herodotus

gathering every one together by a promise of dividing land; and whilea great host was being collected, Arkesilaos set out to Delphi toinquire of the Oracle about returning from exile: and the Pythianprophetess gave him this answer: "For four named Battos and four namedArkesilaos, eight generations of men, Loxias grants to you to be kingsof Kyrene, but beyond this he counsels you not even to attempt it.Thou however must keep quiet when thou hast come back to thy land; andif thou findest the furnace full of jars, heat not the jars fiercely,but let them go with a fair wind: if however thou heat the furnacefiercely, enter not thou into the place flowed round by water; for ifthou dost thou shalt die, both thou and the bull which is fairer thanall the rest." 164. Thus the Pythian prophetess gave answer toArkesilaos; and he, having taken to him those in Samos, made hisreturn to Kyrene; and when he had got possession of the power, he didnot remember the saying of the Oracle but endeavoured to exactpenalties from those of the opposite faction for having driven himout. Of these some escaped out of the country altogether, but someArkesilaos got into his power and sent them away to Cyprus to be putto death. These were driven out of their course to Cnidos, and the menof Cnidos rescued them and sent them away to Thera. Some othershowever of the Kyrenians fled to a great tower belonging to Aglomachosa private citizen, and Arkesilaos burnt them by piling up brushwoodround. Then after he had done the deed he perceived that the Oraclemeant this, in that the Pythian prophetess forbade him, if he foundthe jars in the furnace, to heat them fiercely; and he voluntarilykept away from the city of the Kyrenians, fearing the death which hadbeen prophesied by the Oracle and supposing that Kyrene was flowedround by water.[149] Now he had to wife a kinswoman of his own, thedaughter of the king of Barca whose name was Alazeir: to him he came,and men of Barca together with certain of the exiles from Kyrene,perceiving him going about in the market-place, killed him, and alsobesides him his father-in-law Alazeir. Arkesilaos accordingly, havingmissed the meaning of the oracle, whether with his will or against hiswill, fulfilled his own destiny.165. His mother Pheretime meanwhile, so long as Arkesilaos havingworked evil for himself dwelt at Barca, herself held the royal powerof her son at Kyrene, both exercising his other rights and alsositting in council: but when she heard that her son had been slain inBarca, she departed and fled to Egypt: for she had on her sideservices done for Cambyses the son of Cyrus by Arkesilaos, since thiswas the Arkesilaos who had given over Kyrene to Cambyses and had laida tribute upon himself. Pheretime then having come to Egypt sat downas a suppliant of Aryandes, bidding him help her, and alleging as areason that it was on account of his inclination to the side of theMedes that her son had been slain. 166. Now this Aryandes had been