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The Tale of the Great Persian War, From the Histories of Herodotus by G.w. Cox
The Tale of the Great Persian War From the Histories of Herodotus by Gw Cox Author:Herodotus General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1861 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: CHAP. II. THE FALL OP POLYCRATES. -- DEMOKEDES AT SUSA AND AT CBOTON. I see thy glory like a shooting star Fall to the base earth from the firmament. Thy sun sets weeping in the lowly west, Witnessing storms to come. OHAKESPEAEB. Now in the time of Cambyses, king of Persia, there ruled over the island of Samos a tyrant named Polycrates, the son of Eakes. This man had taken the city by force; and at the first he divided it into three parts, and gave two parts to his brothers Pantagnotus and Syloson. But afterwards he slew the one and drove away the other, and so he gained all Samos for himself. And when he had gained it, he made an alliance with Amasis, king of Egypt, both sending him gifts and receiving gifts from him. In a little while Polycrates became very great, and his fame was noised abroad throughout Ionia and the rest of Hellas; for, whithersoever he went, all prospered m. to Ms hand. And he had one hundred ships of fifty oars each, and a thousand bowmen. He robbed and plundered all, neither did he respect any; for he said that he should make his friend more glad by giving back that which he had taken from him, than if he had never taken it away from him at all. He conquered also many of the islands and many of the cities on the mainland; and in a sea fight he beat the Lesbians and took them, when they came forth with all their strength to the help of the people of Miletus ; and he made them dig in chains the great moat around the wall in Samos. 40 Now Amasis, king of Egypt, had heard of the well-doing of Polycrates, and it was a grief of mind to him. And when he prospered yet more...« less