the suburb of the city: then after he had donethis he gathered together an assembly of all the citizens and spokethese words: "To me, as ye know as well as I, has been entrusted thesceptre of Polycrates and all his power; and now it is open to me tobe your ruler; but that for the doing of which I find fault with myneighbour, I will myself refrain from doing, so far as I may: for as Idid not approve of Polycrates acting as master of men who were notinferior to himself, so neither do I approve of any other who doessuch things. Now Polycrates for his part fulfilled his own appointeddestiny, and I now give the power into the hands of the people, andproclaim to you equality.[125] These privileges however I think itright to have assigned to me, namely that from the wealth ofPolycrates six talents should be taken out and given to me as aspecial gift; and in addition to this I choose for myself and for mydescendants in succession the priesthood of Zeus the Liberator, towhom I myself founded a temple, while I bestow liberty upon you." He,as I say, made these offers to the Samians; but one of them rose upand said: "Nay, but unworthy too art /thou/[126] to be our ruler,seeing that thou art of mean birth and a pestilent fellow besides.Rather take care that thou give an account of the money which thouhadst to deal with." 143. Thus said one who was a man of repute amongthe citizens, whose name was Telesarchos; and Maiandrios perceivingthat if he resigned the power, some other would be set up as despotinstead of himself, did not keep the purpose at all[127] of resigningit; but having retired to the fortress he sent for each manseparately, pretending that he was going to give an account of themoney, and so seized them and put them in bonds. These then had beenput in bonds; but Maiandrios after this was overtaken by sickness, andhis brother, whose name was Lycaretos, expecting that he would die,put all the prisoners to death, in order that he might himself moreeasily get possession of the power over Samos: and all this happenedbecause, as it appears, they did not choose to be free.