herodotus

were called Bacchiadai, had control over the State and made marriagesamong themselves.[80] Now one of these men, named Amphion, had adaughter born to him who was lame, and her name was Labda. Thisdaughter, since none of the Bacchiadai wished to marry her, was takento wife by Aëtion the son of Echecrates, who was of the deme of Petra,but by original descent a Lapith and of the race of Caineus. Neitherfrom this wife nor from another were children born to him, thereforehe set out to Delphi to inquire about offspring; and as he entered,forthwith the prophetess addressed him in these lines:"'Much to be honoured art thou, yet none doth render thee honour.[81]Labda conceives, and a rolling rock will she bear, which shall ruinDown on the heads of the kings, and with chastisement visit Corinthos.'This answer given to Aëtion was by some means reported to theBacchiadai, to whom the oracle which had come to Corinth before thiswas not intelligible, an oracle which had reference to the same thingas that of Aëtion and said thus:"'An eagle conceives in the rocks[82] and shall bear a ravening lion,Strong and fierce to devour, who the knees of many shall loosen.Ponder this well in your minds, I bid you, Corinthians, whose dwellingLies about fair Peirene's spring and in craggy Corinthos.'(c) This oracle, I say, having come before to the Bacchiadai wasobscure; but afterwards when they heard that which had come to Aëtion,forthwith they understood the former also, that it was in accord withthat of Aëtion; and understanding this one also they kept quiet,desiring to destroy the offspring which should be born to Aëtion.Then, so soon as his wife bore a child, they sent ten of their ownnumber to the deme in which Aëtion had his dwelling, to slay thechild; and when these had come to Petra and had passed into the courtof Aëtion's house, they asked for the child; and Labda, not knowinganything of the purpose for which they had come, and supposing them tobe asking for the child on account of friendly feeling towards itsfather, brought it and placed it in the hands of one of them. Nowthey, it seems, had resolved by the way that the first of them whoreceived the child should dash it upon the ground. However, when Labdabrought and gave it, it happened by divine providence that the childsmiled at the man who had received it; and when he perceived this, afeeling of compassion prevented him from killing it, and having thiscompassion he delivered it to the next man, and he to the third. Thusit passed through the hands of all the ten, delivered from one toanother, since none of them could bring himself to destroy its life.So they gave the child back to its mother and went out; and thenstanding by the doors they abused and found fault with one another,