{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_23495/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_23495","id":"gutenberg_23495","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/23495","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: History - Ancient","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Children's History","Greece -- History","Readers -- History"],"text":"E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Dave Macfarlane, and the Project\nGutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net)\n\n\n\nNote: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this\n file which includes the original illustrations.\n See 23495-h.htm or 23495-h.zip:\n (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/3/4/9/23495/23495-h/23495-h.htm)\n or\n (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/3/4/9/23495/23495-h.zip)\n\n\n\n\n\nEclectic School Readings\n\nTHE STORY OF THE GREEKS\n\nby\n\nH. A. GUERBER\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\nNew York .:. Cincinnati .:. Chicago\nAmerican Book Company\n\nCopyright, 1896, by\nAmerican Book Company.\n\n\n\nSTORY OF THE GREEKS.\n\nW.P. 15\n\n\n[Illustration: Theseus and the Minotaur.\n\n_Frontispiece_]\n\n\nDEDICATED\nTO\nARNOLD, HELEN, AND EDWARD\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE.\n\n\nThis elementary history of Greece is intended for supplementary reading\nor as a first history text-book for young pupils. It is therefore made\nup principally of stories about persons; for, while history proper is\nlargely beyond the comprehension of children, they are able at an early\nage to understand and enjoy anecdotes of people, especially of those in\nthe childhood of civilization. At the same time, these stories will give\na clear idea of the most important events that have taken place in the\nancient world, and, it is hoped, will arouse a desire to read further.\nThey also aim to enforce the lessons of perseverance, courage,\npatriotism, and virtue that are taught by the noble lives described.\n\nA knowledge of ancient history, however superficial, is of very great\nvalue; and the classic legends are almost equally worth knowing, because\nof the prominent part they play in the world's literature. These tales\nmake a deep impression on the minds of children, and the history thus\nlearned almost in play will cling to the memory far more tenaciously\nthan any lessons subsequently conned.\n\nMany children leave school unacquainted with any history except that of\nthe United States; which, dealing with less simple and primitive times\nthan that of Greece, is apt to be so unattractive that the child never\nafterwards reads any historical works. It has been my intention to write\na book which will give children pleasure to read, and will thus\ncounteract the impression that history is uninteresting.\n\nA few suggestions to teachers may not be considered superfluous. In the\nfirst place, I have found historical anecdotes an excellent aid in\nteaching English. Pupils find it far from irksome to relate the stories\nin their own words, and to reproduce them in compositions. Secondly,\nwhenever a city or country is mentioned, every pupil should point out\nits location on the map. By such means only can any one properly\nunderstand an historical narrative; and in the present case there is the\nadded reason that the practice will go far towards increasing the\nchild's interest in geography. Lastly, the teacher should take great\ncare that the proper names are correctly pronounced. The most common\nerrors are provided against in the text; for, on the first occurrence of\nsuch a word, it is divided into syllables, with the accent marked. It\nremains for the teacher to enforce the ordinary rules as to the proper\nsounds of vowels and consonants.\n\n\nH.A.G.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\n\n\n PAGE\n Map _between 10 and 11_\n I. Early Inhabitants of Greece 11\n II. The Deluge of Ogyges 13\n III. The Founding of Many Important Cities 15\n IV. Story of Deucalion 19\n V. Story of Daedalus and Icarus 21\n VI. The Adventures of Jason 24\n VII. Theseus visits the Labyrinth 26\n VIII. The Terrible Prophecy 29\n IX. The Sphinx's Riddle 30\n X. Blindness and Death of OEdipus 34\n XI. The Brothers' Quarrel 37\n XII. The Taking of Thebes 39\n XIII. The Childhood of Paris 41\n XIV. The Muster of the Troops 44\n XV. The Sacrifice of Iphigenia 46\n XVI. The Wrath of Achilles 48\n XVII. Death of Hector and Achilles 50\n XVIII. The Burning of Troy 52\n XIX. Heroic Death of Codrus 55\n XX. The Blind Poet 57\n XXI. The Rise of Sparta 61\n XXII. The Spartan Training 62\n XXIII. The Brave Spartan Boy 64\n XXIV. Public Tables in Sparta 67\n XXV. Laws of Lycurgus 69\n XXVI. The Messenian War 71\n XXVII. The Music of Tyrtaeus 73\n XXVIII. Aristomenes' Escape 76\n XXIX. The Olympic Games 77\n XXX. Milo of Croton 81\n XXXI. The Jealous Athlete 83\n XXXII. The Girls' Games 84\n XXXIII. The Bloody Laws of Draco 86\n XXXIV. The Laws of Solon 89\n XXXV. The First Plays 92\n XXXVI. The Tyrant Pisistratus 95\n XXXVII. The Tyrant's Insult 97\nXXXVIII. Death of the Conspirators 99\n XXXIX. Hippias driven out of Athens 100\n XL. The Great King 104\n XLI. Hippias visits Darius 105\n XLII. Destruction of the Persian Host 108\n XLIII. The Advance of the Second Host 110\n XLIV. The Battle of Marathon 113\n XLV. Miltiades' Disgrace 115\n XLVI. Aristides the Just 117\n XLVII. Two Noble Spartan Youths 119\n XLVIII. The Great Army 121\n XLIX. Preparations for Defense 124\n L. Leonidas at Thermopylae 127\n LI. Death of Leonidas 128\n LII. The Burning of Athens 131\n LIII. The Battles of Salamis and Plataea 133\n LIV. The Rebuilding of Athens 136\n LV. Death of Pausanias 138\n LVI. Cimon improves Athens 141\n LVII. The Earthquake 143\n LVIII. The Age of Pericles 146\n LIX. The Teachings of Anaxagoras 151\n LX. Beginning of the Peloponnesian War 152\n LXI. Death of Pericles 155\n LXII. The Philosopher Socrates 157\n LXIII. Socrates' Favorite Pupil 159\n LXIV. Youth of Alcibiades 163\n LXV. Greek Colonies in Italy 165\n LXVI. Alcibiades in Disgrace 167\n LXVII. Death of Alcibiades 169\n LXVIII. The Overthrow of the Thirty Tyrants 171\n LXIX. Accusation of Socrates 173\n LXX. Death of Socrates 175\n LXXI. The Defeat of Cyrus 180\n LXXII. The Retreat of the Ten Thousand 182\n LXXIII. Agesilaus in Asia 185\n LXXIV. A Strange Interview 186\n LXXV. The Peace of Antalcidas 189\n LXXVI. The Theban Friends 190\n LXXVII. Thebes Free once more 192\nLXXVIII. The Battle of Leuctra 195\n LXXIX. Death of Pelopidas 197\n LXXX. The Battle of Mantinea 199\n XXXI. The Tyrant of Syracuse 201\n XXXII. Story of Damon and Pythias 204\n XXXIII. The Sword of Damocles 208\n XXXIV. Dion and Dionysius 210\n XXXV. Civil War in Syracuse 212\n XXXVI. Death of Dion 214\n XXXVII. Philip of Macedon 217\nXXXVIII. Philip begins his Conquests 219\n XXXIX. The Orator Demosthenes 221\n XC. Philip masters Greece 224\n XCI. Birth of Alexander 227\n XCII. The Steed Bucephalus 229\n XCIII. Alexander as King 232\n XCIV. Alexander and Diogenes 234\n XCV. Alexander's Brilliant Beginning 236\n XCVI. The Gordian Knot 238\n XCVII. Alexander's Royal Captives 241\n CVIII. Alexander at Jerusalem 242\n XCIX. The African Desert 244\n C. Death of Darius 247\n CI. Defeat of Porus 249\n CII. The Return to Babylon 251\n CIII. Death of Alexander the Great 252\n CIV. The Division of the Realm 255\n CV. Death of Demosthenes 257\n CVI. The Last of the Athenians 260\n CVII. The Colossus of Rhodes 262\n CVIII. The Battle of Ipsus 265\n CIX. Demetrius and the Athenians 266\n CX. The Achaean League 268\n CXI. Division in Sparta 270\n CXII. Death of Agis 274\n CXIII. The War of the Two Leagues 276\n CXIV. The Last of the Greeks 278\n CXV. Greece a Roman Province 280\n INDEX 283\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE GREEKS.\n\n\n\n\nI. EARLY INHABITANTS OF GREECE.\n\n\nAlthough Greece (or Hel'las) is only half as large as the State of New\nYork, it holds a very important place in the history of the world. It is\nsituated in the southern part of Europe, cut off from the rest of the\ncontinent by a chain of high mountains which form a great wall on the\nnorth. It is surrounded on nearly all sides by the blue waters of the\nMed-it-er-ra'ne-an Sea, which stretch so far inland that it is said no\npart of the country is forty miles from the sea, or ten miles from the\nhills. Thus shut in by sea and mountains, it forms a little territory by\nitself, and it was the home of a noted people.\n\nThe history of Greece goes back to the time when people did not know how\nto write, and kept no record of what was happening around them. For a\nlong while the stories told by parents to their children were the only\ninformation which could be had about the country and its former\ninhabitants; and these stories, slightly changed by every new teller,\ngrew more and more extraordinary as time passed. At last they were so\nchanged that no one could tell where the truth ended and fancy began.\n\nThe beginning of Greek history is therefore like a fairy tale; and while\nmuch of it cannot, of course, be true, it is the only information we\nhave about the early Greeks. It is these strange fireside stories, which\nused to amuse Greek children so many years ago, that you are first going\nto hear.\n\nAbout two thousand years before the birth of Christ, in the days when\nIsaac wanted to go down into Egypt, Greece was inhabited by a savage\nrace of men called the Pe-las'gi-ans. They lived in the forests, or in\ncaves hollowed out of the mountain side, and hunted wild beasts with\ngreat clubs and stone-tipped arrows and spears. They were so rude and\nwild that they ate nothing but raw meat, berries, and the roots which\nthey dug up with sharp stones or even with their hands.\n\nFor clothing, the Pelasgians used the skins of the beasts they had\nkilled; and to protect themselves against other savages, they gathered\ntogether in families or tribes, each having a chief who led in war and\nin the chase.\n\nThere were other far more civilized nations in those days. Among these\nwere the E-gyp'tians, who lived in Africa. They had long known the use\nof fire, had good tools, and were much further advanced than the\nPelasgians. They had learned not only to build houses, but to erect the\nmost wonderful monuments in the world,--the Pyr'a-mids, of which you\nhave no doubt heard.\n\nIn Egypt there were at that time a number of learned men. They were\nacquainted with many of the arts and sciences, and recorded all they\nknew in a peculiar writing of their own invention. Their neighbors, the\nPhoe-ni'-cians, whose land also bordered on the Mediterranean Sea,\nwere quite civilized too; and as both of these nations had ships, they\nsoon began to sail all around that great inland sea.\n\nAs they had no compass, the Egyptian and Phoenician sailors did not\nventure out of sight of land. They first sailed along the shore, and\nthen to the islands which they could see far out on the blue waters.\n\nWhen they had come to one island, they could see another still farther\non; for, as you will see on any map, the Mediterranean Sea, between\nGreece and Asia, is dotted with islands, which look like stepping-stones\ngoing from one coast to the other.\n\nAdvancing thus carefully, the Egyptians and Phoenicians finally came\nto Greece, where they made settlements, and began to teach the\nPelasgians many useful and important things.\n\n\n\n\nII. THE DELUGE OF OGYGES.\n\n\nThe first Egyptian who thus settled in Greece was a prince called\nIn'a-chus. Landing in that country, which has a most delightful climate,\nhe taught the Pelasgians how to make fire and how to cook their meat. He\nalso showed them how to build comfortable homes by piling up stones one\non top of another, much in the same way as the farmer makes the stone\nwalls around his fields.\n\nThe Pelasgians were intelligent, although so uncivilized; and they soon\nlearned to build these walls higher, in order to keep the wild beasts\naway from their homes. Then, when they had learned the use of bronze and\niron tools, they cut the stones into huge blocks of regular shape.\n\nThese stone blocks were piled one upon another so cleverly that some of\nthe walls are still standing, although no mortar was used to hold the\nstones together. Such was the strength of the Pelasgians, that they\nraised huge blocks to great heights, and made walls which their\ndescendants declared must have been built by giants.\n\nAs the Greeks called their giants Cy'clops, which means \"round-eyed,\"\nthey soon called these walls Cy-clo-pe'an; and, in pointing them out to\ntheir children, they told strange tales of the great giants who had\nbuilt them, and always added that these huge builders had but one eye,\nwhich was in the middle of the forehead.\n\nSome time after Inachus the Egyptian had thus taught the Pelasgians the\nart of building, and had founded a city called Ar'gos, there came a\nterrible earthquake. The ground under the people's feet heaved and\ncracked, the mountains shook, the waters flooded the dry land, and the\npeople fled in terror to the hills.\n\nIn spite of the speed with which they ran, the waters soon overtook\nthem. Many of the Pelasgians were thus drowned, while their terrified\ncompanions ran faster and faster up the mountain, nor stopped to rest\nuntil they were quite safe.\n\nLooking down upon the plains where they had once lived, they saw them\nall covered with water. They were now forced to build new homes; but\nwhen the waters little by little sank into the ground, or flowed back\ninto the sea, they were very glad to find that some of their thickest\nwalls had resisted the earthquake and flood, and were still standing\nfirm.\n\nThe memory of the earthquake and flood was very clear, however. The poor\nPelasgians could not forget their terror and the sudden death of so many\nfriends, and they often talked about that horrible time. As this flood\noccurred in the days when Og'y-ges was king, it has generally been\nlinked to his name, and called the Deluge (or flood) of Ogyges.\n\n\n\n\nIII. THE FOUNDING OF MANY IMPORTANT CITIES.\n\n\nSome time after Inachus had built Argos, another Egyptian prince came to\nsettle in Greece. His name was Ce'crops, and, as he came to Greece after\nthe Deluge of Ogyges, he found very few inhabitants left. He landed, and\ndecided to build a city on a promontory northeast of Argos. Then he\ninvited all the Pelasgians who had not been drowned in the flood to join\nhim.\n\nThe Pelasgians, glad to find such a wise leader, gathered around him,\nand they soon learned to plow the fields and to sow wheat. Under\nCecrops' orders they also planted olive trees and vines, and learned how\nto press the oil from the olives and the wine from the grapes. Cecrops\ntaught them how to harness their oxen; and before long the women began\nto spin the wool of their sheep, and to weave it into rough woolen\ngarments, which were used for clothing, instead of the skins of wild\nbeasts.\n\nAfter building several small towns in At'ti-ca, Cecrops founded a larger\none, which was at first called Ce-cro'pi-a in honor of himself. This\nname, however, was soon changed to Ath'ens to please A-the'ne (or\nMi-ner'va), a goddess whom the people worshiped, and who was said to\nwatch over the welfare of this her favorite city.\n\n[Illustration: Athene.]\n\nWhen Cecrops died, he was followed by other princes, who continued\nteaching the people many useful things, such as the training and\nharnessing of horses, the building of carts, and the proper way of\nharvesting grain. One prince even showed them how to make beehives, and\nhow to use the honey as an article of food.\n\nAs the mountain sides in Greece are covered with a carpet of wild,\nsweet-smelling herbs and flowers, the Greek honey is very good; and\npeople say that the best honey in the world is made by the bees on Mount\nHy-met'tus, near Athens, where they gather their golden store all summer\nlong.\n\nShortly after the building of Athens, a Phoenician colony, led by\nCad'mus, settled a neighboring part of the country, called Boe-o'tia,\nwhere they founded the city which was later known as Thebes. Cadmus also\ntaught the people many useful things, among others the art of trade (or\ncommerce) and that of navigation (the building and using of ships); but,\nbest of all, he brought the alphabet to Greece, and showed the people\nhow to express their thoughts in writing.\n\nAlmost at the same time that Cadmus founded Thebes, an Egyptian called\nDan'a-us came to Greece, and settled a colony on the same spot where\nthat of Inachus had once been. The new Argos rose on the same place as\nthe old; and the country around it, called Ar'go-lis, was separated from\nBoeotia and Attica only by a long narrow strip of land, which was\nknown as the Isthmus of Cor'-inth.\n\nDanaus not only showed the Pelasgians all the useful arts which Cadmus\nand Cecrops had taught, but also helped them to build ships like that in\nwhich he had come to Greece. He also founded religious festivals or\ngames in honor of the harvest goddess, De-me'ter. The women were invited\nto these games, and they only were allowed to bear torches in the public\nprocessions, where they sang hymns in honor of the goddess.\n\nThe descendants of Danaus long ruled over the land; and one member of\nhis family, Per'seus, built the town of My-ce'nae on a spot where many\nof the Pelasgian stone walls can still be seen.\n\nThe Pelasgians who joined this young hero helped him to build great\nwalls all around his town. These were provided with massive gateways and\ntall towers, from which the soldiers could overlook the whole country,\nand see the approach of an enemy from afar.\n\n[Illustration: The Lion Gate, Mycenae.]\n\nThis same people built tombs for some of the ancient kings, and many\ntreasure and store houses. These buildings, buried under earth and\nrubbish, were uncovered a few years ago. In the tombs were found swords,\nspears, and remains of ancient armor, gold ornaments, ancient pieces of\npottery, human bones, and, strangest of all, thin masks of pure gold,\nwhich covered the faces of some of the dead.\n\nThus you see, the Pelasgians little by little joined the new colonies\nwhich came to take possession of the land, and founded little states or\ncountries of their own, each governed by its own king, and obeying its\nown laws.\n\n\n\n\nIV. STORY OF DEUCALION.\n\n\nThe Greeks used to tell their children that Deu-ca'li-on, the leader of\nthe Thes-sa'li-ans, was a descendant of the gods, for each part of the\ncountry claimed that its first great man was the son of a god. It was\nunder the reign of Deucalion that another flood took place. This was\neven more terrible than that of Ogyges; and all the people of the\nneighborhood fled in haste to the high mountains north of Thes'sa-ly,\nwhere they were kindly received by Deucalion.\n\nWhen all danger was over, and the waters began to recede, they followed\ntheir leader down into the plains again. This soon gave rise to a\nwonderful story, which you will often hear. It was said that Deucalion\nand his wife Pyr'rha were the only people left alive after the flood.\nWhen the waters had all gone, they went down the mountain, and found\nthat the temple at Del'phi, where they worshiped their gods, was still\nstanding unharmed. They entered, and, kneeling before the altar, prayed\nfor help.\n\nA mysterious voice then bade them go down the mountain, throwing their\nmother's bones behind them. They were very much troubled when they heard\nthis, until Deucalion said that a voice from heaven could not have\nmeant them to do any harm. In thinking over the real meaning of the\nwords he had heard, he told his wife, that, as the Earth is the mother\nof all creatures, her bones must mean the stones.\n\nDeucalion and Pyrrha, therefore, went slowly down the mountain, throwing\nthe stones behind them. The Greeks used to tell that a sturdy race of\nmen sprang up from the stones cast by Deucalion, while beautiful women\ncame from those cast by Pyrrha.\n\nThe country was soon peopled by the children of these men, who always\nproudly declared that the story was true, and that they sprang from the\nrace which owed its birth to this great miracle. Deucalion reigned over\nthis people as long as he lived; and when he died, his two sons,\nAm-phic'ty-on and Hel'len, became kings in his stead. The former staid\nin Thessaly; and, hearing that some barbarians called Thra'cians were\nabout to come over the mountains and drive his people away, he called\nthe chiefs of all the different states to a council, to ask their advice\nabout the best means of defense. All the chiefs obeyed the summons, and\nmet at a place in Thessaly where the mountains approach the sea so\nclosely as to leave but a narrow pass between. In the pass are hot\nsprings, and so it was called Ther-mop'y-lae, or the Hot Gateway.\n\nThe chiefs thus gathered together called this assembly the\nAm-phic-ty-on'ic Council, in honor of Amphictyon. After making plans to\ndrive back the Thracians, they decided to meet once a year, either at\nThermopylae or at the temple at Delphi, to talk over all important\nmatters.\n\n\n\n\nV. STORY OF DAEDALUS AND ICARUS.\n\n\nHellen, Deucalion's second son, finding Thessaly too small to give homes\nto all the people, went southward with a band of hardy followers, and\nsettled in another part of the country which we call Greece, but which\nwas then, in honor of him, called Hellas, while his people were called\nHel-le'nes, or subjects of Hellen.\n\nWhen Hellen died, he left his kingdom to his three sons, Do'rus,\nAE'o-lus, and Xu'thus. Instead of dividing their father's lands fairly,\nthe eldest two sons quarreled with the youngest, and finally drove him\naway. Homeless and poor, Xuthus now went to Athens, where he was warmly\nwelcomed by the king, who not only treated him very kindly, but also\ngave him his daughter in marriage, and promised that he should inherit\nthe throne.\n\nThis promise was duly kept, and Xuthus the exile ruled over Athens. When\nhe died, he left the crown to his sons, I'on and A-chae'us.\n\nAs the A-the'ni-ans had gradually increased in number until their\nterritory was too small to afford a living to all the inhabitants, Ion\nand Achaeus, even in their father's lifetime, led some of their followers\nalong the Isthmus of Corinth, and down into the peninsula, where they\nfounded two flourishing states, called, after them, A-cha'ia and\nI-o'ni-a. Thus, while northern Greece was pretty equally divided between\nthe Do'ri-ans and AE-o'li-ans, descendants and subjects of Dorus and\nAEolus, the peninsula was almost entirely in the hands of the I-o'ni-ans\nand A-chae'ans, who built towns, cultivated the soil, and became bold\nnavigators. They ventured farther and farther out at sea, until they\nwere familiar with all the neighboring bays and islands.\n\nSailing thus from place to place, the Hellenes came at last to Crete, a\nlarge island south of Greece. This island was then governed by a very\nwise king called Mi'nos. The laws of this monarch were so just that all\nthe Greeks admired them very much. When he died, they even declared that\nthe gods had called him away to judge the dead in Ha'des, and to decide\nwhat punishments and rewards the spirits deserved.\n\nAlthough Minos was very wise, he had a subject named Daed'a-lus who was\neven wiser than he. This man not only invented the saw and the potter's\nwheel, but also taught the people how to rig sails for their vessels.\n\nAs nothing but oars and paddles had hitherto been used to propel ships,\nthis last invention seemed very wonderful; and, to compliment Daedalus,\nthe people declared that he had given their vessels wings, and had thus\nenabled them to fly over the seas.\n\nMany years after, when sails were so common that they ceased to excite\nany wonder, the people, forgetting that these were the wings which\nDaedalus had made, invented a wonderful story, which runs as follows.\n\nMinos, King of Crete, once sent for Daedalus, and bade him build a maze,\nor labyrinth, with so many rooms and winding halls, that no one, once in\nit, could ever find his way out again.\n\nDaedalus set to work and built a maze so intricate that neither he nor\nhis son Ic'a-rus, who was with him, could get out. Not willing to\nremain there a prisoner, Daedalus soon contrived a means of escape.\n\n[Illustration: Daedalus and Icarus.]\n\nHe and Icarus first gathered together a large quantity of feathers, out\nof which Daedalus cleverly made two pairs of wings. When these were\nfastened to their shoulders by means of wax, father and son rose up like\nbirds and flew away. In spite of his father's cautions, Icarus rose\nhigher and higher, until the heat of the sun melted the wax, so that his\nwings dropped off, and he fell into the sea and was drowned. His father,\nmore prudent than he, flew low, and reached Greece in safety. There he\nwent on inventing useful things, often gazing out sadly over the waters\nin which Icarus had perished, and which, in honor of the drowned youth,\nwere long known as the I-ca'ri-an Sea.\n\n\n\n\nVI. THE ADVENTURES OF JASON.\n\n\nThe Hellenes had not long been masters of all Greece, when a Phryg'i-an\ncalled Pe'lops became master of the peninsula, which from him received\nthe name of Pel-o-pon-ne'sus. He first taught the people to coin money;\nand his descendants, the Pe-lop'i-dae, took possession of all the land\naround them, with the exception of Argolis, where the Da-na'i-des\ncontinued to reign.\n\nSome of the Ionians and Achaeans, driven away from their homes by the\nPelopidae, went on board their many vessels, and sailed away. They formed\nHel-len'ic colonies in the neighboring islands along the coast of Asia\nMinor, and even in the southern part of Italy.\n\nAs some parts of Greece were very thinly settled, and as the people\nclustered around the towns where their rulers dwelt, there were wide,\ndesolate tracts of land between them. Here were many wild beasts and\nrobbers, who lay in wait for travelers on their way from one settlement\nto another. The robbers, who hid in the forests or mountains, were\ngenerally feared and disliked, until at last some brave young warriors\nmade up their minds to fight against them and to kill them all. These\nyoung men were so brave that they well deserved the name of heroes,\nwhich has always been given them; and they met with many adventures\nabout which the people loved to hear. Long after they had gone, the\ninhabitants, remembering their relief when the robbers were killed,\ntaught their children to honor these brave young men almost as much as\nthe gods, and they called the time when they lived the Heroic Age.\n\nNot satisfied with freeing their own country from wild men and beasts,\nthe heroes wandered far away from home in search of further adventures.\nThese have also been told over and over again to children of all\ncountries and ages, until every one is expected to know something about\nthem. Fifty of these heroes, for instance, went on board of a small\nvessel called the \"Argo,\" sailed across the well-known waters, and\nventured boldly into unknown seas. They were in search of a Golden\nFleece, which they were told they would find in Col'chis, where it was\nsaid to be guarded by a great dragon.\n\nThe leader of these fifty adventurers was Ja'son, an AEolian prince, who\nbrought them safely to Colchis, whence, as the old stories relate, they\nbrought back the Golden Fleece. They also brought home the king's\ndaughter, who married Jason, and ruled his kingdom with him. Of course,\nas there was no such thing as a Golden Fleece, the Greeks merely used\nthis expression to tell about the wealth which they got in the East, and\ncarried home with them; for the voyage of the \"Argo\" was in reality the\nfirst distant commercial journey undertaken by the Greeks.\n\n\n\n\nVII. THESEUS VISITS THE LABYRINTH.\n\n\nOn coming back from the quest for the Golden Fleece, the heroes returned\nto their own homes, where they continued their efforts to make their\npeople happy.\n\nThe'seus, one of the heroes, returned to Athens, and founded a yearly\nfestival in honor of the goddess Athene. This festival was called\nPan-ath-e-nae'a, which means \"all the worshipers of Athene.\" It proved a\ngreat success, and was a bond of union among the people, who thus\nlearned each other's customs and manners, and grew more friendly than if\nthey had always staid at home. Theseus is one of the best-known among\nall the Greek heroes. Besides going with Jason in the \"Argo,\" he rid his\ncountry of many robbers, and sailed to Crete. There he visited Minos,\nthe king, who, having some time before conquered the Athenians, forced\nthem to send him every year a shipload of youths and maidens, to feed\nto a monster which he kept in the Labyrinth.\n\nTo free his country from this tribute, Theseus, of his own free will,\nwent on board the ship. When he reached Crete, he went first into the\nLabyrinth, and killed the monster with his sword. Then he found his way\nout of the maze by means of a long thread which the king's daughter had\ngiven him. One end of it he carried with him as he entered, while the\nother end was fastened to the door.\n\nHis old father, AEgeus, who had allowed him to go only after much\npersuasion, had told him to change the black sails of his vessel for\nwhite if he were lucky enough to escape. Theseus promised to do so, but\nhe entirely forgot it in the joy of his return.\n\nAEgeus, watching for the vessel day after day, saw it coming back at\nlast; and when the sunlight fell upon the black sails, he felt sure that\nhis son was dead.\n\nHis grief was so great at this loss, that he fell from the rock where he\nwas standing down into the sea, and was drowned. In memory of him, the\nbody of water near the rock is still known as the AE-ge'an Sea.\n\nWhen Theseus reached Athens, and heard of his father's grief and sudden\ndeath, his heart was filled with sorrow and remorse, and he loudly\nbewailed the carelessness which had cost his father's life.\n\nTheseus now became King of Athens, and ruled his people very wisely for\nmany years. He took part in many adventures and battles, lost two wives\nand a beloved son, and in his grief and old age became so cross and\nharsh that his people ceased to love him.\n\nThey finally grew so tired of his cruelty, that they all rose up against\nhim, drove him out of the city, and forced him to take up his abode on\nthe Island of Scy'ros. Then, fearing that he might return unexpectedly,\nthey told the king of the island to watch him night and day, and to\nseize the first good opportunity to get rid of him. In obedience to\nthese orders, the king escorted Theseus wherever he went; and one day,\nwhen they were both walking along the edge of a tall cliff, he suddenly\npushed Theseus over it. Unable to defend or save himself, Theseus fell\non some sharp rocks far below, and was instantly killed.\n\nThe Athenians rejoiced greatly when they heard of his death; but they\nsoon forgot his harshness, remembered only his bravery and all the good\nhe had done them in his youth, and regretted their ingratitude. Long\nafter, as you will see, his body was carried to Athens, and buried not\nfar from the A-crop'o-lis, which was a fortified hill or citadel in the\nmidst of the city. Here the Athenians built a temple over his remains,\nand worshiped him as a god.\n\nWhile Theseus was thus first fighting for his subjects, and then\nquarreling with them, one of his companions, the hero Her'cu-les (or\nHer'a-cles) went back to the Peloponnesus, where he had been born. There\nhis descendants, the Her-a-cli'dae, soon began fighting with the Pelopidae\nfor the possession of the land.\n\nAfter much warfare, the Heraclidae were driven away, and banished to\nThessaly, where they were allowed to remain only upon condition that\nthey would not attempt to renew their quarrel with the Pelopidae for a\nhundred years.\n\n\n\n\nVIII. THE TERRIBLE PROPHECY.\n\n\nWhile Theseus was reigning over the Athenians, the neighboring throne of\nThebes, in Boeotia, was occupied by King La'ius and Queen Jo-cas'ta.\nIn those days the people thought they could learn about the future by\nconsulting the oracles, or priests who dwelt in the temples, and\npretended to give mortals messages from the gods.\n\nHoping to learn what would become of himself and of his family, Laius\nsent rich gifts to the temple at Delphi, asking what would befall him in\nthe coming years. The messenger soon returned, but, instead of bringing\ncheerful news, he tremblingly repeated the oracle's words: \"King Laius,\nyou will have a son who will murder his father, marry his mother, and\nbring destruction upon his native city!\"\n\nThis news filled the king's heart with horror; and when, a few months\nlater, a son was born to him, he made up his mind to kill him rather\nthan let him live to commit such fearful crimes. But Laius was too\ngentle to harm a babe, and so ordered a servant to carry the child out\nof the town and put him to death.\n\nThe man obeyed the first part of the king's orders; but when he had come\nto a lonely spot on the mountain, he could not make up his mind to kill\nthe poor little babe. Thinking that the child would soon die if left on\nthis lonely spot, the servant tied him to a tree, and, going back to the\ncity, reported that he had gotten rid of him.\n\nNo further questions were asked, and all thought that the child was\ndead. It was not so, however. His cries had attracted the attention of a\npassing shepherd, who carried him home, and, being too poor to keep him,\ntook him to the King of Corinth. As the king had no children, he gladly\nadopted the little boy.\n\nWhen the queen saw that the child's ankles were swollen by the cord by\nwhich he had been hung to the tree, she tenderly cared for him, and\ncalled him OEd'i-pus, which means \"the swollen-footed.\" This nickname\nclung to the boy, who grew up thinking that the King and Queen of\nCorinth were his real parents.\n\n\n\n\nIX. THE SPHINX'S RIDDLE.\n\n\nWhen OEdipus was grown up, he once went to a festival, where his proud\nmanners so provoked one of his companions, that he taunted him with\nbeing only a foundling. OEdipus, seeing the frightened faces around\nhim, now for the first time began to think that perhaps he had not been\ntold the truth about his parentage. So he consulted an oracle.\n\nInstead of giving him a plain answer,--a thing which the oracles were\nseldom known to do,--the voice said, \"OEdipus, beware! You are doomed\nto kill your father, marry your mother, and bring destruction upon your\nnative city!\"\n\nHorrified at this prophecy, and feeling sure that the King and Queen of\nCorinth were his parents, and that the oracle's predictions threatened\nmisfortunes to them, OEdipus made up his mind to leave home forever.\nHe did not even dare to return to bid his family good-by, and he started\nout alone and on foot to seek his fortunes elsewhere.\n\nAs he walked, he thought of his misfortunes, and grew very bitter\nagainst the cruel goddess of fate, whom he had been taught to fear. He\nfancied that this goddess could rule things as she pleased, and that it\nwas she who had said he would commit the dreadful crimes which he was\ntrying to avoid.\n\nAfter several days' aimless wandering, OEdipus came at last to some\ncrossroads. There he met an old man riding in a chariot, and preceded by\na herald, who haughtily bade OEdipus make way for his master.\n\nAs OEdipus had been brought up as a prince, he was in the habit of\nseeing everybody make way for him. He therefore proudly refused to stir;\nand when the herald raised his staff to strike, OEdipus drew his sword\nand killed him.\n\nThe old man, indignant at this deed of violence, stepped out of his\nchariot and attacked OEdipus. Now, the young man did not know that it\nwas his father Laius whom he thus met for the first time, so he fell\nupon and killed him also. The servants too were all slain when they in\nturn attacked him; and then OEdipus calmly continued his journey,\nlittle suspecting that the first part of the oracle's prediction had\nbeen fulfilled.\n\nSoon after this fight, OEdipus came to the city of Thebes. The streets\nwere filled with excited people, all talking at once; and the young\nprince, in listening to what they said, soon learned the cause of their\nexcitement.\n\n[Illustration: After a few moments' deep thought, OEdipus answered.]\n\nIt seems that a terrible monster called the Sphinx had taken up its\nstation on one of the principal roads leading to the town, and would\nallow no one to pass who could not answer a riddle which it asked. This\ncreature had the head of a woman, the body of a lion, and the wings of\nan eagle; and, as it ate up all those who could not guess its riddle,\nthe people were very much frightened.\n\nMany persons had already been slain; for, although the bravest men had\ngone out to kill it, they had lost their lives in the attempt, as no one\ncould harm it unless he guessed the mysterious riddle.\n\nLaius, the king, hoping to learn from the oracle at Delphi the answer to\nthe riddle, had ridden off in his chariot; but the people grew more\nexcited still, when a messenger came running into the town, and said\nthat the king and all his servants had been killed by robbers, and that\ntheir dead bodies had been found in the middle of the road.\n\nOEdipus paid no attention to this news; for he little suspected that\nthe old man whom he had killed was the king, whom everybody loved, and\nfor whom they now mourned with noisy grief.\n\nHe was, however, deeply interested in the story of the Sphinx; and he\nwas so sure that he could guess the riddle, that he immediately set out\nto find the monster. He walked boldly along the road until stopped by\nthe Sphinx, which told him to answer this riddle if he wished to live:\n\"What creature walks upon four feet in the morning, upon two at noon,\nand upon three at night?\"\n\nAfter a few moments' deep thought, OEdipus answered that the creature\nwas _man_. \"For,\" said he, \"in the morning of life, or in babyhood, man\ncreeps on hands and knees; at noon, or in manhood, he walks erect; and\nat evening, or in old age, he supports his tottering steps with a\nstaff.\"\n\nThe Sphinx's riddle was guessed; and the monster, knowing that its power\nwas now at an end, tried to get away. But OEdipus would not allow it\nto do so; and, drawing his sword, he forced it back until it fell over a\nprecipice, on the sharp stones below, and was dashed to pieces.\n\n\n\n\nX. BLINDNESS AND DEATH OF OEDIPUS.\n\n\nBoeotia was now rid of the Sphinx; and when the The'bans heard the\njoyful news of its death, they welcomed OEdipus with much joy. In\nreward for his bravery, they gave him not only the throne, but also the\nhand of Jocasta, the widowed queen. It was thus that OEdipus, although\nhe did not know it, fulfilled the second part of the prophecy, and\nmarried his own mother.\n\nSeveral years now passed by, during which OEdipus ruled the Thebans so\nwisely, that they all loved him dearly, and went to him for advice in\nall their troubles. Finally the good times came to an end; and the\npeople were again terrified, because a plague, or great sickness, broke\nout in the city, and many of the inhabitants died.\n\nAll kinds of medicines were tried, but without effect; and all the gods\nwere asked to lend their aid. In despair, OEdipus sent a messenger to\nDelphi to ask the oracle how the disease could be stopped. The oracle\nfor once gave a plain answer, and said that the plague would cease only\nwhen the murderer of Laius had been found and punished.\n\nInvestigations were now made for the first time, and it was found that\nOEdipus was the one who had slain the king. At the same time, the\nservant confessed that he had not killed the royal child; and the\nshepherd told how he had found the babe and carried him to Corinth,\nwhere he had been adopted by the king.\n\nWhen OEdipus heard all this, he was driven almost mad with despair;\nfor now he knew not only that he had murdered his father and married his\nmother, but that it was on his account that the plague had caused the\ndeath of so many people in Thebes.\n\nIn her horror and grief at this discovery, Queen Jocasta killed herself.\nWhen OEdipus learned that she was dead, he ran into the room where she\nlay, and took one of the buckles which fastened her dress and put out\nhis eyes with it, saying, that, since they had beheld such a sorrowful\nsight, they should never again see the light of day.\n\nTo rid the city of his accursed presence, and thus, if possible, save it\nfrom the threatened destruction, OEdipus banished himself, and\nwandered away, old, blind, and poor, for he would take none of his\nriches with him.\n\nHe departed sorrowfully, leaving his kingdom to his two sons,\nE-te'o-cles and Pol-y-ni'ces, and telling them to care for their\nsisters, An-tig'o-ne and Is-me'ne.\n\nIsmene wept bitterly when she said good-by to her father; but Antigone\nplaced her father's hand upon her shoulder, said that she would never\nforsake him, and left the city, tenderly supporting and guiding him.\n\nFather and daughter wandered thus from place to place, finding no rest;\nfor all the people shrank from even looking upon OEdipus, who, they\nsaid, was evidently accursed by the gods, since he had committed such\nfrightful crimes.\n\nAfter many days' wandering and much fatigue, the exiles arrived at last\non the border of a dark forest held sacred to the Furies,--the goddesses\nwhose duty it was to punish all criminals by tormenting them as long as\nthey lived, and even after they had died.\n\nWhen Antigone described to her poor blind father the place they had\nreached, he bade her remain by the roadside, and, groping his way, soon\nvanished into the forest. He had scarcely gone, when a terrible\nthunderstorm arose. The air grew dark, the lightning flashed, the\nthunder rolled, the trees bent and twisted in the wind; and, although\nAntigone called her father again and again, she heard no answering cry.\n\nWhen morning came, she went to look for him, but found no trace of him.\nThe people in the neighborhood then told her that the Furies had dragged\nher father away to punish him for his crimes, and Antigone sadly went\nback to Thebes.\n\nAs soon as she arrived in the city, Antigone hastened to the palace to\ntell her brothers and sister about their father's sad death; but when\nshe entered her former happy home, she learned that there are sadder\nthings than death, for her brothers were no longer friends, and had\nbegun a terrible quarrel.\n\n\n\n\nXI. THE BROTHERS' QUARREL.\n\n\nThe misfortunes of Thebes had not come to an end with the banishment of\nOEdipus, and fate was still against the unhappy city. The plague, it\nis true, had stopped; but the two young princes were quarreling about\nthe possession of the throne.\n\nBoth wanted to reign, and neither wished to share the throne with his\nbrother. After much dispute, they agreed at last that each should reign\na year in turn.\n\nEteocles, the elder, was of course allowed to rule during the first\nyear; while Polynices went to pay a visit to A-dras'tus, King of Argos.\nHere he was warmly welcomed and hospitably entertained; but when the\nyear was ended, he hurried back to Thebes to reign in his turn.\n\nWhen he came to the city, however, Eteocles refused to give up the\nscepter, and, calling out his guards, made use of his power to drive\nPolynices out of the town. This was very wrong, for a promise should\nalways be kept; and it made Polynices so angry, that he said he would\nreturn with an army, and force his brother to act fairly.\n\nPolynices therefore hurried back to Argos, and soon persuaded Adrastus,\nwith five other kings and noted warriors, to go with him to Thebes, and\nhelp him take the throne by force.\n\nWhen Eteocles heard that seven kings were coming with a large army to\nmake him give up the throne of Thebes, he made up his mind to fight hard\nto keep it. After strengthening the city walls, laying in a great stock\nof provisions, and securing the help of seven brave allies, Eteocles\nclosed the gates of Thebes, and calmly awaited the arrival of the enemy.\n\nMeanwhile the seven chiefs were marching from Argos to Thebes. They came\nat last to the forest of Ne'me-a, where Hercules, the chief hero of\nArgos, had once slain a terrible lion. This monster had long lived in\nthe forest, filling the hearts of all the people with dread; and when\nHercules came out of the forest, wearing the skin of the lion, they had\ngreatly rejoiced.\n\n[Illustration: Hercules and the Nemean Lion.]\n\nIn honor of Hercules' victory over the Ne'me-an lion, the seven chiefs\nstopped in this spot to celebrate games, which they said should be held\nin that neighborhood every three years. This festival was ever after\ncelebrated thus; and when the people gathered together there to see the\nracing and boxing, they loved to recall the memory of the brave lion\nslayer, and of the seven kings who had first celebrated the Nemean\ngames.\n\nWhen Polynices and his allies came at last to Thebes, they found all the\ngates closed; and although they fought bravely, and tried hard to enter\nthe city, they were kept at bay for seven long years. At the end of that\ntime the people inside the city, and those without, were equally tired\nof this long siege: so it was finally agreed that the two armies should\nmeet on a neighboring plain and fight it out.\n\nThe armies were led by the two brothers, who now hated each other so\nbitterly, that, instead of waiting for the signal for battle, they\nrushed upon each other, and both fell before any one could interfere.\n\nThis terrible end of their quarrel filled the hearts of both armies with\nfear, and they agreed to make a truce in order to bury their chiefs. As\nit was customary at that time to burn the bodies of the dead, both\ncorpses were laid upon the funeral pyre side by side. When the wood was\nall burned, the ashes were put into separate urns, for the Greeks used\nto tell their children that these brothers hated each other so much that\neven their ashes would not mingle.\n\nThis story of OEdipus and his family is only a myth, but it is a very\ncelebrated one. The Greeks wrote stories, poems, and plays about it, and\nit is on that account that it should be known by every one who wishes to\nstudy the history of Greece.\n\n\n\n\nXII. THE TAKING OF THEBES.\n\n\nThe terrible death of the two brothers Eteocles and Polynices did not,\nas you might suppose, end the siege of Thebes. No sooner were their\nfunerals over, than both armies began to fight again; and they continued\nthe contest until all the chiefs had been killed except Adrastus only.\n\nMost of the soldiers had also been slain: so Adrastus made up his mind\nto go home, and wait until the sons of these fallen heroes were old\nenough to fight, before he went on with the war. As they thought it\ntheir duty to avenge all injuries, and especially the death of a\nrelative, Adrastus had no trouble in getting these youths to march\nagainst Thebes. So they began a second siege, which was known as the War\nof the E-pig'o-ni, or descendants, because the young warriors took up\ntheir fathers' quarrel.\n\nSuch was the bravery of these young men, that they succeeded where their\nfathers had failed, and after a long struggle took the city of Thebes.\nAs Polynices was dead, and could not claim the scepter he had so longed\nto possess, they put his son Ther-san'der upon the throne.\n\nThis young man ruled for a while in peace; but because his sons were\ninsane, the Thebans thought that the gods still hated the race of\nOEdipus: so they drove these princes away, and chose another and less\nunlucky family to rule over them instead.\n\nEven the daughters of OEdipus were very unhappy; for Antigone, having\ntaken the part of her brother Polynices, was put to death, while her\nsister Ismene died of grief.\n\nSuch was the end of the race of OEdipus,--a king who has been\nconsidered the most unhappy man that ever lived, because, although he\nmeant to be good, he was forced by fate to commit the most horrible\ncrimes.\n\n\n\n\nXIII. THE CHILDHOOD OF PARIS.\n\n\nIn those days, Pri'am and Hec'u-ba were King and Queen of Troy (or\nIl'i-um),--a beautiful city near the coast of Asia Minor, almost\nopposite Athens. They were the parents of a large family of sons and\ndaughters; and among the sons were Hec'tor and Par'is, young men of\nremarkable strength and beauty.\n\nParis had had a very adventurous life. When he was but a little babe,\nhis mother dreamed that she saw a flaming brand in the cradle, in the\nplace where the child lay. This brand seemed to set fire to the cradle\nand all the palace; and the queen, awaking with a start, was overjoyed\nto find that it was nothing but a dream.\n\nMen in those days believed that dreams were sent by the gods to warn\nthem of coming events, and so Hecuba was very anxious to know what the\nburning brand meant. She told her husband all about it, and they finally\ndecided to ask an oracle to explain the dream.\n\nA few days later the messenger they had sent to the oracle came home,\nand Hecuba shed many tears when he brought word that the child Paris was\ndestined to bring destruction upon his native city.\n\nTo escape this calamity, Priam ordered that Paris should be carried out\nof the city, and that he should be left in a forest, where the wild\nbeasts would eat him up, or where he would be sure to die from hunger\nand cold.\n\nPoor little Paris was therefore lifted out of his comfortable cradle,\nand left alone in the woods, where he cried so hard that a passing\nhunter heard him. This man was so sorry for the poor child, that he\ncarried him home to his wife, who brought the little stranger up with\nher own children.\n\nAs he lived with hunters, Paris soon learned their ways; and he became\nso active that when he was quite grown up he went to Troy to take part\nin the athletic games, which were often held there in honor of the gods.\nHe was so strong that he easily won all the prizes, although Hector and\nthe other young princes were also striving for them.\n\nWhen Paris went up to receive the crown of wild olive leaves which was\nthe victor's prize, every one noticed his likeness to the royal family;\nand his sister Cas-san'dra, who was able to foretell future events, said\nthat he was the son of Priam and Hecuba, and that he would bring great\nmisfortunes upon Troy.\n\nThe king and queen paid no heed to these words, but gladly welcomed\nParis home, and lavished all kinds of gifts upon him to make up for\ntheir cruelty and long neglect.\n\nParis was so fond of change and adventure, that he soon grew tired of\ncourt life, and asked Priam for a ship, so that he might sail off to\nGreece.\n\nThis request was readily granted, and Paris went away. The young prince\nsailed from island to island, and came at last to the southern part of\nthe Peloponnesus, where the descendants of Hercules had founded the city\nof Sparta. Here he was warmly welcomed by King Men-e-la'us; but this\nking was obliged to leave home shortly after the arrival of Paris, and\nhe bade Helen, his wife, the most beautiful woman in the world, do all\nshe could to entertain the noble stranger.\n\nHelen was so kind to Paris that he soon fell in love with her. His\ngreatest wish was to have her as his wife: so he began to tell her that\nVe'nus, the goddess of love, had promised him that he should marry the\nmost beautiful woman in the world.\n\nTalking thus day after day, the handsome young Paris finally persuaded\nHelen to leave her husband and home. She got on board of his vessel, and\nwent with him to Troy as his wife. Of course, this wrongdoing could not\nbring happiness; and not only were they duly punished, but, as you will\nsoon see, the crime of Paris brought suffering and death to his friends\nas well.\n\n[Illustration: Menelaus.]\n\nWhen Menelaus came home and found that his guest had run away with his\nwife, he was very angry, and vowed that he would not rest until he had\npunished Paris and won back the beautiful Helen.\n\nHe therefore made ready for war, and sent word to his friends and\nrelatives to come and help him, telling them to meet him at Au'lis, a\nseaport, where they would find swift-sailing vessels to carry them\nacross the sea to Troy.\n\n\n\n\nXIV. THE MUSTER OF THE TROOPS.\n\n\nWhen the neighboring kings and chiefs received Menelaus' message, they\nwere delighted; for fighting was their only occupation, and they enjoyed\nthe din of battle more than anything else. They began to collect their\nsoldiers, polish their arms, and man their vessels. Then, inviting all\nwho wished to join them, they started out for Aulis, where they formed a\nhuge army.\n\nEach of the parties was led by its own king or chief. Some of these\nchiefs were very brave, and their names are still well known. The\nleading ones among them were Nes'tor, the wisest man of his day, to whom\nevery one came for good advice; and U-lys'ses, the crafty or sly king,\nwho was so clever that he could easily outwit all men.\n\nThere were also A'jax, the strongest man of his time; Thersander, the\nnew king of Thebes, who came with the Epigoni; and Ag-a-mem'non, King of\nMycenae, Menelaus' brother, who was chosen chief of the whole army.\n\nThe Greeks never began any undertaking without consulting the oracles to\nfind out how it would end. Agamemnon, therefore, consulted one of these\nsoothsayers, who said that Troy would never be taken unless A-chil'les\nfought with the Greeks.\n\nWhen they heard this answer, the chiefs immediately asked who Achilles\nwas, and they soon learned all about him. He was a young prince of whom\nit had been foretold at the time of his birth that he would be the\ngreatest warrior of his age, and that he would die young. His mother,\nwho loved him dearly, shed many tears when she heard these words, and\nmade up her mind to do all she could to prevent this prophecy from\ncoming true.\n\nShe first carried Achilles, when but a baby, to the river Styx, for it\nwas said that those who bathed in its waters could never be wounded.\n\nAfraid to let go of her child for fear he might drown, but anxious to\nmake sure that the waters should touch every part of him, the mother\nplunged him into the rushing tide, holding him fast by one heel.\n\nThis she held so tight that the waters never even wet it; and it was\nonly long after, when too late to remedy it, that an oracle told her\nthat Achilles could be wounded in his heel, which the waters of the Styx\nhad not touched. As soon as this good mother heard the first news of the\ncoming war, her heart was troubled; for she knew that Achilles, who was\nnow a young man, would want to join the army, and she was afraid of\nlosing him.\n\nTo prevent his hearing anything about the war, she persuaded him to\nvisit the King of Scyros. There, under pretext of a joke, he was induced\nto put on girl's clothes, and to pretend that he was a woman.\n\nThe Greeks, after hearing the oracle's words, sent messengers for\nAchilles; but they could not find him, as he had left home, and no one\nwould tell them where he had gone. As it was of no use to set out\nwithout him, according to the oracle's answer, which they thoroughly\nbelieved, the army lingered at Aulis in despair.\n\nUlysses, seeing that they would never start unless Achilles were found,\nnow offered to go and get him. Disguised as a peddler, with a pack upon\nhis back, he went first to Achilles' home, where the chattering maids\ntold him all he wished to know, and thence he went to the Island of\nScyros.\n\nAchilles was so well disguised that Ulysses could not tell him from the\nking's daughters and their maids: so he made use of a trick to find him\nout. Among the trinkets in his pack, he put a sword of fine workmanship,\nand, entering the palace, spread out his wares before the admiring\nmaidens. They all gathered about him; but, while the real girls went\ninto raptures over his ornaments, Achilles grasped the sword, drew it\nfrom the scabbard, carefully tested the blade, and swung it with a\nstrong arm.\n\nOf course, Ulysses then easily saw that he was not a girl, and, slipping\nup to him, managed to whisper news of the coming war, and won his\npromise to join the army at Aulis in a few days.\n\n\n\n\nXV. THE SACRIFICE OF IPHIGENIA.\n\n\nTrue to his promise, Achilles soon came to Aulis with his well-trained\nsoldiers, the Myr'mi-dons, and with him came his friend Pa-tro'clus. All\nwere now eager to start, and ready to embark; but unfortunately there\nwas no favorable wind to fill their sails and waft them over to Asia\nMinor.\n\nDay after day they waited, and offered sacrifices to the gods, but all\nin vain. At last they again consulted the oracle, who said that the\nwind would not blow until Iph-i-ge-ni'a, Agamemnon's daughter, were\noffered up in sacrifice to Di-an'a, goddess of the moon and the chase,\nwhom this king had once offended.\n\nAgamemnon at first said that he would not sacrifice his daughter, but\nfinally his companions persuaded him to do so. Just as the priest was\nabout to kill the maiden on the altar, however, the goddess Diana came,\nand carried her off unharmed, leaving a deer to be sacrificed in her\nstead.\n\nThe deer was killed, the wind rose, the sails filled, and the Greek\nfleet soon came within sight of the high walls and towers of Troy.\nThere, contrary to their expectations, the Greeks found the people ready\nto fight them; but, after many days' struggle, they saw that they had\nmade no great advance.\n\nOn the wide plain which stretched out between the city and the sea, the\nGreek and Tro'jan armies fought many a battle; and sometimes one party,\nand sometimes the other, had the victory. The men on both sides had been\ntrained to handle their weapons with great skill, and there were many\nfights in which the Greek heroes met the bravest Trojans.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nNine years passed thus in continual warfare, but even then the Greeks\nwere as far from taking the town as on the first day; and the Trojans,\nin spite of all their courage, had not been able to drive their enemies\naway.\n\n\n\n\nXVI. THE WRATH OF ACHILLES.\n\n\nIn all their battles, the booty won by the Greeks from the enemy had\nbeen divided among the chiefs and soldiers, and on one occasion female\nslaves were given to Agamemnon and Achilles. These girls were not born\nslaves, but were captives of war reduced to slavery, as was then the\ncustom; for, while the men and boys were always killed, the women and\ngirls were forced to be the servants of the victors.\n\nNow, it happened that the slave given to Agamemnon was the daughter of a\npriest of A-pol'lo. He was very sorry when he heard she had fallen into\nthe hands of the Greeks, and sent a message to Agamemnon, offering to\ngive him a large sum of money if he would only set her free.\n\nAgamemnon would not accept the money, and sent a rude message to the\npriest, who, in anger, asked Apollo to avenge this insult by sending a\nplague upon the Greeks. The god heard and granted this prayer, and soon\nall the soldiers in the Greek camp were suffering from a terrible\ndisease, of which many of them died.\n\nAs no remedy could relieve the sufferers, the Greek leaders consulted an\noracle, to find out how the plague might be stopped. Then they learned\nthat Apollo was angry with Agamemnon because he had refused to give up\nhis slave, and that the Greeks would continue to suffer until he made up\nhis mind to give her back to her father.\n\nThus forced to give her up to save his men from further suffering and\neven from death, Agamemnon angrily said he would take Achilles' slave\ninstead, and he had her brought to wait upon him in his tent.\n\nAchilles, who wanted to save the Greeks from the plague, allowed the\nmaiden to depart, warning Agamemnon, however, that he would no longer\nfight for a chief who could be so selfish and unjust. As soon as the\ngirl had gone, therefore, he laid aside his fine armor; and although he\nheard the call for battle, and the din of fighting, he staid quietly\nwithin his tent.\n\nWhile Achilles sat thus sulking day after day, his companions were\nbravely fighting. In spite of their bravery, however, the Trojans were\ngaining the advantage; for, now that Achilles was no longer there to\nfill their hearts with terror, they fought with new courage.\n\nThe Greeks, missing the bright young leader who always led them into the\nmidst of the fray, were gradually driven back by the Trojans, who\npressed eagerly forward, and even began to set fire to some of the Greek\nships.\n\nAchilles' friend, Patroclus, who was fighting at the head of the Greeks,\nnow saw that the Trojans, unless they were checked, would soon destroy\nthe whole army, and he rushed into Achilles' tent to beg him to come and\nhelp them once more.\n\nHis entreaties were vain. Achilles refused to move a step; but he\nconsented at last to let Patroclus wear his armor, and, thus disguised,\nmake a last attempt to rally the Greeks and drive back the Trojans.\n\nPatroclus started out, and, when the Trojans saw the well-known armor,\nthey shrank back in terror, for they greatly feared Achilles. They soon\nsaw their mistake, however; and Hector, rushing forward, killed\nPatroclus, tore the armor off his body, and retired to put it on in\nhonor of his victory.\n\nThen a terrible struggle took place between the Trojans and the Greeks\nfor the possession of Patroclus' body. The news of his friend's death\nhad quickly been carried to Achilles, and had roused him from his\nindifferent state. Springing upon the wall that stretched before the\ncamp, he gave a mighty shout, at the sound of which the Trojans fled,\nwhile Ajax and Ulysses brought back the body of Patroclus.\n\n\n\n\nXVII. DEATH OF HECTOR AND ACHILLES.\n\n\nThe next day, having secured armor and weapons, Achilles again went out\nto fight. His purpose was to meet Hector, and, by killing him, to avenge\nhis dead friend, Patroclus. He therefore rushed up and down the\nbattlefield; and when at last he came face to face with his foe, they\nclosed in deadly fight. The two young men, each the champion warrior of\nhis army, were now fighting with the courage of despair; for, while\nAchilles was thirsting to avenge his friend, Hector knew that the fate\nof Troy depended mostly upon his arm. The struggle was terrible. It was\nwatched with breathless interest by the armies on both sides, and by\naged Priam and the Trojan women from the walls of Troy. In spite of\nHector's courage, in spite of all his skill, he was doomed to die, and\nsoon he fell under the blows of Achilles.\n\nThen, in sight of both armies and of Hector's weeping family, Achilles\ntook off his enemy's armor, bound the dead body by the feet to his\nchariot, and dragged it three times around the city walls before he went\nback to camp to mourn over the remains of Patroclus.\n\nThat night, guided by one of the gods, old King Priam came secretly into\nthe Greek camp, and, stealing into Achilles' tent, fell at his feet. He\nhad come to beg Achilles to give back the body of Hector, that he might\nweep over it, and bury it with all the usual ceremonies and honors.\n\nTouched by the old man's tears, and ready now to listen to his better\nfeelings, Achilles kindly raised the old king, comforted him with gentle\nwords, and not only gave back the body, but also promised that there\nshould be a truce of a few days, so that both armies could bury their\ndead in peace.\n\nThe funerals were held, the bodies burned, the usual games celebrated;\nand when the truce was over, the long war was begun again. After several\nother great fights, Achilles died from a wound in his heel caused by a\npoisoned arrow that was treacherously shot by Paris.\n\nThe sorrowing Greeks then buried the young hero on the wide plain\nbetween Troy and the sea. This spot has been visited by many people who\nadmired the brave young hero of the Il'i-ad (see p. 60).\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nXVIII. THE BURNING OF TROY.\n\n\nAs the valor of the Greeks had proved of no avail during the ten-years'\nwar, and as they were still as far as ever from taking Troy, Ulysses the\ncrafty now proposed to take the city by a stratagem, or trick.\n\nThe Greeks, obeying his directions, built a wooden horse of very large\nsize. It was hollow, and the space inside it was large enough to hold a\nnumber of armed men. When this horse was finished, and the men were\nhidden in it, the Greeks all embarked as if to sail home.\n\nThe Trojans, who had watched them embark and sail out of sight, rushed\ndown to the shore shouting for joy, and began to wander around the\ndeserted camp. They soon found the huge wooden horse, and were staring\nwonderingly at it, when they were joined by a Greek who had purposely\nbeen left behind, and who now crept out of his hiding place.\n\nIn answer to their questions, this man said that his companions had\ndeserted him, and that the wooden horse had been built and left there as\nan offering to Po-sei'don (or Nep'tune), god of the sea. The Trojans,\nbelieving all this, now decided to keep the wooden horse in memory of\ntheir long siege, and the useless attempt of the Greeks to take Troy.\n\nThey therefore joyfully dragged the huge animal into the city; and, as\nthe gates were not large enough for it to pass through, they tore down\npart of their strong walls.\n\nThat very night, while all the Trojans were sleeping peacefully for the\nfirst time in many years, without any fear of a midnight attack, the\nGreek vessels noiselessly sailed back to their old moorings. The\nsoldiers landed in silence, and, marching up softly, joined their\ncompanions, who had crept out of the wooden horse, and had opened all\nthe gates to receive them.\n\nPouring into Troy on all sides at once, the Greeks now began their work\nof destruction, killing, burning, and stealing everywhere. The Trojan\nwarriors, awakening from sleep, vainly tried to defend themselves; but\nall were killed except Prince AE-ne'as, who escaped with his family and a\nfew faithful friends, to form a new kingdom in Italy.\n\nAll the women, including even the queen and her daughters, were made\nprisoners and carried away by the Greek heroes. The men were now very\nanxious to return home with the booty they had won; for they had done\nwhat they had long wished to do, and Troy, the beautiful city, was\nburned to the ground.\n\nAll this, as you know, happened many years ago,--so many that no one\nknows just how long. The city thus destroyed was never rebuilt. Some\nyears ago a German traveler began to dig on the spot where it once\nstood. Deep down under the ground he found the remains of beautiful\nbuildings, some pottery, household utensils, weapons, and a great deal\nof gold, silver, brass, and bronze. All these things were blackened or\npartly melted by fire, showing that the Greeks had set fire to the city,\nas their famous old poems relate.\n\nThe Greeks said, however, that their gods were very angry with many of\ntheir warriors on account of the cruelty they showed on that dreadful\nnight, and that many of them had to suffer great hardships before they\nreached home. Some were tossed about by the winds and waves for many\nlong years, and suffered shipwrecks. Others reached home safely, only to\nbe murdered by relatives who had taken possession of their thrones\nduring their long absence.\n\n[Illustration: Vase.]\n\n[Illustration: Jug.]\n\n[Illustration: Cup.]\n\nOnly a few among these heroes escaped with their lives, and wandered off\nto other countries to found new cities. Thus arose many Greek colonies\nin Sicily and southern Italy, which were called Great Greece, in honor\nof the country from which the first settlers had come.\n\nAs you have already seen, Prince AEneas was among these Trojans. After\nmany exciting adventures, which you will be able to read in the \"Story\nof Rome,\" he sailed up the Ti'ber River, and landed near the place where\none of his descendants was to found the present capital of Italy, which\nis one of the most famous cities in the world.\n\n\n\n\nXIX. HEROIC DEATH OF CODRUS.\n\n\nYou remember, do you not, how the sons of Pelops had driven the\nHeraclidae, or sons of Hercules, out of the peninsula which was called\nthe Peloponnesus? This same peninsula is now called Mo-re'a, or the\nmulberry leaf, because it is shaped something like such a leaf, as you\nwill see by looking at your map.\n\nThe Heraclidae had not gone away willingly, but were staying in Thessaly,\nin the northern part of Greece, where they promised to remain one\nhundred years without making any attempt to come back.\n\nShortly after the end of the Trojan War, this truce of a hundred years\ncame to an end; and the Heraclidae called upon their neighbors the\nDorians to join them, and help them win back their former lands.\n\nLed by three brave chiefs, the allies passed through Greece proper,\nalong the Isthmus of Corinth, and, spreading all over the Peloponnesus,\nsoon took possession of the principal towns. The leading members of the\nfamily of Hercules took the title of kings, and ruled over the cities of\nArgos, Mycenae, and Spar'ta.\n\nThe Dorians, who had helped the Heraclidae win back their former\npossessions, now saw that the land here was better than their home in\nthe mountains, so they drove all the rest of the Ionians out of the\ncountry, and settled there also.\n\nThus driven away by the Dorians and the Heraclidae, these Ionians went to\nAthens, to the neighboring islands, and even to the coast of Asia Minor,\nsouth of the ruined city of Troy, where they settled in great numbers.\nThey called the strip of land which they occupied Ionia, and founded\nmany towns, some of which, such as Eph'e-sus and Mi-le'tus, were\ndestined to become famous.\n\nOf course, the Ionians were very angry at thus being driven away from\nhome; and those who had gone to live in Athens soon asked Co'drus, the\nAthenian king, to make war against the Heraclidae of Sparta.\n\nThe two armies soon met, and prepared for battle. Codrus, having\nconsulted an oracle, had learned that the victory would be given to the\narmy whose king should be killed, so he nobly made up his mind to die\nfor the good of his people.\n\nInstead of going into battle in royal dress, with his guards all around\nhim, as was his habit, he dressed himself like an ordinary soldier, and\nwent forward until he stood in the very first rank of the army. Then he\nrushed boldly into the midst of the foe.\n\nOf course, he was soon cut down; but the Athenians, seeing his courage,\nand learning why he had thus risked his life, fought with such valor\nthat they defeated the Spar'tan forces, and forced them to retreat.\n\nThe victory had been won; but the Athenians were so sorry to lose their\nbeloved king, that they could not rejoice, and sadly returned home,\ncarrying the body of Codrus. Such was the admiration of all the people\nfor this act of royal courage, that they vowed they would never again\ncall any one by the name of king.\n\nWhen Codrus had been buried, therefore, the Athenians gave his son and\nheir the government of the city, calling him archon, or chief for\nlife,--a title which was borne by many rulers after him.\n\nThe Spartans, who had come into Attica to fight the Athenians, retreated\nhastily after their defeat, and returned to their city, where they\nsettled, forcing all the people who dwelt in the neighborhood either to\nleave the country or to serve them as their slaves.\n\nThe return of the Heraclidae into the Peloponnesus is the last event of\nthe Heroic Age, and now real history begins. After this, it is no longer\nnecessary to try to find out the truth hidden in the old tales which\nwere handed down from father to son, and which were the only fairy\nstories the Greek children knew; for henceforth records were kept of all\nthe principal events.\n\n\n\n\nXX. THE BLIND POET.\n\n\nThree or four centuries after the siege of Troy, there lived a poor old\nblind poet who wandered about from place to place, playing upon his\nlyre, and reciting wonderful verses which told about the adventures of\nthe Greek heroes, and their great deeds during the Trojan War.\n\nWe are told that this old man, whose name was Ho'mer, had not always\nbeen poor and blind, but that, having embarked by mistake upon a vessel\nmanned by pirates, he not only had been robbed of all his wealth, and\nblinded, but had been left upon a lonely shore.\n\nBy some happy chance, poor blind Homer found his way to the inhabited\nparts of the country, where he soon won many friends. Instead of\nspending all his time in weeping over his troubles, Homer tried to think\nof some way in which he could earn his living, and at the same time give\npleasure to others. He soon found such a way in telling the stories of\nthe past to all who cared to listen to them.\n\n[Illustration: Homer.]\n\nAs the people in those days had no books, no schools, and no theaters,\nthese stories seemed very wonderful. Little by little Homer turned them\ninto verses so grand and beautiful that we admire them still; and these\nhe recited, accompanying himself on a lyre, which he handled with much\nskill. As he wandered thus from place to place, old and young crowded\naround him to listen to his tales; and some young men were so struck by\nthem that they followed him everywhere, until they too could repeat\nthem. This was quite easy to do, because Homer had put them into the\nmost beautiful and harmonious language the world has ever known. As soon\nas these young men had learned a few of the tales, they too began to\ntravel from place to place, telling them to all they met; and thus\nHomer's verses became well known throughout all Greece.\n\n[Illustration: Telling Homer's Tales.]\n\nThe Greeks who could recite Homer's poems went next to the islands and\nAsia Minor, stopping at every place where Greek was spoken, to tell\nabout the wrath of Achilles, the death of Patroclus, Hector, or old\nPriam, the burning of Troy, the wanderings of Ulysses, and the return of\nthe Greeks. Other youths learned the poems; and so, although they were\nnot written down for many a year, they were constantly recited and sung,\nand thus kept alive in the memory of the people.\n\nAs for Homer, their author, we know but little about him. We are told\nthat he lived to be very old, and that although he was poor as long as\nhe lived, and forced to earn his living by reciting his songs, he was\ngreatly honored after his death.\n\nHis two great heroic poems--the Iliad, telling all about the Trojan War,\nand the Od'ys-sey, relating how Ulysses sailed about for ten years on\nhis way home from Troy--were finally written down, and kept so carefully\nthat they can still be read to-day. Such was the admiration felt for\nthese poems, that some years after Homer's death an attempt was made to\nfind out more about him, and about the place where he was born.\n\nFifty cities claimed the honor of giving him birth; but, although it was\nnever positively found out where he was born, most people thought the\nIsland of Chi'os was his birthplace. The Greek towns, wishing to show\nhow much they admired the works of Homer, used to send yearly gifts to\nthis place, the native land of the grandest poet the world has ever\nknown.\n\n\n\n\nXXI. THE RISE OF SPARTA.\n\n\nThe city of Sparta, founded in the days of the Pelasgians, and once\nruled over by Menelaus and Helen, had fallen, as we have seen, into the\nhands of the Heraclidae when they came back to the Peloponnesus after\ntheir exile of a hundred years. It was first governed by\nA-ris-to-de'mus, one of their three leaders; and, as records soon began\nto be kept, we know a great deal about the early history of this famous\nplace.\n\nAs the town had formerly belonged to the Heraclidae, and had been ruled\nby one of their ancestors, called Lac-e-dae'mon, they called it by his\nname, and the country around it they named La-co'ni-a. Having won back\nthe town by fighting, the Heraclidae said that they would attend to war\nand politics, and make the conquered people till the ground.\n\nThe old inhabitants of Laconia, therefore, went on living in the\ncountry, where they sowed and harvested for the benefit of the Spartans.\nAll the prisoners of war, however, became real slaves. They were obliged\nto serve the Spartans in every way, and were called He'lots.\n\nWhen Aristodemus died, his twin sons were both made kings; and, as each\nof them left his throne to his descendants, Sparta had two kings,\ninstead of one, from this time on. One member of the royal family,\nalthough he never bore the name of king, is the most noted man in\nSpartan history. This is Ly-cur'gus, the son of one ruler, the brother\nof another, and the guardian of an infant king named Char-i-la'us.\n\nLycurgus was a thoroughly good and upright man. We are told that the\nmother of the baby king once offered to put her child to death that\nLycurgus might reign. Fearing for the babe's safety, Lycurgus made\nbelieve that he agreed to this plan, and asked that the child should be\ngiven to him to kill as he saw fit.\n\nLycurgus, having thus obtained possession of the babe, carried him to\nthe council hall. There the child was named king; and Lycurgus promised\nthat he would watch carefully over him, educate him well, and rule for\nhim until he should be old and wise enough to reign alone.\n\nWhile he was thus acting as ruler, Lycurgus made use of his power to\nbring many new customs into Sparta, and to change the laws. As he was\none of the wisest men who ever lived, he knew very well that men must be\ngood if they would be happy. He also knew that health is far better than\nriches; and, hoping to make the Spartans both good and healthy, he won\nthem over little by little to obey a new set of laws, which he had made\nafter visiting many of the neighboring countries, and learning all he\ncould.\n\n\n\n\nXXII. THE SPARTAN TRAINING.\n\n\nThe laws which Lycurgus drew up for the Spartans were very strict. For\ninstance, as soon as a babe came into the world, the law ordered that\nthe father should wrap it up in a cloak, and carry it before a council\nmade up of some of the oldest and wisest men.\n\nThey looked at the child carefully, and if it seemed strong and healthy,\nand was neither crippled nor in any way deformed, they said that it\nmight live. Then they gave it back to the father, and bade him bring up\nthe child for the honor of his country.\n\nIf the babe was sickly or deformed, it was carried off to a mountain\nnear by, and left alone; so that it soon died of hunger or thirst, or\nwas eaten up by the wild beasts.\n\nThe Spartan children staid under their father's roof and in their\nmother's care until they were seven years old. While in the nursery,\nthey were taught all the beautiful old Greek legends, and listened with\ndelight to the stories of the ancient heroes, and especially to the\npoems of Homer telling about the war of Troy and the adventures of\nUlysses.\n\nAs soon as the children had reached seven years of age, they were given\nover to the care of the state, and allowed to visit their parents but\nseldom. The boys were put in charge of chosen men, who trained them to\nbecome strong and brave; while the girls were placed under some good and\nwise woman, who not only taught them all they needed to know to keep\nhouse well, but also trained them to be as strong and fearless as their\nbrothers. All Spartan boys were allowed but one rough woolen garment,\nwhich served as their sole covering by night and by day, and was of the\nsame material in summer as in winter.\n\nThey were taught very little reading, writing, and arithmetic, but were\ncarefully trained to recite the poems of Homer, the patriotic songs, and\nto accompany themselves skillfully on the lyre. They were also obliged\nto sing in the public chorus, and to dance gracefully at all the\nreligious feasts.\n\nAs the Spartans were very anxious that their boys should be strong and\nfearless, they were taught to stand pain and fatigue without a murmur;\nand, to make sure that they could do so, their teachers made them go\nthrough a very severe training.\n\nLed by one of the older boys, the little lads were often sent out for\nlong tramps over rough and stony roads, under the hot sun; and the best\nboy was the one who kept up longest, in spite of bleeding feet, burning\nthirst, and great fatigue.\n\nSpartan boys were allowed no beds to sleep in, lest they should become\nlazy and hard to please. Their only couch was a heap of rushes, which\nthey picked on the banks of the Eu-ro'tas, a river near Sparta; and in\nwinter they were allowed to cover these with a layer of cat-tail down to\nmake them softer and warmer.\n\n\n\n\nXXIII. THE BRAVE SPARTAN BOY.\n\n\nAs greedy and disobedient children were viewed at Sparta with the\ncontempt they deserved, all the boys were trained to obey at a word,\nwhatever the order given, and were allowed only the plainest and\nscantiest food.\n\nStrange to relate, the Spartans also trained their boys to steal. They\npraised them when they succeeded in doing so without being found out,\nand punished them only when caught in the act. The reason for this queer\ncustom was this: the people were often engaged in war, and as they had\nno baggage wagons following their army, and no special officer to\nfurnish food, they had to depend entirely upon the provisions they could\nget on their way.\n\nWhenever an army came in sight, the people hid not only their wealth,\nbut also their food; and, had not the Spartan soldiers been trained to\nsteal, they would often have suffered much from hunger when they were at\nwar.\n\nTo test the courage of the Spartan boys, their teachers never allowed\nthem to have a light, and often sent them out alone in the middle of the\nnight, on errands which they had to do as best they could.\n\nThen, too, once a year all the boys were brought to the Temple of Diana,\nwhere their courage was further tried by a severe flogging; and those\nwho stood this whipping without a tear or moan were duly praised. The\nlittle Spartan boys were so eager to be thought brave, that it is said\nthat some let themselves be flogged to death rather than complain.\n\nThe bravery of one of these boys was so wonderful that you will find it\nmentioned in nearly every Greek history you read. This little fellow had\nstolen a live fox, and hidden it in the bosom of his dress, on his way\nto school.\n\nThe imprisoned fox, hoping to escape, began to gnaw a hole in the boy's\nchest, and to tear his flesh with his sharp claws; but, in spite of the\npain, the lad sat still, and let the fox bite him to death.\n\nIt was only when he fell lifeless to the floor that the teachers found\nthe fox, and saw how cruelly he had torn the brave little boy to pieces.\nEver since then, when boys stand pain bravely and without wincing, they\nhave been called little Spartans, in memory of this lad.\n\nIn order that the boys should be taught to behave well under all\ncircumstances, they were never allowed to speak except when spoken to,\nand then their answers were expected to be as short and exact as\npossible.\n\nThis style of speaking, where much was said in few words, was so usual\nin the whole country of Laconia, that it is still known as the laconic\nstyle.\n\nTo train them in this mode of speech, the elders daily made the boys\npass an oral examination, asking them any questions they could think of.\nThe boys had to answer promptly, briefly, and carefully; and if they\nfailed to do so, it was considered a great disgrace.\n\nThese daily questionings were meant to sharpen their wits, strengthen\ntheir memories, and teach them how to think and decide quickly and\ncorrectly.\n\nThe Spartan youths were further taught to treat all their elders with\nthe greatest respect; and it must have been a pretty sight to see all\nthese manly fellows respectfully saluting all the old people they met,\nand even stopping their play to make way for them when they came on the\nstreet.\n\nTo strengthen their muscles, the boys were also carefully trained in\ngymnastics. They could handle weapons, throw heavy weights, wrestle, run\nwith great speed, swim, jump, and ride, and were experts in all\nexercises which tended to make them strong, active, and well.\n\n\n\n\nXXIV. PUBLIC TABLES IN SPARTA.\n\n\nThe Spartan men prided themselves upon living almost as plainly as the\nboys, and, instead of eating their meals at home with the women and\nchildren, they had a common table. Each man gave a certain amount of\nflour, oil, wine, vegetables, and money, just enough to provide for his\nshare of food.\n\nInstead of having varied and delicate dishes, they always ate about the\nsame things; and their favorite food was a thick dark stew or soup,\nwhich they called black broth. Rich and poor were treated alike, sat\nside by side, and ate the same food, which was intended to make them\nequally strong and able to serve their country.\n\nThe girls and women never came to these public tables; but the boys were\ngiven a seat there as soon as they had learned their first and most\nimportant lesson, obedience.\n\nWhen the boys came into the public dining hall for the first time, the\noldest man present called them to him, and, pointing to the door,\nsolemnly warned them that nothing said inside the walls was ever to be\nrepeated without.\n\nThen, while the boys took their places and ate without speaking a word,\nthe old men talked freely of all they pleased, sure that Spartan lads\nwould never be mean enough to repeat anything they said, and trusting to\ntheir honor.\n\nAlthough the Spartans had wine upon their table, they were a very\ntemperate people, and drank only a very little with each meal. To show\nthe boys what a horrible thing drunkenness is, and the sure result of\ntoo much drinking, the old men sometimes gave them an object lesson.\n\nThey sent for one of the meanest Helots or slaves, and purposely gave\nhim plenty of wine. He was encouraged to go on drinking until he sank on\nthe floor in a drunken sleep. Then the old men would point him out to\nthe boys, and explain to them that a man who has drunk too much is\nunworthy of the love or esteem of his fellow-creatures, and is in many\nways worse than a beast.\n\nThe Spartan boys, thus early warned of the evils of drinking, were\ncareful to take but very little wine, and to keep their heads quite\nclear, so that they might always be considered men, and might never\ndisgrace themselves as they had seen the Helots do.\n\nWhen the boys had passed through the first course of training, they in\nturn became the teachers and leaders of the smaller lads, and thus\nserved their country until they were old enough to go to war. When they\nleft for their first campaign, all the people came out to see them off,\nand each mother gave her son his shield, saying,--\n\n\"Come back with it or on it.\"\n\nBy this she meant \"Come home honorably, bearing your shield, thus\nshowing that you have never thrown it away to save yourself by flight;\nor die so bravely that your companions will bring back your body resting\non your shield, to give you a glorious burial.\"\n\n\n\n\nXXV. LAWS OF LYCURGUS.\n\n\nThe Spartan girls, who were brought up by the women, were, like the\nboys, taught to wrestle, run, and swim, and to take part in gymnastics\nof all kinds, until they too became very strong and supple, and could\nstand almost any fatigue.\n\n[Illustration: A Dancing Girl.]\n\nThey were also taught to read, write, count, sing, play, and dance; to\nspin, weave, and dye; and to do all kinds of woman's work. In short,\nthey were expected to be strong, intelligent, and capable, so that when\nthey married they might help their husbands, and bring up their children\nsensibly. At some public festivals the girls strove with one another in\nvarious games, which were witnessed only by their fathers and mothers\nand the other married people of the city. The winners in these contests\nwere given beautiful prizes, which were much coveted.\n\nLycurgus hoped to make the Spartans a strong and good people. To hinder\nthe kings from doing anything wrong, he had the people choose five men,\ncalled ephors, to watch over and to advise them.\n\nThen, knowing that great wealth is not desirable, Lycurgus said that the\nSpartans should use only iron money. All the Spartan coins were\ntherefore bars of iron, so heavy that a yoke of oxen and a strong cart\nwere needed to carry a sum equal to one hundred dollars from one spot to\nanother. Money was so bulky that it could neither be hidden nor stolen;\nand no one cared to make a fortune, since it required a large space to\nstow away even a small sum.\n\nWhen Charilaus, the infant king, had grown up, Lycurgus prepared to go\naway. Before he left the town, he called all the citizens together,\nreminded them of all he had done to make them a great people, and ended\nby asking every man present to swear to obey the laws until he came\nback.\n\nThe Spartans were very grateful for all he had done for them, so they\ngladly took this oath, and Lycurgus left the place. Some time after, he\ncame back to Greece; but, hearing that the Spartans were thriving under\nthe rules he had laid down, he made up his mind never to visit Sparta\nagain.\n\nIt was thus that the Spartans found themselves bound by solemn oath to\nobey Lycurgus' laws forever; and as long as they remembered this\npromise, they were a thriving and happy people.\n\n\n\n\nXXVI. THE MESSENIAN WAR.\n\n\nNot very far from Sparta, and next to Laconia, was a country called\nMes-se'ni-a, which was much more fertile, and had long been occupied by\na kindred race descended from Le'lex, brother of Lacedaemon.\n\nWhen the Spartans found out that the Mes-se'ni-an fields were more\nfruitful than their own, they longed to have them, and anxiously watched\nfor some excuse to make war against the Messenians and win their land.\nIt was not long before they found one.\n\nThere was a temple on the boundary of Messenia and Laconia, where the\npeople of both countries used to assemble on certain days to offer up\nsacrifices to the gods. The Messenian lads, seeing the beauty of the\nSpartan girls, and longing to have such strong, handsome, and\nintelligent wives, once carried off a few of them into their own\ncountry, and refused to give them up again. The Spartans, indignant at\nthis conduct, flew to arms, and one night, led by their king, attacked\nthe Messenian town of Am-phe'a.\n\nAs no one expected them, they soon became masters of the place, and in\ntheir anger killed all the inhabitants. The other Messenians, hearing of\nthis cruel deed, quickly made ready to fight, and bravely began the\nstruggle which is known as the First Messenian War.\n\nAlthough very brave, the Messenians had not been as well trained as the\nSpartans, and could not drive them back. On the contrary, they were\nthemselves driven from place to place, until they were forced to take\nrefuge in the fortified city of I-tho'me. Here they were shut in with\ntheir king, Aristodemus, who was a proud and brave man.\n\nIthome was built high up on a rock, so steep that the Spartan soldiers\ncould not climb it, and so high that they could not even shoot their\narrows into the town.\n\nThe Messenians, hoping to keep this place of refuge, kept a sharp\nlookout, and, whenever the Spartans made any attempt to climb the rocks,\nthey rolled great blocks of stone down upon them.\n\nAll went well as long as the food lasted, but the time came when the\nMessenians in Ithome had nothing to eat. Some of their bravest men tried\nto go down into the valley in search of provisions; but, as they were\nattacked by the Spartans, they could not bring the hungry people much to\neat.\n\nWhen Aristodemus saw that the people would all die of hunger unless some\nway were found to get food, he consulted an oracle, in order to find out\nwhat it was best for him to do. The oracle answered that a battle should\nbe fought, and promised the victory to the king who offered his daughter\nin sacrifice to the gods.\n\nWhen Aristodemus heard this answer, he shuddered with fear; for,\nalthough he knew that his ancestors had offered up human victims on\ntheir altars, he loved his only daughter too well to give her up.\n\nFor some time longer, therefore, he resisted every attack, and tried to\nthink of some other way to save his people. At last, however, seeing\nthat they would all die unless something were done, he sacrificed the\nchild he loved so well.\n\nThe Messenians were touched by his generosity, and by his readiness to\ndo all in his power to save them. They felt sure that the gods would now\ngive them the victory, and rushed out of the town and into the Spartan\ncamp. Their attack was so sudden, and they fought with such fury, that\nthey soon killed three hundred Spartans and one of their kings.\n\nThis battle did not, as they had hoped, end the war, which went on for\nseveral years. At last Aristodemus, despairing of victory, went to his\nbeloved daughter's tomb, and there killed himself.\n\nWhen he was dead, the city of Ithome fell into the hands of the\nSpartans. They treated the conquered Messenians with great cruelty, made\nthem all slaves, and were as unkind to them as they had been to the\nHelots.\n\n\n\n\nXXVII. THE MUSIC OF TYRTAEUS.\n\n\nAfter suffering great tortures under the Spartan yoke for forty long\nyears, the Messenians began to plan a revolt.\n\nOne of their princes, Ar-is-tom'e-nes, a man of unusual bravery, made up\nhis mind to free the unhappy people, and to ruin the proud city of\nSparta, which had caused them so much suffering.\n\nHe therefore secretly assembled all the Messenians, and, when his plans\nwere ready, began to war openly against the Spartans, whom he defeated\nin several battles.\n\nWith his small army, he even pressed forward toward the city of Sparta,\nand camped within sight of its dwellings. The Spartan women could thus\nsee a very unusual sight,--the light of the enemies' fires.\n\nTo frighten the Spartans still more, Aristomenes went secretly into the\ncity one dark night, stole into the principal temple, and there hung up\nthe arms he had taken during the war.\n\nThese weapons were arranged so as to form what the Greeks called a\ntrophy, and right under them Aristomenes boldly wrote his name in\nletters so large that all could see it.\n\nWhen morning dawned, and the Spartans came as usual into the temple to\noffer up their morning prayer and sacrifice, they were astonished and\ndismayed at the sight of this trophy. Aristomenes' bravery was so great\nthat they despaired of conquering him without divine aid, and so they\nsent to ask an oracle what they should do.\n\nThe oracle answered that the Spartans would be victorious if they\nmarched to war under the command of an Athenian general. Now, the\nSpartans were a proud people, and did not like to ask aid of any one;\nbut they made up their minds to obey this command, and so sent a\nmessenger to Athens to ask for a good leader.\n\nWhether the Athenians, who were well known for their love of joking,\nwished to make fun of the Spartans, or whether they wanted to show them\nthat the bodily beauty and strength which the Spartans prized so highly\nwas not everything, no one now knows. The fact is, however, that the\nAthenians sent the Spartans a poor, lame schoolmaster, called Tyr-tae'us,\nto lead them in battle. This man had never handled a weapon in his life,\nand the Spartans were very angry when he placed himself at their head\nwith a lyre instead of a sword; but when he suddenly began to sing one\nof those war songs which make one's blood tingle, it roused their\npatriotism to such a point that all were ready to conquer or die, and\ntheir scorn was soon changed to deep admiration.\n\nFired by these patriotic songs, and by the stirring music the lame\nschoolmaster played, the Spartans fought better than ever before,\novercame the Messenians, and came home in triumph with their prisoners,\namong whom was the brave Aristomenes.\n\nAs it was then usual to put all prisoners of war to death, the Spartans\nthrew all the Messenians down into a horrible pit called the Ce'a-das.\nThis was a dark hole of great depth, and its sides were all covered with\njagged rocks, against which the prisoners were dashed to pieces long\nbefore they reached the bottom.\n\nThe Messenians were cast into this place one after another, Aristomenes\nbeing thrown in last of all, so that he might have the sorrow of seeing\nhis companions die. Of course, this was very cruel, but the Spartans had\nbeen brought up to think this mode of getting rid of their enemies quite\nright; and when they had thus killed them, they cheerfully went back to\nthe city and celebrated their victory.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nXXVIII. ARISTOMENES' ESCAPE.\n\n\nAlthough the Spartans thought that Aristomenes was dead, they were\ngreatly mistaken. By some miracle he had not struck against any of the\nsharp, jagged rocks, but, falling upon the heap of his dead companions,\nhad reached the bottom of the Ceadas unhurt.\n\nThere was apparently no way out of this pit except by the opening at the\ntop, through which a bit of sky could be seen; and Aristomenes soon\nfound that the sides were so steep that it was impossible to reach the\nopening. He therefore went off to one side, away from the heap of dead,\nand sat down on a stone in that cold, damp, and dark place. There he\ndrew his cloak over his head to wait patiently until he should starve to\ndeath. Three days had thus been spent in this place, and his strength\nwas already fast failing, when he suddenly felt a warm breath on his\nhand.\n\nHe softly drew aside his cloak, and, now that his eyes were used to the\ndarkness, he dimly saw a fox prowling around him, and sniffing his\nclothes suspiciously.\n\nGently wrapping his cloak around his hand to protect it from the fox's\nsharp teeth, Aristomenes caught the animal firmly by the tail. Then, in\nspite of all its efforts to get away, he held it tight; and when it\nstarted off, he followed its lead.\n\nAs he had shrewdly suspected, the fox knew a way out of the horrible\nplace. All at once it slipped into a hole; and Aristomenes, seeing a\nlittle light at the end of this, let the fox go. With the help of a\nsharp stone, he soon made the fox's hole big enough to crawl through,\nand quickly made his way back to the Messenians.\n\nYou can imagine how happy they were to see the beloved chief whom they\nthought dead, and how tenderly they cared for him until he was well and\nstrong again. They never tired of hearing the story of his fall,\nimprisonment, and escape; and when he proposed to lead them once more\nagainst the Spartans, they gladly promised to help him.\n\nIn spite of all Aristomenes' courage, however, Messenia finally fell\ninto the hands of the Spartans, and the Second Messenian War came to an\nend. All the people who wished to escape slavery or death left their\nnative country, and went to Italy or Sicily, where they founded Greek\ncolonies.\n\nThe cities that they built soon became very powerful, and one of them\nthey named Mes-si'na in honor of their native land. This city still\nstands, as you will see by looking at your maps; and near it is the\nstrait of the same name, which separates Sicily from Italy.\n\n\n\n\nXXIX. THE OLYMPIC GAMES.\n\n\nNorthwest of Sparta, in the country called E'lis and in the city of\nO-lym'pi-a, rose a beautiful temple for the worship of Ju'pi-ter (or\nZeus), the principal god of the Greeks. This temple was said to have\nbeen built by Hercules, the great hero from whom, as you remember, all\nthe Heraclidae claimed to be descended.\n\nAccording to the legends, Hercules was a son of the god Jupiter, and had\nordered that a great festival should be held here every four years in\nhonor of his divine father.\n\n[Illustration: The Temple at Olympia.]\n\nFor the purpose of attracting all the neighboring people to the temple\nat Olympia, Hercules founded many athletic games, such as wrestling,\nstone and spear throwing, foot, horse, and chariot races, boxing,\nswimming, and the like.\n\nHercules himself was present at the first of these festivals, and acted\nas umpire of the games, rewarding the victors by giving them crowns of\nwild olive leaves. This custom had been kept up ever since, and the\nGreek youths considered this simple crown the finest prize which could\nbe given.\n\nAs the Spartans were great athletes, they soon took important parts in\nthe Olympic games, won most of the prizes, and claimed the honor of\ndefending the temple at Olympia in all times of danger.\n\nAll the people who went to Olympia to witness the games laid some\nprecious offering before the shrines, so that the temple came to be\nnoted for its beauty and wealth. Painters and sculptors, too, further\nadorned it with samples of their skill, and it soon contained numerous\ngems of art.\n\nThe most precious of all was a statue representing Jupiter, which was\nthe work of the renowned sculptor Phid'i-as. This statue was more than\nforty feet high; and, while the god himself was carved out of pure white\nivory, his hair, beard, and garments were made of gold, and his eyes of\nthe brightest jewels.\n\nThe temple and grove were further adorned with a great many statues\nrepresenting the other gods and all the prize winners, for it was\ncustomary to place a life-sized statue of each of them in this beautiful\nplace.\n\nDuring the celebration of the Olympic games many sacrifices were offered\nup to the gods, and there were many religious processions in their\nhonor. Poets and artists, as well as athletes, were in the habit of\nhastening thither on every occasion; for there were contests in poetry\nand song, and the people were anxious to hear and see all the new\nworks.\n\nBetween the games, therefore, the poets recited their poems, the\nmusicians sang their songs, the historians read their histories, and the\nstory-tellers told their choicest tales, to amuse the vast crowd which\nhad come there from all parts of Greece, and even from the shores of\nItaly and Asia Minor.\n\nAs the games were held every four years, the people eagerly looked\nforward to their coming, and soon began to reckon time by them. It was\ntherefore usual to say that such and such a thing happened in the first,\nsecond, or third year of the fifth, tenth, or seventieth O-lym'pi-ad, as\nthe case might be.\n\nSoon even the historians began to use this way of dating important\nevents; and by counting four years for each Olympiad, as the time\nbetween the games was called, we can find out exactly when the chief\nevents in Greek history took place.\n\nAlthough the Olympic games were probably held many times before this\nsystem of counting was begun, and before any good record was kept, we\ncan trace them back to 774 B.C.\n\nFor one thousand years after that, the name of each victor was carefully\nwritten down; and it was only about three centuries after Christ that\nthe Olympic records ceased. Then the games came to an end, to the sorrow\nof all the Greeks.\n\nSeveral attempts have since been made to revive these games; but all\nproved fruitless until the Greek king arranged to renew them in 1896. In\nthat year a great festival was held, not at Olympia, but in the city of\nAthens.\n\nBesides some of the old-fashioned Greek games, there were bicycle and\nhurdle races, shooting matches, and contests in jumping. People from all\nparts of the world went to see them in as large numbers as they went to\nOlympia in the olden times.\n\nThe victors in the games, who belonged to many different nations,\nreceived medals, and wreaths of wild olive and laurel leaves; but the\npeople did not wear crowns of flowers as formerly, nor offer sacrifices\nto the old gods, for Greece is now a Christian country.\n\n\n\n\nXXX. MILO OF CROTON.\n\n\nAmong the athletes whose statues were to be seen at Olympia was Mi'lo, a\nman of Cro'ton, one of the Greek colonies in Italy. This man was\nremarkable for his great strength, and could carry very heavy weights.\nIn order to develop his muscle and become strong, he had trained himself\nfrom a boy, and had practiced carrying burdens until he could lift more\nthan any other man of his time.\n\nWe are told that he was so earnest in his efforts to become strong, that\nhe daily carried a pet calf, gradually increasing the distance. As the\ncalf grew larger, Milo became stronger, and his muscles became so\npowerful that he could carry the animal with ease when it became a\nfull-sized ox.\n\nTo please his companions and show them what he could do, Milo once\ncarried an ox for several miles, and then, feeling hungry, killed it\nwith one blow of his fist, cooked it, and ate it all at a single meal.\nOn another occasion, Milo was sitting with several companions in a\nrather tumble-down house. All at once he noticed that the roof was\nfalling in. He stretched up his great arms, spread out his hands, and\nheld the roof up until all his companions had run out of the house.\n\nMilo's hands were so strong that when he seized a chariot, even with one\nhand only, four horses could not make it stir until he let it go. Of\ncourse, Milo was very proud of his great strength, which, however,\nproved unlucky for him, and caused his death.\n\nOne day when he was very old, Milo wandered out alone into a forest\nwhere some woodcutters had been at work. The men had gone away, leaving\ntheir wedges in an unusually large tree trunk.\n\nMilo, remembering his former strength, gazed for a moment at the tree,\nand then, feeling sure that he could easily pull it apart, he slipped\nhis fingers into the crack. At his first effort the tree parted a\nlittle, and the wedges fell out; but the two halves, instead of\nsplitting apart, suddenly came together again, and Milo found his hands\nheld fast.\n\nIn vain he struggled, in vain he called. He could neither wrench himself\nfree nor attract any one's attention. Night came on, and soon the wild\nbeasts of the forest began to creep out of their dens.\n\nThey found the captive athlete, and, springing upon him, tore him to\npieces, for he could not defend himself, in spite of all his boasted\nstrength.\n\n\n\n\nXXXI. THE JEALOUS ATHLETE.\n\n\nNear the statue of Milo of Croton stood that of The-ag'e-nes, another\nnoted athlete, who lived many years after Milo. He too had defeated\nevery rival. He was the winner of many prizes, and all envied him his\nstrength and renown.\n\nOne of the men in particular, whom he had defeated in the games, was\njealous of him, and of the honors which he had won. This man, instead of\ntrying to overcome these wicked feelings, used to steal daily into the\ntemple to view his rival's statue, and mutter threats and curses against\nit.\n\nIn his anger, he also gave the pedestal an angry shake every night,\nhoping that some harm would befall the statue. One evening, when this\njealous man had jostled the image of Theagenes a little more roughly\nthan usual, the heavy marble toppled and fell, crushing him to death\nbeneath its weight.\n\nWhen the priests came into the temple the next day, and found the man's\ndead body under the great statue, they were very much surprised. The\njudges assembled, as was the custom when a crime of any kind had been\ncommitted, to decide what had caused his death.\n\nAs it was usual in Greece to hold judgment over lifeless as well as over\nliving things, the statue of Theagenes was brought into court, and\naccused and found guilty of murder.\n\nThe judges then said, that, as the statue had committed a crime, it\ndeserved to be punished, and so they condemned it to be cast into the\nsea and drowned. This sentence had scarcely been executed, when a plague\nbroke out in Greece; and when the frightened people consulted an oracle\nto find out how it could be checked, they learned that it would not\ncease until the statue of Theagenes had been set up on its pedestal\nagain. The superstitious Greeks believed these words, fished the statue\nup out of the sea, and placed it again in Olympia. As the plague stopped\nshortly after this, they all felt sure that it was because they had\nobeyed the oracle, and they ever after looked upon the statue with great\nawe.\n\n\n\n\nXXXII. THE GIRLS' GAMES.\n\n\nAlthough the women and girls were not often allowed to appear in public,\nor to witness certain of the Olympic games, there were special days held\nsacred to them, when the girls also strove for prizes.\n\nThey too ran races; and it must have been a pretty sight to see all\nthose healthy, happy girls running around the stadium, as the foot-race\ncourse was called.\n\nOne of these races was called the torch race, for each runner carried a\nlighted torch in her hand. All were allowed to try to put out each\nother's light; and the prize was given to the maiden who first reached\nthe goal with her torch aflame, or to the one who kept hers burning\nlongest.\n\nThe prize for the girls was the same as that given to the boys; but the\nboys took part in more games, and were present in greater numbers,\nthan the girls, and their victories were praised much more than those of\ntheir sisters.\n\n[Illustration: A Torch Race.]\n\nThe crowd of people watching the games often grew so excited that they\ncarried the victor all around the grounds on their shoulders, while\nOlympia fairly re-echoed with their cries of joy.\n\nWe are also told that one old man called Chi'lo was so happy when his\nson laid at his feet the crowns he had just won, that he actually died\nof joy, thus turning his son's happiness into bitter grief.\n\nWhile all the foot races took place in the stadium, the horse and\nchariot races were held in the hippodrome, and excited the greatest\ninterest. There were two-, four-, and eight-horse races; and, as the\nhorses were sometimes unruly, the chariots were liable to be overturned.\nThus at times a number of horses would fall in a heap, and lie\nstruggling and kicking in the dust, which added to the general\nexcitement.\n\n\n\n\nXXXIII. THE BLOODY LAWS OF DRACO.\n\n\nYou have already learned that Athens was one of the greatest cities of\nancient Greece, and that after the heroic self-sacrifice of Codrus the\ninhabitants would not allow any one to bear the name of king.\n\nThe sons of Codrus were named archons, or rulers for life,--an office\nwhich was at first handed down from father to son, but which soon became\nelective; that is to say, all the people voted for and elected their\nown rulers. Then nine archons were chosen at once, but they kept their\noffice for only one year.\n\nAs these men received no pay for serving the state, only the richest\ncitizens could accept the office; and thus Athens, from a monarchy, or\ncountry ruled by a king, became an oligarchy, or state ruled by the rich\nand noble citizens.\n\nAs the rich thus held the reins of the government, they often used their\npower to oppress the poor, and this gave rise to many quarrels. Little\nby little the two parties, the rich and the poor, grew to hate each\nother so much that it was decided that a new code or set of laws should\nbe made, and that they should be obeyed by all alike.\n\nA severe archon called Dra'co was chosen to draw up these new laws (602\nB.C.); and he made them so strict and cruel that the least sin was\npunished as if it had been a crime, and a man was sentenced to be hanged\nfor stealing even a cabbage.\n\nWhen the Athenians heard these new laws, they were frightened. Such\nseverity had never been known before; and one and all said that the laws\nhad been written in blood instead of ink. Some of the citizens, hoping\nto make Draco change them, asked why he had named such a terrible\npunishment for so small a crime as the theft of a cabbage. Draco sternly\nreplied that a person who stole even the smallest thing was dishonest,\nand deserved death; and that, as he knew of no severer punishment, he\ncould not inflict one for the greater crimes.\n\nThe Athenians had all promised to obey Draco's laws, so they were\nobliged to submit for a short time. Then, driven wild by their\nstrictness, rich and poor rose up, drove the unhappy lawmaker out of the\ncity, and forced him to go to the neighboring Island of AE-gi'na. Here\nDraco spent all the rest of his life.\n\nThe people were now in a state of great uncertainty. The laws of Draco\nwere too severe, but they had no others to govern the city. While they\nwere hesitating, not knowing what to do, Cy'lon, an Athenian citizen,\ntried to make himself king.\n\nHis first move was to gather together a few of his friends, and go\nsecretly to the Acropolis, or fortress of Athens, which he took by\nsurprise. Now that he was master of the fortress, he tried to force the\nAthenians to recognize him as their king, but this they stoutly refused\nto do.\n\nInstead of yielding, the Athenians armed themselves, met the rebels in a\nbloody battle, and killed Cylon himself in the midst of the fight.\n\nAs their leader was now dead, and they feared the anger of their\nfellow-citizens, Cylon's friends fled in haste to the temple of the\ngoddess Athene. Once inside the sacred building, they felt quite safe;\nfor no person could be killed in a temple, or be taken out of it by\nforce.\n\nAlthough they had neither food nor drink, the rebels refused to leave\nthe temple, until the archon Meg'a-cles, fearing that they would die\nthere, and thus defile the temple, promised to do them no harm if they\nwould only come out.\n\nThe rebels did not quite trust to this promise, so they came out of the\ntemple holding a small cord, one end of which was fastened to the statue\nof the goddess. They were thus still under her protection, and any one\ntouching them would be guilty of a great crime.\n\nWhen the men reached the street at the bottom of the hill where the\ntemple stood, the cord to which they were all clinging suddenly broke.\nMegacles, the first to notice this, said that the goddess refused to\nprotect the rebels any longer, and gave orders to kill the unhappy men.\n\n\n\n\nXXXIV. THE LAWS OF SOLON.\n\n\nShortly after the death of Cylon and the murder of his followers, a\ngreat many troubles came upon the city of Athens. The people were\nfrightened, and soon the friends of Cylon began to whisper that the gods\nwere surely punishing the Athenians, and especially Megacles, for\nbreaking his promise.\n\nThis report spread throughout the city. The terrified people assembled,\nand voted to exile Megacles and all his family, the Alc-mae-on'i-dae. Such\nwas the fury of the Athenians against the archon whose crime had brought\nmisfortunes upon them, that they even dug up the bones of his ancestors,\nand had them carried beyond the boundary of Attica.\n\nThe city had been defiled by the crime which Megacles had committed, and\nthe people felt that they would never be prosperous again until Athens\nhad been purified; but the great question was to find a man holy enough\nto perform the ceremony.\n\nAfter much talking, they decided to send for Ep-i-men'i-des, and to ask\nhim to purify the city. This man, when a mere lad, once went into a cave\nnear his native town, and there laid himself down to sleep. Instead of\ntaking an ordinary nap, however, he slept fifty-eight years, without\nawakening or undergoing any change. When he came out of the cave, where\nhe fancied he had spent only a few hours, he was surprised to find\neverything new and strange to him.\n\nHis relatives had all died, no one knew him, and it was only after some\ntime had passed that he found out that he had slept fifty-eight years at\na stretch. This man was a poet of note, and, as he had enjoyed so long a\nsleep, the people thought that he was a favorite of the gods.\n\nWhen the Athenians asked him to purify the town, he came to do so; but\nwhen the ceremonies were ended, he refused to accept any of the rich\ngifts which the people offered him as reward. Instead, he humbly begged\nthem to give him a twig of the sacred olive tree which they said Athene\nherself had planted on the Acropolis.\n\nTheir troubles having now ceased, the Athenians began to think of making\nanother and less severe code of laws. This time they chose as lawmaker a\nwise man called So'lon, a descendant of the noble Codrus; and he soon\nconsented to tell them what to do.\n\nSolon was a studious and thoughtful man, and had acquired much of his\nwisdom by traveling, and by learning all he could from the people he\nvisited. He knew so much that he was called a sage, and he loved to\nmeet and talk with wise people.\n\nSolon changed many of Draco's severe laws, arranged that the farmers and\npoor people should no longer be treated badly by the rich, and even took\ncare of the slaves. He also gave the Athenians a court of law called\nA-re-op'a-gus. Here there were jurymen to judge all criminals; and here,\nfor the first time, an accused person was allowed to speak in his own\ndefense.\n\nWhen a man was accused of any wrongdoing, he was brought before this\njury, who sat under the open sky at night. No light was provided, and\nthe whole trial was carried on in the dark, so that the jury should not\nbe influenced by the good or bad looks of the prisoner, but should judge\nmerely from what was proved about him.\n\nIf the accused person was found guilty, he was also sentenced and\nexecuted in the dark, so that the bright sun god, riding across the sky\nin his golden chariot, should not be offended by the sad sight of a man\ndying for his misdeeds.\n\nEvery citizen of Athens, whether rich or poor, was allowed to vote; and\nas a salary was now paid to the men who helped govern the city, even a\nman of small means, if elected to the Tribunal, could afford to give his\ntime to public duties.\n\nBy Solon's order the people were encouraged to talk matters over in\npublic in the market place; and, as the Athenians were fond of making\nspeeches, many of them became very eloquent.\n\nSolon saw that his reforms were likely to work all the better if they\nwere fairly tried, and if he were not there to see how the people did.\nHe therefore made the Athenians promise to obey his laws for ten years,\nand again set out on his travels.\n\n\n\n\nXXXV. THE FIRST PLAYS.\n\n\nIn the days of Solon, men were often to be seen wandering around the\nstreets during the festival of Di-o-ny'sus, god of wine. They were clad\nin goatskins, were smeared with the dregs of wine, and danced and sang\nrude songs in honor of their god.\n\n[Illustration: Theater of Dionysus.]\n\nThese songs were called tragedies, which in Greek means \"goat songs,\"\nbecause the goat was sacred to the god whom they thus worshiped. The\npeople were greatly amused by the rude songs and dances of these\nworshipers of Dionysus, and crowds gathered about them to listen to\ntheir singing and to watch their antics.\n\nThes'pis, a Greek of great intelligence, noticed how popular these\namusements were, and to please the public taste he set up the first rude\ntheater. In the beginning it was only a few boards raised on trestles to\nform a sort of stage in the open air; but Thespis soon built a booth, so\nthat the actors, when not on the stage, could be hidden from public\nview.\n\nThe first plays, as already stated, were very simple, and consisted of\npopular songs rudely acted. Little by little, however, the plays became\nmore and more elaborate, and the actors tried to represent some of the\ntales which the story-tellers had told.\n\nSome people did not approve of this kind of amusement; and among them\nwas Solon, who said that Thespis was teaching the Athenians to love a\nlie, because they liked the plays, which, of course, were not true.\n\nIn spite of Solon's displeasure, the actors went on playing, and soon\nthe best poets began to write works for the stage. The actors became\nmore and more skillful, and had many spectators, although no women were\nallowed on the stage, their parts being taken by men.\n\nFinally, to make room for the ever-increasing number of theater goers, a\nhuge amphitheater was built. It was so large, we are told, that there\nwere seats for thirty thousand spectators. These seats were in\nsemicircular rows or tiers, of which there were one hundred, rising one\nabove another. The lowest row of all, near the orchestra, was composed\nof sixty huge marble chairs. The amphitheater was open to the sky, the\nstage alone being covered with a roof; and all the plays were given by\ndaylight. The ruins of this building, which is known as the Theater of\nDionysus, were dug out in 1862, and are now often visited by people who\ngo to Athens.\n\n[Illustration: Sophocles.]\n\nThe Greek actors soon dressed in costume, and all wore masks expressing\nthe various emotions they wished to represent. The principal parts of\nthe play were recited; but from time to time singers came on the stage,\nand chanted parts of the play in chorus.\n\nSome of these plays were so sad that the whole audience was melted to\ntears; others were so funny that the people shouted with laughter. When\nyou learn Greek, you will be able to read the grand tragedies which were\nwritten by AEs'chy-lus, Soph'o-cles, and Eu-rip'i-des, and the comedies\nor funny plays of Ar-is-toph'a-nes.\n\n\n\n\nXXXVI. THE TYRANT PISISTRATUS.\n\n\nNot very long after Solon had given the new laws to the Athenians, the\ntwo political parties of the city again began to quarrel. One of these\nparties was composed wholly of rich men and nobles, or _aristoi_, from\nwhich Greek word is formed our English word \"aristocrat;\" the other\nparty included the farmers and poor people, or _demos_, the Greek term\nwhich has given rise to the word \"democrat.\"\n\nAmong the aristocrats, or nobles, there was a nephew of Solon called\nPi-sis'tra-tus. He was very rich; but, instead of upholding his own\nparty, he seemed to scorn the rich, and always sided with the poor. To\nmake friends with the democrats, he pretended to obey the laws with the\ngreatest care, and addressed every man with the utmost politeness.\n\nOnce, having killed a man by accident, Pisistratus came of his own free\nwill before the judges of the Areopagus, confessed his crime, and was so\nhumble that he quite disarmed the anger of the people.\n\nAs soon as he felt quite sure that he had won many friends among the\npoor, Pisistratus appeared one day in the market place, covered with\nblood, which flowed from slight wounds which he had made upon his own\nbody.\n\nHis polite manners and kindly words had been only a pretense, however;\nand he was not only a hypocrite, but also a liar. So he now said that\nthe aristocrats had tried to kill him because he was the friend of the\npeople.\n\nIn proof of these words, he pointed to his wounds. The poorer\nAthenians, who believed him, were very indignant, and began to talk\nangrily about the wicked nobles, who had hurt Pisistratus only because\nhe was ready to help them.\n\nWhen Pisistratus cried out that his life was no longer safe, all the\ndemocrats exclaimed that they would protect him; and, as they had the\nright of voting, they then and there said that he should have a\nbodyguard of fifty armed men to protect him.\n\nPisistratus pretended to be very grateful for this favor, and, under\npretext of choosing his bodyguard, engaged a great number of soldiers.\nWhen his plans were all ready, he took possession of the Acropolis by\nforce.\n\nThe people now found out, but too late, that Pisistratus had deceived\nthem only to get more power; and that, thanks to the guard they had\nvoted him, he had become master of the town, and held the reins of the\ngovernment.\n\nThe Athenians did not long remain angry with their former favorite,\nhowever; for he did all he could to make them happy, and ruled them very\nwisely. He improved the city by building magnificent temples and other\npublic buildings, and made a great aqueduct, so that the people could\nhave plenty of pure water to drink.\n\nPisistratus also laid out a public park, the Ly-ce'um, just outside the\ncity walls, so that the Athenians could go there, and enjoy the cool\nshade of the groves he had planted.\n\nThen he began to collect all the poems of Homer, had them carefully\nwritten down, and placed them in a public library, so that the Greeks\ncould read them whenever they pleased. Until then these poems had only\nbeen recited, and no written copy existed. Pisistratus, therefore, did a\nvery good work in thus keeping for our enjoyment the greatest epic poems\never composed.\n\nAs Pisistratus ruled just as he pleased, without consulting the Tribunal\nor people, he has been called a tyrant. This word in those days meant\n\"supreme ruler;\" but as many of those who followed him made a bad use of\ntheir power, and were cruel and grasping, its meaning soon changed, and\nthe word now means \"a selfish and unkind ruler.\"\n\n\n\n\nXXXVII. THE TYRANT'S INSULT.\n\n\nWhile Pisistratus was thus governing Athens to suit himself, Solon was\ntraveling in Asia, where he met several interesting persons of whom you\nwill hear in ancient history.\n\nSolon had gone away for ten years, hoping that the Athenians would\nstrictly obey his laws. During that time he had no news of his native\nland; for there were no post offices or newspapers in those days, and\npeople neither wrote nor received letters except when something very\nimportant happened.\n\nOn coming back to Athens, Solon was very sorry to learn that it was\nPisistratus, his own kinsman, who had taken the power of the archons;\nbut when he saw how wisely Pisistratus governed the people, and how\ncareful he was to make them happy and improve them, he freely forgave\nhim, and remained on good terms with him until he died.\n\nPisistratus went on ruling the Athenians for thirty-three years, and\nwhen he died they mourned him greatly. In their grief for their loss,\nthey allowed his sons, Hip'-pi-as and Hip-par'chus, to succeed him,\nwithout raising any objections.\n\nThese young men were very careful at first to follow their father's good\nexample; but they soon began to neglect business for pleasure, and,\ninstead of thinking of the people's good, they spent much of their time\nin feasting and drinking.\n\nIn those days there dwelt at Athens two young men named Har-mo'di-us and\nA-ris-to-gi'ton. They were intimate friends, and were loved by all on\naccount of their good qualities, and more especially because they were\nso anxious to increase the glory and prosperity of their native city.\n\nHarmodius had a sister who was as good as she was beautiful: so the\npeople, hoping to please him, chose her to carry a basket of flowers in\nthe great religious procession which took place in Athens every year.\n\nOne of the tyrants, Hipparchus, was very jealous of Harmodius, because\nthe people loved him so much. He therefore tried to annoy the young man\nin every way; and when he heard that his sister had been chosen to bear\nthe flowers, he rudely forbade her presence at the feast.\n\nThis was a great insult, for none but wicked women were forbidden to\nappear; and, as Hipparchus had thus publicly disgraced the girl, her\nbrother was very angry.\n\nHis friend, Aristogiton, was as angry as he; and the two young men,\nconsulting together, decided that as long as these men ruled, the\nAthenians would be treated badly, and that it would be well to get rid\nof them soon.\n\n\n\n\nXXXVIII. DEATH OF THE CONSPIRATORS.\n\n\nHarmodius and Aristogiton, having decided to get rid of the tyrants,\ntold their plans to a few of their friends. Secret meetings were held at\nthe house of a brave lady called Le-ae'na (\"the lioness\"), who was the\nonly woman in the plot.\n\nAs the Athenians were in the habit of attending the feast in armor, the\nyoung men waited until then to carry out their plans. They mingled with\nthe crowd, found a good place near the tyrants, and all at once drew\ntheir swords from their scabbards and attacked their enemies.\n\nHarmodius was so quick that he managed to kill Hipparchus; but, before\nhis companions could join and protect him, he was cut down by the\ntyrants' guards.\n\nAristogiton, his friend, rushed forward to save him, but was made\nprisoner, and dragged before Hippias, who bade him tell the names of his\ncompanions. The young man at first refused to speak; but after a while,\npretending to yield, he named some of the tyrants' friends who were\nhelping him oppress the Athenians.\n\nThe tyrant, in dismay, sent for the accused, and had them and\nAristogiton killed without trial. When he found out his mistake, he\nagain tried to learn the names of the real conspirators. He knew that\nHarmodius and Aristogiton had often visited Leaena: so he had her\nimprisoned and tortured, to make her tell the names of the conspirators,\nbecause he wanted to kill them all as he had killed Aristogiton.\n\nThe brave woman, knowing that the lives of several young men depended\nupon her, and that a single word might cause their death, resolved not\nto utter a sound. In spite of the most awful tortures, she therefore\nkept her mouth tightly closed; and when she was finally set free, they\nfound that she had bitten off her tongue for fear of betraying her\nfriends.\n\nPoor Leaena did not live long after this; and when she died, she was\nburied in a beautiful tomb, over which her friends put the image of a\nlioness without a tongue, to remind the people of her courage.\n\nThe Athenians were very sorry for her death, and mourned the brave\nyouths Harmodius and Aristogiton for a long time; but the tyranny of the\nson of Pisistratus daily grew more cruel and disagreeable.\n\n\n\n\nXXXIX. HIPPIAS DRIVEN OUT OF ATHENS.\n\n\nFour years passed thus, and the Athenians were hoping that the time\nwould soon come when they could get rid of Hippias. They were only too\nglad, therefore, when they at last found a way to drive him out of the\ntown.\n\n[Illustration: Delphi.]\n\nYou must remember how Megacles had killed the men who came out of\nAthene's temple clinging to the cord they had fastened to her statue.\nMegacles, as you know, had been banished from Athens with all his family\n(the Alcmaeonidae) on account of this crime, but he had always hoped to be\nallowed to return.\n\nMeanwhile the beautiful temple at Delphi had been burned to the ground,\nand the people were very anxious to rebuild it. They therefore voted a\ncertain sum of money for this purpose; and, as the Alcmaeonidae offered\nto do the work for the least pay, the contract was given to them.\n\nThe Alcmaeonidae faithfully carried out the plans, and used the money;\nbut, instead of building the temple of brick, they made it of pure white\nmarble, paying for the more costly material themselves.\n\nThe priests of Delphi were so pleased with the handsome new building,\nand with the generosity of the builders, that they were eager to do them\na good turn. So, knowing that the Alcmaeonidae wanted to get back to\nAthens, they told the Spartans who came to consult the oracle, that\nHippias should be driven away, and the Alcmaeonidae allowed to return to\ntheir native city.\n\nAs the people believed all the oracle said, the Spartans armed at once,\nand, helped by the Alcmaeonidae, began to make war against the Athenians.\nBy a clever trick, they soon managed to capture the family of Hippias,\nand they refused to set them free unless the tyrant left Athens forever.\n\nThus forced to give in, Hippias left Athens, and withdrew with his\nfamily to Asia Minor. Here he spent all his time in trying to persuade\nthe different cities to make war against Athens, offering to lead their\narmies, for he still hoped to regain his lost power.\n\nThe Athenians, delighted at the expulsion of the Pis-is-trat'i-dae, as\nthe driving-away of Hippias and his family is called in history, now\ndared to make statues in honor of their favorites Harmodius and\nAristogiton, and openly expressed their regret that these brave young\nmen had not lived to see their native city free.\n\nMany songs were composed to celebrate the patriotism of the two\nfriends; and these were sung on all public occasions, to encourage other\nyouths to follow their example, lead good and virtuous lives, and be\nready at any time to die, if need be, for the sake of their native land.\n\nLeaena, too, received much praise, for the Athenian women never forgot\nhow bravely she had endured torture rather than betray the men who had\ntrusted her.\n\nThe Alcmaeonidae, having thus found their way back into the city, now\nbegan to play an important part in the government; and Clis'the-nes,\ntheir leader, urged the Athenians to obey again the laws which had been\nmade by Solon.\n\nThese were slightly changed, however, so as to give more power to the\npeople; and the government thus became more democratic than ever. Then,\ntoo, Clisthenes said that there should always be ten Athenian generals\nwho should hold supreme command each for a day in turn.\n\nHe also made a law, to the effect that no man should be driven out of\nthe city unless there were six thousand votes in favor of his exile.\nThese votes were given in a strange way.\n\nWhen a man was so generally disliked that his departure seemed best, all\nthe Athenians assembled in the market place. Then each voter received a\nshell (Greek, _ostrakon_), and dropped it into a place made for that\npurpose. All in favor of banishment wrote upon their shells the name of\nthe man they wished to exile. The others left theirs blank.\n\nWhen all the votes had thus been cast, the shells were carefully\ncounted, and, if six thousand bore the name of the same man, he was\ndriven out of the city, or ostracized, as it was called from the name of\nthe shell, for ten years.\n\n\n\n\nXL. THE GREAT KING.\n\n\nHippias, the exiled tyrant of Athens, as we have already seen, had taken\nup his abode in Asia Minor, where he made several unsuccessful attempts\nto regain his power.\n\nThe Greek cities were not ready to help him, however, so he tried to get\nanother ally. Now, the greatest ruler in Asia Minor was Da-ri'us, the\nking who won his throne by the aid of his horse and groom, as you will\nsee in ancient history.\n\nHe was a powerful monarch,--so powerful that the Greeks, who had built\ncities all along the coast of Asia Minor, in the country called Ionia,\nnever spoke of him except as \"The Great King.\"\n\nDarius' kingdom was so large that it was quite impossible for one person\nto govern it without help. He therefore divided it into satrapies, or\nprovinces, each of which was under the care of a satrap, or governor.\nThese men received their orders from the king, saw that they were obeyed\nin all the territory under their care, and kept Darius informed of all\nthat was going on.\n\nThe Great King generally dwelt at Ec-bat'a-na, a city surrounded by\nseven walls, each painted in a different but very bright color. Inside\nthe seventh and last wall stood the palace and treasure house, which was\nfairly overflowing with gold and precious stones.\n\nAs there were armed soldiers at every gate in the seven walls, only the\npeople to whom the king was willing to grant an audience could enter.\n\nNow, although so secluded, Darius knew perfectly well all that was\nhappening in every part of his kingdom, and even in the neighboring\nstates; for his satraps sent him messengers daily to report all the\nnews, and he had many paid spies, whose duty it was to tell him all they\nknew.\n\nHe was therefore one of the first Eastern rulers who heard of the revolt\nof the Athenians; and soon after this he learned that Hippias had come\nto Asia, and was trying to induce the Greek cities to make war against\nthe Athenians.\n\nWhen Hippias arrived at Ecbatana in search of aid, he could not\nimmediately see the king, but was obliged to send in a message written\non a waxen tablet. This passed from hand to hand, and finally reached\nDarius, who, recognizing the name at the bottom of the request,\ngraciously said that he would receive the exiled tyrant of Athens.\n\n\n\n\nXLI. HIPPIAS VISITS DARIUS.\n\n\nHippias was led by one of the officers of the king's household past all\nthe guards, who respectfully made way for him, and was brought into the\nmost magnificent dwelling he had ever seen. All the walls were covered\nwith silken hangings of the richest dyes, and the furniture sparkled\nwith gold and precious stones.\n\nAfter passing through many rooms, where he saw richly dressed courtiers,\nand guards with jeweled weapons, Hippias was finally brought into a\ngreat audience chamber, at one end of which hung a heavy curtain of\nroyal purple.\n\nHere all the courtiers knelt, bending over to touch the floor with their\nforeheads, in token of homage to The Great King. The officer now bade\nHippias do likewise; and when the Athenian raised his head, after\nreluctantly going through this performance, he saw that the curtain had\nbeen quietly pulled aside.\n\nOn a beautiful throne of ivory and gold, all overshadowed by a golden\nvine bearing clusters of jeweled grapes, sat the Persian king. He was\nclad in superbly embroidered robes, wore a diamond crown or tiara, held\na scepter of pure gold, and was surrounded by his officers, who were\nalmost as richly dressed as he.\n\nAs the Athenians were plain people, Hippias had never seen such a sight\nbefore, and stared at the garments, which were far handsomer than those\nwhich the Greek gods were given to wear.\n\nInvited to speak freely and make his errand known, Hippias now told\nDarius that he had come to ask his aid against the revolted Athenians.\nDarius listened politely to all he had to say, and then sent him away,\ngraciously promising to think the matter over, and giving orders that\nHippias should be royally entertained in the mean while.\n\nAmong Darius' numerous slaves, most of whom were captives of war, there\nwas a learned Greek doctor called Dem-o-ce'des. This man, hoping soon to\nrecover his freedom by paying a sum of money, was very careful to hide\nhis name, and not to tell any one how much he knew.\n\nIt happened, however, that the king hurt his foot; and after the Persian\ndoctors had all vainly tried to cure him, he sent for Democedes, saying\nthat he would put him to death if he did not speedily help him.\n\nThus forced to use his knowledge, Democedes did all he could for the\nking, and treated the wound so skillfully that the monarch was soon\ncured. The king, who had found out from the other captives that the man\nwas a doctor, now named him court physician, and even had him attend his\nwives.\n\nOne of these women was A-tos'sa, the favorite queen; and when she became\nill, Democedes was fortunate enough to save her life. The king was so\ndelighted with this cure, that he bade Democedes choose any reward he\npleased except his freedom.\n\nDemocedes, after a few moments' thought, asked permission to visit his\nnative land once more; and Darius let him go under the escort of fifteen\nofficers, who had orders not to lose sight of the doctor for a moment,\nto bring him back by force if necessary, and to spy out the land.\n\nIn spite of the constant watching of these fifteen men, Democedes\nmanaged to escape while they were in Greece, and hid so well that they\nwere never able to find him. They were therefore obliged to go home\nwithout him; and as soon as they arrived in Persia, they reported to\nDarius all they had done on the way.\n\nThe Great King questioned them very closely about all they had seen; and\nhis curiosity was so excited by what they told him, that he made up his\nmind to conquer Greece and add it to his kingdom.\n\nHe therefore sent for Hippias again, told him that he was ready to help\nhim, and gave orders to collect one of the largest armies that had ever\nbeen seen. With this army he hoped not only to take the whole country,\nbut also to get back the runaway doctor, Democedes, who in the mean\nwhile was living peacefully in Greece, where he had married a daughter\nof the famous strong man, Milo of Croton.\n\n\n\n\nXLII. DESTRUCTION OF THE PERSIAN HOST.\n\n\nThe Persian preparations for war were hastened by news that all the\nIonian cities had rebelled. These were, as you remember, Greek colonies\nfounded on the coast of Asia Minor. They had little by little fallen\ninto the hands of the Persians; but, as they hated to submit to foreign\nrule, they had long planned a revolt.\n\nThe Athenians, who knew that the Persians were talking of coming over to\nconquer them, now offered to help the Ionians, and sent some troops over\nto Asia Minor. These joined the rebels, and together they managed to\nsurprise and burn to the ground the rich city of Sar'dis, which belonged\nto Darius.\n\nA messenger was sent in hot haste to bear these tidings to The Great\nKing; and when he heard them, he was very angry indeed. In his wrath, he\nsaid that he would punish both rebels and Athenians, and immediately\nsent his army into Ionia.\n\nThe first part of his vow was easily kept, for his troops soon defeated\nthe Ionian army, and forced the rebels to obey him once more. When\nDarius heard this, he was very much pleased; and then, sending for his\nbow, he shot an arrow in the direction of Athens, to show that the\npunishment of the Athenians would be his next care.\n\nAs he was afraid of forgetting these enemies in the pressure of other\nbusiness, he gave orders that a slave should appear before him every day\nwhile he sat at dinner, and solemnly say, \"Master, remember the\nAthenians!\"\n\nWhen the preparations for this distant war were ended, the Persian army\nset out for Greece. In order to reach that country, it had to march a\nlong way through the northern part of Asia Minor, cross a narrow strait\ncalled the Hel'les-pont, and pass along the coast of the AEgean Sea,\nthrough Thrace and Scyth'i-a.\n\nIn these countries the Persian army met the fierce and warlike\nScyth'i-ans mounted on their fleet-footed horses, and was nearly cut to\npieces. The Persians were so frightened by the attack of these foes,\nthat they refused to go any farther, and even beat a hasty retreat.\n\nThe Persian fleet in the mean while had sailed along bravely. It soon\ncame to the promontory formed by Mount A'thos, a tall mountain which\nsometimes casts a shadow eighty miles long over the sea. Here a terrible\ntempest overtook the fleet, and the waves rose so high that six hundred\nvessels were dashed to pieces.\n\nAll the rest of the Persian vessels were so damaged by the storm, that\nit was soon decided that they had better return home. The soldiers of\nThe Great King were of course greatly discouraged by these misfortunes;\nbut Darius was more than ever determined to conquer Greece, and at once\nbegan to gather a second army and to build a second fleet.\n\n\n\n\nXLIII. THE ADVANCE OF THE SECOND HOST.\n\n\nDarius was very busy preparing this other army to march against Greece.\nWhile the men were being drilled, he sent two messengers to the Greek\ntowns and islands, bidding them surrender and give him earth and water.\n\nBy demanding \"earth and water,\" Darius meant that he wanted them to\nrecognize him as their king, and as master of all their lands and\nvessels. The inhabitants of many of the islands and towns were so\nfrightened by the messages sent by The Great King, that they humbly\nyielded; but when the messengers came to Sparta and Athens, they met\nwith a different reception.\n\nIn both cities the people proudly replied that they were their own\nmasters, and would not yield to the demands of the Persian king. Then,\nangered by the insolent command to give earth and water, the Spartans\nentirely forgot that the life of an ambassador is sacred. In their rage,\nthey seized the Persians, flung one into a pit and the other into a\nwell, and told them to take all the earth and water they wanted.\n\nThis conduct made Darius all the more angry, and he hastened his\npreparations as much as he could. He was so active that in a short time\nhe was able to start out again, with an army of a hundred and twenty\nthousand men.\n\nThe generals of this force were Da'tis and Ar-ta-pher'-nes, who were\nguided and advised by the traitor Hippias. The fleet was to land the\narmy on the plain of Mar'a-thon, close by the sea, and only one day's\njourney from Athens.\n\nWhen the Athenians heard that the Persians were coming, they immediately\ndecided to ask the Spartans, who were now their allies, to come to their\naid, and help them drive back the enemy. As there was no time to lose,\nthey chose as their messenger a fleet-footed Athenian, who made the\njourney of a hundred and fifty miles in a few hours, running every step\nof the way, and only seldom pausing to rest.\n\nThe Spartans listened breathlessly to his tidings, and promised that\nthey would help the Athenians; but they added, that they would not be\nable to start until the moon was full, for they thought that they would\nbe beaten unless they set out at a certain time.\n\nThe Persians in the mean while were advancing rapidly, so the Athenians\nstarted out to meet them with no other help than that of their neighbors\nthe Pla-tae'ans. The whole Greek force numbered only ten thousand men,\nand was under the command of the ten Athenian generals who were each\nentitled to the leadership for a day in turn.\n\nAmong these ten Athenian generals were three remarkable\nmen,--Mil-ti'a-des, Ar-is-ti'des, and The-mis'to-cles. They consulted\ntogether, hoping to find a plan by which their small army could\nsuccessfully oppose the Persian host, which was twelve times greater.\n\nAt last Miltiades proposed a plan which might succeed, provided there\nwas but one chief, and all obeyed him well. Aristides, who was not only\na good man, but also remarkably just and wise, at once saw the\nimportance of such a plan, and offered to give up his day's command, and\nto carry out his friend's orders just as if he were nothing but a common\nsoldier.\n\n[Illustration: Themistocles.]\n\nThe other generals, not wishing to appear less generous than he, also\ngave up their command to Miltiades, who thus found himself general in\nchief of the Athenian and Plataean armies. So he speedily made his\npreparations, and drew up his small force on the plain of Marathon,\nbetween the mountains and the sea.\n\n\n\n\nXLIV. THE BATTLE OF MARATHON.\n\n\nThe Greek army seemed so very small beside the huge host of invaders,\nthat the Persians felt perfectly sure that it would surrender as soon as\nthe fight began. Imagine their surprise, therefore, when the Greeks,\ninstead of waiting for them, gave the signal for battle, and rushed\nfuriously upon them.\n\nThe daring and force of the Greek attack so confused the Persians, that\nthey began to give way. This encouraged the Greeks still further, and\nthey fought with such bravery that soon the army of The Great King was\ncompletely routed.\n\nHippias, fighting at the head of the Persian army, was one of the first\nto die; and when the Persians saw their companions falling around them\nlike ripe grain under the mower's scythe, they were seized with terror,\nrushed toward the sea, and embarked in their vessels in great haste.\n\nThe Athenians followed the enemy closely, killing all they could reach,\nand trying to prevent them from embarking and so escaping their wrath.\nOne Greek soldier even rushed down into the waves, and held a Persian\nvessel which was about to push off.\n\nThe Persians, anxious to escape, struck at him, and chopped off his\nhand; but the Greek, without hesitating a moment, grasped the boat with\nhis other hand, and held it fast. In their hurry to get away, the\nPersians struck off that hand too; but the dauntless hero caught and\nheld the boat with his strong teeth, and died beneath the repeated\nblows of the enemy without having once let go. Thanks to him, not one of\nthose enemies escaped.\n\nThe victory was a glorious one. The whole Persian force had been routed\nby a mere handful of men; and the Athenians were so proud of their\nvictory, that they longed to have their fellow-citizens rejoice with\nthem.\n\nOne of the soldiers, who had fought bravely all day, and who was covered\nwith blood, said he would carry the glad news, and, without waiting a\nmoment, he started off at a run.\n\nSuch was his haste to reassure the Athenians, that he ran at his utmost\nspeed, and reached the city in a few hours. He was so exhausted,\nhowever, that he had barely time to gasp out, \"Rejoice, we have\nconquered!\" before he sank down in the middle of the market place, dead.\n\nThe Greeks, having no more foes to kill, next began to rob the tents,\nwhere they found so much booty that each man became quite rich. Then\nthey gathered up their dead, and buried them honorably on the\nbattlefield, at a spot where they afterward erected ten small columns\nbearing the names of all who had lost their lives in the conflict.\n\nJust as all was over, the Spartan force came rushing up, ready to give\ntheir promised aid. They were so sorry not to have had a chance to fight\nalso, and to have missed a share in the glory, that they vowed they\nwould never again allow any superstition to prevent their striking a\nblow for their native land whenever the necessity arose.\n\nMiltiades, instead of permitting his weary soldiers to camp on the\nbattlefield, and celebrate their victory by a grand feast, next ordered\nthem to march on to the city, so as to defend it in case the Persian\nfleet came to attack it.\n\nThe troops had scarcely arrived in town and taken up their post there,\nwhen the Persian vessels came in; but when the soldiers attempted to\nland, and saw the same men ready to meet them, they were so dismayed\nthat they beat a hasty retreat without striking another blow.\n\n\n\n\nXLV. MILTIADES' DISGRACE.\n\n\nThe victory of Marathon was a great triumph for the Athenians; and\nMiltiades, who had so successfully led them, was loaded with honors. His\nportrait was painted by the best artist of the day, and it was placed in\none of the porticos of Athens, where every one could see it.\n\nAt his request, the main part of the booty was given to the gods, for\nthe Greeks believed that it was owing to divine favor that they had\nconquered their enemies. The brazen arms and shields which they had\ntaken from the ten thousand Persians killed were therefore melted, and\nformed into an immense statue of Athene, which was placed on the\nAcropolis, on a pedestal so high that the glittering lance which the\ngoddess held could be seen far out at sea when the sunbeams struck its\npoint.\n\nThe Athenians vented their triumph and delight in song and dance, in\nplays and works of art of all kinds; for they wished to commemorate the\nglorious victory which had cost them only a hundred and ninety men,\nwhile the enemy had lost ten thousand.\n\nOne of their choicest art treasures was made by Phidias, the greatest\nsculptor the world has ever known, out of a beautiful block of marble\nwhich Darius had brought from Persia. The Great King had intended to set\nit up in Athens as a monument of his victory over the Greeks. It was\nused instead to record his defeat; and when finished, the statue\nrepresented Nem'e-sis, the goddess of retribution, whose place it was to\npunish the proud and insolent, and to make them repent of their sins.\n\nMiltiades was, as we have seen, the idol of the Athenian people after\nhis victory at Marathon. Unfortunately, however, they were inclined to\nbe fickle; and when they saw that Miltiades occupied such a high rank,\nmany began to envy him.\n\nThemistocles was particularly jealous of the great honors that his\nfriend had won. His friends soon noticed his gloomy, discontented looks;\nand when they inquired what caused them, Themistocles said it was\nbecause the thought of the trophies of Miltiades would not let him\nsleep. Some time after, when he saw that Miltiades was beginning to\nmisuse his power, he openly showed his dislike.\n\nNot very far from Athens, out in the AEgean Sea, was the Island of\nPa'ros. The people living there were enemies of Miltiades; and he, being\nsole head of the fleet, led it thither to avenge his personal wrongs.\n\nThe expedition failed, however; and Miltiades came back to Athens,\nwhere Themistocles and the indignant citizens accused him of betraying\nhis trust, tried him, and convicted him of treason.\n\nHad they not remembered the service that he had rendered his country in\ndefeating the Persians at Marathon, they would surely have condemned him\nto death. As it was, the jury merely sentenced him to pay a heavy fine,\nsaying that he should remain in prison until it was paid.\n\nMiltiades was not rich enough to raise this large sum of money, so he\ndied in prison. His son Ci'mon went to claim his body, so that he might\nbury it properly; but the hard-hearted judges refused to let him have it\nuntil he had paid his father's debt.\n\nThus forced to turn away without his father's corpse, Cimon visited his\nfriends, who lent him the necessary money. Miltiades, who had been the\nidol of the people, was now buried hurriedly and in secret, because the\nungrateful Athenians had forgotten all the good he had done them, and\nremembered only his faults.\n\n\n\n\nXLVI. ARISTIDES THE JUST.\n\n\nThe Athenians were very happy, because they thought, that, having once\ndefeated the Persians, they need fear them no more. They were greatly\nmistaken, however. The Great King had twice seen his preparations come\nto naught and his plans ruined, but he was not yet ready to give up the\nhope of conquering Greece.\n\nOn the contrary, he solemnly swore that he would return with a greater\narmy than ever, and make himself master of the proud city which had\ndefied him. These plans were suspected by Themistocles, who therefore\nurged the Athenians to strengthen their navy, so that they might be\nready for war when it came.\n\nAristides, the other general, was of the opinion that it was useless to\nbuild any more ships, but that the Athenians should increase their land\nforces. As each general had a large party, many quarrels soon arose. It\nbecame clear before long, that, unless one of the two leaders left the\ntown, there would be an outbreak of civil war.\n\nAll the Athenians, therefore, gathered together in the market place,\nwhere they were to vote for or against the banishment of one of the\nleaders. Of course, on this great occasion, all the workmen left their\nlabors, and even the farmers came in from the fields.\n\nAristides was walking about among the voters, when a farmer stopped him.\nThe man did not know who he was, but begged him to write his vote down\non the shell, for he had never even learned to read.\n\n\"What name shall I write?\" questioned Aristides.\n\n\"Oh, put down 'Aristides,'\" answered the farmer.\n\n\"Why do you want him sent away? Has he ever done you any harm?\" asked\nAristides.\n\n\"No,\" said the man, \"but I'm tired of hearing him called the Just.\"\n\nWithout saying another word, Aristides calmly wrote his own name on the\nshell. When the votes were counted, they found six thousand against him:\nso Aristides the Just was forced to leave his native city, and go away\ninto exile.\n\nThis was a second example of Athenian ingratitude; for Aristides had\nnever done anything wrong, but had, on the contrary, done all he could\nto help his country. His enemies, however, were the men who were neither\nhonest nor just, and who felt that his virtues were a constant rebuke to\nthem; and this was the very reason why they were so anxious to get him\nout of the city.\n\n\n\n\nXLVII. TWO NOBLE SPARTAN YOUTHS.\n\n\nDarius was in the midst of his preparations for a third expedition to\nGreece, when all his plans were cut short by death. His son and\nsuccessor, Xerx'es I., now became King of Persia in his stead.\n\nThe new monarch was not inclined to renew the struggle with the Greeks;\nbut his courtiers and the exiled Greeks who dwelt in his palace so\npersistently urged him to do it, that he finally consented. Orders were\nthen sent throughout the kingdom to get ready for war, and Xerxes said\nthat he would lead the army himself.\n\nDuring eight years the constant drilling of troops, manufacture of arms,\ncollecting of provisions, and construction of roads, were kept up all\nthrough Asia. A mighty fleet lay at anchor, and the king was almost\nready to start. Rumors of these great preparations had, of course, come\nto the ears of the Greeks. All hearts were filled with trouble and fear;\nfor the coming army was far larger than the one the Athenians had\ndefeated at Marathon, and they could not expect to be so fortunate\nagain.\n\nWhen the Spartans saw the terror of the people, they regretted having\nangered the king by killing the Persian messengers, and wondered what\nthey could do to disarm his wrath. Two young men, Bu'lis and\nSper'thi-as, then nobly resolved to offer their lives in exchange for\nthose that had been taken.\n\nThey therefore set out for Persia, and, having obtained permission to\nenter the palace, appeared before the king. Here the courtiers bade them\nfall down before the monarch, and do homage to him, as they saw the\nothers do. But the proud young men refused to do so, saying that such\nhonor could be shown only to their gods, and that it was not the custom\nof their country to humble themselves thus. Xerxes, to the surprise of\nhis courtiers did not at all resent their refusal to fall down before\nhim, but kindly bade them make their errand known.\n\nThus invited to speak, one of them replied, \"King of Persia, some years\nago our people killed two of your father's messengers. It was wrong to\ntouch an ambassador, we know. You are about to visit our country to seek\nrevenge for this crime. Desist, O king! for we have come hither, my\nfriend and I, to offer our lives in exchange for those our people have\ntaken. Here we are! Do with us as you will.\"\n\nXerxes was filled with admiration when he heard this speech, and saw the\nhandsome youths standing quietly before him, ready to die to atone for\ntheir country's wrong. Instead of accepting their offer, he loaded them\nwith rich gifts, and sent them home unharmed, telling them he would not\ninjure the innocent, for he was more just than the Lac-e-dae-mo'ni-ans.\n\nBut a few months later, when his preparations were complete, Xerxes set\nout with an army which is said to have numbered more than two million\nfighting men. As they were attended by slaves and servants of all kinds,\nsome of the old historians say that ten millions of human beings were\nincluded in this mighty host.\n\n\n\n\nXLVIII. THE GREAT ARMY.\n\n\nXerxes' army marched in various sections across Asia Minor, and all the\nforces came together at the Hellespont. Here the king had ordered the\nbuilding of two great bridges,--one for the troops, and the other for\nthe immense train of baggage which followed him.\n\nThese bridges were no sooner finished than a rising storm entirely\ndestroyed them. When Xerxes heard of the disaster, he not only condemned\nthe unlucky engineers to death, but also had the waves flogged with\nwhips, and ordered chains flung across the strait, to show that he\nconsidered the sea an unruly slave, who should be taught to obey his\nmaster.\n\nThen, undaunted by his misfortune, the King of Persia gave orders for\nthe building of new bridges; and when they were finished, he reviewed\nhis army from the top of a neighboring mountain.\n\nThe sight must have been grand indeed, and the courtiers standing around\nwere greatly surprised when they saw their master suddenly burst into\ntears. When asked the cause of his sorrow, Xerxes answered, \"See that\nmighty host spread out as far as eye can reach! I weep at the thought\nthat a hundred years hence there will be nothing left of it except,\nperhaps, a handful of dust and a few moldering bones!\"\n\nThe king was soon comforted, however, and crossed the bridge first,\nattended by his bodyguard of picked soldiers, who were called the\nImmortals because they had never suffered defeat. All the army followed\nhim, and during seven days and nights the bridge resounded with the\nsteady tramp of the armed host; but, even when the rear guard had passed\nover the Hellespont, there were still so many slaves and baggage wagons,\nthat it took them a whole month to file past.\n\nThat was a procession such as has never again been seen. You can imagine\nwhat a sight it was for all the boys and girls who lived near enough to\nthe Hellespont to see this mighty parade, which continued night and day.\n\nThey saw not only the sacred chariot drawn by eight white horses, the\nglittering array of the Immortals, the burnished helmets and arms of the\nfoot soldiers, and the silken canopies and tents over the grandees, but\nalso countless chariots drawn by four horses, and provided on either\nside with sharp scythes, which were intended to mow down the enemy like\nripe grain.\n\n[Illustration: Crossing the Hellespont.]\n\nBesides these strange mowing machines, there were many other engines of\nwar, which were all made to strike terror into the hearts of the Greeks,\nand to subdue completely the proud people who had so sorely defeated\nDarius' troops at Marathon.\n\nTo prevent his fleet from being wrecked as his father's was, Xerxes had\ngiven orders to dig a great canal across the isthmus that connected\nMount Athos with the mainland; and through this the vessels sailed past\nthe promontory in safety.\n\n\n\n\nXLIX. PREPARATIONS FOR DEFENSE.\n\n\nThe news of Xerxes' crossing of the Hellespont, and of his approach to\nconquer Greece, soon reached Athens, where it filled all hearts with\nfear. The people then remembered Miltiades, and bitterly regretted his\ndeath, and their ingratitude, which had been its real cause.\n\nAs the mighty general who had already once delivered them was dead, they\ntried to think who could best replace him, and decided to recall\nAristides the Just from his undeserved exile. Aristides generously\nforgave his fellow-citizens for all the harm they had done him, and he\nand Themistocles began to do all in their power to insure the safety of\nAthens.\n\nSwift runners were dispatched in every direction with messages urging\nall the Greek cities to unite for the good of the country by sending as\nmany brave men as possible to check the Persian army, and to try to\nhinder it from really entering Greece.\n\nThemistocles was the most active in this attempt to induce the Greek\ncities to join forces, and it was he who planned a great council, or\nmeeting, at Corinth, in 481 B.C. There it soon became evident that the\ncities were too jealous of each other to unite as they should.\n\nMany of them promised help, which they never sent; others vowed they\nwould neither send troops nor furnish aid of any kind, unless _their_\ngenerals had supreme command; and even the oracles gave vague and\ndiscouraging answers, when consulted as usual.\n\nIn spite of all these drawbacks, Themistocles managed to get a few\nallies; and, in order to induce the Spartans to lend their aid, he\npromised them the command not only of the army, but also of the fleet.\n\nHe next persuaded them that it would be wisest to send an armed force\ninto Thessaly, so as to defend the narrow pass of Thermopylae, which was\nthe only road by which the Persians could enter Greece. This natural\ncauseway, as we have seen, lay between the mountains and the sea; and,\nbecause there were springs of warm water here, it was generally known as\nThermopylae, which is the Greek for \"Hot Gateway.\"\n\nUnder the guidance of Le-on'i-das, one of the Spartan kings, three\nhundred Lacedaemonian soldiers and six thousand allies marched thither,\nand undertook to guard the pass. This was a very small army; but it was\nimpossible to get more soldiers at the time, as all the Greeks were more\nanxious to attend the Olympic games, which were just then being\ncelebrated, than to defend their country and homes.\n\nMany of them said they were afraid the gods would be angry if they did\nnot keep the feast as usual, and declared that it was against the law to\nbear arms or make war during that time. This was perfectly true; but\nXerxes did not care at all for the Greek gods, and the country would\nhave been defenseless had it not been for Leonidas and his handful of\nmen.\n\nWhile this little army traveled northwards, the rest of the people\nthronged to Olympia, promising to come and fight as soon as the games\nwere ended, and they could again bear arms without offending the gods.\n\nThe Persian fleet, as you have seen, had passed behind Mount Athos,\ninstead of rounding it as before, and Xerxes intended landing part of\nhis army just below Thermopylae. Unfortunately for him, however, the four\nhundred vessels bearing his troops were wrecked by a sudden storm.\n\nAnother fleet was immediately prepared; but, before it was ready, the\nOlympic games came to an end, and the Greeks, flying to arms as they had\npromised, hastily embarked upon their own vessels, and came and took up\ntheir position at Ar-te-mis'ium, to hinder the advance of the Persian\nfleet.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nL. LEONIDAS AT THERMOPYLAE\n\n\nThe Persian army had come to the Pass of Thermopylae; and Xerxes, seeing\nthat it was guarded by only a few men, sent them a haughty message,\nbidding them surrender their arms.\n\nInstead of seeing a meek compliance with this request, as they expected,\nthe Persian heralds were amazed to hear Leonidas reply with true laconic\nbrevity, \"Come and take them!\"\n\nThe Spartan king, however, had quickly seen that it would be impossible\nfor him to do much more than stop for a while the advance of this mighty\nhost. As a Spartan never drew back, he made up his mind to die on the\nfield of battle, and bade his warriors comb their hair, don their\nchoicest armor, and dress themselves in their richest attire, as was the\ncustom when some great danger threatened them and they expected to die.\n\nThe Persians, seeing this, were greatly surprised, and advanced\nconfidently, for they fancied that men who took so much trouble to curl\nand perfume their hair would not be hard to conquer. They soon found out\ntheir mistake.\n\nAs they advanced, the archers shot a volley of arrows, and in such\nnumbers that they fairly darkened the sun. One of the allies, seeing\nthis, ran to warn Leonidas; but he received the startling news with\ngreat coolness, and merely said, \"Very well; then we can fight in the\nshade.\"\n\nWhen Xerxes saw that the Greeks would not yield without striking a blow,\nhe gave orders for the battle to begin. The Persians pressed forward,\nunder the eye of their king, who sat high up on the rocks to see them\nconquer; but, to his surprise, they were driven back by that mere\nhandful of men.\n\nAgain and again they tried to force the pass, but all their attempts\nproved vain. The Persian soldiers, amazed at the courage of the Greeks,\nwere filled with superstitious fears, and began to refuse to advance,\nexcept when driven onward under the stinging blows of the lash.\n\nThe king was furious to see their close ranks give way time after time,\nand finally ordered his own Immortals to march on and scatter the army,\nwhich, although so small, was keeping millions of men at bay. He\nexpected that everything would of course give way at the very first\ncharge of these troops.\n\nImagine his wrath, therefore, when he saw the Immortals also retreat,\nafter many useless efforts to drive away the enemy. The Persians did not\nknow what to do. They could not advance, and were ashamed to retreat.\n\n\n\n\nLI. DEATH OF LEONIDAS.\n\n\nWhile the Persians were hesitating thus, a Greek shepherd, Eph-i-al'tes,\nstole into their camp, and, vile traitor that he was, offered to show\nthem another way to get into Greece, if they would pay him well. This\nman was led into the tent of a Persian general, where he explained that\nhe could easily lead a troop of Persians over the mountains.\n\nBy a goat path known to the Greeks only, it was possible not only to\ncross the mountains, but also to come down upon the small Greek force\nguarding the Pass of Thermopylae.\n\nHis offer as guide was accepted. Ephialtes, true to his promise, if not\nto his country, led the Persian Immortals along this narrow way.\nLeonidas, who could not imagine that any one of the Greeks would be base\nenough to sell his country and honor for gold, had placed only a few of\nthe allies at this spot.\n\n[Illustration: A Fighting Persian.]\n\nThe Immortals followed Ephialtes, easily cut these few men down, and\ncame unperceived behind the Spartan troops. It was only when he heard\nthe tramp of horses behind him and on the mountain above him, that\nLeonidas found out that he had been betrayed.\n\nHastily calling his allies, he gave them permission to save themselves\nby flight, declaring, however, that he and his companions would never\nleave their post, and that, since they could not conquer, they were\nready to die.\n\nSome of the allies took advantage of this permission to escape, but\nseven hundred Thes'pi-ans nobly chose to remain with the Spartans. With\nthe courage of despair, these men now fought against the Persians before\nand behind them, selling their lives as dearly as possible. In spite of\nthe odds against them, they refused to surrender, and finally fell, one\nafter another, on the spot which they had undertaken to guard.\n\nTheir bodies, which were found almost in a heap,--for they had scorned\nto fly,--were honorably buried in a single mound, over which rose a\nmonument with this modest inscription,--\n\n\n \"Go, passer-by, at Sparta tell,\n Obedient to her law we fell.\"\n\n\nThe Persians had forced their way into Greece. Nothing could check their\nfurther advance, so the mighty army swept southward. The first place of\nnote on their way to Athens was Delphi, the site of the sacred temple,\nwhere great treasures were stored.\n\nThe Greeks knew that the Persians did not worship the same gods, and\nfeared that they might rob the temple: so they now eagerly questioned\nthe oracle, to find out whether they should not all assemble there in\nits defense.\n\nTo their surprise, the oracle proudly replied, \"The gods will take care\nof their own,\" and bade them rather use their strength to defend their\nown homes.\n\nThe Persians marched into the rocky gorge leading to the temple at\nDelphi, but just as they were entering the valley a terrible\nthunderstorm broke forth. The darkness became so great that the\nsoldiers lost their way. The rocks rolled and crashed down upon them;\nand the soldiers, filled with dread, beat a hasty retreat, and never\nagain dared venture into this valley.\n\nIn the mean while the Greek fleet at Artemisium had held the Persian\nvessels at bay, until news was brought of the death of Leonidas, and the\npassage of Thermopylae. Then the Greeks sailed as fast as they could\ntoward Athens, knowing that they would be needed there to defend the\ncity.\n\nThe various allies, sure that it would be quite useless to try to defend\nthe northern part of Greece any longer, retreated into the Peloponnesus,\nand, hoping to prevent the Persians from entering there, hastily began\nto build a huge wall all across the Isthmus of Corinth, which is only\nabout five miles wide.\n\n\n\n\nLII. THE BURNING OF ATHENS.\n\n\nAs all their allies were trying only to defend the Peloponnesus, the\nAthenians were left entirely alone. Many of their friends advised them\nto abandon their city, and follow the other Greeks southward, leaving\nall Attica a prey to the foe.\n\nThis the Athenians did not wish to do, so they sent in haste to Delphi,\nto inquire of the oracle whether they had better retreat, or attempt to\ndefend their city. As was generally the case, the oracle did not give a\nplain answer, but merely said, \"The wooden walls will defend you and\nyour children.\"\n\nWhen this answer was brought to Athens, no one could tell exactly what\nit meant. Some of the citizens fancied that the oracle was advising them\nto retreat behind the ancient wooden stockade on the Acropolis, but\nThemistocles insisted that by \"wooden walls\" the oracle meant their\nships.\n\nHe finally persuaded the Athenians to believe him. All the old men,\nwomen, and children were hastily brought on board the ships, and carried\nto the Peloponnesus, where they were welcomed by their friends. Then the\nmen embarked in their turn, and the fleet sailed off to the Bay of\nSal'a-mis, where it awaited a good chance to fight.\n\nThe Persians swept down into Attica, and entered the deserted city of\nAthens. Here they gazed in wonder at all they saw, and, after robbing\nthe houses, set fire to the town, and burned down all the most beautiful\nbuildings.\n\nThe Persians were so delighted at having attained their purpose, and\nreduced the proud city to ashes, that they sent messengers to bear the\nglad tidings to the Persian capital. Here the people became almost wild\nwith joy, and the whole city rang with their cries of triumph for many a\nday.\n\nAs you will remember, Themistocles had allowed the Spartans to command\nboth the army and the navy. It was therefore a Spartan king,\nEu-ry-bi'a-des, who was head of the fleet at Salamis. He was a careful\nman, and was not at all in favor of attacking the Persians.\n\nThemistocles, on the contrary, felt sure that an immediate attack, being\nunexpected, would prove successful, and therefore loudly insisted upon\nit. His persistency in urging it finally made Eurybiades so angry that\nhe exclaimed, \"Those who begin the race before the signal is given are\npublicly scourged!\"\n\nThemistocles, however, would not allow even this remark to annoy him,\nand calmly answered, \"Very true, but laggards never win a crown!\" The\nreply, which Eurybiades thought was meant for an insult, so enraged him\nthat he raised his staff to strike the bold speaker. At this, the brave\nAthenian neither drew back nor flew into a passion: he only cried,\n\"Strike if you will, but hear me!\"\n\nOnce more Themistocles explained his reasons for urging an immediate\nattack; and his plans were so good, that Eurybiades, who could but\nadmire his courage, finally yielded, and gave orders to prepare for\nbattle.\n\n\n\n\nLIII. THE BATTLES OF SALAMIS AND PLATAEA.\n\n\nThe fleets soon came face to face; and Xerxes took up his post on a\nmountain, where he sat in state upon a hastily built throne to see his\nvessels destroy the enemy. He had made very clever plans, and, as his\nfleet was far larger than that of the Greeks, he had no doubt that he\nwould succeed in defeating them.\n\nHis plans, however, had been found out by Aristides, who was in the\nIsland of AEgina; and this noble man rowed over to the fleet, at the risk\nof being caught by the enemy, to warn his fellow-citizens of their\ndanger.\n\nHe first spoke to Themistocles, saying, \"Rivals we have always been; let\nus now set all other rivalry aside, and only strive which can best serve\nhis native country.\"\n\nThemistocles agreed to this proposal, and managed affairs so wisely and\nbravely that the Greeks won a great victory. When they came home in\ntriumph with much spoil, the women received them with cries of joy, and\nstrewed flowers under their feet.\n\nFrom his high position, Xerxes saw his fleet cut to pieces; and he was\nso discouraged by this check, that he hastened back to Persia, leaving\nhis brother-in-law Mar-do'ni-us with an army of three hundred thousand\nmen to finish the conquest of Greece.\n\nThe Greeks were so happy over their naval victory at Salamis, that they\nall flew to arms once more; and Pau-sa'ni-as, the Spartan king, the\nsuccessor of Leonidas, was soon able to lead a large army against\nMardonius.\n\nThe two forces met at Pla-tae'a, and again the Greeks won, although\nfighting against foes who greatly outnumbered them. Strange to relate,\nwhile Pausanias was winning one battle at Plataea, the other Spartan\nking, Eurybiades, defeated a new Persian fleet at Myc'a-le.\n\nThese two victories finished the rout of the greatest army ever seen.\nMardonius fled with the remnant of his host, leaving his tents, baggage,\nand slaves to the Greeks, who thus got much booty.\n\nWe are told that the Spartans, entering the Persian camp, were greatly\namazed at the luxury of the tents. Pausanias stopped in the one that had\nbeen occupied by Mardonius, and bade the slaves prepare a meal such as\nthey had been wont to lay before their master.\n\n[Illustration: Return of the Victorious Greeks.]\n\nThen, calling his own Helots, he gave orders for his usual supper. When\nboth meals were ready, they made the greatest contrast. The Persian tent\nwas all decked with costly hangings, the table was spread with many\nkinds of rich food served in dishes of solid gold, and soft couches were\nspread for the guests.\n\nThe Spartan supper, on the contrary, was of the plainest description,\nand was served in ordinary earthenware. Pausanias called his officers\nand men, and, after pointing out the difference between the Spartan and\nthe Persian style of living, he showed how much he liked plain food by\neating his usual supper.\n\nTo reward Pausanias for his bravery and for defeating the enemy, the\nGreeks gave him a part of all that was best in the spoil. Next they set\naside one tenth of it for Apollo, and sent it to his priests at Delphi\nas a token of gratitude for the favor of the god.\n\nTo show that they were grateful also to Zeus and Poseidon,--the gods\nwho, they thought, had helped them to win their battles by land and by\nsea,--they sent statues to Olympia and Corinth; and they erected a\ntemple in honor of Athene, the goddess of defensive war, on the\nbattlefield of Plataea.\n\n\n\n\nLIV. THE REBUILDING OF ATHENS.\n\n\nThe Persians had been driven out of Greece, and the war with them was\nnow carried on in Asia Minor instead of nearer home. The Greek army won\nmany battles here also, and even managed to free the city of Miletus\nfrom the Persian yoke.\n\nThese triumphs encouraged all the Ionian cities, and they soon formed a\nleague with the other Greeks, promising to help them against the\nPersians should the war ever be renewed. As soon as this alliance was\nmade, the Greek fleet returned home, bringing back to Athens as a trophy\nthe chains with which Xerxes had pretended to bind the rebellious sea.\n\nIn the mean while the Athenians, who had taken refuge on the\nPeloponnesus, had returned to their native city, where, alas! they found\ntheir houses and temples in ruins. The desolation was great; yet the\npeople were so thankful to return, that they prepared to rebuild the\ntown.\n\nThey were greatly encouraged in this purpose by an event which seemed to\nthem a good omen. Near the temple of the patron goddess of Athens stood\na sacred olive tree, supposed to have been created by her at the time\nwhen the city received her name.\n\nThis place had been burned by the invaders, and the returning Athenians\nsorrowfully gazed upon the blackened trunk of the sacred tree. Imagine\ntheir delight, therefore, when a new shoot suddenly sprang up from the\nashes, and put forth leaves with marvelous speed.\n\nThe people all cried that the goddess had sent them this sign of her\ncontinued favor to encourage them to rebuild the city, and they worked\nwith such energy that they were soon provided with new homes.\n\nAs soon as the Athenians had secured shelter for their families, they\nbegan to restore the mighty walls which had been the pride of their\ncity. When the Spartans heard of this, they jealously objected, for they\nwere afraid that Athens would become more powerful than Sparta.\n\nOf course, they did not want to own that they were influenced by so mean\na feeling as jealousy, so they tried to find a pretext to hinder the\nwork. This was soon found, and Spartan messengers came and told the\nAthenians that they should not fortify the town, lest it should fall\nagain into the hands of the enemy, and serve them as a stronghold.\n\nThemistocles suspected the real cause of these objections, and made up\nhis mind to use all his talents to help his fellow-citizens. He\ntherefore secretly assembled the most able men, and told them to go on\nwith the work as fast as possible, while he went to Sparta to talk over\nthe matter with the Lacedaemonians.\n\nWhen he arrived at Sparta, he artfully prolonged the discussions until\nthe walls were built high enough to be defended. Of course, there was\nnow nothing to be done; but the Spartans were very angry, and waited\nanxiously for an opportunity to punish the Athenians. This came after a\ntime, as you will see in the following chapters.\n\n\n\n\nLV. DEATH OF PAUSANIAS.\n\n\nPausanias, the Spartan king, was very proud of the great victory he had\nwon over the Persians at Plataea, and of the praise and booty he had\nreceived. He was so proud of it, that he soon became unbearable, and\neven wanted to become ruler of all Greece.\n\nAlthough he had at first pretended to despise the luxury which he had\nseen in the tent of Mardonius, he soon began to put on the Persian dress\nand to copy their manners, and demanded much homage from his subjects.\nThis greatly displeased the simple Greeks, and he soon saw that they\nwould not help him to become sole king.\n\nIn his ambition to rule alone, he entirely forgot all that was right,\nand, turning traitor, secretly offered to help the Persians if they\nwould promise to make him king over all Greece.\n\nThis base plot was found out by the ephors, the officers whose duty it\nwas to watch the kings, and they ordered his own guards to seize him.\nBefore this order could be carried out, however, Pausanias fled, and\ntook refuge in a neighboring temple, where, of course, no one could lay\nviolent hands upon him.\n\nAs the ephors feared he might even yet escape to Persia, and carry out\nhis wicked plans, they ordered that the doors and windows of the temple\nshould all be walled up.\n\nIt is said that as soon as this command had been given, Pausanias'\nmother brought the first stone, saying she preferred that her son should\ndie, rather than live to be a traitor.\n\nThus walled in, Pausanias slowly starved to death, and the barriers were\ntorn down only just in time to allow him to be carried out, and breathe\nhis last in the open air. The Spartans would not let him die in the\ntemple, because they thought his dying breath would offend the gods.\n\nAs Themistocles had been a great friend of Pausanias, he was accused of\nsharing his plans. The Athenians therefore rose up against him in anger,\nostracized him, and drove him out of the country to end his life in\nexile.\n\nAfter wandering aimlessly about for some time, Themistocles finally went\nto the court of Ar-tax-erx'es, the son and successor of Xerxes.\n\nThe Persian monarch, we are told, welcomed him warmly, gave him a\nPersian wife, and set aside three cities to supply him with bread, meat,\nand wine. Themistocles soon grew very rich, and lived on the fat of the\nland; and a traveler said that he once exclaimed, \"How much we should\nhave lost, my children and I, had we not been ruined by the Athenians!\"\n\nArtaxerxes, having thus provided for all Themistocles' wants, and helped\nhim to pile up riches, fancied that his gratitude would lead him to\nperform any service the king might ask. He therefore sent for\nThemistocles one day, and bade him lead a Persian army against the\nGreeks.\n\nBut, although Themistocles had been exiled from his country, he had not\nfallen low enough to turn traitor. He proudly refused to fight; and it\nis said that he preferred to commit suicide, rather than injure the\npeople he had once loved so dearly.\n\n\n\n\nLVI. CIMON IMPROVES ATHENS.\n\n\nAs soon as Themistocles had been banished from Athens, Aristides again\nbecame the chief man of the city, and he was also made the head and\nleader of the allies. He was so upright and just that all were ready to\nhonor and obey him, and they gladly let him take charge of the money of\nthe state.\n\nIn reward for his services, the Athenians offered him a large salary and\nmany rich gifts; but he refused them all, saying that he needed nothing,\nand could afford to serve his country without pay.\n\nHe therefore went on seeing to all the public affairs until his death,\nwhen it was found that he was so poor that there was not enough money\nleft to pay for his funeral. The Athenians, touched by his virtues, gave\nhim a public burial, held his name in great honor, and often regretted\nthat they had once been so ungrateful as to banish their greatest\ncitizen, Aristides the Just.\n\nAs Aristides had watched carefully over the money of the allied states,\nand had ruled the Athenians very wisely, it is no wonder that Athens had\nlittle by little risen above Sparta, which had occupied the first place\never since the battle of Thermopylae.\n\nThe Athenians, as long as Aristides lived, showed themselves just and\nliberal; but as soon as he was dead, they began to treat their former\nallies unkindly. The money which all the Greek states furnished was now\nno longer used to strengthen the army and navy, as first agreed, but was\nlavishly spent to beautify the city.\n\nNow, while it was a good thing to make their town as fine as possible,\nit was certainly wrong to use the money of others for this purpose, and\nthe Athenians were soon punished for their dishonesty.\n\nCimon, the son of Miltiades, was made the head of the army, and won\nseveral victories over the Persians in Asia Minor. When he returned to\nAthens, he brought back a great deal of spoil, and generously gave up\nall his share to improve the city and strengthen the walls.\n\n[Illustration: The Theseum.]\n\nIt is said that Cimon also enlarged the beautiful gardens of the\nA-cad'e-my; and the citizens, by wandering up and down the shady walks,\nshowed that they liked this as well as the Lyceum, which, you will\nremember, Pisistratus had given them.\n\nThey also went in crowds to these gardens to hear the philosophers, who\ntaught in the cool porticoes or stone piazzas built all around them, and\nthere they learned many good things.\n\nCimon showed his patriotism in still another way by persuading the\npeople that the remains of Theseus, their ancient king, should rest in\nthe city. Theseus' bones were therefore brought from Scyros, the island\nwhere he had been killed so treacherously, and were buried near the\ncenter of Athens, where the resting-place of this great man was marked\nby a temple called the The-se'um. A building of this name is still\nstanding in the city; and, although somewhat damaged, it is now used as\na museum, and contains a fine statue of Theseus.\n\n\n\n\nLVII. THE EARTHQUAKE.\n\n\nCimon, as you have already seen, was very wealthy, and as generous as he\nwas rich. Besides spending so much for the improvement of the city, he\nalways kept an open house. His table was bountifully spread, and he\ngladly received as guests all who chose to walk into his home.\n\nWhenever he went out, he was followed by servants who carried full\npurses, and whose duty it was to help all the poor they met. As Cimon\nknew that many of the most deserving poor would have been ashamed to\nreceive alms, these men found out their wants, and supplied them\nsecretly.\n\nNow, although Cimon was so good and thoughtful, you must not imagine\nthat it was always very easy for him to be so. It seems that when he was\na young man he was very idle and lazy, and never thought of anything but\nhis own pleasure.\n\nAristides the Just noticed how lazy and selfish the young man was, and\none day went to see him. After a little talk, Aristides told him\nseriously that he ought to be ashamed of the life he was living, as it\nwas quite unworthy of a good citizen or of a noble man.\n\nThis reproof was so just, that Cimon promised to do better, and tried so\nhard that he soon became one of the most industrious and unselfish men\nof his day.\n\nCimon was not the only rich man in Athens, however; for Per'i-cles,\nanother citizen, was even wealthier than he. As Pericles was shrewd,\nlearned, and very eloquent, he soon gained much influence over his\nfellow-citizens.\n\nWhile Cimon was generally seen in the company of men of his own class,\nand was hence considered the leader of the nobles or aristocrats,\nPericles liked to talk with the poorer class, whom he could easily sway\nby his eloquent speeches, and who soon made him their idol.\n\nDay by day the two parties became more distinct, and soon the Athenians\nsided either with Pericles or with Cimon in all important matters. The\ntwo leaders were at first very good friends, but little by little they\ndrifted apart, and finally they became rivals.\n\nAbout this time an earthquake brought great misfortunes upon Greece. The\nwhole country shook and swayed, and the effects of the earthquake were\nso disastrous at Sparta that all the houses and temples were destroyed.\n\nMany of the inhabitants were crushed under the falling stones and\ntimbers, and there were only five houses left standing. The Spartans\nwere in despair; and the Helots, or slaves, who had long been waiting\nfor an opportunity to free themselves, fancied that the right time had\ncome.\n\nThey quickly assembled, and decided to kill the Spartans while they were\ngroping about among the ruined dwellings for the remains of their\nrelatives and friends.\n\nThe plan would have succeeded had not the king, Ar-chi-da'mus, found it\nout. Without a moment's delay, he rallied all the able-bodied men, and\nsent a swift messenger to Athens for aid.\n\nTrue to their military training, the Spartans dropped everything when\nthe summons reached them; and the Helots came marching along, only to\nfind their former masters drawn up in battle array, and as calm as if no\nmisfortune had happened.\n\nThis unexpected resistance so frightened the Helots, that they hastily\nwithdrew into Messenia. Here they easily persuaded the Messenians to\njoin forces with them and declare war against the Spartans.\n\nIn the mean while the swift runner sent by Archidamus had reached\nAthens, and told about the destruction of the town and the perilous\nsituation of the people. He ended by imploring the Athenians to send\nimmediate aid, lest all the Spartans should perish.\n\nCimon, who was generous and kind-hearted, immediately cried out that the\nAthenians could not refuse to help their unhappy neighbors; but\nPericles, who, like most of his fellow-citizens, hated the Spartans,\nadvised all his friends to stay quietly at home.\n\nMuch discussion took place over this advice. At last, however, Cimon\nprevailed, and an army was sent to help the Spartans. Owing to the\nhesitation of the Athenians, this army came late, and they fought with\nso little spirit that the Lacedaemonians indignantly said that they might\njust as well have remained at home.\n\nThis insult so enraged the Athenians that they went home; and when it\nbecame publicly known how the Spartans had treated their army, the\npeople began to murmur against Cimon. In their anger, they forgot all\nthe good he had done them, and, assembling in the market place, they\nostracized him.\n\n\n\n\nLVIII. THE AGE OF PERICLES.\n\n\nAs soon as Cimon had been banished, Pericles became sole leader of the\nAthenians; and as he governed them during a long and prosperous time,\nthis period is generally known as the Age of Pericles.\n\nThe Spartans who had so rudely sent away their Athenian allies manfully\nresolved to help themselves, and set about it so vigorously that they\nsoon brought the Helots back to order, and rebuilt their city. When they\nhad settled themselves comfortably, however, they remembered the\nlukewarm help which had been given them, and determined to punish the\nAthenians.\n\nThe Persian general was just then planning a new invasion of Greece, so\nthe Athenians found themselves threatened with a twofold danger. In\ntheir distress they recalled Cimon, who was an excellent general, and\nimplored him to take command of their forces.\n\nCimon fully justified their confidence, and not only won several\nvictories over the Spartans, but compelled them at last to agree to a\ntruce of five years. This matter settled, he next attacked the Persians,\nwhom he soon defeated by land and by sea.\n\nHe then forced Artaxerxes, the Persian king, to swear a solemn oath that\nhe would never again wage war against the Athenians, and forbade the\nPersian vessels ever to enter the AEgean Sea.\n\n[Illustration: Pericles.]\n\nThese triumphs won, Cimon died from the wounds he had received during\nthe war. His death, however, was kept secret for a whole month, so that\nthe people would have time to get used to a new leader, and not be\nafraid to fight without their former general.\n\nWhile Cimon was thus successfully battling with the enemy abroad,\nPericles had managed affairs at home. He urged the Athenians to finish\ntheir walls; and by his advice they built also the Long Walls, which\njoined the city to the Pi-rae'us, a seaport five miles away.\n\nPericles also increased the Athenian navy, so that, by the time the\nfive-years' truce was over, he had a fine fleet to use in fighting\nagainst the Spartans.\n\nAs every victory won by the Athenians had only made Sparta more jealous,\nthe war was renewed, and carried on with great fury on both sides. The\nSpartans gained the first victories; but, owing to their better navy,\nthe Athenians soon won over all the neighboring cities, and got the\nupper hand of their foes.\n\n[Illustration: The Acropolis.]\n\nThey were about to end the war by a last victory at Cor-o-ne'a, when\nfortune suddenly deserted them, and they were so sorely beaten that they\nwere very glad to agree to a truce and return home.\n\nBy the treaty then signed, the Athenians bound themselves to keep the\npeace during a term of thirty years. In exchange, the Spartans allowed\nthem to retain the cities which they had conquered, and the leadership\nof one of the confederacies formed by the Greek states, reserving the\nhead of the other for themselves.\n\nDuring these thirty years of peace, Pericles was very busy, and his\nefforts were directed for the most part toward the improvement of\nAthens. By his advice a magnificent temple, the Par'the-non, was built\non top of the Acropolis, in honor of Athene.\n\nThis temple, one of the wonders of the world, was decorated with\nbeautiful carvings by Phidias, and all the rich Athenians went to see\nthem as soon as they were finished. This sculptor also made a\nmagnificent gold and ivory statue of the goddess, to stand in the midst\nof the Parthenon. But in spite of all his talent, Phidias had many\nenemies. After a while they wrongfully accused him of stealing part of\nthe gold intrusted to him. Phidias vainly tried to defend himself; but\nthey would not listen to him, and put him in prison, where he died.\n\nBetween the temple of Athene and the city there was a series of steps\nand beautiful porticoes, decorated with paintings and sculptures, which\nhave never been surpassed.\n\nMany other beautiful buildings were erected under the rule of Pericles;\nand the beauty and art loving Athenians could soon boast that their city\nwas the finest in the world. Artists from all parts of the country\nthronged thither in search of work, and all were well received by\nPericles.\n\n[Illustration: Phidias.]\n\n\n\n\nLIX. THE TEACHINGS OF ANAXAGORAS.\n\n\nAs Pericles was a very cultivated man, he liked to meet and talk with\nthe philosophers, and to befriend the artists. He was greatly attached\nto the sculptor Phidias, and he therefore did all in his power to save\nhim from the envy of his fellow-citizens.\n\nAn-ax-ag'o-ras, a philosopher of great renown, was the friend and\nteacher of Pericles. He, too, won the dislike of the people; and, as\nthey could not accuse him also of stealing, they charged him with\npublicly teaching that the gods they worshiped were not true gods, and\nproposed to put him to death for this crime.\n\nNow, Anaxagoras had never heard of the true God, the God whom we\nworship. He had heard only of Zeus, Athene, and the other gods honored\nby his people; but he was so wise and so thoughtful that he believed the\nworld could never have been created by such divinities as those.\n\nHe observed all he saw very attentively, and shocked the people greatly\nby saying that the sun was not a god driving in a golden chariot, but a\ngreat glowing rock, which, in spite of its seemingly small size, he\nthought must be about as large as the Peloponnesus.\n\nOf course, this seems very strange to you. But Anaxagoras lived more\nthan two thousand years ago, and since then people have constantly been\nfinding out new things and writing them in books, so it is no wonder\nthat in this matter you are already, perhaps, wiser than he. When you\ncome to study about the sun, you will find that Anaxagoras was partly\nright, but that, instead of being only as large as the Peloponnesus, the\nsun is more than a million times larger than the whole earth!\n\nAnaxagoras also tried to explain that the moon was probably very much\nlike the earth, with mountains, plains, and seas. These things, which\nthey could not understand, made the Athenians so angry that they exiled\nthe philosopher, in spite of all Pericles could say.\n\nAnaxagoras went away without making any fuss, and withdrew to a distant\ncity, where he continued his studies as before. Many people regretted\nhis absence, and missed his wise conversation, but none so much as\nPericles, who never forgot him, and who gave him money enough to keep\nhim in comfort.\n\nAnother great friend of Pericles was a woman called As-pa'sia. She was\nso bright that the wisest men of Athens used to go to her house merely\nfor the pleasure of talking to her. All the best-informed people in town\nused to assemble there; and Cimon and Pericles, Phidias, Anaxagoras, and\nSoc'ra-tes were among her chosen friends.\n\n\n\n\nLX. BEGINNING OF THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR.\n\n\nThe end of Pericles' long and useful life was troubled by a new war\nbetween Athens and Sparta; for, as soon as the thirty-years' truce was\nended, both cities flew to arms. The war which then began, and which in\nhistory is known as the Peloponnesian War, lasted almost as long as the\ntruce; that is to say, for nearly thirty years.\n\nPericles knew very well that the Athenians, not being so well trained,\nwere no match for the Spartans on land. He therefore advised all the\npeople to come into the city, and take refuge behind the mighty walls,\nwhile the fleet carried on the war by sea.\n\nThis advice was followed. All the farmers left their fields, and crowded\ninto Athens. When the Spartans came into Attica, they found the farms\nand villages deserted; but from the top of the Acropolis the people\ncould see the enemy burn down their empty dwellings and destroy the\nharvests in their fields.\n\nIn the mean while the Athenian fleet had sailed out of the Piraeus, and\nhad gone down into the Peloponnesus, where the troops landed from time\nto time, striking terror into the hearts of the inhabitants, and causing\nmuch damage.\n\nThe Spartans also had a fleet; but it was so much smaller than that of\nthe Athenians, that it could not offer any very great resistance. Still\nthe time came when a battle was to take place between the vessels of the\ntwo cities.\n\nIt happened on a day when there was to be an eclipse of the sun. Now,\nyou know that this is a very simple and natural thing. An eclipse of the\nsun is a darkening of its surface, which occurs whenever the moon passes\nbetween it and the earth.\n\nAs the moon is a very large and solid body, we cannot see either through\nor around it, and for a few minutes while it is directly between us and\nthe sun it entirely hides the latter from our sight. Pericles, who had\nso often talked with Anaxagoras and the other learned men of his day,\nknew what an eclipse was, and had even been told that one would soon\ntake place. He was therefore quite ready for it, warned his soldiers\nthat it was coming, and illustrated his meaning by flinging his cloak\nover the head of his pilot.\n\n\"Can you see the sun now?\" he asked.--\"Why, no! master, of course not!\"\nreplied the man. \"Your thick cloak is between me and the sun; how could\nI see through it?\"--\"Well, neither can you see through the moon, then,\"\nreplied Pericles.\n\nHis men, thus warned, showed no fear of the eclipse; but the Spartans,\nwho did not trouble themselves greatly with learning, were terrified.\nThey imagined that the darkening of the sun at midday was the sign of\nsome coming misfortune, and hardly dared to fight against the Athenians.\n\nThanks to this superstitious fear, Pericles laid waste the fields of the\nPeloponnesus, and came back to Athens in triumph; for, although much\ndamage had been done to the enemy, the Athenians had lost only a few\nmen. These were buried with great honors. Pericles himself pronounced\ntheir funeral oration; and we are told that he was so eloquent that all\nhis hearers were melted to tears.\n\n\n\n\nLXI. DEATH OF PERICLES.\n\n\nAlthough the Athenian fleet had caused much damage, and had come home\nvictorious, the Spartan army was still in Attica. The Spartans had been\nawed and frightened by the eclipse, but they did not give up their\npurpose, and continued the war.\n\nThe Athenians remained within the city walls, not daring to venture out\nlest they should meet with a defeat, and they soon began to suffer\ngreatly. As there were not enough water and food for the crowded\nmultitude, a terrible disease called the plague soon attacked the\npeople. This sickness was contagious, and it spread rapidly. On all\nsides one could see the dead and dying. The sufferers were tormented by\na burning thirst; and as there was soon no one left to care for the\nsick, they painfully dragged themselves to the sides of the fountains,\nwhere many of them died.\n\nNot only were the sick uncared for, but it was also nearly impossible to\ndispose of the dead; and the bodies lay in the streets day after day,\nwaiting for burial.\n\nWhen the Athenians were in the greatest distress, Pericles heard that\nthere was a Greek doctor, named Hip-poc'ra-tes, who had a cure for the\nplague; and he wrote to him, imploring his help.\n\nHippocrates received Pericles' letter at the same time that a message\narrived from Artaxerxes, King of Persia. The king asked him to come and\nsave the Persians, who were suffering from the same disease, and offered\nthe doctor great wealth.\n\nThe noble doctor did not hesitate a moment, but sent away the Persian\nmessenger, saying that it was his duty first to save his own countrymen.\nThen he immediately set out for the plague-stricken city of Athens,\nwhere he worked bravely night and day.\n\nHis care and skill restored many sufferers; and, although thousands died\nof the plague, the remaining Athenians knew that they owed him their\nlives. When the danger was over, they all voted that Hippocrates should\nhave a golden crown, and said he should be called an Athenian\ncitizen,--an honor which they seldom granted to any outsider.\n\nThe plague had not only carried away many of the poorer citizens, but\nhad also stricken down the nobles and the rich. Pericles' family\nsuffered from it too. All his children took it and died, with the\nexception of one.\n\nThe great man, in spite of his private cares and sorrows, was always in\nand out among the people, helping and encouraging them, and he finally\ncaught the plague himself.\n\nHis friends soon saw, that, in spite of all their efforts, he would die.\nThey crowded around his bed in tears, praising him in low tones, and\nsaying how much he had done for the Athenians and for the improvement of\ntheir city.\n\n\"Why,\" said one of them warmly, \"he found the city bricks, and leaves it\nmarble!\"\n\nPericles, whose eyes had been closed, and who seemed unconscious, now\nsuddenly roused himself, and said, \"Why do you mention those things?\nThey were mostly owing to my large fortune. The thing of which I am\nproudest is that I never caused any fellow-citizen to put on mourning!\"\n\nPericles then sank back, and soon died; but his friends always\nremembered that he had ruled Athens for more than thirty years without\never punishing any one unjustly, and that he had always proved helpful\nand merciful to all.\n\n\n\n\nLXII. THE PHILOSOPHER SOCRATES.\n\n\nWhen Pericles died, the Peloponnesian War had already been carried on\nfor more than three years, but was not nearly at an end. As the\nAthenians felt the need of a leader, they soon chose Nic'ias to take the\nplace left vacant by Pericles.\n\nThis Nicias was an honest man; but he was unfortunately rather dull, and\nvery slow about deciding anything. Whenever he was called upon to see to\nmatters of state, he hesitated so long, and was so uncertain, that the\nGreeks often had cause to regret the loss of Pericles.\n\nThere was another man of note in Athens at this time, the philosopher\nSocrates, a truly wise and good man. He was no politician, however; and,\ninstead of troubling himself about the state, he spent all his spare\nmoments in studying, or in teaching the young men of Athens.\n\nLike his friend Anaxagoras, Socrates was a very deep thinker. He, too,\nalways tried to find out the exact truth about everything. He was\nspecially anxious to know how the earth had been created, who the Being\nwas who gave us life, and whether the soul died with the body, or\ncontinued to live after the body had fallen into dust.\n\nSocrates was a poor man, a stonecutter by trade; but he spent every\nmoment he could spare from his work in thinking, studying, and\nquestioning others. Little by little, in spite of the contrary opinion\nof his fellow-citizens, he began to understand that the stories of the\nGreek gods and goddesses could not be true.\n\nHe thought that there must surely be a God far greater than they,--a God\nwho was good and powerful and just, who governed the world he had\ncreated, and who rewarded the virtuous and punished the wicked.\n\n[Illustration: Socrates.]\n\nSocrates believed that everybody should be as good and gentle as\npossible, and freely forgive all injuries. This belief was very\ndifferent from that of all ancient nations, who, on the contrary,\nthought that they should try to avenge every insult, and return evil for\nevil.\n\nThe philosopher Socrates not only taught this gentleness, but practiced\nit carefully at home and abroad. He had plenty of opportunity to make\nuse of it; for he had such a cross wife, that her name, Xan-thip'pe, is\nstill used to describe a scolding and bad-tempered woman.\n\nWhenever Xanthippe was angry, she used to scold poor Socrates roundly.\nHe always listened without flying into a passion, or even answering her;\nand when her temper was too unbearable, he quietly left the house, and\nwent about his business elsewhere.\n\nThis gentleness and meekness only angered Xanthippe the more; and one\nday, when he was escaping as usual, she caught up a jug full of water\nand poured it over his head.\n\nSocrates good-naturedly shook off the water, smiled, and merely remarked\nto his companions, \"After the thunder comes the rain.\"\n\n\n\n\nLXIII. SOCRATES' FAVORITE PUPIL.\n\n\nAs you have already heard, Socrates was a teacher. He did not, however,\nhave a school like yours, with desks, and books, and maps, and\nblackboards. His pupils gathered about him at his workshop, or in the\ncool porticoes, or under the trees in the garden of the Academy.\n\nThen, while hammering his stone, or while slowly pacing up and down, the\nphilosopher talked to his scholars so gently and wisely, that even the\nrichest and noblest youths of Athens were proud to call him their\nteacher. He also visited the house of the noted Aspasia, and was a\nfriend of Pericles, Phidias, and Anaxagoras, besides being the teacher\nof three very celebrated men,--Pla'to, Xen'o-phon, and Al-ci-bi'a-des.\n\n[Illustration: Alcibiades dared the Driver to come on.]\n\nPlato and Xenophon, even in their youth, were noted for their coolness\nand right-mindedness; but Alcibiades, a general favorite, was very\ndifferent from them both. He was an orphan, and the ward of Pericles.\nHis father had left him a large fortune; and, as Alcibiades was\nhandsome, intelligent, and very high-spirited, he was made much of and\ngreatly spoiled.\n\nEven as a little child he was very headstrong, and, as he had no father\nand mother to check him, he was often led by his willfulness into great\ndanger. We are told that once, when he saw a wagon coming down the\nstreet where he and his playmates were playing, he called to the man to\nstop. The man, who cared nothing for their game, drove on, and the other\nchildren quickly sprang aside so as not to be run over. Alcibiades,\nhowever, flung himself down across the road, in front of his playthings,\nand dared the driver to come on.\n\nThis was of course very foolish; and if the driver had given him a few\nsharp cuts with his whip, it might have done Alcibiades a great deal of\ngood. But the man was so amused by the little fellow's pluck, that he\nactually turned around and drove through another street.\n\nWhen Alcibiades grew a little older, he went to listen to the teachings\nof Socrates. In the presence of this wise man, Alcibiades forgot all his\nvanity and willfulness, talked sensibly, and showed himself well\ninformed and kind-hearted.\n\nHe seemed so earnest and simple that Socrates soon grew very fond of\nhim. They often walked together on the street; and it must have been\npleasing to see this tall, handsome, and aristocratic youth, eagerly\nlistening to the wise words of the homely, toil-worn workman beside\nhim.\n\nUnfortunately, however, Alcibiades could not pass all his time with the\ngood philosopher, and when he left him it was to spend the rest of the\nday with his own class. As he was rich, generous, and handsome, his\ncompanions always flattered him, approved of all he did, and admired\neverything he said.\n\nThis constant flattery was very bad for the young man; and, as he was\nanxious to please everybody, it often led him to do foolish things. He\ngave costly banquets, drove fast horses, boasted a great deal, and even\nstarted out for his first battle in a magnificent suit of armor all\ninlaid with gold.\n\nHis shield was also inlaid with gold and ivory, and on it was a picture\nof Cu'pid throwing the thunderbolts of Jove (Zeus). All his flatterers,\ninstead of telling him frankly that such armor was ridiculous, admired\nhim greatly, and vowed that he looked like the god of the sun.\n\nIn the midst of the battle, Alcibiades, who was very brave, rushed into\nthe thick of the foe. His armor was not as strong as a plainer suit\nwould have been; and he soon found himself hemmed round, and almost\nready to fall. His fine friends had of course deserted the lad; but,\nfortunately for him, Socrates was there. The philosopher rushed into the\nmidst of the fray, caught up the young man in his strong arms, and bore\nhim off the battlefield to a place of safety, where he tenderly bound up\nhis wounds.\n\nAs Alcibiades was a good-hearted youth, he felt deeply grateful to\nSocrates for saving his life, and ever after proudly claimed him as a\nfriend. In spite of the philosopher's advice, however, the young man\ncontinued to frequent the same society; and, as he was genial and\nopen-handed with all, he daily grew more popular.\n\n\n\n\nLXIV. YOUTH OF ALCIBIADES.\n\n\nAs the Greeks all loved the Olympic games, Alcibiades was always seen\nthere. He took part in the chariot races especially; and his horses won\nthree prizes in succession, to the delight of his admirers.\n\nAlcibiades was shrewd enough, in spite of all his vanity, to understand\nthat the people of Athens loved him principally because he was handsome\nand rich. He also knew that they delighted in gossip, and he sometimes\ndid a thing merely to hear them talk about it.\n\nHe had a very handsome dog, for instance; and for a little while its\nbeauty was praised by every one. But the Athenians soon grew used to the\nanimal, and ceased to talk about it. Then Alcibiades had the dog's tail\ncut off, and of course every one began to exclaim about that.\n\nSome of the Athenians became so inquisitive that they asked why he had\ndone so, and he laughingly answered that it was merely in order to\nsupply them with material for conversation and wonder.\n\nAlcibiades was so merry and light-hearted that he treated even serious\nmatters in a joking way. We are told, that, when he was first admitted\nto the city council, he acted like a schoolboy, and mischievously let\nloose a captive quail, which ran in and out among the feet of the\ncouncilors, and fluttered about so wildly as to upset the gravity of the\nwhole assembly.\n\nOn another occasion the councilors were all waiting for Alcibiades to\nbegin their proceedings. He entered the hall with a crown of flowers on\nhis head; begged them to excuse him, because he could really not attend\nto business, as he had a banquet at his house; and asked them to adjourn\nand go home with him.\n\nStrange to relate, his manner was so fascinating that the grave\ncouncilors did as he wished, and dropped their important business to\nfeast with him. It was on account of this influence that an Athenian\ncitizen once bitterly exclaimed, \"Go on, my brave boy! Your prosperity\nwill bring ruin on this crowd.\"\n\nAlcibiades was such a favorite among rich and poor, that the Athenians\nwould gladly have made him king. Fortunately, however, the young man\nstill had sense enough to refuse this honor; but, although he would not\naccept the title, he exercised much of the power of a king, and soon he\nand Nicias were the principal politicians of the day.\n\nAlcibiades was as ambitious as Nicias was careful; and while the latter\nwas always trying to keep the Athenians as quiet and contented as\npossible, Alcibiades was always ready to think of some plan by which the\npower of the city could be extended.\n\nThis ambition of Alcibiades was destined to have a very bad effect upon\nhis own fortunes and upon those of his native land, as you will see by\nthe end of his career.\n\n\n\n\nLXV. GREEK COLONIES IN ITALY.\n\n\nThe Greeks, as you know, had founded colonies all along the coast of\nAsia Minor and on many of the islands. They had also sailed as far as\nItaly and Sicily, where they built many towns.\n\nLittle by little these colonies grew richer and stronger. As the Greek\nsettlers increased in number, they claimed more and more land. In Sicily\nand southern Italy the soil was so fertile that the people soon grew\nvery rich; and, as they had vessels in plenty, they traded everywhere,\nand became noted for their commercial enterprise.\n\nThe first of the Greek colonies in southern Italy was the city of\nSyb'a-ris. It was so prosperous that the people had more money than they\nknew what to do with; and they spent large sums in making their houses\nbeautiful and in securing every comfort.\n\nThe Syb'a-rites soon became so luxurious in their habits, that they were\nnoted all over the country for their love of ease. We are told that one\nSybarite, for instance, once ordered his slaves to prepare a couch for\nhim of fresh rose leaves.\n\nWhen it was ready, he stretched himself out upon it and slept. In a\nshort time he awoke with cries of great distress, saying that he could\nnot sleep because a rose leaf was crumpled under him, and chafed his\ntender skin.\n\nEver since then, when people make a great fuss about a trifle, they are\napt to hear the remark, \"'Tis the crumpled rose leaf!\" and when they\nspend too much thought upon their bodily comfort, and indulge in too\nmuch luxury, they are called Sybarites.\n\nThe people of this town continued to flourish for some time, but they\nfinally quarreled with the neighboring colony of Croton. A war followed,\nin which the ease-loving Sybarites were defeated and their city was\ndestroyed.\n\nCroton and Ta-ren'tum on the mainland, and Messina and Syr'a-cuse on the\nIsland of Sicily, were now the principal colonies. They were all very\nrich and prosperous, so Alcibiades told the Athenians that it would be a\ngood plan to send out a fleet to conquer and annex them.\n\nNicias and his party opposed this plan; but when it was put to the vote,\nit was found that the eloquence of Alcibiades had prevailed. A large\nfleet was prepared, and Nicias, Lam'a-chus, and Alcibiades were chosen\ngenerals of the expedition. The fleet was on the point of sailing out of\nthe Piraeus, when the Athenians found out that all the statues of their\ngod Her'mes, which were used as boundary marks and milestones, had been\nshamefully broken.\n\nThe excited people assembled on the market place to discuss this event;\nand all cried loudly against it, for the statues were considered sacred,\nas they represented a god. Alcibiades' enemies--and he had a number,\nalthough he was so popular--now stepped forward, and declared that he\nhad done it after the banquet which he had given to celebrate his\ndeparture.\n\nThe young man denied having broken the statues, and asked that his\ntrial might take place at once, so that he might prove his innocence\nbefore he started out; but, in spite of this urgent request, it was\npostponed, and he was forced to depart with this cloud hanging over him.\n\n\n\n\nLXVI. ALCIBIADES IN DISGRACE.\n\n\nAlcibiades had no sooner sailed, however, than his enemies, grown\nbolder, began to talk louder, and soon convinced the people of his\nguilt. In their wrath, the Athenians now sent a messenger to Sicily to\novertake him, and bid him return to Athens to be tried.\n\nHis friends, seeing the excitement of the people, and fearing that they\nwould condemn him in anger, sent word to him not to return, but to wait\nuntil the popular fury had had time to blow over.\n\nIn obedience to this advice, Alcibiades left the fleet, and, instead of\ngoing to Athens, went straight to Sparta, where he took up his abode.\nHere the changeable youth adopted the Spartan dress, lived with the\nutmost simplicity and frugality, and even used the laconic mode of\nspeech.\n\nAs he was tall and strong, and a very good athlete, he soon won the\nadmiration of the Spartans, and made many friends. During his stay here,\nhe heard that he had been tried at Athens, although absent, found guilty\nof sacrilege, and even sentenced to death.\n\nThis ingratitude on the part of his people so angered Alcibiades, that\nhe told the Spartans all the Athenian plans, and showed how to upset\nthem. By his advice, the Spartans sent aid to the Greeks in Sicily,\nhelped them to resist the Athenian attack, and even captured both\ngenerals and seven thousand soldiers, who were put to death.\n\nThe Spartans, still under Alcibiades' instructions, now took and\nfortified the small town of Dec-e-le'a, only twelve miles from Athens.\nHere they kept an armed force, ready to spring out at any minute and\nmolest the Athenians, who thus found themselves in a continual state of\nwarfare and insecurity.\n\nThe small cities and islands which the Athenians had won by force now\nseized this favorable opportunity to revolt; and the Persians, at\nAlcibiades' invitation, joined them, and again began to wage war with\nthe proud city.\n\n[Illustration: Alcibiades.]\n\nThe Athenians were almost in despair. They had enemies on all sides, and\nwere also worried by the quarrels of aristocrats and democrats within\nthe city. These two political parties were now so opposed to each other,\nthat nothing could make them friends.\n\nThe army, longing for action, and without a leader, finally took matters\ninto their own hands. They recalled Alcibiades, and asked him to help\nthem. The young man, who was generous and kind-hearted, immediately\nresponded to this appeal; and, now that it was too late, he repented of\nwhat he had done, and began to do all in his power to defeat the enemy\nhe had aroused.\n\nBy his eloquence and skill, Alcibiades finally succeeded in winning the\nPersians over to side with the Athenians, and to fight against the\nSpartans; but all his efforts to make up for the past were vain. His\ntreachery had ruined Athens; and when he led the troops against the\nSpartans, the Athenians were completely defeated.\n\n\n\n\nLXVII. DEATH OF ALCIBIADES.\n\n\nAfraid to return to his native city, where he knew the people would\nblame him for their sufferings, Alcibiades fled. After roaming about for\nsome time, he took refuge in a castle which he had built on the\nCher-so-ne'sus.\n\nFrom the height upon which the castle stood, Alcibiades could overlook\nthe sea on both sides; and he watched the Spartan and Athenian fleets,\nwhich, unknown to each other, had come to anchor very near him. He soon\ndiscovered that the Spartans had become aware of the presence of the\nAthenians, and were preparing to surprise them.\n\nHe therefore left his castle, and, at the risk of his life, went down to\nwarn the Athenians of the coming danger. They, however, treated his\nwarning with scorn, and bade him return to his castle, and remember\nthat he no longer had any right to interfere in their affairs.\n\nFrom the top of his promontory, Alcibiades saw the complete destruction\nof the Athenian fleet. Only a few men managed to escape to his castle\nfor shelter; while a single ship sailed in haste to Athens, to report\nthe defeat, and warn the people of the coming danger.\n\nA few days later the victorious Spartan army marched unchallenged into\nAthens, for there were now no fighting men left to oppose them. The\nSpartans said that Athens must now obey them in all things; and, to\nhumiliate the people, they tore down the Long Walls to the sound of\njoyful music on the anniversary of the glorious victory of Salamis.\n\nThus ended the Peloponnesian War, which, as you have seen, began shortly\nbefore the death of Pericles. From this time on, the fame of Athens was\ndue mostly to her literature and art.\n\nBy order of the Spartans, Solon's laws were set aside, and thirty men\nwere chosen to govern the city. These rulers proved so stern and cruel,\nthat they were soon known as the Thirty Tyrants, and were hated by every\none.\n\nThe Athenians suffered so sorely under the government which the Spartans\nhad thus forced upon them, that they soon began to long for the return\nof Alcibiades, who, whatever his faults, was always generous.\n\nWhen the Thirty Tyrants and the Spartans learned of this feeling, they\nwere afraid that the Athenians would summon Alcibiades, so they bribed\nthe Persian governor to put him to death.\n\nA party of murderers went to his house at night, and set it afire.\nAlcibiades, waking up suddenly, tried to escape with his household; but\nno sooner had he reached the door than he found himself surrounded by\nenemies.\n\nAlcibiades quickly wrapped his cloak around his left arm to serve as a\nshield, and, seizing his sword in his right hand, rushed manfully out\nupon his foes. The Persians, frightened at his approach, fled in haste;\nbut they came to a stop at a safe distance, and flung so many stones and\nspears at him that he soon fell dead from the blows.\n\nHis body was left where it had fallen, and was found by his wife, who\nloved him dearly in spite of all his faults. She tenderly wrapped it up\nin her own mantle, and had it buried not far from where it lay.\n\nThus ended the life of the brilliant Alcibiades, who died at the age of\nforty, far away from his native land, and from the people whose idol he\nhad once been, but whom he had ruined by his vanity.\n\n\n\n\nLXVIII. THE OVERTHROW OF THE THIRTY TYRANTS.\n\n\nAlthough the Thirty Tyrants ruled in Athens but a short time, they\ncondemned fifteen hundred men to death, and drove many good citizens\ninto exile. During their brief period of authority they even found fault\nwith Socrates, and would have liked to kill him, though he was the\ngreatest philosopher the world has ever known.\n\nAs the rule of the Thirty Tyrants had been forced upon them by the\nvictorious Spartans, the Athenians soon resolved to get rid of them.\nAmong the good citizens whom these cruel rulers had driven away into\nexile, was Thras-y-bu'lus, who was a real patriot.\n\nHe had seen the sufferings of the Athenians, and his sympathy had been\nroused. So he began plotting against the Thirty Tyrants, assembled a few\nbrave men, entered the city, drove out the Spartans, and overturned\ntheir government when they least expected it.\n\nSome years later the Athenians rebuilt the Long Walls, which Ly-san'der,\nthe Spartan general, had torn down to the sound of festive music. They\nwere so glad to be rid of the cruel tyrants, that they erected statues\nin honor of Thrasybulus, their deliverer, and sang songs in his praise\nat all their public festivals.\n\nThe Spartans, in the mean while, had been changing rapidly for the\nworse, for the defeat of the Athenians had filled their hearts with\npride, and had made them fancy they were the bravest and greatest people\non earth. Such conceit is always harmful.\n\nLysander, in capturing Athens and the smaller towns of Attica, had won\nmuch booty, which was all sent to Sparta. The ephors refused at first to\naccept or distribute this gold, saying that the love of wealth was the\nroot of all evil; but they finally decided to use it for the improvement\nof their city.\n\nLysander himself was as noble a man as he was a good general, and kept\nnone of the booty for his own use. On the contrary, he came back to\nSparta so poor, that, when he died, the city had to pay his funeral\nexpenses.\n\nThe Spartans felt so grateful for the services which he had rendered\nthem, that they not only gave him a fine burial, but also gave marriage\nportions to his daughters, and helped them to get good husbands.\n\n\n\n\nLXIX. ACCUSATION OF SOCRATES.\n\n\nSocrates, as you know, was one of the best and gentlest of men, yet he\nhad many enemies. These were principally the people who were jealous of\nhim and of his renown for great wisdom; for his reputation was so well\nestablished, that the oracle at Delphi, when consulted, replied that the\nmost learned man in Greece was Socrates.\n\nAlthough Socrates was so wise and good and gentle, he was not at all\nconceited, and showed his wisdom by never pretending to know what he did\nnot know, and by his readiness to learn anything new, provided one could\nprove it to be true.\n\nAmong the noted Athenians of this time was Aristophanes, a writer of\ncomedies or funny plays. He was so witty that his comedies are still\nadmired almost as much as when they were played in the Theater of\nDionysus for the amusement of the people.\n\nLike most funny men, Aristophanes liked to turn everything into\nridicule. He had often seen Socrates and Alcibiades walking through the\nstreets of Athens, and was greatly amused at the contrast they\npresented.\n\nNow, Aristophanes, with all his cleverness, was not always just; and\nwhile his ridicule sometimes did good, at other times it did a great\ndeal of harm. He soon learned to dislike Alcibiades; but he saw how\ndearly the people loved the young man, and fancied that his faults must\nbe owing to the bad advice of his teacher. Such was not the case, for\nSocrates had tried to bring out all the good in his pupil. Alcibiades'\npride, insolence, and treachery were rather the result of the constant\nflattery to which he had been exposed on the part of those who claimed\nto be his friends.\n\nAristophanes disliked Alcibiades so much that he soon wrote a comedy\ncalled \"The Clouds,\" in which he made fun of him. Of course, he did not\ncall the people in the play by their real names; but the hero was a\ngood-for-nothing young man, who, advised by his teacher, bought fast\nhorses, ran his father into debt, cheated everybody, and treated even\nthe gods with disrespect.\n\nAs the actors who took part in this comedy dressed and acted as nearly\nas possible like Alcibiades and Socrates, you can imagine that the play,\nwhich was very comical and clever, made the Athenians roar with\nlaughter.\n\nEverybody talked about it, repeated the best jokes, and went again and\nagain to see and laugh over it. We are told that Socrates went there\nhimself one day; and, when asked why he had come, he quietly said, \"I\ncame to find out whether, among all the faults of which I am accused,\nthere may not be some that I can correct.\"\n\nYou see, the philosopher knew that it was never too late to mend, and\nfully intended to be as perfect as possible. He knew, of course, that he\ncould not straighten his crooked nose or make his face good-looking,\nbut he hoped to find some way of improving his character.\n\n\"The Clouds\" amused the Athenians for about twenty years; and when\nAlcibiades turned traitor, and caused the ruin of his country, the\npeople still went to see it. In their anger against Alcibiades, they\nbegan to think that perhaps Aristophanes was right, and that the youth\nthey had once loved so dearly would never have turned out so badly had\nhe not been influenced for evil.\n\nAs the teacher in the play was blamed for all the wrongdoing of his\npupil, so Socrates was now accused by the Athenians of ruining\nAlcibiades. Little by little the philosopher's enemies became so bold\nthat they finally made up their minds to get rid of him. As he was quite\ninnocent, and as there was no other excuse for dragging him before the\nTribunal, they finally charged him with giving bad advice to young men,\nand speaking ill of the gods.\n\n\n\n\nLXX. DEATH OF SOCRATES.\n\n\nThe false accusation made against Socrates by his enemies soon had the\ndesired effect, for the Tribunal gave orders for his arrest and trial.\nThe philosopher, sure of his innocence, came before his judges, and\ncalmly answered their questions.\n\nHe told them he had never turned the gods into ridicule, as he knew it\nwas wrong to make fun of anything which others deemed sacred. Then, as\nthey still further pressed him to explain his views, he confessed that\nhe believed there was a God greater and better than any they worshiped.\n\nAs to teaching the young men anything which could do them harm, he said\nit was quite impossible; for he had ever told them that they should be\nas good, virtuous, and helpful as they could, which was surely not\nwrong.\n\nSocrates gave noble answers to all their questions; but the judges,\nblinded with prejudice, believed the lying charges of his enemies, which\nSocrates scorned to contradict. The philosopher's friends begged him to\nuse his eloquence to defend himself and confound his accusers; but he\ncalmly refused, saying, \"My whole life and teaching is the only\ncontradiction, and the best defense I can offer.\"\n\nSocrates, as you have seen, was really one of the best men that ever\nlived, and, without having ever heard of the true God, he still believed\nin him. Nearly four centuries before the coming of Christ, when people\nbelieved in revenge, he preached the doctrine of \"Love one another\" and\n\"Do good to them that hate you.\"\n\nBut, in spite of all his goodness and constant uprightness, Socrates the\nphilosopher was condemned to the shameful death of a base criminal.\n\nNow, in Greece, criminals were forced to drink a cup of deadly poison at\nsunset on the day of their condemnation, and there was generally but a\nfew hours' delay between the sentence and its execution. But the law\nsaid that during one month in the year no such punishment should be\ninflicted. This was while an Athenian vessel was away on a voyage to\nthe Island of De'los to bear the annual offerings to Apollo's shrine.\n\nAs Socrates was tried and condemned at this season, the people were\nforced to await the return of the vessel before they could kill him: so\nthey put him in prison. Here he was chained fast, yet his friends were\nallowed to visit him and to talk with him.\n\nDay after day the small band of his pupils gathered around him in\nprison; and, as some of them were very rich, they bribed the jailer, and\narranged everything for their beloved master's escape.\n\nWhen the time came, and Socrates was told that he could leave the prison\nunseen, and be taken to a place of safety, he refused to go, saying that\nit would be against the law, which he had never yet disobeyed.\n\nIn vain his friends and disciples begged him to save his life: he would\nnot consent. Then Cri'to, one of his pupils, began to weep, in his\ndistress, and exclaimed indignantly, \"Master, will you then remain here,\nand die innocent?\"\n\n\"Of course,\" replied Socrates, gravely. \"Would you rather I should die\nguilty?\"\n\nThen, gathering his disciples around him, he began to talk to them in\nthe most beautiful and solemn way about life and death, and especially\nabout the immortality of the soul.\n\nThis last conversation of Socrates was so attentively listened to by his\ndisciple Plato, the wisest among them all, that he afterward wrote it\ndown from memory almost word for word, and thus kept it so that we can\nstill read it.\n\n[Illustration: Socrates' Farewell.]\n\nAs the sun was slowly setting on that last day, the sacred vessel came\nback from Delos. The time of waiting was ended, and now the prisoner\nmust die. The jailer interrupted this beautiful last talk, and entered\nthe cell, bringing the cup of poison.\n\nSocrates took the cup from his hand and drained it, unmoved, telling his\ndisciples that he felt sure that death was only birth into another and\nbetter world. Then he bade them all farewell.\n\nAs he was a good and scrupulous man, very careful about paying his debts\nand keeping his promises, he now told Crito to remember that he had\npromised to sacrifice a cock to AEs-cu-la'pi-us, the god of medicine, and\nbade him do it in his stead.\n\nHe then lay down upon his hard prison bed, and, while he felt the chill\nof death slowly creeping upward toward his heart, he continued to teach\nand exhort his pupils to love virtue and do right.\n\nAll his last sayings were carefully treasured by Plato, who wrote them\ndown, and who concludes the story of his death in these beautiful words:\n\"Thus died the man who, of all with whom we are acquainted, was in death\nthe noblest, and in life the wisest and best.\"\n\nSome time after the death of Socrates, the Athenians found out their\nmistake. Filled with remorse, they recalled the sentence which had\ncondemned him, but they could not bring him back to life. In token of\ntheir sorrow, however, they set up a statue of him in the heart of their\ncity.\n\nThis statue, although made of bronze, has long ceased to exist; but the\nremembrance of Socrates' virtues is still held dear, and all who know\nhis name both love and honor him.\n\n\n\n\nLXXI. THE DEFEAT OF CYRUS.\n\n\nIt was at the close of the Peloponnesian War that Darius II., King of\nPersia, died, leaving two sons, Artaxerxes and Cy'rus. These two heirs\ncould not agree which should reign. Artaxerxes claimed the throne\nbecause he was the elder, and Cyrus because he was the first son born\nafter their father had become king; for in Persia it was the custom for\na ruler to choose as his successor a son born after he had taken\npossession of the throne.\n\nThe quarrel between the two brothers daily became more bitter; and when\nArtaxerxes made himself king by force, Cyrus swore that he would compel\nhim to give up his place again.\n\nTo oust his brother from the throne, Cyrus collected an army in Asia\nMinor; and, as he could not secure enough Persian soldiers, he hired a\nbody of eleven thousand Greeks, commanded by a Spartan named\nCle-ar'chus.\n\nThis Greek army was only a small part of Cyrus' force; but he expected\ngreat things from it, as the Persians had already found out to their\ncost that the Greeks were very good fighters.\n\nAfter a long march, the armies of both brothers met at Cu-nax'a; and\nthere was a terrible battle, in the midst of which Cyrus was killed. Of\ncourse, his death ended the quarrel, and the Persians all surrendered.\n\nBut the Greeks continued fighting bravely, until Artaxerxes sent them\nword that his brother was dead, and that he would have them guided\nsafely back to their own country if they would lay down their arms.\n\nThe Greeks, believing him, immediately stopped fighting; and their\nofficers accepted an invitation to enter the Persian camp, and be\npresent at the council of all the generals.\n\nTheir trust was sadly misplaced, however; for no sooner had the Greek\nofficers entered the tent than they were surrounded and slain. The\nPersian king then sent a message to the Greek troops, saying that their\nleaders were all dead, and summoning them to give up their arms and to\nswear to obey him in all things.\n\nThis message filled the hearts of the Greeks with rage and despair. What\nwere they to do? Their chiefs were dead, they were in a strange country\nsurrounded by enemies, and their own home lay eight months' journey\naway.\n\nThey had no leaders, no money or provisions, and no guides to show them\nthe way back across the burning sands, deep rivers, and over the\nmountains. They had nothing, in short, but the armor on their backs and\nthe weapons in their hands.\n\nAs they did not even know the language of the country, they could not\nask their way; and as they were surrounded by enemies, they must be\nconstantly on their guard lest they should be surprised and taken\nprisoners or killed. They were indeed in a sorry plight; and no wonder\nthat they all fancied they would never see their homes again. When night\ncame on, they flung themselves down upon the ground without having eaten\nany supper. Their hearts were so heavy, however, that they could not\nsleep, but tossed and moaned in their despair.\n\nIn this army there was a pupil of Socrates, called Xenophon. He was a\ngood and brave man. Instead of bewailing his bad luck, as the others\ndid, he tried to think of some plan by which the army might yet be\nsaved, and brought back to Greece.\n\nHis night of deep thought was not in vain; and as soon as morning dawned\nhe called his companions together, and begged them to listen to him, as\nhe had found a way of saving them from slavery or death.\n\nThen he explained to them, that, if they were only united and willing,\nthey could form a compact body, and, under a leader of their own\nchoosing, could beat a safe retreat toward the sea.\n\n\n\n\nLXXII. THE RETREAT OF THE TEN THOUSAND.\n\n\nXenophon's advice pleased the Greeks. It was far better, they thought,\nto make the glorious attempt to return home, than basely to surrender\ntheir arms, and become the subjects of a foreign king.\n\nThey therefore said they would elect a leader, and all chose Xenophon to\nfill this difficult office. He, however, consented to accept it only\nupon condition that each soldier would pledge his word of honor to obey\nhim; for he knew that the least disobedience would hinder success, and\nthat in union alone lay strength. The soldiers understood this too, and\nnot only swore to obey him, but even promised not to quarrel among\nthemselves.\n\nSo the little army began its homeward march, tramping bravely over sandy\nwastes and along rocky pathways. When they came to a river too deep to\nbe crossed by fording, they followed it up toward its source until they\ncould find a suitable place to get over it; and, as they had neither\nmoney nor provisions, they were obliged to seize all their food on the\nway.\n\nThe Greeks not only had to overcome countless natural obstacles, but\nwere also compelled to keep up a continual warfare with the Persians who\npursued them. Every morning Xenophon had to draw up his little army in\nthe form of a square, to keep the enemy at bay.\n\nThey would fight thus until nearly nightfall, when the Persians always\nretreated, to camp at a distance from the men they feared. Instead of\nallowing his weary soldiers to sit down and rest, Xenophon would then\ngive orders to march onward. So they tramped in the twilight until it\nwas too dark or they were too tired to proceed any farther.\n\nAfter a hasty supper, the Greeks flung themselves down to rest on the\nhard ground, under the light of the stars; but even these slumbers were\ncut short by Xenophon's call at early dawn. Long before the lazy\nPersians were awake, these men were again marching onward; and when the\nmounted enemy overtook them once more, and compelled them to halt and\nfight, they were several miles nearer home.\n\nAs the Greeks passed through the wild mountain gorges, they were further\nhindered by the neighboring people, who tried to stop them by rolling\ntrunks of trees and rocks down upon them. Although some were wounded and\nothers killed, the little army pressed forward, and, after a march of\nabout a thousand miles, they came at last within sight of the sea.\n\nYou may imagine what a joyful shout arose, and how lovingly they gazed\nupon the blue waters which washed the shores of their native land also.\n\nBut although Xenophon and his men had come to the sea, their troubles\nwere not yet ended; for, as they had no money to pay their passage, none\nof the captains would take them on board.\n\nInstead of embarking, therefore, and resting their weary limbs while the\nwind wafted them home, they were forced to tramp along the seashore.\nThey were no longer in great danger, but were tired and discontented,\nand now for the first time they began to forget their promise to obey\nXenophon.\n\nTo obtain money enough to pay their passage to Greece, they took several\nsmall towns along their way, and robbed them. Then, hearing that there\nwas a new expedition on foot to free the Ionian cities from the Persian\nyoke, they suddenly decided not to return home, but to go and help them.\n\nXenophon therefore led them to Per'ga-mus, where he gave them over to\ntheir new leader. There were still ten thousand left out of the eleven\nthousand men that Cyrus had hired, and Xenophon had cause to feel proud\nof having brought them across the enemy's territory with so little loss.\n\nAfter bidding them farewell, Xenophon returned home, and wrote down an\naccount of this famous Retreat of the Ten Thousand in a book called the\nA-nab'a-sis. This account is so interesting that people begin to read it\nas soon as they know a little Greek, and thus learn all about the\nfighting and marching of those brave men.\n\n\n\n\nLXXIII. AGESILAUS IN ASIA.\n\n\nYou may remember that the Greeks, at the end of the Peloponnesian War,\nhad found out that Sparta was the strongest city in the whole country;\nfor, although the Athenians managed to drive the Spartans out of their\ncity, they were still forced to recognize them as the leaders of all\nGreece.\n\nThe Spartans were proud of having reached such a position, and were\neager to maintain it at any cost. They therefore kept all the Greek\ntowns under their orders, and were delighted to think that their king,\nA-ges-i-la'us, was one of the best generals of his day.\n\nHe was not, however, tall and strong, like most of his fellow-citizens,\nbut puny and very lame. His small size and bad health had not lessened\nhis courage, however, and he was always ready to plan a new campaign or\nto lead his men off to war.\n\nWhen it became known that Artaxerxes was about to march against the\nGreek cities in Ionia, to punish them for upholding his brother Cyrus,\nand for sending him the ten thousand soldiers who had beat such a\nmasterly retreat, Agesilaus made up his mind to go and help them.\n\nThere was no prospect of fighting at home just then, so the Spartan\nwarriors were only too glad to follow their king to Asia. Agesilaus had\nno sooner landed in Asia Minor, than the Greek cities there gave him\ncommand over their army, bidding him defend them from the wrath of\nArtaxerxes.\n\nNow, although the Persian host, as usual, far outnumbered the Greek\narmy, Agesilaus won several victories over his enemies, who were amazed\nthat such a small and insignificant-looking man should be at the same\ntime a king and a great general.\n\nThey were accustomed to so much pomp and ceremony, and always saw their\nown king so richly dressed, that it seemed very queer to them to see\nAgesilaus going about in the same garments as his men, and himself\nleading them in battle.\n\n\n\n\nLXXIV. A STRANGE INTERVIEW.\n\n\nWe are told that Agesilaus was once asked to meet the Persian general\nPhar-na-ba'zus, to have a talk or conference with him,--a thing which\noften took place between generals of different armies.\n\nThe meeting was set for a certain day and hour, under a large tree, and\nit was agreed that both generals should come under the escort of their\npersonal attendants only.\n\nAgesilaus, plainly clad as usual, came first to the meeting place, and,\nsitting down upon the grass under the tree, he began to eat his usual\nnoonday meal of bread and onions.\n\n[Illustration: Agesilaus and Pharnabazus.]\n\nA few moments later the Persian general arrived in rich attire, attended\nby fan and parasol bearer, and by servants bringing carpets for him to\nsit upon, cooling drinks to refresh him, and delicate dishes to tempt\nhis appetite.\n\nAt first Pharnabazus fancied that a tramp was camping under the tree;\nbut when he discovered that this plain little man was really Agesilaus,\nKing of Sparta, and the winner of so many battles, he was ashamed of his\npomp, sent away his attendants, and sat down on the ground beside the\nking.\n\nThey now began an important talk, and Pharnabazus was filled with\nadmiration when he heard the short but noble answers which Agesilaus had\nfor all his questions. He was so impressed by the Spartan king, that he\nshook hands with him when the interview was ended.\n\nAgesilaus was equally pleased with Pharnabazus, and told him that he\nshould be proud to call him friend. He invited him to leave his master,\nand come and live in Greece, where all noble men were free.\n\nPharnabazus did not accept this invitation, but renewed the war,\nwhereupon Agesilaus again won several important victories. When the\nPersian king heard that all his soldiers could not get the better of the\nSpartan king, he resolved to try the effect of bribery.\n\nHe therefore sent a messenger to Athens to promise this city and her\nallies a very large sum of money provided that they would rise up in\nrevolt against Sparta, and thus force Agesilaus to come home.\n\n\n\n\nLXXV. THE PEACE OF ANTALCIDAS.\n\n\nThe Athenians hated the Spartans, and were only waiting for an excuse to\nmake war against them: so they were only too glad to accept the bribe\nwhich Artaxerxes offered, and were paid with ten thousand Persian coins\non which was stamped the figure of an archer.\n\nAs soon as the Spartan ephors heard that the Athenians had revolted,\nthey sent a message to Agesilaus to tell him to come home. The Spartan\nking was about to deal a crushing blow to the Persians, but he was\nforced to obey the summons. As he embarked he dryly said, \"I could\neasily have beaten the whole Persian army, and still ten thousand\nPersian archers have forced me to give up all my plans.\"\n\nThe Thebans joined the Athenians in this revolt, so Agesilaus was very\nindignant against them too. He energetically prepared for war, and met\nthe combined Athenian and Theban forces at Coronea, where he defeated\nthem completely.\n\nThe Athenians, in the mean while, had made their alliance with the\nPersians, and used the money which they had received to strengthen their\nramparts, as you have seen, and to finish the Long Walls, which had been\nruined by the Spartans ten years before.\n\nAll the Greek states were soon in arms, siding with the Athenians or\nwith the Spartans; and the contest continued until everybody was weary\nof fighting. There was, besides, much jealousy among the people\nthemselves, and even the laurels of Agesilaus were envied.\n\nThe person who was most opposed to him was the Spartan An-tal'ci-das,\nwho, fearing that further warfare would only result in increasing\nAgesilaus' popularity and glory, now began to advise peace. As the\nGreeks were tired of the long struggle, they sent Antalcidas to Asia to\ntry to make a treaty with the Persians.\n\nWithout thinking of anything but his hatred of Agesilaus, Antalcidas\nconsented to all that the Persians asked, and finally signed a shameful\ntreaty, by which all the Greek cities of Asia Minor and the Island of\nCy'prus were handed over to the Persian king. The other Greek cities\nwere declared independent, and thus Sparta was shorn of much of her\npower. This treaty was a disgrace, and it has always been known in\nhistory by the name of the man who signed it out of petty spite.\n\n\n\n\nLXXVI. THE THEBAN FRIENDS.\n\n\nAlthough all the Greek cities were to be free by the treaty of\nAntalcidas, the Spartans kept the Messenians under their sway and, as\nthey were still the most powerful people in Greece, they saw that the\nother cities did not infringe upon their rights in any way.\n\nUnder pretext of keeping all their neighbors in order, the Spartans were\nalways under arms, and on one occasion even forced their way into the\ncity of Thebes. The Thebans, who did not expect them, were not ready to\nmake war, and were in holiday dress.\n\nThey were all in the temple, celebrating the festival of Demeter, the\nharvest goddess; and when the Spartans came thus upon them, they were\nforced to yield without striking a single blow, as they had no weapons\nat hand.\n\nThe Spartans were so afraid lest the best and richest citizens should\ntry to make the people revolt, that they exiled them all from Thebes,\nallowing none but the poor and insignificant to remain.\n\nTo keep possession of the city which they had won by this trick, the\nSpartans put three thousand of their best warriors in the citadel, with\norders to defend and hold it at any price.\n\nAmong the exiled Thebans there was a noble and wealthy man called\nPe-lop'i-das. He had been sorely wounded in a battle some time before,\nand would have died had he not been saved by a fellow-citizen named\nE-pam-i-non'das, who risked his own life in the rescue.\n\nThis man, too, was of noble birth, and was said to be a descendant of\nthe men who had sprung from the dragon teeth sown by Cadmus, the founder\nof Thebes. Epaminondas, however, was very poor; and wealth had no charms\nfor him, for he was a disciple of Py-tha'o-ras, a philosopher who was\nalmost as celebrated as Socrates.\n\nNow, although Epaminondas was poor, quiet, and studious, and Pelopidas\nwas particularly fond of noise and bustle, they became great friends and\nalmost inseparable companions. Pelopidas, seeing how good and generous a\nman his friend was, did all he could to be like him, and even gave up\nall his luxurious ways to live plainly too.\n\nHe therefore had plenty of money to spare, and this he spent very freely\nfor the good of the poor. When his former friends asked why he no\nlonger cared for his riches, he pointed to a poor cripple near by, and\nsaid that money was of importance only to unhappy men like that one, who\ncould do nothing for themselves.\n\n\n\n\nLXXVII. THEBES FREE ONCE MORE.\n\n\nThe Spartans, coming into Thebes, as we have seen, exiled the rich and\nimportant Pelopidas, but allowed his friend Epaminondas to remain. They\nlittle suspected that this quiet and seemingly stupid man would in time\nbecome their greatest enemy, and that the mere sound of his name would\nfill their hearts with dread.\n\nPelopidas, thus forced to leave home, withdrew to Athens, where he was\nvery kindly received. He was not happy, however, and was always longing\nto return home, and see his friend Epaminondas, whose society he missed\nvery much.\n\nHe therefore called a few of the Theban exiles together, and proposed\nthat they should return to Thebes in disguise, and, taking advantage of\nthe Spartans' carelessness, kill their leaders, and restore the city to\nfreedom.\n\nThis proposal was received with joy, although the Spartans numbered\nthree thousand, and the Theban exiles only twelve. The chances were of\ncourse against them; but the men were so anxious to free their city,\nthat they resolved to make the attempt.\n\nThey therefore set out from Athens with weapons and hunting dogs, as if\nbent upon a day's sport in the country. Thus armed, they secretly\nentered the house of Cha'ron, one of their friends in Thebes. Here they\nexchanged their hunting garments for women's robes; for, hearing that\nthe Spartan general and his officers were feasting, they had resolved to\npretend that they were dancing girls, in order to gain an entrance into\nthe banquet hall, and kill the men while they were drinking.\n\nThey had just finished dressing, when a knock was heard at the door, and\na Spartan soldier came in and gravely informed Charon that the commander\nwished to see him.\n\nFor a moment Pelopidas and his companions fancied that their plans were\ndiscovered, and that Charon had betrayed them. He read this suspicion in\ntheir frightened faces, and, before leaving the house with the soldier,\nhe placed his only son, a mere infant, in the arms of Pelopidas, saying,\n\"There, keep him; and if you find that I have betrayed you, avenge\nyourselves by killing my only child, my dearest treasure.\"\n\nAfter speaking thus, Charon went out, and soon came back to report that\nall was well.\n\nThe Theban exiles now went to the banquet hall, where they were readily\nallowed to enter to amuse the company. The Spartan officers, who were no\nlonger frugal and temperate as of old, were so heavy and stupid with\nwine, that the supposed dancing girls easily killed them.\n\n[Illustration: \"Avenge yourselves by killing my only child.\"]\n\nOne version of the story is, that Pelopidas and his companions rushed\nout into the street with lighted torches, and slew every Spartan they\nmet. The Spartan soldiers, deprived of most of their officers (who had\nbeen killed in the banquet hall), and greatly frightened, fled in the\ndarkness from what they fancied was a large army, and returned in haste\nto Sparta.\n\nImagine their shame, however, when it became known there that they had\nbeen routed by only twelve determined men! The Spartan citizens were so\nangry that they put the two remaining officers to death, and, collecting\nanother army, placed it under the leadership of Cle-om'bro-tus, their\nsecond king, because Agesilaus was too ill at the time to fight.\n\n\n\n\nLXXVIII. THE BATTLE OF LEUCTRA.\n\n\nThe Thebans, delighted at having thus happily got rid of their enemies,\nhad made Pelopidas and Epaminondas Boe'o-tarchs, or chiefs of\nBoeotia, the country of which Thebes was the capital. These two men,\nknowing well that the Spartans would soon send an army to win back the\ncity, now made great preparations to oppose them.\n\nEpaminondas was made general of the army; and Pelopidas drilled a choice\ncompany, called the Sacred Battalion. This was formed of three hundred\nbrave young Thebans, who took a solemn oath never to turn their backs\nupon the enemy or to surrender, and to die for their native country if\nnecessary.\n\nThe Thebans then marched forth to meet their foes; and the two armies\nmet at Leuc'tra, a small town in Boeotia. As usual, the Thebans had\nconsulted the oracles to find out what they should do, and had been\ntold that all the omens were unfavorable. Epaminondas, however, nobly\nreplied that he knew of none which forbade fighting for the defense of\none's country, and he boldly ordered the attack.\n\nThe Spartans were greatly amused when they heard that Epaminondas, a\nstudent, was the commander of the army, and they expected to win a very\neasy victory. They were greatly surprised, therefore, when their\nonslaught was met firmly, and when, in spite of all their valor, they\nfound themselves defeated, and heard that their leader, Cleombrotus, was\ndead.\n\nThe Thebans, of course, gloried in their triumph; but Epaminondas\nremained as modest and unassuming as ever, merely remarking that he was\nglad for his country's and parents' sake that he had been successful. To\ncommemorate their good fortune, the Thebans erected a trophy on the\nbattlefield of Leuctra, where their troops had covered themselves with\nglory.\n\nThe inhabitants of Sparta, who had counted confidently upon victory,\nwere dismayed when they saw only a few of their soldiers return from the\nbattle, and heard that the Thebans were pursuing them closely. Before\nthey could collect new troops, the enemy marched boldly down into\nLaconia; and the women of Sparta now beheld the smoke of the enemy's\ncamp for the first time in many years. As there were neither walls nor\nfortifications of any kind, you can easily imagine that the inhabitants\nwere in despair, and thought that their last hour had come.\n\nIf Epaminondas had been of a revengeful temper, he could easily have\ndestroyed the city; but he was gentle and humane, and, remaining at a\nshort distance from the place, he said that he would go away without\ndoing the Spartans any harm, provided they would promise not to attack\nThebes again, and to set the Messenians free.\n\nThese conditions were eagerly agreed to by the Spartans, who found\nthemselves forced to take a secondary place once more. Athens had ruled\nGreece, and had been forced to yield to Sparta; but now Sparta was\ncompelled in her turn to recognize the supremacy of Thebes.\n\n\n\n\nLXXIX. DEATH OF PELOPIDAS.\n\n\nThebes was the main power in Greece after the brilliant victory at\nLeuctra, and for a short time the city managed to maintain its\nsupremacy. By virtue of its position, it decided the destiny of less\npowerful cities; and when Al-ex-an'der, tyrant of Thessaly, became very\ncruel, the Thebans sent Pelopidas to remonstrate with him.\n\nInstead of treating the ambassador of the Thebans with courtesy,\nhowever, the Thessalian tyrant loaded him with heavy chains, put him in\nprison, and vowed he would keep him there as long as he lived.\n\nWhen the news of this outrage reached the Thebans, they set out at once,\nunder the guidance of two new Boeotarchs, to deliver their beloved\nfellow-citizen. Epaminondas, too, marched in the ranks; for, now that\nhis term of office was ended, he had contentedly returned to his former\nobscure position.\n\nThe new Boeotarchs were unfortunately very poor generals. They met the\nThessalian army, but were defeated and driven back. Indeed, the Thebans\nwere soon in such danger, that the soldiers revolted against their\ngenerals, and begged Epaminondas again to take the lead.\n\nAs they were in great distress, Epaminondas could not refuse to help\nthem: so he assumed the command, and beat such a skillful retreat that\nhe brought them out of the country in safety.\n\nThe following year, when again chosen Boeotarch, Epaminondas made\nplans for a second campaign, and marched into Thessaly to deliver his\nfriend, who was still a prisoner.\n\nWhen Alexander the tyrant heard that Epaminondas was at the head of the\narmy, he was frightened, and tried to disarm the wrath of the Thebans by\nsetting Pelopidas free, and sending him to meet the advancing army.\n\nOf course, Epaminondas was very glad to see his friend; but when he\nheard how cruelly Alexander treated all his subjects, he nevertheless\ncontinued his march northward, hoping to rid the country of such a bad\nruler.\n\nJust then the Spartans, in spite of their solemn promise, suddenly rose\nup in arms against the Thebans; and Epaminondas, leaving part of the\narmy in Thessaly with Pelopidas, hurried southward with the rest to put\ndown the revolt.\n\nPelopidas marched boldly northward, met the Thessalians, and fought a\nfierce battle. When it was over, the Thebans, although victorious, were\nvery sad; for their leader, Pelopidas, had been slain in the midst of\nthe fray.\n\nStill, undaunted by his death, the army pursued the Thessalians, and\nkilled Alexander. Then, to show their scorn for such a vile wretch, they\ndragged his body through the mud, and finally flung it out of a palace\nwindow into the courtyard, where it was torn to pieces by his own\nbloodhounds.\n\n\n\n\nLXXX. THE BATTLE OF MANTINEA.\n\n\nWhen Epaminondas heard that his friend Pelopidas was dead, he grieved\nsorely; but nevertheless, knowing that his country had need of him, he\nvigorously continued his preparations to meet and conquer the Spartan\narmy.\n\nThe battle promised to be hard fought; for while Epaminondas, the victor\nof Leuctra, led the Thebans, Agesilaus, the hero of countless battles,\nwas again at the head of the Spartan army. The Thebans pressed forward\nso eagerly, however, that the two armies met at Man-ti-ne'a, in the\ncentral part of the Peloponnesus.\n\nIn spite of Agesilaus' courage and experience, and the well-known\ndiscipline of the Spartan troops, the Thebans again won a splendid\nvictory over their foes. Their joy, however, was turned to mourning when\nthey heard that Epaminondas had been mortally wounded just as the battle\nwas drawing to an end.\n\nA spear had pierced his breast; and as he sank to the ground, some of\nhis followers caught him, bore him away tenderly in their arms, and\ncarefully laid him down under a tree on a neighboring hillside. As soon\nas he opened his eyes, he eagerly asked how the army was getting along.\n\nGently raising him so that he could see the battlefield, his friends\npointed out the Spartan army in full flight, and the Thebans masters of\nthe field. Epaminondas sank back with a sigh of relief, but soon roused\nhimself again to ask whether his shield were safe.\n\nIt was only when he had seen it that he would allow the doctors to\nexamine his wound. They found the head of a barbed spear sunk deep into\nhis breast, and said that it must be pulled out. Still they hesitated to\ndraw it out, for they feared that the rush of blood would kill him.\n\nEpaminondas, therefore, bade them leave it alone, although he was\nsuffering greatly; and then he called for his assistant generals, to\ngive them a few important orders. The friends standing around him sadly\ntold him that both had fallen in the battle, and could no longer execute\nhis commands. When Epaminondas heard this unwelcome news, he realized\nthat there was no one left who could replace him, and maintain the\nTheban supremacy: so he advised his fellow-countrymen to seize the\nfavorable opportunity to make peace with the Spartans.\n\nWhen he had thus done all in his power to provide for the future welfare\nof his native city, Epaminondas drew out the spear from his wound with\nhis own hand, for he saw that his friends were afraid to touch it.\n\nAs the doctors had foreseen, there was a great rush of blood, and they\nsoon saw that Epaminondas had only a few minutes to live. His friends\nwept over him, and one of them openly expressed his regret that\nEpaminondas left no children.\n\nThese words were heard by the dying hero, who opened his eyes once more,\nand gently said, \"Leuctra and Mantinea are daughters enough to keep my\nname alive!\"\n\nThis saying has proved true; for these two great victories are put down\nin every Greek history, and are never spoken of except in connection\nwith the noble general who won them in behalf of his country, and died\non the field when the last victory was secured.\n\nIn memory of Epaminondas, their greatest citizen and general, the\nThebans erected a monument on the battlefield, and engraved his name\nupon it, with an image of the dragon from whose teeth his ancestors had\nsprung.\n\nThe Thebans, remembering his dying wish, then proposed a peace, which\nwas gladly accepted by all the Greek states, for they were exhausted by\nthe almost constant warfare they had kept up during many years.\n\n\n\n\nLXXXI. THE TYRANT OF SYRACUSE.\n\n\nYou have seen what a cruel man Alexander was. He was not the only tyrant\nin those days, however; for the city of Syracuse in Sicily, which\nAlcibiades had hoped to conquer, was ruled by a man as harsh and mean as\nAlexander.\n\nThis tyrant, whose name was Di-o-nys'ius, had seized the power by force,\nand kept his authority by exercising the greatest severity. He was\nalways surrounded by guards, who at a mere sign from him were ready to\nput any one to death.\n\nDionysius was therefore feared and hated by the people whom he governed,\nbut who would have been very glad to get rid of him. No honest man cared\nto come near such a bloodthirsty wretch, and there were soon none but\nwicked men to be found in his court.\n\nThese men, hoping to win his favor and get rich gifts, used to flatter\nhim constantly. They never told him the truth, but only praised him, and\nmade believe to admire all he said and did.\n\nOf course, even though they were wicked too, they could not really\nadmire him, but secretly hated and despised him. Their praise,\ntherefore, was as false as they, and their advice was always as bad as\nbad could be.\n\nNow, Dionysius was as conceited as he was cruel, and fancied that there\nwas nothing he could not do. Among other things, he thought he could\nwrite beautiful poetry. Whenever he wrote a poem, therefore, he read it\naloud to all his courtiers, who went into raptures over it, although\nthey made great fun of it behind his back.\n\nDionysius was highly flattered by their praise, but thought he would\nlike to have it confirmed by the philosopher Phi-lox'e-nus, the most\nlearned man of Syracuse.\n\nHe therefore sent for Philoxenus, and bade him give his candid opinion\nof the verse. Now, Philoxenus was far too noble a man to tell a lie: and\nwhenever he was consulted by Dionysius, he always boldly told the\ntruth, whether it was agreeable or not.\n\nWhen the tyrant asked his opinion about the poems, therefore, he\nunhesitatingly answered that they were trash, and did not deserve the\nname of poetry at all.\n\nThis answer so angered Dionysius, and so sorely wounded his vanity, that\nhe called his guards, and bade them put the philosopher into a prison\nhewn out of the living rock, and hence known as \"The Quarries.\"\n\nHere Philoxenus was a prisoner for many a day, although his only fault\nwas having told the tyrant an unwelcome truth when asked to speak.\n\nThe philosopher's friends were indignant on hearing that he was in\nprison, and signed a petition asking Dionysius to set him free. The\ntyrant read the petition, and promised to grant their request on\ncondition that the philosopher would sup with him.\n\nDionysius' table was well decked, as usual, and at dessert he again read\naloud some new verses which he had composed. All the courtiers went into\necstasies over them, but Philoxenus did not say a word.\n\nDionysius, however, fancied that his long imprisonment had broken his\nspirit, and that he would not now dare refuse to give a few words of\npraise: so he pointedly asked Philoxenus what he thought of the poem.\nInstead of answering, the philosopher gravely turned toward the guards,\nand in a firm voice cried aloud, \"Take me back to The Quarries!\" thus\nshowing very plainly that he preferred suffering to telling an untruth.\n\nThe courtiers were aghast at his rashness, and fully expected that the\ntyrant would take him at his word and put him in prison, if nothing\nworse; but Dionysius was struck by the moral courage which made\nPhiloxenus tell the truth at the risk of his life, and he bade him go\nhome in peace.\n\n\n\n\nLXXXII. STORY OF DAMON AND PYTHIAS.\n\n\nThere lived in those days in Syracuse two young men called Da'mon and\nPyth'i-as. They were very good friends, and loved each other so dearly\nthat they were hardly ever seen apart.\n\nNow, it happened that Pythias in some way roused the anger of the\ntyrant, who put him in prison, and condemned him to die in a few days.\nWhen Damon heard of it, he was in despair, and vainly tried to obtain\nhis friend's pardon and release.\n\nThe mother of Pythias was very old, and lived far away from Syracuse\nwith her daughter. When the young man heard that he was to die, he was\ntormented by the thought of leaving the women alone. In an interview\nwith his friend Damon, Pythias regretfully said that he would die easier\nhad he only been able to bid his mother good-by and find a protector for\nhis sister.\n\nDamon, anxious to gratify his friend's last wish, went into the presence\nof the tyrant, and proposed to take the place of Pythias in prison, and\neven on the cross, if need be, provided the latter were allowed to visit\nhis relatives once more.\n\nDionysius had heard of the young men's touching friendship, and hated\nthem both merely because they were good; yet he allowed them to change\nplaces, warning them both, however, that, if Pythias were not back in\ntime, Damon would have to die in his stead.\n\nAt first Pythias refused to allow his friend to take his place in\nprison, but finally he consented, promising to be back in a few days to\nrelease him. So Pythias hastened home, found a husband for his sister,\nand saw her safely married. Then, after providing for his mother and\nbidding her farewell, he set out to return to Syracuse.\n\nThe young man was traveling alone and on foot. He soon fell into the\nhands of thieves, who bound him fast to a tree; and it was only after\nhours of desperate struggling that he managed to wrench himself free\nonce more, and sped along his way.\n\nHe was running as hard as he could to make up for lost time, when he\ncame to the edge of a stream. He had crossed it easily a few days\nbefore; but a sudden spring freshet had changed it into a raging\ntorrent, which no one else would have ventured to enter.\n\nIn spite of the danger, Pythias plunged into the water, and, nerved by\nthe fear that his friend would die in his stead, he fought the waves so\nsuccessfully that he reached the other side safe but almost exhausted.\n\nRegardless of his pains, Pythias pressed anxiously onward, although his\nroad now lay across a plain, where the hot rays of the sun and the\nburning sands greatly increased his fatigue and faintness, and almost\nmade him die of thirst. Still he sped onward as fast as his trembling\nlimbs could carry him; for the sun was sinking fast, and he knew that\nhis friend would die if he were not in Syracuse by sunset.\n\n[Illustration: Damon and Pythias.]\n\nDionysius, in the mean while, had been amusing himself by taunting\nDamon, constantly telling him that he was a fool to have risked his life\nfor a friend, however dear. To anger him, he also insisted that Pythias\nwas only too glad to escape death, and would be very careful not to\nreturn in time.\n\nDamon, who knew the goodness and affection of his friend, received these\nremarks with the scorn they deserved, and repeated again and again that\nhe knew Pythias would never break his word, but would be back in time,\nunless hindered in some unforeseen way.\n\nThe last hour came. The guards led Damon to the place of crucifixion,\nwhere he again asserted his faith in his friend, adding, however, that\nhe sincerely hoped Pythias would come too late, so that he might die in\nhis stead.\n\nJust as the guards were about to nail Damon to the cross, Pythias dashed\nup, pale, bloodstained, and disheveled, and flung his arms around his\nfriend's neck with a sob of relief. For the first time Damon now turned\npale, and began to shed tears of bitter regret.\n\nIn a few hurried, panting words, Pythias explained the cause of his\ndelay, and, loosing his friend's bonds with his own hands, bade the\nguards bind him instead.\n\nDionysius, who had come to see the execution, was so touched by this\ntrue friendship, that for once he forgot his cruelty, and let both young\nmen go free, saying that he would not have believed such devotion\npossible had he not seen it with his own eyes.\n\nThis friendship, which wrung tears from the grim executioners, and\ntouched the tyrant's heart, has become proverbial. When men are devoted\nfriends, they are often compared to Damon and Pythias, whose story has\nbeen a favorite with poets and playwrights.\n\n\n\n\nLXXXIII. THE SWORD OF DAMOCLES.\n\n\nDionysius, tyrant of Syracuse, was not happy, in spite of all his wealth\nand power. He was especially haunted by the constant fear that some one\nwould murder him, for he had been so cruel that he had made many bitter\nenemies.\n\nWe are told that he was so afraid, that he never went out unless\nsurrounded by guards, sword in hand, and never walked into any room\nuntil his servants had examined every nook and corner, and made sure\nthat no murderer was hiding there.\n\nThe tyrant even carried his caution so far, that no one was allowed to\ncome into his presence until thoroughly searched, so as to make sure\nthat the visitor had no weapon hidden about his person. When his barber\nonce jokingly said that the tyrant's life was daily at his mercy,\nDionysius would no longer allow the man to shave him.\n\nInstead of the barber, Dionysius made his wife and daughter do this\nservice for him, until, growing afraid of them also, he either did it\nhimself or let his beard grow.\n\nSuspicious people are never happy; and, as Dionysius thought that\neverybody had as evil thoughts as himself, he was always expecting\nothers to rob or murder or injure him in some way.\n\nHis sleep, even, was haunted by fear; and, lest some one should take him\nunawares, he slept in a bed surrounded by a deep trench. There was a\ndrawbridge leading to the bed, which he always drew up himself on his\nown side, so that no one could get at him to murder him in his sleep.\n\nAmong the courtiers who daily visited Dionysius there was one called\nDam'o-cles. He was a great flatterer, and was never weary of telling the\ntyrant how lucky and powerful and rich he was, and how enviable was his\nlot.\n\nDionysius finally grew tired of hearing his flattery; and when he once\nadded, \"If I were only obeyed as well as you, I should be the happiest\nof men,\" the tyrant offered to take him at his word.\n\nBy his order, Damocles was dressed in the richest garments, laid on the\nsoftest couch before the richest meal, and the servants were told to\nobey his every wish. This pleased Damocles greatly. He laughed and sang,\nate and drank, and was enjoying himself most thoroughly.\n\nBy chance he idly gazed up at the ceiling, and saw a naked sword hanging\nby a single hair directly over his head. He grew pale with terror, the\nlaughter died on his lips, and, as soon as he could move, he sprang from\nthe couch, where he had been in such danger of being killed at any\nminute by the falling sword.\n\nDionysius with pretended surprise urged him to go back to his seat; but\nDamocles refused to do so, and pointed to the sword with a trembling\nhand. Then the tyrant told him that a person always haunted by fear can\nnever be truly happy,--an explanation which Damocles readily understood.\n\nSince then, whenever a seemingly happy and prosperous person is\nthreatened by a hidden danger, it has been usual to compare him to\nDamocles, and to say that a sword is hanging over his head.\n\n\n\n\nLXXXIV. DION AND DIONYSIUS.\n\n\nWhen Dionysius the tyrant died at last, he was succeeded by his son, a\nlazy, good-for-nothing young man, who was always changing his mind.\nEvery day he had some new fancy, admired something new, or rode some new\nhobby. As the son's name was the same as the father's, the latter is now\nsometimes known as Dionysius the Elder, while the son is generally\ncalled Dionysius the Younger.\n\nThe new tyrant had a brother-in-law named Di'on, a good and studious\nman, who had received an excellent education. Like most rich young\nGreeks of his day, Dion had gone to Athens to finish his studies; and\nthere he had been a pupil of Plato, the disciple of Socrates.\n\nAs Dion was modest, truthful, and eager to learn, he soon became a\nfavorite of Plato, who took great interest in him, and spared no pains\nto make him a fine scholar and philosopher.\n\nWhen Dion came back to Syracuse, he often spoke with great warmth of\nhis teacher. This so excited the curiosity of Dionysius, the new tyrant,\nthat he longed to see Plato himself. He therefore begged Dion to invite\nPlato to Syracuse to teach him also.\n\nThe young man was very glad to do so. He hoped, that, under the\nphilosopher's wise teachings, Dionysius would learn to be good and\nindustrious, and thus become a blessing instead of a curse to his\npeople. But Plato was already an old man, and answered that he could not\nundertake so long a journey at his advanced age.\n\nDion then wrote again such imploring letters, that the philosopher\nfinally decided to change his mind, and set sail for Syracuse. There he\nwas received at the shore by Dionysius in person, and escorted to the\npalace.\n\nFor a short time the tyrant listened with great pleasure to the\nphilosopher's teachings. Then, growing weary of virtue as of everything\nelse, he suddenly began to reproach Dion for bringing such a tiresome\nperson to court.\n\nAll the courtiers had pretended to listen to Plato's teaching with the\ngreatest interest; but they liked feasting better than philosophy, and\nnow began to make fun of the great Athenian, and to turn him into\nridicule.\n\nThey were so afraid that the virtuous Dion would again win their fickle\nmaster's ear, and induce him to do something really useful and\nreasonable, that they made up their minds to get rid of him.\n\nBy artful slander they soon made Dionysius believe that his\nbrother-in-law was a traitor, and that his only wish was to take the\npower, and become tyrant of Syracuse in his stead.\n\nNow, these accusations were not true; but Dionysius believed them, and\nsent Dion into exile, forbidding his wife, who loved him dearly, to go\nwith him, and even forcing her to take another husband instead.\n\nThe courtiers wished to revenge themselves for the weary hours they had\nspent listening to Plato's beautiful talk, which they were too base to\nunderstand, so they now said that he had helped Dion; and they had him\nfirst put into prison, and then sold into slavery.\n\nHappily, there were some of the philosopher's friends in town; and they,\nhearing of this outrage, knew no rest until they had bought his freedom,\nand sent him back to Athens to end his life in peace.\n\nOn his way home, Plato stopped at Olympia to attend the games. As soon\nas the people found out that he was there, they shouted for joy; and one\nand all voted him a crown just like those won by the victors in the\ngames.\n\nThis was the highest honor the Greeks could bestow; and, although it was\nnothing but a wreath of olive leaves, you may be sure that the\nphilosopher prized it more highly than if it had been of pure gold,\nbecause it was a token of the love and respect of his countrymen.\n\n\n\n\nLXXXV. CIVIL WAR IN SYRACUSE.\n\n\nWhen Dion was exiled from Syracuse by Dionysius, he went to Greece,\nwhere he was unhappy only because he could not see the wife and child he\nloved so dearly.\n\nWhen he heard that the tyrant had forced his wife to belong to another\nhusband, he vowed he would punish Dionysius for this crime. Plato vainly\ntried to persuade Dion not to return to Syracuse. The young man refused\nto listen to his advice, and, gathering together a small army, he set\nsail without delay.\n\nHe landed boldly, although he was an exile, and was welcomed with great\njoy by all the people, who were very weary of their ruler. When he told\nthem that he had come to punish the tyrant, they all joined him, and\nmarched with him up to the palace.\n\nAs Dionysius was out of town at the time, they had no trouble whatever\nin getting into the royal dwelling. This was hastily deserted by the\ntyrant's few friends, who took refuge in the citadel.\n\nSome time after, when Dionysius came back to the city, he found the\nharbor blocked by a great chain stretched across it to prevent the\nentrance of any ship; and he was forced to retreat into the citadel,\nwhere the angry Syr-a-cus'ans came to besiege him.\n\nNow, Dion had a great many friends, and, as everybody knew that he was\ntruthful and well-meaning, the people all fought on his side. He was so\nstrict with himself, however, that he treated his subjects also with\ngreat rigor, and exacted such obedience and virtue that they soon grew\nweary of his reign.\n\nThen, too, while he was always ready to reward the good, Dion punished\nthe wicked with such severity that he soon made many enemies. One of\nthese was the courtier Her-a-cli'des, who, instead of showing his\ndislike openly, began to plot against him in secret.\n\nDionysius, besieged in the citadel, was in sore straits by this time,\nand almost dying of hunger; for the Syracusans, afraid that he would\nescape, had built a wall all around the citadel, and watched it night\nand day, to prevent any one from going in or out, or smuggling in any\nfood.\n\nAs Dionysius had no army, and could not win back his throne by force, he\nmade up his mind to do so, if possible, by a trick. He therefore wrote a\nletter, in which he offered Dion the tyranny in exchange for his\nfreedom. This message was worded so cleverly that it sounded as if Dion\nhad asked to be made tyrant of Syracuse.\n\n\n\n\nLXXXVI. DEATH OF DION.\n\n\nNow, after suffering so much under Dionysius and his father, the\nSyracusans had learned to hate the very name of tyrant; and ever since\nDion had come into the city, and taken the lead, they had loudly said\nthey would never stand such a ruler again.\n\nAs soon as the letter was ended, Dionysius tied it to a stone, and threw\nit over the wall. Of course, it was carried to Dion, who read it aloud,\nlittle suspecting its contents, or the effect it would produce upon his\nfollowers.\n\nThe people began to frown and look angry, and Heraclides boldly seized\nthis opportunity to poison their minds against Dion. He urged them to\ndrive their new leader out of the city, and to give the command of the\narmy to him instead.\n\nThe people, ever ready for a change, gladly listened to this advice,\nand, after banishing Dion, made Heraclides their chief. Dionysius\ncleverly managed to escape from the citadel; and his general, Nyp'sius,\nonly then becoming aware of the revolution, took his place there, and by\na sudden sally won back the greater part of the city.\n\nAs Heraclides was taken by surprise at this move, and greatly feared the\nwrath of Dionysius, he now wrote to Dion, begging him to come back and\nsave those who had upheld him.\n\nThe appeal was not made in vain. Dion generously forgave the treachery\nof Heraclides, and, marching into the city once more, drove Nypsius back\ninto the citadel, where this general died.\n\nThe people of Syracuse were ashamed of having so suddenly turned against\nDion after their first warm welcome to him, and they now fell at his\nfeet, begging his pardon, which he freely granted to them all.\n\nIn spite of this kindness, which they had not deserved, Heraclides and\nmany others went on plotting secretly against Dion, until his friends,\nweary of such double dealing, put Heraclides to death.\n\nDion was sorry for this, reproved his friends for committing such a\ncrime, and said that he knew the Syracusans would in time lay the murder\nat his door, and try to punish him for it.\n\nHe was right in thinking thus, for the friends of Heraclides soon began\nplotting against him; and, entering his country house one day when he\nwas alone, they fell upon him and killed him.\n\nAs soon as Dionysius heard that Dion was dead, he hastened back to\nSyracuse, where he ruled more cruelly than ever, and put so many people\nto death that the citizens rose up against him once more. With the help\nof a Co-rin'thi-an army, they then freed their city, and sent Dionysius\nto Corinth, where he was forced to earn his living by teaching school.\n\n[Illustration: The people all hooted.]\n\nAs Dionysius was a cross and unkind teacher, the children would neither\nlove nor obey him; and whenever he passed down the street, clad in a\nrough mantle instead of a jewel-covered robe, the people all hooted, and\nmade great fun of him.\n\n\n\n\nLXXXVII. PHILIP OF MACEDON.\n\n\nIn the days when Thebes was the strongest city in Greece, and when\nEpaminondas was the leader in his native country, he received in his\nhouse a young Mac-e-do'-ni-an prince called Philip. This young man had\nbeen sent to Greece as a hostage, and was brought up under the eye of\nEpaminondas. The Theban hero got the best teachers for Philip, who was\nthus trained with great care, and became not only quite learned, but\nalso brave and strong.\n\nMac'e-don, Philip's country, was north of Greece, and its rulers spoke\nGreek and were of Greek descent; but, as the people of Macedon were not\nof the same race, the Greeks did not like them, and never allowed them\nto send any one to the Amphictyonic Council.\n\nTwo years after the battle of Mantinea, when Philip was eighteen years\nold, he suddenly learned that the king, his brother, was dead, and had\nleft an infant to take his place. Philip knew that a child could not\ngovern: so he escaped from Thebes, where he was not very closely\nwatched, and made his way to Macedon.\n\nArriving there, he offered to rule in his little nephew's stead. The\npeople were very glad indeed to accept his services; and when they found\nthat the child was only half-witted, they formally offered the crown of\nMacedon to Philip.\n\nNow, although Macedon was a very small country, Philip no sooner became\nking than he made up his mind to place it at the head of all the Greek\nstates, and make it the foremost kingdom of the world.\n\nThis was a very ambitious plan; and in order to carry it out, Philip\nknew that he would need a good army. He therefore began to train his\nmen, and, remembering how successful Epaminondas had been, he taught\nthem to fight as the Thebans had fought at Leuctra and Mantinea.\n\nThen, instead of drawing up his soldiers in one long line of battle, he\nformed them into a solid body,--an arrangement which soon became known\nas the Macedonian phalanx.\n\nEach soldier in the phalanx had a large shield, and carried a spear. As\nsoon as the signal for battle was given, the men locked their shields\ntogether so as to form a wall, and stood in ranks one behind the other.\n\nThe first row of soldiers had short spears, and the fourth and last rows\nvery long ones. The weapons of the other rows were of medium length, so\nthat they all stuck out beyond the first soldiers, and formed a\nbristling array of points which no one dared meet.\n\nPhilip not only trained his army so as to have well-drilled soldiers\nready, but also found and began to work some gold mines in his kingdom.\nAs they yielded much precious metal, he soon became one of the richest\nmen of his time.\n\nThis wealth proved very useful, for it helped him to hire a great force\nof soldiers, and also to buy up a number of allies. In fact, Philip soon\nfound that his gold was even more useful than his army, and he was in\nthe habit of saying that \"a fortress can always be taken if only a mule\nladen with gold can be got inside.\"\n\nPhilip was so kind and just that he soon won the love of all his\nsubjects. It is said that he listened to the complaints of the poor and\nhumble with as much patience as to those of his noblest courtiers.\n\nOnce, after dining heavily and drinking too much, Philip was suddenly\ncalled upon to try the case of a poor widow. As the king's head was not\nvery clear, he was not able to judge as well as usual: so he soon said\nthat she was in the wrong, and should be punished.\n\nThe woman, who knew that she was right, was very angry; and, as the\nguards were dragging her away, she daringly cried, \"I appeal!\"\n\n\"Appeal?\" asked Philip, in a mocking tone, \"and to whom?\"\n\n\"I appeal from Philip drunk to Philip sober!\" replied the woman.\n\nThese words made such an impression upon Philip, that he said he would\ntry the case again on the next day, when his head was quite clear. He\ndid not forget his promise on the morrow; and when he found that the\nwoman was right, he punished her accuser, and set her free.\n\n\n\n\nLXXXVIII. PHILIP BEGINS HIS CONQUESTS.\n\n\nAs we have already seen, when Philip found himself in the wrong, he was\nnot afraid to admit his mistake, and to try to do better. He was also\nvery patient and forgiving. On one occasion he heard that a man named\nNi-ca'nor was always speaking ill of him.\n\nHe therefore sent for the man, who came in fear and trembling, thinking\nthat the king would either imprison or slay him. Philip, however,\nreceived him kindly, made him sit at his own table, and let him go only\nafter giving him many rich gifts. As the king had not found fault with\nhim in any way, Nicanor was greatly surprised, and vowed that he would\nnot speak another word against so generous a man.\n\nAs soon as Philip had made sure of his authority at home, drilled his\narmy, and piled up enough gold, he began to carry out his bold plans.\nFirst of all, he wished to subdue a few of his most unruly neighbors,\nsuch as the Thracians and O-lyn'thi-ans.\n\nAn archer named As'ter came to him just before he began this war. This\nman offered his help to the king, and began to boast how well he could\nshoot. Philip, who believed only in spears for fighting, sent the man\naway, after saying that he would call for his help when he began to war\nagainst starlings and other birds.\n\nThis answer made Aster so angry that he went over to the enemy and\nenlisted in their ranks. Philip soon came to besiege the city where\nAster was stationed; and as soon as the archer heard of it, he got an\narrow upon which he wrote, \"To Philip's left eye.\"\n\nAster then went up on the wall, took careful aim, and actually put out\nthe king's left eye. Philip was so angry when he heard of the writing on\nthe arrow, that he ordered another shot into the city. On this arrow was\nwritten, \"If Philip takes the city, he will hang Aster.\"\n\nThe city was taken, and the archer hung; for Philip always prided\nhimself upon keeping promises of this kind. The Olynthians, finding that\nthey would not be able to resist long, now wrote a letter to the\nAthenians, begging them to come to their rescue.\n\nThe Athenians read the letter in the public square, so that every one\ncould hear it, and then began to discuss whether they should send any\nhelp. As was always the case, some were for, and others against, the\nplan, and there was much talking. Among the best speakers of the city\nwas the orator De-mos'the-nes, a very clear-sighted man, who suspected\nPhilip's designs. He therefore warmly advised the Athenians to do all\nthey could to oppose the Macedonian king, so as to prevent his ever\ngetting a foothold in Greece. Indeed, he spoke so eloquently and\nseverely against Philip, and told the people so plainly that the king\nwas already plotting to harm them, that violent speeches directed\nagainst any one have ever since been called \"Philippics,\" like these\norations against the King of Macedon.\n\n\n\n\nLXXXIX. THE ORATOR DEMOSTHENES.\n\n\nAs you have seen in the last chapter, Philip had one great enemy in\nGreece, the orator Demosthenes. He had distrusted Philip from the very\nfirst, and had kept warning the Athenians that the King of Macedon was\nvery ambitious, and would soon try to become master of all Greece. When\nthe Olynthians asked for aid, he had warmly urged the Athenians to give\nit, saying that they ought to bring on the conflict with Philip as soon\nas possible, so that the fighting might be done outside of Greece. In\nspite of his good arguments, however, Demosthenes failed.\n\n[Illustration: Demosthenes.]\n\nPhilip took not only O-lyn'thus, but all the towns which formed the\nOlynthian union, and destroyed them so completely that a few years later\none could not even find out where these once prosperous cities had been.\n\nDemosthenes made three very fine speeches in favor of the Olynthians,\nand several against Philip. These were written down, and have been\ntranslated time and again. You may some day read and admire them for\nyourselves.\n\nOf course, when Philip heard of Demosthenes' speeches, he was very\nangry; but he thought that his gold could do wonders, so he sent a\nbeautiful cup of that precious metal to the orator. The gift was\naccepted; still Demosthenes, instead of remaining silent as Philip had\nexpected, went on talking against him as openly as before.\n\nAs Demosthenes was such a great man, you will like to hear how he\nlearned to speak so well. He was an orphan, but very ambitious indeed.\nHe saw how eagerly the Athenians listened to the best speakers, and he\nthought that he too would like to become an orator.\n\nUnfortunately, he could not talk very plainly, and instead of listening\nto him, even his playmates made fun of him. But instead of crying,\nsulking, or getting angry, Demosthenes sensibly made up his mind to\nlearn how to speak so well that they could no longer laugh at him. He\ntherefore learned a great deal of poetry, which he recited daily as\ndistinctly as possible. To be able to do this without attracting any\nattention, he used to go down to a lonely spot on the seashore, where he\nwould put some pebbles in his mouth, and then try to recite so loud that\nhis voice could be heard above the noise of the waves.\n\nTo make his lungs strong, he used to walk and run up hill, reciting as\nhe went; and, in order to form a pleasant style, he copied nine times\nthe works of the great Greek historian Thu-cyd'i-des.\n\nWhen a young man, he shut himself up in the house to study hard. Then,\nas he was afraid of being tempted to go out and amuse himself, he shaved\none side of his head, and let the hair grow long on the other.\n\nYou see, he was bound to succeed, and his constant trying was duly\nrewarded, as it always is. He became learned, eloquent, and energetic;\nand whenever he rose to speak in the public places of Athens, he was\nsurrounded by an admiring crowd, who listened open-mouthed to all he\nsaid.\n\nThe Athenians were too lazy at this time, however, to bestir themselves\nvery much, even for their own good. So, in spite of all that Demosthenes\ncould say, they did not offer any great resistance to Philip, who little\nby little became a very powerful king.\n\n\n\n\nXC. PHILIP MASTERS GREECE.\n\n\nWhen Philip had entirely subdued the Thracians and Olynthians, he helped\nthe Thessalians to get rid of their tyrant; and, adding their cavalry to\nhis infantry, he boasted of as fine an army as the Greeks had ever been\nable to muster. He was very anxious to find a pretext to march into\nGreece at the head of this force, because he thought that, once there,\nhe would soon manage to become master of all the towns. And the excuse\nfor which he longed so much soon came.\n\nA contest known as the Sacred War was going on in Greece at that time.\nIt had arisen because the Pho'cians had taken possession of lands that\nwere left waste in honor of the god Apollo. The Amphictyonic Council\nsaid they should pay a fine for this offense; and the Phocians, angry at\nbeing thus publicly reproved, defied the council.\n\nTo show how little they intended to obey, they not only kept the land\nthey had taken, but robbed the temple at Delphi. Then they used the\nmoney thus obtained to win over some allies, and soon began to make war\nagainst the people who obeyed the council.\n\nThe loyal Greeks fought against the Phocians for a long time, but were\nunable to conquer them: so Philip proposed to come and help the council.\nIn their anxiety to win in this war, the Greeks gladly allowed him to\nbring his army into their country, and he soon completely subdued the\nrebels.\n\nIn reward for his help, Philip was made president of the council,--a\nposition he had long coveted,--and leader of the Pyth'i-an games held in\nhonor of Apollo.\n\nWhen the war was ended, Philip quietly went back to Macedon. He was,\nhowever, merely waiting for a favorable opportunity to reenter Greece,\nand punish the Athenians for listening to Demosthenes' speeches against\nhim.\n\nIn the mean while, Philip's gold had been very busy, and he was buying\nup as many friends and allies as he could. Many of his gifts had the\ndesired effect, and were not like the gold cup which he sent to\nDemosthenes. This, you know, had wholly failed in its purpose, for the\norator went on talking more eloquently than ever against the Macedonian\nking.\n\nHe finally roused the Athenians to the point of arming to meet Philip,\nwhen they heard that he was really coming at last to make himself master\nof Greece. Their allies, the Thebans, joined them; and the two armies\nmet at Chaer-o-ne'a, in Boeotia, where a terrible battle was fought.\n\nDemosthenes had joined the army; but as he was no soldier, and was not\nvery brave, he fled at the very first onset. Dashing through the bushes,\nhe was suddenly stopped by some spiky branches that caught in his cloak\nand held him fast. The orator was so frightened that he thought the\nenemy had captured him, and, falling upon his knees, he began to beg\nthat his life might be spared.\n\nWhile Demosthenes was thus flying madly, his friends and fellow-citizens\nwere bravely meeting the Macedonians; but, in spite of all their\ncourage, they were soon forced to yield to the Macedonian phalanx, and\nthe battlefield was left strewn with their dead.\n\nAlexander, Philip's son, who was then only eighteen years of age,\ncommanded one wing of his father's army, and had the glory of completely\ncrushing the Sacred Battalion of the Thebans, which had never before\nbeen beaten.\n\nThis brilliant victory at Chaeronea made Philip really master of all\nGreece; but he generously refrained from making the Athenians recognize\nhim openly as their lord, although he made their government do whatever\nhe pleased.\n\nAs Greece was now obedient to him, the ambitious Philip began to plan\nthe conquest of Asia and the downfall of the Persian Empire. To get as\nlarge an army as possible, he invited all the Greeks to join him,\nartfully reminding them of all they had suffered at the hands of the\nPersians in the past.\n\nHis preparations were nearly finished, and he was on the point of\nstarting for Asia, when he was murdered by Pausanias, one of his\nsubjects, whom he had treated very unkindly.\n\n\n\n\nXCI. BIRTH OF ALEXANDER.\n\n\nWhen Philip died, he was succeeded by his son Alexander, a young man of\ntwenty, who had already earned a good name by leading part of the army\nat the battle of Chaeronea. His efforts, as you know, had defeated the\nSacred Battalion of the Thebans, and helped much to secure the victory.\n\nThrough his mother, O-lym'pi-as, Alexander was a descendant of Achilles,\nthe well-known hero of the Trojan War. He was born at Pel'la, a city of\nMacedon, three hundred and fifty-six years before Christ. His father was\nso pleased to have a son, that he said that all the boys born in his\nkingdom on the same day should be brought up with Alexander in the\npalace, and become his bodyguard.\n\nThus you see the young prince had plenty of playmates; and, as there\nwas nothing he liked better than fighting, he soon began to play\nsoldiers, and to train his little regiment.\n\nFrom the very first, the Macedonians had declared that Alexander was\nborn to greatness, and several noted events that took place on the day\nof his birth served to confirm this belief.\n\nIn the first place, Par-me'ni-o, Philip's general, won a grand victory\non that day; then Philip's horses, which had been sent to Olympia, got\nthe prize at the chariot races; and, lastly, the famous temple at\nEphesus, dedicated to Diana, was burned to the ground.\n\nThe first two events were joyful in the extreme; but the burning of\nthis temple, which was among the wonders of the world, was a great\ncalamity. Every one was anxious to know how it had happened; and all\nwere very angry when they found out that it was not an accident, but had\nbeen done on purpose.\n\nThe man who had set fire to it was crazy. His name was E-ros'tra-tus;\nand when he was asked why he had done such a wicked thing, he said that\nit was only to make his name immortal. The people were so indignant,\nthat they not only condemned him to die, but forbade all mention of his\nname, hoping that it would be forgotten.\n\nIn spite of this care, Erostratus' name has come down to us. It is\nimmortal indeed, but who except a crazy man would wish to win such fame,\nand could bear to think that all who ever heard of him would condemn his\naction, and consider him as wicked as he was insane?\n\nAlexander was first given over to the care of a nurse. He loved her\ndearly as long as he lived, and her son Cly'tus was always one of his\nbest friends and most faithful comrades.\n\nAs soon as he was old enough, Alexander began to learn the Iliad and\nOdyssey by heart; and he loved to hear about the principal heroes, and\nespecially about his own ancestor, Achilles.\n\nHe admired these poems so much that he carried a copy of them with him\nwherever he went, and always slept with it under his pillow. Both the\nIliad and the Odyssey were kept in a box of the finest gold, because\nAlexander thought nothing was too good for them.\n\n\n\n\nXCII. THE STEED BUCEPHALUS.\n\n\nWhen only thirteen years of age, Alexander once saw some horsedealers\nbringing a beautiful steed before the king. The animal had a white spot\non his nose shaped somewhat like the head of an ox, and on this account\nwas named Bu-ceph'a-lus, which means \"ox-head.\"\n\nPhilip admired the horse greatly, and bade the grooms try him, to see if\nhis gait was good. One after another mounted, only to be thrown a few\nminutes later by the fiery, restless steed, which was becoming very much\nexcited.\n\nThe horse seemed so skittish that Philip finally told the men to lead\nhim away, adding that a man would be foolish to purchase such a useless\nanimal. Alexander then stepped forward and begged permission to try him.\n\nHis father first made fun of him for asking to mount a horse which none\nof the grooms could manage; but, as Alexander persisted in his wish, he\nwas finally allowed to make the attempt.\n\nThe young prince then quietly walked up to the excited horse, took the\nbridle, held it firmly, and began to speak gently and pat the steed's\narched neck. After a moment, Alexander led Bucephalus forward a few\nsteps, and then turned him around, for he had noticed that the horse was\nfrightened by his shadow.\n\nThen, when the shadow lay where he could not see it, and where it could\nno longer frighten him, the young man dropped his cloak quietly, and\nvaulted upon the horse's back. Once more Bucephalus reared, pranced,\nkicked, and ran; but Alexander sat firmly on his back, spoke to him\ngently, and, making no effort to hold him in, let him speed across the\nplain.\n\n[Illustration: Alexander and Bucephalus.]\n\nIn a few moments the horse's wildness was over, and Alexander could ride\nback to his proud father, sitting upon a steed which obeyed his\nslightest touch.\n\nPhilip was so delighted with the coolness, courage, and good\nhorsemanship that Alexander had shown on this occasion, that he made him\na present of the steed. Bucephalus became Alexander's favorite mount,\nand, while he would allow no one else to ride him, he obeyed his master\nperfectly.\n\nAlthough most young men began the study of philosophy only at sixteen,\nAlexander was placed under the tuition of Ar'is-totle soon after his\nfirst ride on Bucephalus. This philosopher was a pupil of Plato. He was\nso learned and well known, that Philip, in writing to him to tell him of\nAlexander's birth, expressed his pleasure that the gods had allowed his\nson to live in the same age with so great a teacher.\n\nAlexander loved Aristotle dearly, and willingly learned all that was\nrequired of him. He often said that he was very grateful, for this\nphilosopher had taught him all the good he knew. Alexander's remarkable\ncoolness, judgment, and perseverance were largely owing to his teacher,\nand, had he always followed Aristotle's advice, he would have been truly\ngreat.\n\nBut although Alexander did not always practice the virtues which\nAristotle had tried to teach him, he never forgot his old tutor. He gave\nhim large sums of money, so that the philosopher could continue his\nstudies, and find out new things; and during his journeys he always sent\nhim complete collections of the animals and plants of the regions he\nvisited.\n\n\n\n\nXCIII. ALEXANDER AS KING.\n\n\nPhilip, King of Macedon, as we have seen, had one great fault. He drank;\nand often his reason was clouded, and his step unsteady. Now, it is\nimpossible to respect a man who is drunk, and everybody used to make fun\nof Philip when he was in that state.\n\nEven Alexander, his own son, felt great contempt for him when he thus\ndisgraced himself; and once when he saw his father stagger and fall\nafter one of his orgies, he scornfully exclaimed, \"See! here is a man\nwho is getting ready to cross from Europe to Asia, and yet he cannot\nstep safely from one couch to another.\"\n\nAlexander, we are told, was greatly displeased by his father's\nconquests, and once angrily cried that if Philip really beat the\nPersians, and took possession of Asia, there would be nothing left for\nhim to do.\n\nYou may readily imagine, therefore, that he was not very sorry when his\nfather died before the expedition could be undertaken; for he thus\nbecame, at twenty, master of an immense army and of great riches, and\nhead of all the Greek cities, which were then the finest in the world.\n\nThe news of Philip's death was received with great joy by the Athenians\nalso, who thought they would now be free. Demosthenes, in particular,\nwas so glad to be rid of his hated foe, that he ran all through the city\nwith a crown of flowers on his head, shaking hands with everybody he\nmet, and shouting his congratulations.\n\nHis joy was so great, because he and all his fellow-citizens fancied\nthat a mere boy like Alexander would never be able to hold his own, and\nbecause they hoped to become again the leading people of Greece.\n\nThe Thracians, who also thought that Alexander would not be able to\ncarry out his father's plans, now revolted, and the young king was\nobliged to begin his reign by marching against them.\n\nThree months passed. The Greeks heard no news of Alexander or of his\narmy, and fancied that he had been defeated and killed. The Thebans,\nthinking the right moment had come, suddenly rose up, and said that they\nwould never again submit to the Macedonian yoke, but would stay free.\n\nThey soon had cause to repent of this rash talk. Alexander was not dead,\nbut had conquered the Thracians completely. Without stopping to rest, he\nnow marched straight down into Boeotia, and besieged and took Thebes.\nAll the inhabitants were either slain or sold into slavery, the walls\ntorn down, and not a single building was left standing, except the house\nof Pin'dar, a Greek poet, whose songs Alexander had always admired.\n\nThe other Greek cities, frightened by the terrible punishment of Thebes,\nsent messengers to the young king, offering not only to obey him as\ntheir chief, but also to supply all the men, money, and stores he\nwished for the expedition to Asia. Alexander graciously accepted all\nthese proposals, and then marched southward as far as Corinth.\n\n\n\n\nXCIV. ALEXANDER AND DIOGENES.\n\n\nEverybody bowed down before Alexander, and all looked at him with awe\nand respect, as he made his triumphant progress through Greece,--all\nexcept the sage Di-og'e-nes.\n\nThis man belonged to a class of philosophers who were called \"cynics,\"\nwhich means \"doglike,\" because, as some say, they did not care for the\nusual comforts of life.\n\nIt is said that Diogenes, the principal philosopher of this kind, chose\nas his home a great earthenware tub near the Temple of Ce'res. He wore a\nrough woolen cloak, summer and winter, as his only garment, and ate all\nhis food raw. His only utensil was a wooden bowl, out of which he drank.\n\nOne day, however, he saw a child drinking out of its hollow palm.\nDiogenes immediately threw away the bowl, saying he could do without\nluxury as well as the child; and he drank henceforth from his hand.\n\nAs you see, Diogenes was a very strange man. He prided himself upon\nalways telling the truth, and upon treating all men alike. Some of his\ndisciples once met him wandering about the streets with a lantern,\nanxiously peering into every nook and corner, and staring fixedly at\nevery person he met. When asked what he was looking for so carefully,\nyet apparently with so little hope, he bluntly answered, \"An honest\nman.\"\n\nAlexander had heard of this queer philosopher, and was anxious to see\nhim. He therefore went to the Temple of Ceres, escorted by all his\ncourtiers, on purpose to visit him. Diogenes was lying on the ground in\nfront of his tub, warming himself in the rays of the sun.\n\nAlexander, drawing near, stood between the philosopher and the sun, and\ntried to begin a conversation; but Diogenes gave surly answers, and\nseemed to pay little heed to his visitor.\n\nAt last the young king proudly remarked, \"I am Alexander the king!\"\n\n\"And I,\" replied the philosopher in exactly the same tone, \"am Diogenes\nthe cynic!\"\n\nAs he could win nothing but short or rude answers, Alexander was about\nto go away, but he first asked the sage if there was anything he could\ndo for him. \"Yes,\" snapped Diogenes; \"stand out of my sunshine!\"\n\nThe courtiers were shocked at this insolent behavior, and began to talk\nof the philosopher in a scornful tone as they were moving away.\nAlexander, overhearing them, soon stopped them by saying, \"If I were not\nAlexander, I should like to be Diogenes.\"\n\nBy this remark he wished them to understand, that, if he could not be\nmaster of all earthly things, he would rather despise them.\n\nStrange to relate, Alexander the king, and Diogenes the cynic, died on\nthe same night, and from the same cause. Diogenes died in his tub, after\na too plentiful supper from the raw leg of an ox; while Alexander\nbreathed his last in a Bab-y-lo'ni-an palace, after having eaten and\ndrunk to excess at a rich banquet.\n\n\n\n\nXCV. ALEXANDER'S BRILLIANT BEGINNING.\n\n\nAs soon as the Greek states had all been brought to a proper state of\nobedience, Alexander prepared to conquer Persia, although he had a force\nof only 34,500 men. These men were very well trained, however, and\npromised to be more powerful on the battlefield than the million\nwarriors of Xerxes.\n\nIn his joy at departing, Alexander made rich presents to everybody,\nuntil one of his advisers modestly reminded him that his treasure was\nnot boundless, and asked him what he would have left when he had given\naway all he owned.\n\n\"My hopes!\" answered Alexander proudly, for he expected to conquer not\nonly Persia and Asia Minor, but all the known world.\n\nWhile his army slowly made its way along the coast and across the\nHellespont, Alexander, attended by only a few followers, sailed straight\nfor Troy, the ancient Asiatic city.\n\nHe landed on the desert plain where the proud city had once stood,\nvisited all the scenes of the mighty conflict, and offered sacrifices on\nthe tomb of Achilles, while his friend He-phaes'ti-on did the same on\nthat of Patroclus.\n\nWhen this pious pilgrimage to the tomb of his ancestor was over,\nAlexander hastened to join the army, for he longed to do like the\nancient Greeks, and win a glorious victory.\n\nHis wishes were soon granted, for before long he met the Persian army\nnear the Gra-ni'cus River, where a terrible battle was fought. Alexander\nhimself joined in the fighting, and would certainly have been killed had\nnot his friend Clytus, the son of his old nurse, rushed to his rescue\nand saved his life.\n\nIn spite of the size of the Persian army, which was much larger than his\nown, Alexander won a complete victory at the Granicus. Then, marching\nsouthward, he took the cities of Sardis and Ephesus without striking\nanother blow. These towns were very rich, and offered of their own free\nwill to pay him the same tribute that they had given to the Persians.\n\nAlexander, however, would not take it, but bade them use the money to\nrebuild the Temple of Diana, which had been burned to the ground on the\nnight he was born. As the sacred image of the goddess had been saved,\nthe E-phe'sians gladly built a second magnificent shrine, which was\nvisited many years later by Paul, the disciple of Christ.\n\nFrom Sardis and Ephesus, Alexander marched on into the province of\nCa'ri-a. Here the queen of the country warmly welcomed him, adopted him\nas her son, and even proposed to give him her best cooks, so that they\nmight prepare his food for him on the march.\n\nAlexander thanked her heartily for this kind offer, but declined it,\nsaying that his tutor Aristotle had given him the very best recipe for\nmaking him relish his meals.\n\nThe queen, whose appetite was fanciful, eagerly asked what it was; and\nAlexander smilingly answered, \"A march before daybreak as the sauce for\nmy dinner, and a light dinner as the sauce for my supper.\"\n\nThis was, as you may see, a very good recipe; and if Alexander had\nalways remembered to be temperate, as Aristotle had advised, he would\nnot have died of over eating and drinking at the age of thirty-three.\n\n\n\n\nXCVI. THE GORDIAN KNOT.\n\n\nAlexander did not stop long in Caria. Marching onward, he soon came to\nthe city of Gor'di-um, in Phryg'i-a, where Mi'das had once reigned. In\none of the temples the people proudly showed Alexander the cart in which\nthis king rode as he entered their city.\n\nThe yoke was fastened to the pole by a rope tied in a peculiar and very\nintricate knot. Now, it seems that an ancient prophecy had declared that\nwhoever untied the Gordian knot would surely be master of all Asia.\n\nOf course, as Alexander had set his heart upon conquering the whole\nworld, he looked at this knot with great interest; but a few moments'\ncareful examination made him feel sure that he would not be able to\nuntie it.\n\nRather than give it up, however, Alexander drew his sword, and cut it\nwith a single quick stroke. Ever since then, when a person has settled a\ndifficulty by bold or violent means instead of patiently solving it,\nthe custom has been to say that he has \"cut the Gordian knot,\" in memory\nof this feat of Alexander's.\n\n[Illustration: Alexander cutting the Gordian Knot.]\n\nFrom Gordium, Alexander next passed on to Tar'sus, which also became\nsubject to him; and shortly after that the young conqueror nearly lost\nhis life.\n\nHe had been exposed to the hot sun, and had thus become terribly\noverheated, when he came to the river Cyd'nus. This stream was a torrent\nwhose waters were very cold, but, in spite of all that his attendants\ncould say, Alexander insisted upon taking a bath in it.\n\nThe sudden chill brought on a cramp, and he would have been drowned had\nnot some of his people plunged into the water, and pulled him out. As it\nwas, his imprudence brought on a serious illness, and for a short time\nAlexander's life was in great danger.\n\nHis physician, however, was Philip, a Greek doctor, who had attended him\never since he was born, and who now took great care of him. When the\nfever was at its worst, he said he hoped to save the king by means of a\nstrong medicine which he was going to prepare.\n\nJust after Philip went out to brew this potion, Alexander received a\nletter which warned him to beware of his physician, as the man had been\nbribed by the Persian king, Darius III., to poison him.\n\nAfter reading the letter, Alexander slipped it under his pillow, and\ncalmly waited for the return of his doctor. When Philip brought the cup\ncontaining the promised remedy, Alexander took it in one hand, and gave\nhim the letter with the other. Then, while Philip was reading it, he\ndrank every drop of the medicine.\n\nWhen the physician saw the accusation, he turned deadly pale, and looked\nup at his master, who smilingly handed back the empty cup. Alexander's\ngreat trust in his doctor was fully justified; for the medicine cured\nhim, and he was soon able to go on with his conquests.\n\n\n\n\nXCVII. ALEXANDER'S ROYAL CAPTIVES.\n\n\nAlexander was marching southward, and Darius was hastening northward\nwith a vast army, hoping to meet him and to prevent his advancing any\nfarther.\n\nBy a singular chance it happened that the two armies missed each other,\nand passed through separate defiles in the same range of mountains.\nAlexander became aware of this first, and retraced his steps without\ndelay, for he was anxious to find and defeat the enemy.\n\nThe two armies soon met at a place called Is'sus, where the Persians\nwere routed. Darius was forced to flee, and his mother, wife, and family\nwere made captives.\n\nAs soon as the battle was over, Alexander went to visit the royal ladies\nin their tent, to assure them that they would be treated with all\nrespect. He was accompanied by his friend Hephaestion, who was somewhat\ntaller and larger than he.\n\nAs they entered the tent, in their plain armor, the queen mother,\nSis-y-gam'bis, mistook Hephaestion for the king, and fell down upon her\nknees before him, begging his mercy for herself and her children. When\nshe found out her mistake, she was greatly dismayed; but Alexander\nkindly reassured her by leaning upon his friend's shoulder, and saying\nof him, \"He is my other self.\"\n\nThe young conqueror treated the Persian ladies with the utmost kindness,\nand often visited them in their own tent, to talk for a while with them.\nAs he always found them idle, he fancied that time must hang very\nheavily upon their hands, and once offered to have them taught to spin\nand weave, as the Greek ladies were wont to do.\n\nAt this proposal, Sisygambis burst into tears, and asked if he wished to\nmake slaves of them, for Persian ladies considered any labor a disgrace.\nAlexander, seeing her grief, hastened to comfort her, and tried to\nexplain how happy the Greek ladies always seemed over their dainty work.\n\nBut when he understood that the royal family would rather remain idle,\nhe never again proposed to furnish them with occupation of any kind. On\nthe contrary, he was so gentle and respectful, that Sisygambis soon\nlearned to love him, and used to treat him like her own son.\n\n\n\n\nXCVIII. ALEXANDER AT JERUSALEM.\n\n\nDarius, as we have seen, had fled after the disastrous battle of Issus.\nHis terror was so great that he never stopped in his flight until he had\nreached the other side of the river Ti'gris, where he still believed\nhimself safe.\n\nInstead of going after Darius at once, Alexander first went southward\nalong the coast; for he thought it would be wiser to take all the cities\nnear the sea before he went farther inland, so as to make sure that he\nhad no enemies behind his back.\n\nMarching down through Syr'i-a and Phoe-nic'ia, Alexander took the\ncities of Da-mas'cus and Si'don, and came at last to Tyre, a prosperous\ncommercial city built on an island at a short distance from the shore.\n\nThe Tyr'i-ans would not open their gates and surrender, so Alexander\nprepared to besiege the city. As he had no fleet, he began to build a\ngreat causeway out to the island.\n\nThis was a very difficult piece of work, because the water was deep; and\nwhile his men were building it, they were greatly annoyed by showers of\narrows, stones, and spears from the walls of the city and from the decks\nof the Tyrian vessels.\n\nA storm, also, broke the causeway to pieces once, when it was nearly\nfinished, and the army had to begin the work anew. The obstinate\nresistance of Tyre made Alexander so angry, that he celebrated his final\nvictory by crucifying a large number of the richest citizens.\n\nAfter offering up a sacrifice to Hercules on the flaming ruins of Tyre,\nAlexander went on toward Je-ru'sa-lem. His plan was to punish the Jews,\nbecause they had helped his enemies, and had supplied the Tyrians with\nfood.\n\nThe news of his coming filled the hearts of the Jews with terror, for\nthey expected to be treated with the same frightful cruelty as the\nTyrians. In their fear they knew not whether to surrender or fight.\n\nFinally Jad-du'a, the high priest, had a vision, in which an angel of\nthe Lord appeared to him, and told him what to do. In obedience to this\ndivine command, he made the Le'vites put on their festal garments, and\nthen, dressed in his priestly robes, he led them down the hill to meet\nthe advancing conqueror.\n\nWhen Alexander saw the beautiful procession, headed by such a dignified\nold man, he quickly got down from his horse, knelt before Jaddua, and\nworshiped the name written on his holy vestments.\n\nHis officers, astonished at this unusual humility, finally asked him why\nhe did such honor to a foreign priest. Then Alexander told them of a\nvision he had had before leaving Macedon. In it he had beheld Jaddua,\nwho bade him come over to Asia without fear, as it was written that the\nPersians would be delivered into his hands.\n\nWalking beside the aged Jaddua, Alexander entered the holy city of\nJerusalem and the courts of the temple. Here he offered up a sacrifice\nto the Lord, and saw the Books of Daniel and Zech-a-ri'ah, in which his\ncoming and conquests were all foretold.\n\n\n\n\nXCIX. THE AFRICAN DESERT.\n\n\nAfter staying a few days in Jerusalem, Alexander continued on his way to\nEgypt, which he quickly conquered also. Here he founded a new city at\nthe mouth of the Nile, and named it Al-ex-an'dri-a, after himself. It\nwas so favorably located, that it soon became an important town, and\nhas continued so even till the present day.\n\nThen, having heard that there was a famous temple in Lib'y-a, dedicated\nto Jupiter, Alexander resolved to go there and visit it. The road lay\nthrough an African desert, and the journey was very dangerous indeed.\n\nThe soldiers toiled painfully along over the burning sand, in which\ntheir feet sank up to the ankles. The blazing African sun fell straight\ndown upon their heads, and made them stagger and grow faint with the\nheat.\n\nFrom time to time a hot wind, the simoom, blew over the desert, raising\ngreat clouds of dust, and choking men and horses as it rolled over them\nlike a torrent, burying them under its shifting waves.\n\nThe horses died from thirst and fatigue, for such animals are not fit\nfor travel in the desert. The only creature which can journey\ncomfortably over the dreary waste of the Sa-ha'ra is the camel, whose\nstomach is made in a peculiar way, so that it can drink a large quantity\nof water at a time, and store it up for future use.\n\nUndaunted by fatigue or danger, Alexander pressed onward. Like his\nsoldiers, he suffered from heat and thirst; and like them, too, he was\ndeceived by the mirage.\n\nThis is an optical effect due to a peculiar condition of the desert\natmosphere. The traveler suddenly sees trees, grass, and running water,\napparently a short distance before him. He hastens eagerly forward to\nlie in the shade, and to plunge his hot face and hands in the refreshing\nstream; but when he reaches the spot where he saw water and trees, there\nis nothing but sand, and he sinks down exhausted and cruelly\ndisappointed.\n\nAfter enduring all these hardships, Alexander arrived at last at the\noasis, or green island in the sandy desert, where the Temple of Jupiter\nstood. The priests led him into the holy place, and, hoping to flatter\nhim, called him the son of Jupiter.\n\nAfter resting for some time in this pleasant spot, Alexander and his men\nagain braved the dangers of the desert, went back to Alexandria and\nTyre, and from there began the long-delayed pursuit of Darius.\n\nThe Greek soldiers had suffered so many hardships since beginning the\nwar, that they were now ready for anything. They crossed the Eu-phra'tes\nover a hastily built bridge; then coming to the Tigris, where neither\nbridge nor boats could be found, they boldly swam across the river,\nholding their shields over their heads to protect themselves from the\narrows of the Persians who stood on the other bank.\n\nAlexander was always the first to rush forward in battle, and he now led\nthe way across the river. He was longing to meet the Persians again, and\nwas very glad to overtake them on the other side of the Tigris.\n\nHere, on the plains of Ar-be'la, the third great battle was fought, and\nAlexander won the victory. Darius fled once more before the conqueror,\nwhile Alexander marched straight on to Bab'y-lon, the most wonderful\ncity in the East.\n\n\n\n\nC. DEATH OF DARIUS.\n\n\nAlexander soon won the good will of the Babylonians by allowing them to\nrebuild the Temple of Bel, which had been destroyed. He also secured the\naffections of the captive Jews; for he excused them from doing any work\non this building as soon as he heard that they considered it the Tower\nof Babel, and hence objected to aiding in its erection.\n\nThe young conqueror spent one month in Babylon, and then went on to\nSu'sa. There he found the brazen statue of Athene which Xerxes had\ncarried off to Persia; and he sent it back to the Athenians, who\nreceived it with much joy.\n\nThe Persian queen now became very ill, and, in spite of the utmost care,\nshe soon died. Throughout her illness, Alexander was most thoughtful and\nattentive; and when she died, he gave orders that she should be buried\nwith all the pomp due to her high rank.\n\nHe also comforted the mourning Sisygambis, and sent the news of the\nqueen's death to Darius, who had fled to the northern part of his\nkingdom, where he was hastily gathering together another army. Touched\nby Alexander's conduct, Darius now wrote to him, offering peace, and\nproposing to share the throne of Persia with him.\n\nThe young conqueror's head had been turned by his many victories, and he\nwas growing more haughty every day: so he proudly refused this proposal,\nsaying that the world could not have two masters any more than two\nsuns.\n\nIn his pride, Alexander now assumed the dress and state of an Oriental\nking, surrounded himself with luxury, and spent most of his time in\nfeasting and revelry. His courtiers encouraged him in this folly, and he\nsoon forgot the wise lessons taught by Aristotle.\n\nOn several occasions the young king drank so much that he did not know\nwhat he was doing; and once, in a fit of drunken rage, he set fire to\nthe beautiful palace of Per-sep'o-lis, and burned it to the ground.\n\nAs he had refused Darius' offers of peace, he soon considered it\nnecessary to continue the war: so, laying aside his jeweled robes, he\nput on his armor and set out for the north. He was about to overtake the\nPersian king, when Darius was mortally wounded by one of his followers\nnamed Bes'sus.\n\nThe traitor thought that he would win Alexander's favor by this crime,\nand came and boasted of it to him. Alexander was so angry, however, that\nhe bade his guards seize Bessus, and had him put to death in the most\nbarbarous way.\n\nWhen the Macedonian king finally came up with Darius, he found him\nbathed in his own blood, and breathing his last. He had only time to\nassure him of the safety of his family, and to promise to continue to\nprotect them, before Darius sank back dead.\n\nBy Alexander's orders the body was embalmed, and carried to Sisygambis,\nso that it could be properly buried in the beautiful tomb of the Persian\nkings. This last act of generosity quite won the aged queen's heart; and\nshe felt so grateful, that she loved Alexander as long as he lived.\n\n\n\n\nCI. DEFEAT OF PORUS.\n\n\nNow that Darius was dead, Alexander took the Persian title of \"Shah in\nShah\" (king of kings), and became ruler of all the empire which had been\nsubject to the Persian monarch.\n\nHe was so proud of his new state and of his vast conquests, that he\nentirely forgot that he owed them mostly to his brave generals and\nsoldiers; and he became so obstinate, that he would no longer listen to\nany advice, and only thought of having his own way.\n\nHis father's general, Parmenio, who had always given him the wisest\ncounsel, was no longer in favor, because he tried to restrain the king's\nextravagance. Indeed, Alexander's once generous and noble nature was so\nchanged, that, when his courtiers accused Parmenio of treachery, he\nlistened to them, and actually put the faithful general to death.\n\nEvery day now Alexander indulged in feasts and banquets, always drinking\nmore and more, although it was affecting his health as well as his\ntemper. Clytus, the son of his old nurse, tried to check his excesses,\nbut only succeeded in provoking his wrath.\n\nOn one occasion such remonstrances so enraged Alexander, that in his\ndrunken fury he seized a spear and killed Clytus. When he saw him dead\nat his feet, the king realized what a terrible crime he had committed,\nand felt deep remorse for a short time.\n\nHe reformed, and, instead of giving himself up entirely to pleasure,\nspent the next two years in the work of governing Persia, where he\nfounded several cities called by his name.\n\nAs all the central part of Asia now acknowledged his rule, he next went\ndown into India, where he found King Po'rus, the bravest adversary he\nhad ever met. This king, whose realm was in the northwestern part of\nIndia, came against Alexander with a very large army. In the ranks were\nmany elephants, trained to crush the enemy beneath their huge feet, and\nbearing on their broad backs wooden turrets filled with brave fighting\nmen and good archers.\n\nIn spite of these elephants, which at first awakened great fear in the\nGreek soldiers, the Macedonian phalanx won the victory as usual, and\nPorus was made prisoner. He was led into the presence of Alexander, who\nhaughtily asked him how he expected to be treated. \"Like a king!\" was\nthe proud reply.\n\nThis answer so pleased Alexander, that he not only set Porus free, but\neven allowed him to keep his kingdom, after he had sworn to be the\nfaithful subject of his conqueror.\n\nAlexander, having thus won the help and affection of Porus, made war\nagainst several other Indian kings, and continued his advance toward the\nsouth. In one of these battles he lost his faithful steed Bucephalus,\nwhich had borne him safely through many a fight.\n\nAlexander felt this loss deeply, and not only had a monument built over\nhis remains, but also founded a city near by, which was called\nBu-ceph'a-la.\n\n\n\n\nCII. THE RETURN TO BABYLON.\n\n\nUpon reaching the Hyph'a-sis River, Alexander would have liked to cross\nit, and continue his conquests; but his soldiers now refused to go any\nfarther. They were tired of fighting and danger, and were longing to go\nback to Macedon.\n\nAlthough he was unwilling to do so, Alexander was therefore obliged to\nstop in his conquests; but, instead of going home as he had come, he now\nbuilt a fleet, and sailed down the In'dus River to the sea.\n\nNow, the Greeks had no maps such as we have; and their knowledge of\ngeography was very small. When Alexander came to the sea, however, he\nthought it must be the same as that into which the Euphrates flowed.\n\nTo find out if this was true, he bade his admiral, Ne-ar'chus, sail\nalong the coast and explore it, while the army went homeward on foot.\nAlexander himself staid with the army, and led the soldiers along a new\nway, which was very wearisome and dangerous.\n\nThe Macedonians had to pass through large wastes of burning sand, where\nthey suffered a great deal. They were cheered and encouraged, however,\nby the example of Alexander, who nobly shared their hardships, and\nalways went ahead of them on foot, carrying his own armor.\n\nOnce, when they were panting with thirst, some of his men found a little\nwater, which they brought him. Rather than indulge in anything which all\ncould not share with him, Alexander poured the water out upon the sand,\nsaying he would refresh himself only when his men could do so too.\n\nAfter many months of weary travel and great suffering, the army finally\njoined the fleet at the mouth of the Euphrates, for Nearchus had in the\nmean while sailed all along the northern coast of the Indian Ocean and\nup the Persian Gulf.\n\nHe wrote an account of this wonderful sea journey, which was of great\nimportance, as it opened a new and convenient road for Eastern commerce.\nThe people soon took advantage of it to establish colonies and trading\nstations, and to carry on a lively business with the East.\n\n\n\n\nCIII. DEATH OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT.\n\n\nAlexander now went back to Babylon, where he married Rox-an'a, a Persian\nprincess, giving her sister's hand to his intimate friend Hephaestion.\nThis wedding was celebrated with great pomp, for eighty Macedonian\nofficers took Persian wives on the same day.\n\nThe feasting for the weddings went on for many days, and the revelry was\ncarried to such a shameful excess, that Hephaestion actually drank\nhimself to death.\n\nIn token of sorrow, Alexander built him a fine tomb, had him buried with\nall the magnificence possible, and even decreed that he should\nhenceforth be worshiped as a god. In this folly he was upheld by the\npriests, who were now ready to grant his every wish, and were always\nfilling his mind with their senseless flatteries.\n\nAlexander then fell into his old habits more than ever. He had again\nassumed all the pomp of an Eastern king, and sat on a wonderful golden\nthrone. Over his head was the golden vine that had formerly belonged to\nthe first Darius. Its leaves were of emeralds, while its grapes were\nclusters of fine carbuncles.\n\nThis vine had been given to a Persian king by Croe'sus, the wealthy\nruler of Lyd'i-a, and was considered one of the most precious treasures\nwhich the young conqueror had won.\n\nBut in spite of all Alexander's successes, he was not nearly so happy as\nhe used to be when only king of Macedon. He no longer enjoyed the fine\nhealth which had helped him to bear the greatest hardships, and,\nweakened by over eating and drinking, he soon fell dangerously ill.\n\nThe doctors crowded around his bed, doing their best to save him, but\nthey soon saw that he would die. When the Macedonian soldiers heard\nthis, they were beside themselves with grief, and one and all insisted\nupon seeing their beloved leader once more.\n\nSilently and sadly they filed past his bed, gazing upon the dying face\nwhich they had seen so bright and full of life a short time before. As\nmost of the soldiers were older than their king, they had never expected\nto outlive him; and every one said that it was sad to die thus, at\nthirty-three, when master of nearly all the known world.\n\nJust before he died, some one begged Alexander to name his successor. He\nhesitated for a moment, then drew his signet ring from his finger, gave\nit to Per-dic'cas, his principal general, and whispered that the\nstrongest among them should have the throne.\n\n[Illustration: Death of Alexander.]\n\nAlexander's death was mourned by all, for, in spite of his folly and\nexcesses, he was generally beloved. Even Sisygambis, the Persian queen\nwhom he had taken captive a few years before, shed many tears over his\nremains, and declared she had lost a protector who had always treated\nher as kindly as if he had been her own son.\n\nThe conqueror's body was laid in a golden coffin, and carried in state\nto Alexandria, the city he had founded at the mouth of the Nile. Here a\nfine tomb was built by order of Ptol'e-my, one of Alexander's generals,\nwho said that his dead master also should be worshiped as a god.\n\nPtolemy wanted the body to remain in Egypt because an oracle had said\nthat he who buried Alexander would be master of his kingdom.\n\n\n\n\nCIV. THE DIVISION OF THE REALM.\n\n\nThe day after Alexander's death there was a sad assembly in the palace.\nAll the Macedonian generals sat there in silence and dismay, gazing at\nthe empty golden throne, upon which Perdiccas had solemnly laid the\nroyal signet ring.\n\nWho was to take the place of the king whose military genius and great\nconquests had won for him the title of \"Great\"? It is true that\nAlexander had a half-brother, named Ar-ri-dae'us, but he was weak-minded.\nThe only other heir was an infant son, born shortly after his father's\ndeath.\n\nThe generals gravely talked the matter over, and finally said that\nArridaeus and the child should be publicly named successors of the dead\nking, while four of their own number should be appointed guardians of\nthe princes, and regents of the vast realm.\n\nThis decision was considered wise, and the kingdom of Alexander was\ndivided into thirty-three provinces, each governed by a Macedonian\nofficer, who was to hold it in the name of Arridaeus and of the child.\n\nIn dying, Alexander had foretold that his funeral would be followed by\nbloodshed, and this prediction came true. The generals who had met so\nsolemnly around the empty throne soon became dissatisfied at being only\ngovernors, and each wanted to be king in his own right, of the land\nintrusted to his care.\n\nPerdiccas, having received Alexander's signet ring from his dying hand,\nwas, of course, their leader, and took under his own protection the\ninfant king and the Persian mother Roxana.\n\nHe fancied that it would thus be an easy matter to keep the power in his\nown hands, and to govern the vast realm as he pleased. But An-tip'a-ter,\ngovernor of Macedon, no sooner heard that Alexander was dead, than he\nplaced the idiot Arridaeus on the throne, proclaimed him king, and began\nto rule as if he were the only regent.\n\nThe other Macedonian generals daily claimed new rights, which Perdiccas\nwas forced to grant in order to pacify them; but when it was too late,\nhe found out how mistaken he had been, and regretted that he had yielded\nto their demands.\n\nThe various governors, never satisfied with the honors given them, were\nnot only suspicious of each other, but particularly jealous of\nPerdiccas, the head of the realm. In their envy, they rose up against\nhim; and for many years Perdiccas was forced to hold his own against\nthem all, while trying to make his way back to Macedon, where he wanted\nto place Alexander's son upon the throne.\n\n\n\n\nCV. DEATH OF DEMOSTHENES.\n\n\nWhen Alexander left for the East, the orator Demosthenes began to urge\nthe Greeks to rise up against him, and win back their freedom. All his\neloquence, however, was not enough to persuade them to make war as long\nas Alexander lived.\n\nBut when the conqueror's death was made known, Demosthenes again tried\nto arouse them, and this time with success. Pho'cion, a cautious\nAthenian, vainly begged the people to wait at least until the news was\nconfirmed, saying, \"If Alexander is dead to-day, he will still be dead\nto-morrow and on the next day, so that we may take counsel at our\nleisure.\"\n\nThis wise caution, however, did not suit the Athenians, who were joined\nin their revolt by most of the little states and principal towns of\nGreece, except Sparta. The united Greeks soon raised an army, which\nmarched northward, and met the Macedonian governor's troops near\nThermopylae.\n\n[Illustration: Phocion.]\n\nThe Greeks were successful here, and, after shutting up the enemy in the\nfortress of La'mi-a, closely besieged them. But after a time the Greek\ngeneral was killed; and, when the Macedonians were reenforced, they\ngained a decisive victory. This really ended the war; for the Macedonian\ngeneral, Antipater, broke up the union, and made separate terms of peace\nfor each city.\n\nIn his anger, Antipater said he would punish all those who had\nencouraged the Greeks to revolt. He soon learned that Demosthenes had\nbeen one of the principal men to advise the uprising, so he sent his\nsoldiers to make him prisoner.\n\nDemosthenes, warned of his danger, immediately fled, but had only time\nto take refuge in the Temple of Neptune. There, in spite of the holiness\nof the place, Antipater's guards came to get him.\n\nSeeing that it would be useless to resist, the orator asked for a few\nmoments' respite, that he might write a letter to his friends. The men\nconsented; and Demosthenes, closely watched, took up his tablet and the\nreed with which he generally wrote.\n\nThe soldiers saw him trace a few lines, then stop and bite the top of\nhis reed, as if thinking about what he would say next. But, instead of\ngoing on to write his letter, the orator soon covered his head with his\ncloak and staid quite still.\n\nAfter a few moments' waiting, one of the men went to him, and, receiving\nno answer to his question, drew aside the folds of the cloak. He started\nback in terror, for the orator's face was very pale, and he was\nevidently about to die.\n\nThe men quickly carried him out of the temple, so that it should not be\ndefiled by death, and then they found that the reed with which he wrote\nwas hollow, and had contained a deadly drug. Demosthenes had taken the\npoison, thinking that death would be better than prison.\n\nThe Athenians now saw that it would have been wiser to listen to the\ncautious Phocion: so they set him at the head of their affairs, and\npromised to obey him. Although honest, Phocion was not very clever, and\nhis caution little by little became cowardice.\n\nIn his fear of the Macedonians, he allowed them to have more and more\npower; and Greece a few years later was entirely under the rule of\nAntipater, the Macedonian governor.\n\n\n\n\nCVI. THE LAST OF THE ATHENIANS.\n\n\nAntipater, although master of all Greece, did not treat the people\ncruelly, for he was very anxious to secure friends who would help him to\nkeep his share of Alexander's realm.\n\nHe soon heard that Perdiccas was marching homeward with the infant king,\nwho was named, like his father, Alexander; and he knew that the general\nwanted to place the child on the Macedonian throne. This plan was very\ndistasteful to Antipater. He was not at all afraid of the infant\nAlexander, but he knew that Perdiccas would want to be regent, and he\nwished that position himself.\n\nRather than give up his authority, Antipater decided to fight; and, as\nmany of Alexander's generals were dissatisfied, they all rose up in arms\nat the same time, as we have seen.\n\nPerdiccas was surrounded by enemies, but he faced them all bravely, and\neven led an army into Egypt to subdue Ptolemy, his greatest foe. To\nreach the enemy, the soldiers under Perdiccas were obliged to swim\nacross the Nile. Here so many of them were eaten up by huge crocodiles,\nthat the rest, angry with their general for leading them into such\ndanger, fell upon him and killed him.\n\nAlmost at the same time, Antipater died, leaving his son, Cas-san'der,\nand his general, Pol-ys-per'chon, to quarrel over the government of\nMacedon. Each gathered together an army, and tried to get as many\nfriends as possible, especially among the Greeks.\n\nThe Athenians vainly tried to remain neutral during this quarrel; but in\nthe course of the war, Polysperchon came into their city, said that\nPhocion and many other great citizens were siding with Cassander, and\ncondemned them to die by drinking poison brewed from the hemlock plant.\n\nIt seems, however, that there was not enough poison ready to kill them\nall, so the jailer made Phocion give him some money to buy more. The\nnoble old man, forced to do as he was bidden, gave the necessary amount,\nsaying, \"It seems that one cannot even die for nothing in Athens.\"\n\nAs he was the last really noted politician in the city, he has been\ncalled the \"Last of the Athenians.\" No one ever dared to uphold the\ncity's power after his death, or tried to help it win back its old\nfreedom.\n\nAs soon as Perdiccas was dead, Roxana and her son were brought to\nMacedon, where they were finally placed under the protection of\nPolysperchon. When Olympias, the mother of Alexander the Great, saw his\ninfant son, she was so anxious to secure the throne for him alone, that\nshe slew the idiot king Arridaeus and all his family.\n\nUnder pretext of avenging this crime, Cassander captured and slew\nOlympias; and then, having won Macedon and Greece from Polysperchon, and\nseeing that there was no one left to protect Roxana and the child king,\nhe put both mother and son in prison, where they were killed by his\norder shortly after.\n\nThus, twelve years after Alexander's death, all his family were dead,\nand his vast kingdom was a prey to quarreling, which broke it up into\nseveral states.\n\n\n\n\nCVII. THE COLOSSUS OF RHODES.\n\n\nWhen Perdiccas died, An-tig'o-nus (\"the one-eyed\") was named his\nsuccessor, and became governor of all the Eastern province. He no sooner\nheard that Cassander had murdered Alexander's family, than he marched\nwestward, intending to avenge the crime.\n\nOn his way, Antigonus passed through Syria, the land governed by\nSe-leu'cus, and asked that ruler how he had spent the money of the\nkingdom. Seleucus, who had a bad conscience, instead of answering, ran\naway to Egypt, where he became a friend of Ptolemy.\n\nThen, fearing that they would not be able to fight against Antigonus\nsuccessfully, these two generals persuaded Cassander, ruler of Macedon,\nand Ly-sim'a-chus, ruler of Thrace, to join them.\n\nFor several years the war was kept up between the four allies on one\nside, and Antigonus and his son De-me'tri-us on the other. The field of\nbattle was principally in Asia Minor. The fighting continued until the\ngenerals became weary of warfare, and concluded to make peace.\n\nA treaty was then signed, settling the claims of all parties, and\nproviding that all the Greek cities should have their freedom. This\ndone, each went back to his own province; but it soon became evident\nthat the peace would not last, for Cassander did not keep his promise to\nmake the Greek states free.\n\nWhen Cassander's wrongdoing became known, the generals called upon\nDemetrius to bring him to terms. The Athenians were so pleased when\nthey heard of this, that they received Demetrius with great joy.\n\nDemetrius was such a good general that he soon managed to defeat\nCassander at Thermopylae; and when he came back to Athens in triumph, the\nhappy people gave him the title of \"The Preserver,\" called a month by\nhis name, lodged him in the Parthenon, and worshiped him as a god. Some\ntime after this, Demetrius conquered Ptolemy, who had shown that he\nwould not abide by the treaty either. This victory was so great, that\nDemetrius' soldiers said he deserved a reward, and named him King of\nSyria.\n\nWhen the other generals heard that Demetrius and his father had accepted\nthe title of kings, they too put on royal crowns. Then, as each was\nstill jealous of the rest, and wished to obtain more land for himself,\nwar soon broke out among them once more.\n\nDemetrius, who had been very lucky in all his wars, now planned to take\nthe Island of Rhodes from Ptolemy, King of Egypt. It proved, however, a\nfar more difficult thing than he had expected, and, after besieging the\nprincipal city for a whole year, he gave up the attempt.\n\nBut he had invented so many machines to try to subdue the city of\nRhodes, that every one thought he deserved much credit, and they\ntherefore gave him the title of Po-li-or-ce'tes (\"the city taker\").\n\nPeace was agreed upon, and Demetrius retreated, giving up to the\nRho'di-ans all the mighty war engines he had brought with him. These\nwere sold for three hundred talents (something over three hundred\nthousand dollars), and the money thus obtained was used in erecting a\ncolossal statue in honor of Apollo (or He'li-os), the patron god of the\nisland.\n\n[Illustration: Demetrius Poliorcetes. (Coin.)]\n\nThis marvelous brazen statue, which was so fine that it was one of the\nseven wonders of the ancient world, represented the sun god, with his\nhead surrounded by rays, and with his feet resting one on each side of\nthe entrance of the port.\n\nWe are told that the Co-los'sus of Rhodes, as this statue was generally\ncalled, was so tall that ships under full sail easily passed under its\nspreading legs in and out of the harbor.\n\nIt stood there for about sixty years, when it was overthrown by an\nearthquake. After lying in ruins for a long time, the brass was sold as\nold metal. It was carried off on the backs of camels, and we are told\nthat nine hundred of these animals were required for the work.\n\nThus vanished one of the much talked of wonders of the ancient world.\nThe others were Diana's Temple at Ephesus, the Tomb of Mau-so'lus (which\nwas so fine that any handsome tomb is sometimes called a mausoleum), the\nPha'ros or Lighthouse of Alexandria or Messina, the Walls and Hanging\nGardens of Babylon, the Labyrinth of Crete, and the Pyramids of Egypt.\nTo these is often added the Parthenon at Athens, which, as you have\nseen, was decorated by the carvings of Phidias.\n\n\n\n\nCVIII. THE BATTLE OF IPSUS.\n\n\nDemetrius, having failed to take Rhodes, now passed over into Greece,\nhoping to overthrow Cassander; but the other kings, growing afraid of\nhim, agreed to help the ruler of Macedon. They therefore collected a\nlarge army, and forced Demetrius to stop and fight them all at Ip'sus,\nin Asia Minor.\n\nHere, just twenty years after Alexander's death, his generals met in a\ngreat battle. Seleucus, it is said, brought a number of fighting\nelephants, such as Porus had used, which added much to the confusion and\nfierceness of the struggle.\n\nAntigonus, the father of Demetrius, was slain, and Demetrius himself was\ndefeated, and driven to Ephesus. The Athenians, who had been his friends\nand allies as long as he was prosperous, now basely deserted him. They\ndeclared themselves his enemies, and made a law whereby any one who\nspoke well of him, or tried to make peace with him, should be put to\ndeath.\n\nThe battle of Ipsus decided the fate of Alexander's kingdom. It was now\ndivided into four principal parts. Ptolemy remained master of Egypt, and\nhis family reigned there many years, until under Cle-o-pa'tra, the last\nof his race, the country fell into the hands of the Romans.\n\nSeleucus and his descendants, the Se-leu'ci-dae, had the Persian Empire,\nor Syria and the land between the Indus and the Euphrates. The capital\nof this empire was first Se-leu'cia, near Babylon, and later An'ti-och,\nwhich became a rich and well-known city.\n\nLysimachus was given the kingdom of Thrace, which, however, soon passed\ninto other hands; and Cassander remained master of Macedon. As for\nDemetrius, although he had lost a kingdom at the battle of Ipsus, he\nsoon managed to conquer another.\n\nIn his anger at the Athenians, he first marched against them, and\nbesieged them in their own city. The Athenians were frightened, for they\nknew how well they deserved punishment; but they resisted as well as\nthey could, and the siege dragged on for several months.\n\nAt the end of this time there was no food left in the city, and the\npeople suffered greatly from hunger. Finally they were obliged to yield;\nand Demetrius rode into Athens in triumph.\n\n\n\n\nCIX. DEMETRIUS AND THE ATHENIANS.\n\n\nThe Athenians trembled with fear when they saw the stern expression on\nDemetrius' face as he entered their city. This terror became still\ngreater when he ordered all the principal citizens to assemble in the\npublic square. None of the Athenians dared to disobey, and they were in\nno wise reassured when the conquering army surrounded them, each soldier\nholding an unsheathed sword in his hand.\n\nDemetrius now sternly addressed the citizens, who fancied that every\nmoment would be their last. He reproved them harshly for their\ningratitude and desertion, and told them that they deserved death at his\nhands; but he ended his speech by saying that he preferred to show his\npower by granting them forgiveness rather than by killing them.\n\nThen he went on to tell them, that, knowing how much they had suffered,\nhe had sent supplies of grain to every house, so that when they went\nhome they should not find their wives and children starving.\n\nThe sudden reaction from their great terror proved almost fatal to the\nAthenian citizens. But when they recovered their breath, the air was\nrent by a mighty shout of joy in honor of the kind conqueror.\n\nAlthough Demetrius was as generous as he was brave, his end was very\nsad. After a long life of continual warfare, and after conquering and\nlosing Macedon, he fell into the hands of his rival and enemy, Seleucus,\nwho kept him in prison as long as he lived.\n\nAbout this time a new trouble befell Macedon and Greece. This was an\ninvasion of the Gauls, who came sweeping down from the mountains into\nGreece, in order to rob the temple at Delphi.\n\nA second time, however, the temple escaped, thanks to a terrible\nthunderstorm, which filled the superstitious minds of the robbers with\ndread. In the sudden darkness the Gauls fell upon each other, as the\nPersians had done in the days of Xerxes, and fought so desperately that\nmany were killed.\n\nThe Greeks, remembering former victories, now made up their minds to\nstrike a blow in their own defense. They collected an army, and defeated\nthe invaders so severely that Bren'nus, the leader of the Gauls, killed\nhimself in despair, while his followers withdrew to a province in Asia\nMinor, which from the Gauls was called Ga-la'tia.\n\n\n\n\nCX. THE ACHAEAN LEAGUE.\n\n\nWhile the generals and successors of Alexander were busy trying to crush\none another, most of the Greek towns, left to their own devices, had\nbecome small republics. But instead of forming a union, they became so\njealous, that they began to quarrel and even to fight among themselves.\n\nAs the quarrels became more bitter, two parties or leagues were formed,\nwhich, from the two most important provinces at that time, received the\nnames of Achaean and AE-to'li-an.\n\nThe Achaean League was made up of twelve small towns in the Peloponnesus,\nand was under the leadership of A-ra'tus, a native of Sic'y-on. When a\nchild, Aratus had seen his native city in the hands of a tyrant. His\nfather, who was a patriot, had made a bold attempt to free the city, but\nhad failed, and lost his life. Aratus, who was but seven years of age,\nheard that his father and all his family had been slain, and knew that\nthe tyrant would try to kill him too. As he was too weak to defend\nhimself, he sought refuge in the house of the tyrant's sister, where no\none would be likely to seek for him.\n\nThis woman, touched by the child's trust, hid him cleverly, and, when\nall danger was over, sent him to some friends, where she paid for his\nboard, and had him carefully brought up.\n\nAs Aratus was patriotic, he was anxious to finish the work which his\nfather had begun. At the age of twenty, therefore, he assembled a few\ncomrades, entered Sicyon, called all the lovers of liberty to his aid,\nand drove away the tyrant without shedding any blood.\n\nThe town, thus freed, joined the Achaean League, of which Aratus soon\nbecame the leader. This office was elective, and no one was expected to\nfill it for more than a year; but Aratus was so much loved that he was\nchosen leader thirty-five years in succession.\n\nAt this time, Greece and Macedon were under the rule of Antigonus\nGo-na'tas, son of Demetrius; for this man had conquered for himself the\nsecond kingdom which his father had lost. But now Aratus and the Achaean\nLeague refused to obey him, so he marched down from Macedon to restore\norder.\n\nTo prevent his advance, and to hinder his getting even as much as a\nfoothold in the peninsula, Aratus wanted to capture the fortress of\nAc-ro-co-rin'thus, which barred the Isthmus of Corinth.\n\nThis undertaking was very difficult, because the fortress was perched\nupon a rock so high and steep that it was almost impossible to climb it.\n\nA traitor, Di'o-cles, however, offered to show Aratus a way to climb\nthis rock, provided that he should receive a certain reward. Although\ngeneral of the Achaean League, and one of the greatest men of his day,\nAratus was far from being rich; and, in order to obtain the required\nsum, he had to sell all he had, and even pawn his wife's few jewels.\n\nThen, in the midst of the darkness, one rainy night, Diocles led the\nAchaean soldiers along a steep path, which they had to climb in Indian\nfile.\n\nHe brought them safely and unseen into the fortress, where they killed\nmost of the Macedonian sentinels, and put the guards to flight. As soon\nas the key of the Peloponnesus had been thus daringly won, most of the\nother towns in the peninsula joined the league, and the Achaeans gained\nsuch victories, that Antigonus Gonatus fell ill, and died of grief.\n\nThe Achaean League became stronger and stronger; and, although Sparta and\na few other cities remained neutral, most of the small towns were freed\nfrom their tyrants. Such was the importance of the league, that the\nRoman ambassadors once came to ask for its aid to suppress the pirates\nwho infested the neighboring seas.\n\nThis help was cheerfully given, and the Achaeans entered into a treaty\nwith the Romans. They little suspected, however, that the city whose\nname was then almost unknown would in less than a hundred years become\nstrong enough to subdue them, and be mistress over all Greece.\n\n\n\n\nCXI. DIVISION IN SPARTA.\n\n\nWhile the Achaean League was doing its best to restore Greece to its\nformer power, Sparta had remained inactive. The Spartans had changed\ngreatly since the days of Lycurgus. They no longer obeyed his wise laws,\nand, instead of being brave and frugal, they were greedy, lazy, and\nwicked.\n\nOne of their kings was named Leonidas; but he was in no way like his\ngreat namesake, the king who had fallen at Thermopylae. Indeed, he\nmarried an Eastern wife, and to please her assumed all the pomp and led\nthe idle life of an Eastern king.\n\nHis fellow-king, on the other hand, was such a miser that he heaped up\ngreat treasures. When he died, his wife and mother were said to have\nmore gold than the city and people together. The miser king was\nsucceeded by his son, but this young man's sole ambition was to restore\nSparta to its former condition.\n\nHis name was A'gis. He lived like the Spartans of old, practiced all the\nvirtues of his ancestors, and was frugal and brave in the extreme. To\nrestore Sparta, real Spartans were needed, but, in counting them over,\nAgis found that there were only about seven hundred of the old stock\nleft. The first move was to restore equality. For that purpose, all the\nmoney and land would have to be equally divided, so Agis began by\npersuading his own mother and grandmother to give up their wealth.\nLeonidas did not like the plan of equality, and soon openly opposed it,\nalthough his son-in-law Cleombrotus sided with Agis, and upheld it.\n\nBut the people were eager for the new division which would make them all\nequal as of old; and they were so angry with Leonidas for his\nresistance, that they rose up against him, and proposed to depose him by\nreviving an old law which forbade the ruling of a king who married a\nforeign wife.\n\nLeonidas had time to flee to the Temple of Athene; and when the ephors\ncalled him to appear before them, he refused to do so, because he feared\nfor his life. As such a refusal was a crime, the ephors said he should\nnot reign any longer, and named Cleombrotus king in his stead.\n\n[Illustration: Cleombrotus and Chilonis.]\n\nLeonidas, who had led a selfish, pleasure-loving life, was now forsaken\nby every one except his daughter, Chi-lo'nis, who gave up her husband\nand the throne in order to console her unfortunate father. She kept him\ncompany in the temple, cared for him and amused him, and, when her\nhusband begged her to come back, she answered that her place was rather\nwith her unhappy father than with her prosperous husband.\n\nWhen it became known that the Spartans were plotting to kill the unhappy\nLeonidas, Agis helped him to escape, and Chilonis followed him into\nexile.\n\nThe AEtolian League, which just then was very strong, now sent an army\nacross the isthmus to attack the Spartans. The latter sallied forth\nunder the leadership of Agis, who proved such a skillful general, that\nhe not only won a great victory, but also drove the AEtolians out of the\npeninsula.\n\nDuring the absence of Agis, many of the richest Spartans who had not yet\ngiven up their property refused to do so, and when urged by Cleombrotus\nto obey, they revolted against him, and recalled Leonidas.\n\nCleombrotus had only time to take refuge in the same temple where his\nfather-in-law had once found shelter. Here he was soon joined by his\nwife, Chilonis, who, ever faithful to the most unhappy, came thither to\ncomfort him.\n\nLeonidas was so angry that he would probably have treated Cleombrotus\nwith the utmost severity, had not Chilonis fallen at his feet and\nbegged him to spare her husband's life. Her tears touched her father,\nand he granted the favor she asked, declaring, however, that Cleombrotus\nshould go into exile.\n\nIn spite of her father's entreaties to remain with him, Chilonis\ninsisted upon accompanying her husband. She gave Cleombrotus one of\ntheir two children, clasped the other to her breast, and left the city,\nproudly walking at her husband's side.\n\n\n\n\nCXII. DEATH OF AGIS.\n\n\nWhen Agis heard of the changes which had been taking place in Sparta\nduring his absence, he quickly went home. On arriving in the city, he\nfound the party of the rich so powerful that he could not oppose them,\nand was even forced to seek refuge in a temple, as Leonidas and\nCleombrotus had each done in turn.\n\nHis wife, A-gi-a'tis, forced by illness to stay at home, could not show\nher love by following him there; but a few faithful friends went with\nhim, and kept guard over him. Their watchfulness was needed, because\nAgis slipped out of the temple every night to go to the bath and refresh\nhimself.\n\nIt happened, however, that two of these friends were false. They basely\ntook the bribes offered by the ephors for information about the king,\nand told them that he left the temple every night, and for what\npurpose.\n\nThus advised, the ephors surprised the little party the next night, and\nthrust Agis into prison. He was tried and condemned to death by order of\nLeonidas, and thus died when only twenty-two years of age, after having\nvainly tried for three years to bring the Spartans back to their former\nsimplicity and virtue.\n\nLeonidas, not content with killing Agis, gave the widow Agiatis in\nmarriage to his son, Cle-om'e-nes, who was a mere boy, several years\nyounger than she. Agiatis soon won great influence over the young\nprince, and told him so much about her dead husband, that he tried to\nfollow the example of Agis in everything.\n\nWhen Leonidas died, Cleomenes succeeded him, and, thanks to the\nteachings of his wife, was both great and virtuous. He drove away the\nephors, who were rich and corrupt, and then distributed all the property\nequally among the people, as Agis had planned.\n\nWhen Aratus heard of the reforms made by Cleomenes, he began to fear\nthat Sparta would win back her former power, and again try to lord it\nover the rest of Greece. To prevent such a misfortune, he decided to\nattack the Spartan king while he was too young to excel in the art of\nwar.\n\nHe therefore advanced with a good army; but, to his surprise and dismay,\nhe was completely defeated by the young king. Several of the smaller\ntowns now showed a desire to leave the Achaean League and join Sparta, so\nAratus became more eager than ever to suppress her rising power.\n\nIn his eagerness he forgot all caution, and even asked help of Antigonus\nDo'son, King of Macedon, the successor of Antigonus Gonatas. This ruler\nowed his surname of Doson (\"who will give\") to a bad habit of promising\nall kinds of gifts to his followers,--promises which were never kept.\n\nAntigonus Doson was only too glad to send a Macedonian army into Greece,\nand not only garrisoned the fortress on the Isthmus of Corinth, but also\nsent troops on into the Peloponnesus.\n\n\n\n\nCXIII. THE WAR OF THE TWO LEAGUES.\n\n\nThe Achaean and Macedonian armies now met the Spartans at Sel-la'sia, in\nLaconia, where the latter were badly defeated, and Sparta fell into the\nenemy's hands. Antigonus was so proud of his victory that he burst a\nblood vessel upon hearing the news, and died shortly after.\n\nBefore he closed his eyes, however, he had the satisfaction of driving\nCleomenes away from Greece into Egypt. There the young king fell upon\nhis sword, after killing his children, rather than become a slave.\nTyrants were now allowed again in many of the Greek cities, in spite of\nthe remonstrances of Aratus, who learned only too late that the\nMacedonians had come into the Peloponnesus merely for the purpose of\nmaking themselves masters of the country.\n\nAratus' eyes were opened. He saw that all his efforts were vain, and\nthat, owing to his own imprudence, Greece would never again be free. In\nhis grief, his presence of mind quite forsook him. He did not know what\nsteps to take in order to undo all the harm he had done.\n\nThe AEtolians now became the champions of freedom, and marched against\nthe Achaeans, whom they defeated. In their distress, the Achaeans once\nmore begged the Macedonians to interfere, and send troops into Greece.\n\nThe contest which followed is known as the War of the Two Leagues, and\nlasted for some time. In the beginning, the Macedonian king allowed\nAratus to take the lead, and followed all his directions; but, growing\nweary of this subordinate part, he finally poisoned the Achaean leader,\nand became head of the league himself.\n\nWhen the Spartans and AEtolians, who had joined forces, found that the\nAchaeans and Macedonians were likely to prove too strong for them, they\nalso began to look around for allies. As the fame of the rising city of\nRome had reached them, they finally sent thither for the help they\nneeded.\n\nThe Romans were then rapidly extending their territory, and hoped soon\nto become masters of the world, so they were glad to help the Spartans\nagainst the Macedonians, who were already their enemies.\n\nThey therefore speedily came to the Spartans' aid, set fire to the\nAchaean and Macedonian ships, and defeated their armies so sorely, that\nPhilip was obliged to beg for peace and to give them his son as a\nhostage.\n\nThe Spartans, having thus freed themselves from the yoke of the Achaean\nLeague, now fell into far worse hands, for they were governed by a\ntyrant named Na'bis,--a cruel and miserly man, who, in order to\nincrease his treasure, often had recourse to vile stratagems.\n\nHe had made a cunning instrument of torture, on purpose to obtain money\nfrom any one he wished. This was a statue, the exact image of his wife,\nclad in magnificent robes. Whenever he heard that any man was very rich,\nNabis used to send for him. After treating him with exaggerated\npoliteness, the tyrant would gently advise him to sacrifice his wealth\nfor the good of the state.\n\nIf his guest refused to do so, Nabis would invite him to visit his wife,\nand lead the unsuspecting man close to the statue. This was made so as\nto move by a system of cunningly arranged springs, and as soon as the\nvictim came within reach, the statue's arms closed tightly around him.\n\nThe terrified guest, caught in an irresistible embrace, then found\nhimself drawn closer and closer, and pressed against sharp points and\nknives hidden under the rich garments.\n\nIt was only, when the tortured man had solemnly promised to give up all\nhe owned, that the tyrant Nabis would set him free; but if he resisted,\nhe was killed by slow torture, and allowed to bleed to death in the\nstatue's embrace.\n\n\n\n\nCXIV. THE LAST OF THE GREEKS.\n\n\nWhen Aratus died, the principal man in the Achaean army was\nPhil-o-poe'men, a brave and virtuous young man. He was patriotic in\nthe extreme, and so plain and unassuming that no one would have\nsuspected his rank.\n\nOn one occasion, when he had reached the dignity of general, he was\ninvited to dine at a house where the hostess was a stranger to him. When\nhe came to the door, she took him for a servant, on account of his plain\nclothes, and curtly bade him go and split wood.\n\nWithout saying a word, Philopoemen threw aside his cloak, seized an\nax, and set to work. The host, on coming up a few minutes later, was\nhorrified to see his honored guest cutting wood, and was profuse in his\napologies for a mistake which only made Philopoemen laugh.\n\nWhen Philopoemen heard how cruel Nabis was, he wanted to free Sparta\nfrom his tyranny. So he entered the town at the head of an armed force\nof men, confiscated the treasures for the benefit of the public, and\ndrove Nabis away.\n\nThe Spartans were at first very grateful to the Achaeans for freeing\nthem, but they soon began to feel jealous of their power, and again rose\nup in revolt against them. This time Philopoemen treated the Spartans\nwith the utmost severity, even razing the walls of the city, which were\nnever rebuilt.\n\nPhilopoemen was farsighted enough to see from the beginning that the\nRoman alliance would prove bad for Greece. He soon discovered that the\nRomans intended to subdue the country, and in order to do so most easily\nwere trying to make the people quarrel among themselves.\n\nAll his efforts were therefore directed toward keeping peace, and for a\ntime he was quite successful. But the Romans, seeing no other way to\nbring about a quarrel, at last bribed the Messenians to revolt.\n\nIn the course of the war, Philopoemen was led into an artfully\narranged ambuscade, and was taken in chains to Messenia, where,\nnotwithstanding his gray hair, he was exposed to the jeers of the common\npeople.\n\nAfter thus humiliating him, they led him to the place of torture; but\nwhen he heard that his army had escaped from the ambush, he fervently\ncried, \"I die happy, since the Achaeans are safe.\"\n\nThis only hastened the end of the brave patriot, who has been called the\n\"Last of the Greeks,\" because he was the last to try to maintain his\ncountry's independence.\n\nThe Achaeans soon after took the town of Messenia, stoned all\nPhilopoemen's murderers on his tomb, and carried his ashes to\nMeg-a-lop'o-lis, his native city, where they were buried with great\npomp.\n\n\n\n\nCXV. GREECE A ROMAN PROVINCE.\n\n\nFor centuries the Greeks had been in the habit of assembling at Corinth\nevery three years for the celebration of the Isthmian games, in honor of\nPoseidon, god of the sea. Here, as at Olympia, there were races,\nwrestling and boxing matches, and contests in verse and song; and as\nusual the prizes were simple crowns of olive leaves, which were\nconsidered far more precious than silver or gold.\n\nIn 196 B.C. not only were the Greeks present at this celebration, but\nthere were also many Romans who wished to witness the games. The Greeks\nwere then particularly happy because the War of the Two Leagues seemed\nto be ended, and the country was at peace.\n\nIn the midst of the festival, Quin'tius Flam-i-ni'nus, the Roman consul,\nmounted the orator's block, and proclaimed that the Roman army had just\nwon a great victory over the revolted King of Macedon, and that the\nGreek states were now indeed free.\n\nThese tidings were received with such a tumult of joyful cries, it is\nsaid, that a flock of birds that were flying overhead fell to the earth,\nstunned by the shock of cheers which rent the air.\n\nThis joy, however, did not last very long, for the new-won freedom of\nGreece existed in name only. As soon as the Romans had completed the\nconquest of Macedon under its last ruler, Perseus, they prepared to\nannex Greece also.\n\nTheir first move was to accuse the Achaeans of sending aid to Macedon.\nUnder this pretext, one thousand leading citizens were seized, and sent\nto Rome to be tried.\n\nHere they were kept in exile for many a year, longing to go home, and\nfuming against their detention. When they were finally allowed to\nreturn, they were so imbittered, that, as the Romans had foreseen, they\nsoon stirred up a revolt among the Achaeans.\n\nAE-mil'i-us Pau'lus, the conqueror of Macedon, then marched into Greece,\nand swept over the whole country. He took the city of Corinth, and\nburned it to the ground, after carrying off many of its most precious\nworks of art to adorn his triumph.\n\nSuch was the ignorance of the Romans at that time, however, about all\nmatters of art, that the sailors who were to carry these treasures to\nRome were warned by the consul to be careful, as they would have to\nreplace any article they had damaged or lost.\n\nThe Romans then placed garrisons in the principal Greek towns, and the\ncountry became a mere province of Rome, under the name of Achaia.\n\nThus ends the history of ancient Greece, which, though so small, was yet\nthe most famous country the world has ever known,--the country from\nwhich later nations learned their best lessons in art, philosophy, and\nliterature.\n\n\n\n\nINDEX.\n\n\n PAGE\n\n\nAcademy, gardens of 142\n\nAchaean League 268-270\n\nAchaeans exiled to Rome 281\n\nAchilles, avenges Patroclus 50\n betrays himself 46\n death of 51\n in the Styx 45\n prophecy regarding 44\n\nAcropolis, captured 88, 96\n Parthenon on 149\n statue of Athene on 115\n temple to Theseus, near 28, 143\n\nAdrastus 37-40\n\nAEgean Sea, derivation of name 27\n Persian vessels forbidden to enter 147\n\nAEgeus 27\n\nAEgina, Draco at Island of 88\n\nAEneas, escape of 53\n\nAEtolian League 268, 273\n\nAgamemnon, insults priest of Apollo 48\n King of Mycenae 44\n\nAge of Pericles 146\n\nAgesilaus, at Coronea 189\n courage of 185, 199\n\nAgis, condemned to death 275\n type of old Spartans 271\n\nAlcibiades, anecdotes of 161, 163, 164\n hostility toward 166\n killed by Persians 171\n shield of 162\n\nAlexander I 197-199\n\nAlexander the Great, birthplace of 227\n crosses Libyan desert 245\n cuts Gordian knot 238\n death of 236, 253\n enters Jerusalem 244\n generosity of 248\n horsemanship of 229, 231\n marriage of 252\n omens concerning 227\n prophecy of 256\n self-denial of 251\n takes title of \"Shah in Shah\" 249\n tomb of 255\n victory of 237, 246\n visit of, to Diogenes 235\n\nAlexandria, founded 244\n Lighthouse of 264\n\nAmbassador, life of, sacred 111, 120\n\nAmphictyonic Council 20, 217, 224\n\nAnaxagoras, philosopher 151, 152\n\nAntalcidas, treaty of 190\n\nAntigone 36, 40\n\nAntigonus Doson 275\n\nAntigonus Gonatas 269\n\nAntigonus, \"the one-eyed\" 262\n\nAntipater, governor of Macedon 256, 258, 260\n\nApollo sends plague 48\n statue in honor of 264\n\nAppetite, recipe for good 238\n\nAratus, leader of Achaean League 269\n poisoning of 277\n\nArbela, battle at 246\n\nArchon, how elected 87\n origin of title of 57\n\nAreopagus, court of law 91\n Pisistratus before the 95\n\nAristides, anecdote of 118\n burial of 141\n discovers plans of Xerxes 133\n recall of 124\n\nAristocrat, derivation of 95\n\nAristodemus, daughter sacrificed by 72\n first ruler of Sparta 61\n\nAristogiton 99, 102\n\nAristomenes 73-77\n\nAristophanes 173-175\n\nAristotle, teacher of Alexander 231\n\nArridaeus 256, 261\n\nArtaxerxes, befriends Themistocles 140\n oath of 147\n sends for Hippocrates 155\n treachery of 181\n\nAspasia 152\n\nAster, an archer 220\n\nAthene, festival in honor of 26\n statue of 115, 149, 247\n temple to 88, 101, 136, 149, 271\n\nAthene, tree planted by 90, 137\n\nAthenians, at Marathon 113-115\n bribery of 189\n build statues 102, 179\n defeat Spartans 56\n extravagance of 141\n heroes among 113, 114\n ingratitude of 117, 119\n last of the 261\n thirty-years' peace of 148\n\nAthens, art in 149\n becomes an oligarchy 87\n burning of 132\n called Cecropia 16\n chains of Xerxes in 137\n Olympic games at in, 1896 80\n plague in 155\n purification of 90\n rebuilt 137\n title of king in 56\n voting in 91, 103\n\nAthos, Mount 110, 124, 126\n\n\nBabylon, city of 246\n Hanging Gardens of 264\n\nBessus, treachery of 248\n\nBrennus, leader of Gauls 267\n\nBucephalus, meaning of 229\n monument to 250\n\nBulis, self-sacrifice of 120\n\n\nCadmus 17, 191\n\nCanal dug by Xerxes 124\n\nCassander 260-263\n\nCassandra 42\n\nCeadas, pit of 75\n\nCecropia. See _Athens_.\n\nCecrops founds Athens 16\n\nChaeronea, battle at 225\n\nCharilaus educated by Lycurgus 62\n\nCharon, babe of, as pledge 193\n\nChilo dies of joy 86\n\nChilonis, self-sacrifice of 273\n\nChios, Island of 60\n\nCimon, banishment of 146\n death of 147\n generosity of 143\n son of Miltiades 117\n\nCleombrotus 195, 273\n\nCleomenes 275, 276\n\nCleopatra, last of the Ptolemies 265\n\nClytus 228, 237, 249\n\nCodrus, heroic death of 56\n\nCoinage of money 24\n\nColchis, Golden Fleece in 25\n\nColossus of Rhodes 264\n\nComedy of \"The Clouds\" 174, 175\n\nCorinth, city of 280, 281\n Isthmus of 17, 131\n\nCoronea 148, 189\n\nCrete, location of 22\n\nCriminals, punishment of 176\n self-defense of 91\n\nCrito 177, 179\n\nCroesus, ruler of Lydia 253\n\nCroton, Greek colony 81, 166\n\nCunaxa, battle at 180\n\nCyclops, meaning of 14\n\nCydnus, Alexander bathes in 240\n\nCylon 88\n\nCyrus, death of 180\n\n\nDaedalus invents sails 22\n\nDamocles' sword 209\n\nDamon 204-208\n\nDanaus teaches shipbuilding 17\n\nDarius, army of, routed 113\n audience chamber of 106\n death of 119, 248\n offers peace to Alexander 247\n resolves to conquer Greece 108, 117\n second army of 110\n \"The Great King\" 104\n\nDecelea, fortification of 168\n\nDelos, Island of 177, 179\n\nDelphi, temple at, rebuilding of 101\n robbed 224\n saved by thunderstorm 130, 267\n\nDemeter, festival of 17, 191\n\nDemetrius, generosity of 266\n imprisonment of 267\n \"The Preserver\" 263\n\nDemocedes, court physician 107\n\nDemocrat, derivation of 95\n\nDemosthenes, cowardice of 226\n joy of, at death of Philip 233\n orator 221-223\n takes poison 259\n\nDeucalion 19, 20\n\nDiana, goddess 47\n temple of 65, 227, 237, 264\n\nDiocles, traitor 269\n\nDiogenes 234, 235\n\nDion 210-215\n\nDionysius the Elder 202-210\n\nDionysius the Younger 210-216\n\nDionysus, festival and theater of 92-94\n\nDraco, cruel lawmaker 87, 88, 91\n\n\n\"Earth and water,\" demand for 110\n\nEcbatana, a walled city 104\n\nEgyptians, civilization of 12\n\nEpaminondas, as commander 196\n dying words of 201\n risks own life for Pelopidas 191\n\nEphesus, founded 56\n taken by Alexander 237\n temple at 227, 264\n\nEphialtes, perfidy of 128\n\nEpimenides, long sleep of 90\n\nErostratus wins immortality 228\n\nEteocles quarrels with Polynices 37-39\n\nEurybiades, Spartan king 132-134\n\n\nFlood of Ogyges 15\n\nFuries, duty of 36\n\n\nGalatia, how named 267\n\nGolden Fleece, search for 25\n\nGordian knot, cutting the 240\n\nGordium 238\n\nGranicus, battle near 237\n\nGreat Greece 54\n\nGreat King, The (see also _Darius_) 104\n\nGreece, alphabet brought to 17\n Egyptians settle in 13\n freedom of 281\n known as Achaia 282\n punishment of criminals in 176\n situation of 11\n\nGreeks, at Thermopylae 127, 128\n betrayal of 181\n commercial journey by 26\n geographical knowledge of 251\n gods angry with 54\n last of the 280\n retreat of 182-184\n statue judged by 83\n Troy taken by 53\n truce of 51\n victory of, at Salamis 134\n\n\nHanging Gardens of Babylon 264\n\nHarmodius, kills Hipparchus 99\n statue in honor of 102\n\nHector, falls by hand of Achilles 50\n kills Patroclus 50\n sung by Homer 60\n\nHecuba, dream of 41\n\nHelen runs away with Paris 43\n\nHelios. See _Apollo._\n\nHellas, how named (see also _Greece_) 21\n\nHellen, second son of Deucalion 20\n\nHellespont, a narrow strait 109\n bridging the 121\n\nHelots, Spartan slaves 61\n strike for freedom 145\n temperance taught by 68\n\nHephaestion, drinks himself to death 252\n friend of Alexander 236\n mistaken for Alexander 241\n\nHeracles. See _Hercules_.\n\nHeraclidae, banishment of 28\n regain possessions 55\n\nHeraclides, treachery of 214\n\nHercules, birthplace of 28\n festival instituted by 78\n games in honor of 38\n\nHermes, destruction of statues of 166\n\nHeroic Age 25, 57\n\nHipparchus 98, 99\n\nHippias, Athenian ruler 98\n capture of 102\n Darius' generals guided by 111\n killed 113\n seeks aid from Darius 105\n\nHippocrates drives out plague 156\n\nHomer, birthplace of 60\n blindness of 57\n poems of, collected 97\n rank of, as poet 58, 60\n\nHot Gateway 20, 125\n\nHymettus, honey of 17\n\nHyphasis River 251\n\n\nIcarian Sea, how named 24\n\nIcarus flies too high 24\n\nIlium. See _Troy_.\n\nImmortals, bodyguard of Xerxes 122\n gain Pass of Thermopylae 129\n\nInachus teaches Pelasgians 13\n\nIonia, derivation of name 21\n location of 56, 104\n\nIphigenia rescued by Diana 47\n\nIpsus, battle of 265\n\nIsmene dies of grief 40\n\nIssus, Persians routed at 241\n\nIsthmian games 280\n\nIthome, fortified city 72, 73\n\n\nJaddua, vision of 244\n\nJason commands the \"Argo\" 25\n\nJocasta, kills herself 35\n Queen of Thebes 29\n\nJove, thunderbolts of 162\n\nJupiter, festival and statue of 78, 79\n temple to 245\n See also _Zeus_.\n\n\nLabyrinth of Crete 22, 27, 264\n\nLacedaemon, how named 61\n\nLaconia, adjective from 66\n clemency shown to 197\n location of 61\n\nLaius, killed by OEdipus 31\n words of oracle to 29\n\nLamia, fortress of 258\n\n\"Last of the Athenians\" 261\n\n\"Last of the Greeks\" 280\n\nLeaena, courage of 100\n honor to 103\n\nLeonidas I., betrayal of 129\n guards Thermopylae 125\n reply of, to Xerxes 127\n\nLeonidas II. 270-275\n\nLeuctra, Theban victory at 196\n\nLibya, temple at 245\n\nLong Walls, building of 147\n destruction of 170\n rebuilding of 172\n\nLyceum, laying out of 96\n\nLycurgus, in Spartan history 61\n iron money originated by 70\n laws of 62-70\n\n\nMacedon, location of 217\n\nMantinea, Theban victory at 199\n\nMarathon, battle of 113-115\n situation of 111\n\nMardonius, flight of 134\n\nMausolus, Tomb of 264\n\nMediterranean Sea, islands in 13\n stretch of 11\n\nMegacles, crime of 89, 101\n\nMegalopolis, tomb in 280\n\nMenelaus 42, 43\n\nMessenia 71, 280\n\nMessenians, bribed by Romans 280\n thrown into Ceadas 75\n war against Spartans 145\n\nMessina, city and colony of 77, 166\n Lighthouse of 264\n\nMidas, cart of 238\n\nMiletus 56, 137\n\nMilo the athlete 81, 82\n\nMiltiades, at Marathon 112\n conviction and death of 117\n\nMinerva. See _Athene_.\n\nMirage 245\n\nMoney, coining of 24\n institution of iron 70\n\nMorea, why so called 55\n\n\nNabis, tyrant 278\n\nNavigation taught 17\n\nNearchus, exploration of 251\n\nNemean lion 38\n\nNemesis, statue of 116\n\nNeptune. See _Poseidon_.\n\nNestor the wise man 44\n\n\nOEdipus, answers Sphinx's riddle 34\n attempted murder of 29\n death of 36\n fulfillment of prophecy concerning 31, 34\n puts out his own eyes 35\n\nOgyges, flood of 15\n\nOlympia, temple at 78\n\nOlympiad as measurement of time 80\n\nOlympias 227, 261\n\nOlympic games, bearing arms during 126\n excitement at 86\n girls in 84\n renewal of 80\n time reckoned by 80\n\nOstracize, derivation of 104\n\n\nPanathenaea, festival of 26\n\nParis, bringing up of 42\n\nParos, Island of 116\n\nParthenon 149, 264\n\nPatroclus, armor of Achilles on 49\n killed by Hector 50\n sung by Homer 60\n\nPausanias, patriotism of mother of 139\n successor of Leonidas 134\n walled in 139\n\nPelasgians, homes and habits of 12\n remains of, in old tombs 18\n skill of, in building 14\n spinning and weaving by 16\n\nPelopidae conquer Heraclidae 28\n\nPelopidas, exiled Theban 191\n returns in disguise 193\n slain in battle 199\n\nPeloponnesian War, end of 170\n length of 153\n\nPeloponnesus, derivation of name 24\n Dorians settle in 55\n key of the 270\n laid waste 154\n present name of 55\n\nPelops teaches coinage of money 24\n\nPerdiccas, against Ptolemy 260\n receives Alexander's ring 253\n\nPericles, death of 156, 157\n eloquence of 154\n idol of the poor 144\n improvement of Athens by 149\n leader of the Athenians 146\n\nPersepolis, burning of 248\n\nPerseus builds Mycenae 17\n\nPersian army, route of, to Greece 109\n\nPersian fleet, destruction of 110\n retreat of 115\n\nPersian vessels shut out of the AEgean 147\n\nPhalanx, Macedonian 218, 250\n\nPharnabazus 185-188\n\nPharos 264\n\nPhidias, death of 149\n Parthenon decorated by 149, 264\n statues by 79, 116, 149\n\nPhilip of Macedon, ambition of 217, 220, 226\n at Chaeronea 226\n early training of 217\n formation of Macedonian phalanx by 218\n gift from, to Demosthenes 222\n left eye of, put out 220\n murder of 226\n president of Amphictyonic Council 225\n wealth of 218\n\nPhilippic, origin of 221\n\nPhilopoemon, anecdote of 279\n \"Last of the Greeks\" 280\n\nPhiloxenus, a philosopher 202-204\n\nPhocion, caution of 257\n \"Last of the Athenians\" 261\n\nPhoenicians, home of 13\n\nPindar, house of 233\n\nPisistratidae, expulsion of 102\n\nPisistratus, death of 98\n hypocrisy of 95\n improvement of Athens by 96\n\nPlataea 134, 136\n\nPlato, Olympic crown given to 212\n pupil of Socrates 59\n words of Socrates preserved by 177, 179\n\nPoliorcetes, \"the city taker\" 263\n\nPolynices 37-39\n\nPorus, Indian king 250\n\nPoseidon 52, 280\n\nPriam, begs Hector's body 51\n desertion of Paris by 41\n sung by Homer 60\n\nPrisoners of war as slaves 48, 61\n\nPtolemy, builds tomb for Alexander 255\n conquered by Demetrius 263\n\nPyramids of Egypt 12, 264\n\nPyrrha 19, 20\n\nPythias 204-208\n\n\nQuarries, The 203\n\n\nRetreat of the Ten Thousand 185\n\nRome, Achaeans exiled to 281\n art in 282\n power of 270, 277\n\nRoxana, imprisonment of 261\n wife of Alexander 252\n\n\nSacred Battalion 195, 226\n\nSacred War 224\n\nSalamis, victory at 134, 170\n\nSardis, burning of 109\n taken by Alexander 237\n\nSeleucia 265\n\nSeleucus 262, 265, 267\n\nScyros, Island of, Achilles at 46\n Theseus killed at 28, 143\n\nShipbuilding taught 17\n\nSicyon joins Achaean League 269\n\nSisygambis, love of, for Alexander 242, 255\n\nSlaves, prisoners of war as 48, 61\n\nSocrates, accusation against 175\n belief and practice of 158, 176\n death of 179\n defense of 176\n greatest philosopher of the world 171\n last conversation of 177-179\n life of Alcibiades saved by 162\n statue of 179\n\nSolon, laws of 91, 103, 170\n play acting disapproved by 93\n return of, to Athens 97\n\nSophocles 94\n\nSparta, earthquake at 144\n location of 42\n rebuilding of 146\n rulers of 55\n two kings of 61\n\nSpartan, an expression of courage 66\n\nSpartan babes, fate of 63\n\nSpartan boys, education of 63-66\n example of bravery of 65\n fidelity instilled in 67\n test of courage of 65\n trained to steal 65\n\nSpartan girls, carried off by Messenians 71\n education of 63, 69\n\nSpartan mother, admonition of 68\n\nSpartans, ask aid of Athenians 74\n at Pass of Thermopylae 129\n attack Amphea 71\n covet Messenia 71\n degeneracy of 172, 270\n force way into Thebes 190\n freed from Achaean League 277\n habits of 67, 68, 136\n influence of superstition on 111, 154\n join in Olympic games 79\n overcome Messenians 75\n rout of three thousand by twelve 195\n seize Persian ambassadors 111\n swear allegiance to Lycurgus 70\n\nSperthias, self-sacrifice of 120\n\nSphinx 33, 34\n\nStyx, power of waters of 45\n\nSun, eclipse of 153, 154\n\nSusa, statue at 247\n\nSybaris, prosperity of 165\n\nSyracuse 166, 204\n\n\nTemple, at Delphi, command from 19\n at Ephesus 227, 264\n at Libya 245\n at Olympia 78\n of Bel, rebuilding of 247\n of Jupiter 246\n of Neptune 258\n protection by a 88, 139, 258, 271\n rebuilding of a 247\n saved by thunderstorm 130, 267\n test of courage at 65\n\nTheagenes, statue of 83\n\nTheater, the first 93\n\nThebes, founding of 17\n siege of 38-40\n supremacy of 197\n taking, of 191, 233\n\nThemistocles, Athenian general 112\n council planned by 125\n courage of 133\n exiled by Athenians 140\n honor of 140\n jealousy of 116\n\nThermopylae, Greeks at 127, 128\n Pass of 20, 125\n\nThersander 40, 44\n\nTheseum 143\n\nTheseus, bones of 143\n Greek hero 26-28\n\nThespians, bravery of 130\n\nThespis builds first theater 93\n\nThessaly, location of 55\n\nThirty Tyrants, the 170-172\n\nThrasybulus, statues to 172\n\nTigris, Greeks swim the 246\n\nTorture, instrument of 278\n\nTragedy, Greek meaning of 93\n writers of 94\n\nTroy, burning of 53\n location of 41\n siege of 47-53\n sung by Homer 60\n\nTruce, hundred years' 28, 55\n\nTyrant, meanings of 97\n\nTyre, burning of 243\n\nTyrtaeus leads Spartans 75\n\n\nUlysses, in disguise 46\n sung by Homer 60\n the crafty king 44\n wooden horse of 52\n\n\nVine, golden 106, 253\n\nVoting in Athens 91, 103\n\n\nWar, end of Peloponnesian 170\n engines of 124, 263\n First Messenian 71\n length of Peloponnesian 153\n of the Epigoni 40\n of the Two Leagues 277\n Second Messenian 77\n\nWonders of the world 149, 228, 264\n\n\nXanthippe 158\n\nXenophon 159, 182\n\nXerxes I., canal dug by 124\n defeat of 134\n host of 121-124\n sorrow of 122\n vessels of, wrecked 126\n\nXuthus rules Athens 21\n\n\nZeus (see also _Jupiter_) 77, 151, 162","title":"The Story of the Greeks","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":67602}