herodotus

each one was eager to achieve something for himself.79. These then were faring thus: and the Thebans after this sent tothe god, desiring to be avenged on the Athenians; the Pythianprophetess however said that vengeance was not possible for them bytheir own strength alone, but bade them report the matter to the"many-voiced" and ask help of those who were "nearest" to them. Sowhen those who were sent to consult the Oracle returned, they made ageneral assembly and reported the oracle; and then the Thebans heardthem say that they were to ask help of those who were nearest to them,they said: "Surely those who dwell nearest to us are the men ofTanagra and Coroneia and Thespiai; and these always fight zealously onour side and endure the war with us to the end: what need is therethat we ask of these? Rather perhaps that is not the meaning of theoracle." 80. While they commented upon it thus, at length oneperceived that which the oracle means to tell us. Asopos is said tohave had two daughters born to him, Thebe and Egina; and as these aresisters, I think that the god gave us for answer that we should askthe men of Egina to become our helpers." Then as there seemed to be noopinion expressed which was better than this, they sent forthwith andasked the men of Egina to help them, calling upon them in accordancewith the oracle; and they, when these made request, said that theysent with them the sons of Aiacos to help them. 81. After that theThebans, having made an attempt with the alliance of the sons ofAiacos and having been roughly handled by the Athenians, sent againand gave them back the sons of Aiacos and asked them for men. So theEginetans, exalted by great prosperity and calling to mind an ancientgrudge against the Athenians, then on the request of the Thebanscommenced a war against the Athenians without notice: for while theAthenians were intent on the Bœotians, they sailed against them toAttica with ships of war, and they devastated Phaleron and also manydemes in the remainder of the coast region, and so doing they deeplystirred the resentment of the Athenians.[69]82. Now the grudge which was due beforehand from the Eginetans to theAthenians came about from a beginning which was as follows:--The landof the Epidaurians yielded to its inhabitants no fruit; andaccordingly with reference to this calamity the Epidaurians went toinquire at Delphi, and the Pythian prophetess bade them set up imagesof Damia and Auxesia, and said that when they had set up these, theywould meet with better fortune. The Epidaurians then asked furtherwhether they should make images of bronze or of stone; and theprophetess bade them not use either of these, but make them of thewood of a cultivated olive-tree. The Epidaurians therefore asked theAthenians to allow them to cut for themselves an olive-tree, sincethey thought that their olives were the most sacred; nay some say that