dismissed the second: and this wife, not having fulfilled the ten months
47 but in a shorter period of time, bore him that Demaratos of whom we
were speaking; and one of his servants reported to him as he was sitting
in council 48 with the Ephors, that a son had been born to him. He then,
knowing the time when he took to him his wife, and reckoning the months
upon his fingers, said, denying with an oath, "The child would not
be mine." This the Ephors heard, but they thought it a matter of no
importance at the moment; and the child grew up and Ariston repented of
that which he had said, for he thought Demaratos was certainly his
own son; and he gave him the name "Demaratos" for this reason, namely
because before these things took place the Spartan people all in a body
49 had made a vow 50 praying that a son might be born to Ariston, as one
who was pre-eminent in renown over all the kings who had ever arisen in
Sparta.
64. For this reason the name Demaratos 51 was given to him. And as time
went on Ariston died, and Demaratos obtained the kingdom: but it was
fated apparently that these things should become known and should cause
Demaratos to be deposed from the kingdom; and therefore 52 Demaratos
came to be at variance greatly with Cleomenes both at the former time
when he withdrew his army from Eleusis, and also now especially, when
Cleomenes had crossed over to take those of the Eginetans who had gone
over to the Medes..
65. Cleomenes then, being anxious to take vengeance on him, concerted
matters with Leotychides the son of Menares, the son of Agis, who was of
the same house as Demaratos, under condition that if he should set
him up as king instead of Demaratos, he would go with him against the
Eginetans. Now Leotychides had become a bitter foe of Demaratos on
account of this matter which follows:--Leotychides had betrothed himself
to Percalos the daughter of Chilon son of Demarmenos; and Demaratos
plotted against him and deprived Leotychides of his marriage, carrying
off Percalos himself beforehand, and getting her for his wife. Thus
had arisen the enmity of Leotychides against Demaratos; and now by the
instigation of Cleomenes Leotychides deposed against Demaratos, saying
that he was not rightfully reigning over the Spartans, not being a son
of Ariston: and after this deposition he prosecuted a suit against him,
recalling the old saying which Ariston uttered at the time when his
servant reported to him that a son was born to him, and he reckoning up
the months denied with an oath, saying that it was not his. Taking his
stand upon this utterance, Leotychides proceeded to prove that Demaratos
was not born of Ariston nor was rightfully reigning over Sparta; and he
produced as witnesses those Ephors who chanced then to have been sitting
with Ariston in council and to have heard him say this..
66. At last, as there was contention about those matters, the Spartans
resolved to ask the Oracle at Delphi whether Demaratos was the son of
Ariston. The question then having been referred by the arrangement of
Cleomenes to the Pythian prophetess, thereupon Cleomenes gained over to
his side Cobon the son of Aristophantos, who had most power among the
Delphians, and Cobin persuaded Perialla the prophetess of the Oracle
53 to say that which Cleomenes desired to have said. Thus the Pythian
prophetess, when those who were sent to consult the god asked her their
question, gave decision that Demaratos was not the son of Ariston.
Afterwards however these things became known, and both Cobon went into
exile from Delphi and Perialla the prophetess of the Oracle was removed
from her office.
67. With regard to the deposing of Demaratos from the kingdom it
happened thus: but Demaratos became an exile from Sparta to the Medes
on account of a reproach which here follows:--After he had been deposed
from the kingdom Demaratos was holding a public office to which he had
been elected. Now it was the time of the Gymnopaidiai; and as Demaratos
was a spectator of them, Leotychides, who had now become king himself
instead of Demaratos, sent his attendant and asked Demaratos in mockery
and insult what kind of a thing it was to be a magistrate after having
been king; and he vexed at the question made answer and said that he
himself had now had experience of both, but Leotychides had not; this
question however, he said, would be the beginning either of countless
evil or countless good fortune for the Lacedemonians. Having thus said,
he veiled his head and went forth out of the theatre to his own house;
and forthwith he made preparations and sacrificed an ox to Zeus, and
after having sacrificed he called his mother..
68. Then when his mother had come, he put into her hands some of the
inner parts 54 of the victim, and besought her, saying as follows:
"Mother, I beseech thee, appealing to the other gods and above all to
this Zeus the guardian of the household, 55 to tell me the truth, who is
really and truly my father. For Leotychides spoke in his contention
with me, saying that thou didst come to Ariston with child by thy former
husband; and others besides, reporting that which is doubtless an idle
tale, 56 say that thou didst go in to one of the servants, namely the
keeper of the asses, and that I am his son. I therefore entreat thee by
the gods to tell me the truth; for if thou hast done any of these things
which are reported, thou hast not done them alone, but with many other
women; and the report is commonly believed in Sparta that there was not
in Ariston seed which should beget children; for if so, then his former
wives also would have borne children.".
69. Thus he spoke, and she made answer as follows: "My son, since thou
dost beseech me with entreaties to speak the truth, the whole truth
shall be told to thee. When Ariston had brought me into his house, on
the third night 57 there came to me an apparition in the likeness of
Ariston, and having lain with me it put upon me the garlands which it
had on; and the apparition straitway departed, and after this Ariston
came; and when he saw me with garlands, he asked who it was who had
given me them; and I said that he had given them, but he did not admit
it; and I began to take oath of it, saying that he did not well to deny
it, for he had come (I said) a short time before and had lain with me
and given me the garlands. Then Ariston, seeing that I made oath of it,
perceived that the matter was of the gods; and first the garlands were
found to be from the hero-temple which stands by the outer door of the
house, which they call the temple of Astrabacos, 58 and secondly the
diviners gave answer that it was this same hero. Thus, my son, thou hast
all, as much as thou desirest to learn; for either thou art begotten
of this hero and the hero Astrabacos is thy father, or Ariston is thy
father, for on that night I conceived thee: but as to that wherein thy
foes most take hold of thee, saying that Ariston himself, when thy birth
was announced to him, in the hearing of many declared that thou wert
not his son, because the time, the ten months namely, had not yet been
fulfilled, in ignorance of such matters he cast forth that saying;
for women bring forth children both at the ninth month and also at the
seventh, and not all after they have completed ten months; and I bore
thee, my son, at the seventh month: and Ariston himself also perceived
after no long time that he had uttered this saying in folly. Do not thou
then accept any other reports about thy begetting, for thou hast heard
in all the full truth; but to Leotychides and to those who report these
things may their wives bear children by keepers of asses!"
70. Thus she spoke; and he, having learnt that which he desired to
learn, took supplies for travelling and set forth to go to Elis,
pretending that he was going to Delphi to consult the Oracle: but the
Lacedemonians, suspecting that he was attempting to escape, pursued
after him; and it chanced that before they came Demaratos had passed
over to Zakynthos from Elis; and the Lacedemonians crossing over after
him laid hands on his person and carried away his attendants from him.
Afterwards however, since those of Zakynthos refused to give him up, he
passed over from thence to Asia, to the presence of king Dareios; and
Dareios both received him with great honour as a guest, and also gave
him land and cities. Thus Demaratos had come to Asia, and such was the
fortune which he had had, having been distinguished in the estimation of
the Lacedemonians 59 in many other ways both by deeds and by counsels,
and especially having gained for them an Olympic victory with the
four-horse chariot, being the only one who achieved this of all the
kings who ever arose in Sparta.
71. Demaratos being deposed, Leotychides the son of Menares succeeded to
the kingdom; and he had born to him a son Zeuxidemos, whom some of the
Spartans called Kyniscos. This Zeuxidemos did not become king of
Sparta, for he died before Leotychides, leaving a son Archidemos: and
Leotychides having lost Zeuxidemos married a second wife Eurydame, the
sister of Menios and daughter of Diactorides, by whom he had no male
issue, but a daughter Lampito, whom Archidemos the son of Zeuxidemos
took in marriage, she being given to him by Leotychides..
72. Leotychides however did not himself 60 live to old age in Sparta,
but paid a retribution for Demaratos as follows:--he went as commander
of the Lacedemonians to invade Thessaly, and when he might have reduced
all to subjection, he accepted gifts of money amounting to a large sum;
and being taken in the act there in the camp, as he was sitting upon a
glove full of money, he was brought to trial and banished from Sparta,
and his house was razed to the ground. So he went into exile to Tegea
and ended his life there..
73. These things happened later; but at this time, when Cleomenes had
brought to a successful issue the affair which concerned Demaratos,
forthwith he took with him Leotychides and went against the Eginetans,
being very greatly enraged with them because of their insults towards
him. So the Eginetans on their part, since both the kings had come
against them, thought fit no longer to resist; and the Spartans selected
ten men who were the most considerable among the Eginetans both by
wealth and by birth, and took them away as prisoners, and among
others also Crios 61 the son of Polycritos and Casambos the son of
Aristocrates, who had the greatest power among them; and having taken
these away to the land of Attica, they deposited them as a charge with
the Athenians, who were the bitterest enemies of the Eginetans.
74. After this Cleomenes, since it had become known that he had devised
evil against Demaratos, was seized by fear of the Spartans and retired
to Thessaly. Thence he came to Arcadia, and began to make mischief 62
and to combine the Arcadians against Sparta; and besides other oaths
with which he caused them to swear that they would assuredly follow him
whithersoever he should lead them, he was very desirous also to bring
the chiefs of the Arcadians to the city of Nonacris and cause them
to swear by the water of Styx; for near this city it is said by the
Arcadians 63 that there is the water of Styx, and there is in fact
something of this kind: a small stream of water is seen to trickle down
from a rock into a hollow ravine, and round the ravine runs a wall
of rough stones. Now Nonacris, where it happens that this spring is
situated, is a city of Arcadia near Pheneos..
75. The Lacedemonians, hearing that Cleomenes was acting thus, were
afraid, and proceeded to bring him back to Sparta to rule on the same
terms as before: but when he had come back, forthwith a disease of
madness seized him (who had been even before this somewhat insane 64),
and whenever he met any of the Spartans, he dashed his staff against the
man's face. And as he continued to do this and had gone quite out of his
senses, his kinsmen bound him in stocks. Then being so bound, and seeing
his warder left alone by the rest, he asked him for a knife; and the
warder not being at first willing to give it, he threatened him with
that which he would do to him afterwards if he did not; until at last
the warder fearing the threats, for he was one of the Helots, gave him a
knife. Then Cleomenes, when he had received the steel, began to
maltreat himself from the legs upwards: for he went on cutting his flesh
lengthways from the legs to the thighs and from the thighs to the loins
and flanks, until at last he came to the belly; and cutting this
into strips he died in that manner. And this happened, as most of the
Hellenes report, because he persuaded the Pythian prophetess to advise
that which was done about Demaratos; but as the Athenians alone
report, it was because when he invaded Eleusis he laid waste the sacred
enclosure of the goddesses; 65 and according to the report of the
Argives, because from their sanctuary dedicated to Argos he caused to
come down those of the Argives who had fled for refuge from the battle
and slew them, and also set fire to the grove itself, holding it in no
regard..
76. For when Cleomenes was consulting the Oracle at Delphi, the answer
was given him that he should conquer Argos; so he led the Spartans and
came to the river Erasinos, which is said to flow from the Stymphalian
lake; for this lake, they say, running out into a viewless chasm,
appears again above ground in the land of Argos; and from thence onwards
this water is called by the Argives Erasinos: having come, I say, to
this river, Cleomenes did sacrifice to it; and since the sacrifices were
not at all favourable for him to cross over, he said that he admired
the Erasinos for not betraying the men of its country, but the Argives
should not even so escape. After this he retired back from thence and
led his army down to Thyrea; and having done sacrifice to the Sea by
slaying a bull, he brought them in ships to the land of Tiryns and
Nauplia..
77. Being informed of this, the Argives came to the rescue towards the
sea; and when they had got near Tiryns and were at the place which is
called Hesipeia, 66 they encamped opposite to the Lacedemonians leaving
no very wide space between the armies. There the Argives were not afraid
of the open fighting, but only lest they should be conquered by
craft; for to this they thought referred the oracle which the Pythian
prophetess gave in common to these and to the Milesians, 67 saying as
follows:
"But when the female at length shall conquer the male in the battle,
Conquer and drive him forth, and glory shall gain among Argives,
Then many wives of the Argives shall tear both cheeks in their mourning;
So that a man shall say some time, of the men that came after,
'Quelled by the spear it perished, the three-coiled terrible serpent,'
The conjunction of all these things caused fear to the Argives, and
with a view to this they resolved to make use of the enemy's herald;
and having so resolved they proceeded to do as follows:--whenever the
Spartan herald proclaimed anything to the Lacedemonians, the Argives
also did that same thing..
78. So Cleomenes, perceiving that the Argives were doing whatever
the herald of the Lacedemonians proclaimed, passed the word to the
Lacedemonians that when the herald should proclaim that they were to
get breakfast, then they should take up their arms and go to attack the
Argives. This was carried out even so by the Lacedemonians; for as the
Argives were getting breakfast according to the herald's proclamation,
they attacked them; and many of them they slew, but many more yet took
refuge in the sacred grove of Argos, and upon these they kept watch,
sitting round about the place. Then Cleomenes did this which follows:--
79. He had with him deserters, and getting information by inquiring of
these, he sent a herald and summoned forth those of the Argives who were
shut up in the sanctuary, mentioning each by name; and he summoned
them forth saying that he had received their ransom. Now among the
Peloponnesians ransom is two pounds weight of silver 68 appointed to be
paid for each prisoner. So Cleomenes summoned forth about fifty of the
Argives one by one and slew them; and it chanced that the rest who were
in the enclosure did not perceive that this was being done; for since
the grove was thick, those within did not see how it fared with those
who were without, at least until one of them climbed up a tree and saw
from above that which was being done. Accordingly they then no longer
came forth when they were called.
80. So Cleomenes thereupon ordered all the Helots to pile up brushwood
round the sacred grove; and they obeying, he set fire to the grove. And
when it was now burning, he asked one of the deserters to what god the
grove was sacred, and the man replied that it was sacred to Argos. When
he heard that, he groaned aloud and said, "Apollo who utterest oracles,
surely thou hast greatly deceived me, saying that I should conquer
Argos: I conjecture that the oracle has had its fulfilment for me
already.".
81. After this Cleomenes sent away the greater part of his army to go
back to Sparta, but he himself took a thousand of the best men and went
to the temple of Hera to sacrifice: and when he wished to sacrifice upon
the altar, the priest forbade him, saying that it was not permitted
by religious rule for a stranger to sacrifice in that place. Cleomenes
however bade the Helots take away the priest from the altar and scourge
him, and he himself offered the sacrifice. Having so done he returned
back to Sparta;.
82, and after his return his opponents brought him up before the Ephors,
saying that he had received gifts and therefore had not conquered Argos,
when he might easily have conquered it. He said to them,--but whether
he was speaking falsely or whether truly I am not able with certainty to
say,--however that may be, he spoke and said that when he had conquered
the sanctuary of Argos, it seemed to him that the oracle of the god had
had its fulfilment for him; therefore he did not think it right to make
an attempt on the city, at least until he should have had recourse to
sacrifice, and should have learnt whether the deity 69 permitted him or
whether she stood opposed to him: and as he was sacrificing for augury
70 in the temple of Hera, a flame of fire blazed forth from the breasts
of the image; and thus he knew the certainty of the matter, namely that
he would not conquer Argos: for if fire had blazed forth from the head
of the image, he would have been conqueror of the city from top to
bottom, 71 but since it blazed from the breasts, everything had been
accomplished for him which the god desired should come to pass. Thus
speaking he seemed to the Spartans to speak credibly and reasonably, and
he easily escaped his pursuers. 72
83. Argos however was so bereft of men that their slaves took possession
of all the State, ruling and managing it until the sons of those who had
perished grew to be men. Then these, endeavouring to gain Argos back
to themselves, cast them out; and the slaves being driven forth gained
possession of Tiryns by fighting. Now for a time these two parties had
friendly relations with one another; but afterwards there came to the
slaves a prophet named Cleander, by race a Phigalian from Arcadia: this
man persuaded the slaves to attack their masters, and in consequence
of this there was war between them for a long time, until at last with
difficulty the Argives overcame them.
84. The Argives then say that this was the reason why Cleomenes went mad
and had an evil end: but the Spartans themselves say that Cleomenes was
not driven mad by any divine power, but that he had become a drinker of
unmixed wine from having associated with Scythians, and that he went mad
in consequence of this: for the nomad Scythians, they say, when Dareios
had made invasion of their land, desired eagerly after this to take
vengeance upon him; and they sent to Sparta and tried to make an
alliance, and to arrange that while the Scythians themselves attempted
an invasion of Media by the way of the river Phasis, the Spartans should
set forth from Ephesos and go up inland, and then that they should meet
in one place: and they say that Cleomenes when the Scythians had
come for this purpose, associated with them largely, and that thus
associating more than was fit, he learnt the practice of drinking wine
unmixed with water; and for this cause (as the Spartans think) he went
mad. Thenceforth, as they say themselves, when they desire to drink
stronger wine, they say "Fill up in Scythian fashion." 73 Thus the
Spartans report about Cleomenes; but to me it seems that this was a
retribution which Cleomenes paid for Demaratos.
85. Now when the Eginetans heard that Cleomenes had met his end, they
sent messengers to Sparta to denounce Leotychides for the matter of the
hostages which were being kept at Athens: and the Lacedemonians caused
a court to assemble and judged that the Eginetans had been dealt with
outrageously by Leotychides; and they condemned him to be taken to Egina
and delivered up in place of the men who were being kept at Athens. Then
when the Eginetans were about to take Leotychides, Theasides the son
of Leoprepes, a man of repute in Sparta, said to them: "What are ye
proposing 74 to do, men of Egina? Do ye mean to take away the king of
the Spartans, thus delivered up to you by his fellow-citizens? If the
Spartans now being in anger have decided so, beware lest at some future
time, if ye do this, they bring an evil upon your land which may destroy
it." Hearing this the Eginetans abstained from taking him; but they came
to an agreement that Leotychides should accompany them to Athens and
restore the men to the Eginetans.
86. When however Leotychides came to Athens and asked for the deposit
back, the Athenians, not being willing to give up the hostages, produced
pretexts for refusing, and alleged that two kings had deposited them
and they did not think it right to give them back to the one without the
other: so since the Athenians said that they would not give them back,
Leotychides spoke to them as follows: