herodotus

Nisaia and performed other signal service. And the commons of theAthenians being deceived gave him those[67] men chosen from thedwellers in the city who became not indeed the spear-men[68] ofPeisistratos but his club-men; for they followed behind him bearingwooden clubs. And these made insurrection with Peisistratos andobtained possession of the Acropolis. Then Peisistratos was ruler ofthe Athenians, not having disturbed the existing magistrates norchanged the ancient laws; but he administered the State under thatconstitution of things which was already established, ordering itfairly and well. 60. However, no long time after this the followers ofMegacles and those of Lycurgos joined together and drove him forth.Thus Peisistratos had obtained possession of Athens for the firsttime, and thus he lost the power before he had it firmly rooted. Butthose who had driven out Peisistratos became afterwards at feud withone another again. And Megacles, harassed by the party strife,[69]sent a message to Peisistratos asking whether he was willing to havehis daughter to wife on condition of becoming despot. And Peisistratoshaving accepted the proposal and made an agreement on these terms,they contrived with a view to his return a device the most simple byfar, as I think, that ever was practised, considering at least that itwas devised at a time when the Hellenic race had been long marked offfrom the Barbarian as more skilful and further removed from foolishsimplicity, and among the Athenians who are accounted the first of theHellenes in ability.[70] In the deme of Paiania there was a womanwhose name was Phya, in height four cubits all but three fingers,[71]and also fair of form. This woman they dressed in full armour andcaused her to ascend a chariot and showed her the bearing in which shemight best beseem her part,[72] and so they drove to the city, havingsent on heralds to run before them, who, when they arrived at thecity, spoke that which had been commanded them, saying as follows: "OAthenians, receive with favour Peisistratos, whom Athene herself,honouring him most of all men, brings back to her Acropolis." So theheralds went about hither and thither saying this, and straightwaythere came to the demes in the country round a report that Athene wasbringing Peisistratos back, while at the same time the men of thecity, persuaded that the woman was the very goddess herself, werepaying worship to the human creature and receiving Peisistratos. 61.So having received back the despotism in the manner which has beensaid, Peisistratos according to the agreement made with Megaclesmarried the daughter of Megacles; but as he had already sons who wereyoung men, and as the descendants of Alcmaion were said to be under acurse,[73] therefore not desiring that children should be born to himfrom his newly-married wife, he had commerce with her not in theaccustomed manner. And at first the woman kept this secret, butafterwards she told her mother, whether in answer to her inquiry ornot I cannot tell; and the mother told her husband Megacles. He then