herodotus

women do none of these things which we said, but stay in the waggonsand work at the works of women, neither going out to the chase noranywhither else. We therefore should not be able to live in agreementwith them: but if ye desire to keep us for your wives and to bethought honest men, go to your parents and obtain from them your shareof the goods, and then let us go and dwell by ourselves." 115. Theyoung men agreed and did this; and when they had obtained the share ofthe goods which belonged to them and had returned back to the Amazons,the women spoke to them as follows: "We are possessed by fear andtrembling to think that we must dwell in this place, having not onlyseparated you from your fathers, but also done great damage to yourland. Since then ye think it right to have us as your wives, do thistogether with us,--come and let us remove from this land and pass overthe river Tanaïs and there dwell." 116. The young men agreed to thisalso, and they crossed over the Tanaïs and made their way towards therising sun for three days' journey from Tanaïs, and also towards theNorth Wind for three days' journey from the Maiotian lake: and havingarrived at the place where they are now settled, they took up theirabode there: and from thenceforward the women of the Sauromataipractise their ancient way of living, going out regularly on horsebackto the chase both in company with the men and apart from them, andgoing regularly to war, and wearing the same dress as the men. 117.And the Sauromatai make use of the Scythian tongue, speaking itbarbarously however from the first, since the Amazons did not learn itthoroughly well. As regards marriages their rule is this, that nomaiden is married until she has slain a man of their enemies; and someof them even grow old and die before they are married, because theyare not able to fulfil the requirement of the law.118. To the kings of these nations then, which have been mentioned inorder, the messengers of the Scythians came, finding them gatheredtogether, and spoke declaring to them how the Persian king, afterhaving subdued all things to himself in the other continent, had laida bridge over the neck of the Bosphorus and had crossed over to thatcontinent, and having crossed over and subdued the Thracians, wasmaking a bridge over the river Ister, desiring to bring under hispower all these regions also. "Do ye therefore," they said, "by nomeans stand aloof and allow us to be destroyed, but let us become allof one mind and oppose him who is coming against us. If ye shall notdo so, we on our part shall either be forced by necessity to leave ourland, or we shall stay in it and make a treaty with the invader; forwhat else can we do if ye are not willing to help us? and for youafter this[110] it will be in no respect easier; for the Persian hascome not at all less against you than against us, nor will it contenthim to subdue us and abstain from you. And of the truth of that whichwe say we will mention a strong evidence: if the Persian had been