herodotus

changed the whole manner of their life. After this Mazares proceededto send messengers to Kyme bidding them give up Pactyas: and the menof Kyme resolved to refer to the god at Branchidai the question whatcounsel they should follow. For there was there an Oracle establishedof old time, which all the Ionians and Aiolians were wont to consult;and this place is in the territory of Miletos above the port ofPanormos. 158. So the men of Kyme sent messengers to theBranchidai[159] to inquire of the god, and they asked what course theyshould take about Pactyas so as to do that which was pleasing to thegods. When they thus inquired, the answer was given them that theyshould deliver up Pactyas to the Persians: and the men of Kyme, havingheard this answer reported, were disposed to give him up. Then whenthe mass of the people were thus disposed, Aristodicos the son ofHeracleides, a man of repute among the citizens, stopped the men ofKyme from doing so, having distrust of the answer and thinking thatthose sent to inquire were not speaking the truth; until at last othermessengers were sent to the Oracle to ask a second time about Pactyas,and of them Aristodicos was one. 159. When these came to Branchidai,Aristodicos stood forth from the rest and consulted the Oracle, askingas follows: Lord,[160] there came to us a suppliant for protectionPactyas the Lydian, flying from a violent death at the hands of thePersians, and they demand him from us, bidding the men of Kyme givehim up. But we, though we fear the power of the Persians, yet have notventured up to this time to deliver to them the suppliant, until thycounsel shall be clearly manifested to us, saying which of the twothings we ought to do." He thus inquired, but the god again declaredto them the same answer, bidding them deliver up Pactyas to thePersians. Upon this Aristodicos with deliberate purpose did asfollows:--he went all round the temple destroying the nests of thesparrows[161] and of all the other kinds of birds which had beenhatched on the temple: and while he was doing this, it is said that avoice came from the inner shrine directed to Aristodicos and speakingthus: "Thou most impious of men, why dost thou dare to do this? Dostthou carry away by force from my temple the suppliants for myprotection?" And Aristodicos, it is said, not being at all at a lossreplied to this: "Lord, dost thou thus come to the assistance of thysuppliants, and yet biddest the men of Kyme deliver up theirs?" andthe god answered him again thus: "Yea, I bid you do so, that ye mayperish the more quickly for your impiety; so that ye may not at anyfuture time come to the Oracle to ask about delivering up ofsuppliants." 160. When the men of Kyme heard this saying reported, notwishing either to be destroyed by giving him up or to be besieged bykeeping him with them, they sent him away to Mytilene. Those ofMytilene however, when Mazares sent messages to them, were preparingto deliver up Pactyas for a price, but what the price was I cannot sayfor certain, since the bargain was never completed; for the men of