herodotus

many other ways and also by this, that when Phrynichos had composed adrama called the "Capture of Miletos" and had put it on the stage, thebody of spectators fell to weeping, and the Athenians moreover finedthe poet a thousand drachmas on the ground that he had reminded themof their own calamities; and they ordered also that no one in futureshould represent this drama.22. Miletos then had been stripped bare of its former inhabitants: butof the Samians they who had substance were by no means satisfied withthat which had been concerted by the commanders of their fleet withthe Medes; and taking counsel forthwith after the sea-fight it seemedgood to them, before their despot Aiakes arrived in the country, tosail away and make a colony, and not to stay behind and be slaves ofthe Medes and of Aiakes: for just at this time the people of Zancle inSicily were sending messengers to Ionia and inviting the Ionians tocome to the "Fair Strand,"[11a] desiring there to found a city ofIonians. Now this which is called the Fair Strand is in the land ofthe Sikelians and on that side of Sicily which lies towards Tyrsenia.So when these gave the invitation, the Samians alone of all theIonians set forth, having with them those of the Milesians who hadescaped: and in the course of this matter it happened as follows:--23.The Samians as they made their way towards Sicily reached LocroiEpizephyroi, and at the same time the people of Zancle, boththemselves and their king, whose name was Skythes, were encamped abouta city of the Sikelians, desiring to conquer it. Perceiving thesethings, Anaxilaos the despot of Rhegion, being then at variance withthose of Zancle, communicated with the Samians and persuaded them thatthey ought to leave the Fair Strand alone, to which they were sailing,and take possession of Zancle instead, since it was left now withoutmen to defend it. The Samians accordingly did as he said and tookpossession of Zancle; and upon this the men of Zancle, being informedthat their city was possessed by an enemy, set out to rescue it, andinvited Hippocrates the despot of Gela to help them, for he was theirally. When however Hippocrates also with his army had come up to theirrescue, first he put Skythes the ruler of the Zanclaians in fetters,on the ground that he had been the cause of the city being lost, andtogether with him his brother Pythogenes, and sent them away to thetown of Incyos;[12] then he betrayed the cause of the remainingZanclaians by coming to terms with the Samians and exchanging oathswith them; and in return for this it had been promised by the Samiansthat Hippocrates should receive as his share the half of all themovable goods in the city and of the slaves, and the whole of theproperty in the fields round. So the greater number of the Zanclaianshe put in bonds and kept himself as slaves, but the chief men of them,three hundred in number, he gave to the Samians to put to death; whichhowever the Samians did not do. 24. Now Skythes the ruler of the