At the time when the Tyrrhenians inhabited the islands Lemnos and
Imbros, they violently seized upon some Athenian women from Brauron, on
whom they begat children, which children the Athenians banished from
the islands as mixed barbarians. But these arriving at Taenarum were
serviceable to the Spartans in the Helotic war, and therefore obtained
the privilege of citizens and marriage, but were not dignified with
magistracies or admitted to the senate; for they had a suspicion that
they would combine together in order to some innovation, and conceived
they might shake the present established government. Wherefore the
Lacedaemonians, seizing on them and securing them, shut them up close
prisoners, seeking to take them off by evident and strong convictions.
But the wives of the prisoners, gathering together about the prison,
by many supplications prevailed with the jailers that they might be
admitted to go to salute their husbands and speak with them. As soon as
they came in, they required them to change their clothes immediately
and leave them to their wives; while the men, apparelled in their
wives’ habits, should go forth. These things being effected, the women
stayed behind, prepared to endure all hard usages of the prison, but
the deluded keepers let out the men as if they had been their wives.
Whereupon they seized upon Taygeta, exciting the Helotic people to
revolt, and taking them to their aid; but the Spartans, alarmed by
these things into a great consternation, by a herald proclaimed a
treaty of peace. And they were reconciled upon these conditions, that
they should receive their wives again, and furnished with ships and
provisions should make an expedition by sea, and possessing themselves
of a land and a city elsewhere should be accounted a colony and allies
of the Lacedaemonians. These things did the Pelasgians, taking Pollis
for their captain and Crataedas his brother, both Lacedaemonians, and
one part of them took up their seat in Melos; but the most part of
them, which were shipped with Pollis, sailed into Crete, trying the
truth of the oracles, by whom they were told that, when they should
lose their Goddess and their anchor, then they should put an end to
their roving and there build a city. Wherefore, putting into harbor on
that part of Crete called Chersonesus, panic fears fell upon them by
night, at which coming under a consternation, they leaped tumultuously
on board their ships, leaving on shore for haste the statue of Diana,
which was their patrimony brought from Brauron to Lemnos, and from
Lemnos carried about with them wherever they went. The tumult being
appeased, when they had set sail, they missed this statue; and at the
same time Pollis, finding that his anchor had lost one of its beards
(for the anchor, having been dragged, as appeared, through some rocky
place, was accidentally torn), said that the oracular answer of the
Pythia was accomplished. Therefore he gave a sign to tack about, and
accordingly made an inroad into that country, conquered those that
opposed him in many battles, sat down at Lyctus, and brought many
other cities to be tributary to him. And now they repute themselves
to be akin to the Athenians on their mothers’ side, and to be Spartan
colonies.