herodotus

anxious to hear the counsel which had been given; but he said thatThrasybulos had given him no counsel, and added that he wondered atthe deed of Periander in sending him to such a man, for the man wasout of his senses and a waster of his own goods,--relating at the sametime that which he had seen Thrasybulos do. (g) So Periander,understanding that which had been done and perceiving that Thrasybuloscounselled him to put to death those who were eminent among hissubjects, began then to display all manner of evil treatment to thecitizens of the State; for whatsoever Kypselos had left undone inkilling and driving into exile, this Periander completed. And in oneday he stripped all the wives of the Corinthians of their clothing onaccount of his own wife Melissa. For when he had sent messengers tothe Thesprotians on the river Acheron to ask the Oracle of the deadabout a deposit made with him by a guest-friend, Melissa appeared andsaid she would not tell in what place the deposit was laid, for shewas cold and had no clothes, since those which he had buried with herwere of no use to her, not having been burnt; and this, she said,would be an evidence to him that she was speaking the truth, namelythat when the oven was cold, Periander had put his loaves into it.When the report of this was brought back to Periander, the token madehim believe, because he had had commerce with Melissa after she wasdead; and straightway after receiving the message he causedproclamation to be made that all the wives of the Corinthians shouldcome out to the temple of Hera. They accordingly went as to a festivalin their fairest adornment; and he having set the spearmen of hisguard in ambush, stripped them all alike, both the free women andtheir attendant; and having gathered together all their clothes in aplace dug out, he set fire to them, praying at the same time toMelissa. Then after he had done this and had sent a second time, theapparition of Melissa told him in what spot he had laid the depositentrusted to him by his guest-friend."Such a thing, ye must know, Lacedemonians, is despotism, and such areits deeds: and we Corinthians marvelled much at first when we saw thatye were sending for Hippias, and now we marvel even more because yesay these things; and we adjure you, calling upon the gods of Hellas,not to establish despotisms in the cities. If however ye will notcease from your design, but endeavour to restore Hippias contrary tothat which is just, know that the Corinthians at least do not givetheir consent to that which ye do."93. Socles being the envoy of Corinth thus spoke, and Hippias madeanswer to him, calling to witness the same gods as he, that assuredlythe Corinthians would more than all others regret the loss of the sonsof Peisistratos, when the appointed days should have come for them tobe troubled by the Athenians. Thus Hippias made answer, being