herodotus

144. So when the Persians arrived at Samos bringing Syloson home fromexile, no one raised a hand against them, and moreover the party ofMaiandrios and Maiandrios himself said that they were ready to retireout of the island under a truce. Otanes therefore having agreed onthese terms and having made a treaty, the most honourable of thePersians had seats placed for them in front of the fortress and weresitting there. 145. Now the despot Maiandrios had a brother who wassomewhat mad, and his name was Charilaos. This man for some offencewhich he had been committed had been confined in an undergrounddungeon,[128] and at this time of which I speak, having heard what wasbeing done and having put his head through out of the dungeon, when hesaw the Persians peacefully sitting there he began to cry out and saidthat he desired to come to speech with Maiandrios. So Maiandrioshearing his voice bade them loose him and bring him into his presence;and as soon as he was brought he began to abuse and revile him, tryingto persuade him to attack the Persians, and saying thus: "Thou basestof men, didst thou put me in bonds and judge me worthy of the dungeonunder ground, who am thine own brother and did no wrong worthy ofbonds, and when thou seest the Persians casting thee forth from theland and making thee homeless, dost thou not dare to take any revenge,though they are so exceedingly easy to be overcome? Nay, but if intruth thou art afraid of them, give me thy mercenaries and I will takevengeance on them for their coming here; and thyself I am willing tolet go out of the island." 146. Thus spoke Charilaos, and Maiandriosaccepted that which he said, not, as I think, because he had reachedsuch a height of folly as to suppose that his own power would overcomethat of the king, but rather because he grudged Syloson that he shouldreceive from him the State without trouble, and with no injuryinflicted upon it. Therefore he desired to provoke the Persians toanger and make the Samian power as feeble as possible before he gaveit up to him, being well assured that the Persians, when they hadsuffered evil, would be likely to be as bitter against the Samians aswell as against those who did the wrong,[129] and knowing also that hehad a safe way of escape from the island whenever he desired: for hehad had a secret passage made under ground, leading from the fortressto the sea. Maiandrios then himself sailed out from Samos; butCharilaos armed all the mercenaries, and opening wide the gates sentthem out upon the Persians, who were not expecting any such thing, butsupposed that all had been arranged: and the mercenaries falling uponthem began to slay those of the Persians who had seats carried forthem[130] and were of most account. While these were thus engaged, therest of the Persian force came to the rescue, and the mercenaries werehard pressed and forced to retire to the fortress. 147. Then Otanesthe Persian commander, seeing that the Persians had suffered greatly,purposely forgot the commands which Dareios gave him when he sent himforth, not to kill any one of the Samians nor to sell any into