herodotus

forth out of the island; and hearing now that the Athenians hadresolved to do mischief to the Eginetans, he agreed with the Atheniansto deliver up Egina to them, telling them on what day he would makehis attempt and by what day it would be necessary for them to come tohis assistance. 89. After this Nicodromos, according as he had agreedwith the Athenians, seized that which is called the old city, but theAthenians did not come to his support at the proper time; for, as itchanced, they had not ships sufficient to fight with the Eginetans; sowhile they were asking the Corinthians to lend them ships, during thistime their cause went to ruin. The Corinthians however, being at thistime exceedingly friendly with them, gave the Athenians twenty shipsat their request; and these they gave by selling them at five drachmasapiece, for by the law it was not permitted to give them as a freegift. Having taken these ships of which I speak and also their own,the Athenians with seventy ships manned in all sailed to Egina, andthey were later by one day than the time agreed. 90. Nicodromosmeanwhile, as the Athenians did not come to his support at the propertime, embarked in a ship and escaped from Egina, and with him alsowent others of the Eginetans; and the Athenians gave them Sunion todwell in, starting from whence these men continued to plunder theEginetans who were in the island. 91. This happened afterwards: but atthe time of which we speak the well-to-do class among the Eginetansprevailed over the men of the people, who had risen against them incombination with Nicodromos, and then having got them into their powerthey were bringing their prisoners forth to execution. From this therecame upon them a curse which they were not able to expiate bysacrifice, though they devised against it all they could; but theywere driven forth from the island before the goddess became propitiousto them. For they had taken as prisoners seven hundred of the men ofthe people and were bringing them forth to execution, when one of themescaped from his bonds and fled for refuge to the entrance of thetemple of Demeter the Giver of Laws,[81] and he took hold of the latchof the door and clung to it; and when they found that they could notdrag him from it by pulling him away, they cut off his hands and socarried him off, and those hands remained clinging to the latch of thedoor. 92. Thus did the Eginetans to one another: and when theAthenians came, they fought against them with seventy ships, and beingworsted in the sea-fight they called to their assistance the same whomthey had summoned before, namely the Argives. These would no longercome to their help, having cause of complaint because the ships ofEgina compelled by Cleomenes had put in to the land of Argos and theircrews had landed with the Lacedemonians; with whom also had landed menfrom ships of Sikyon in this same invasion: and as a penalty for thisthere was laid upon them by the Argives a fine of a thousand talents,five hundred for each State. The Sikyonians accordingly, acknowledgingthat they had committed a wrong, had made an agreement to pay a