dom, brother, to pass into strange hands, and our father's wealth
to be made a prey rather than thyself return to enjoy it? Come back
home with me, and cease to punish thyself. It is scant gain, this
obstinacy. Why seek to cure evil by evil? Mercy, remember, is by many
set above justice. Many, also while pushing their mother's claims have
forfeited their father's fortune. Power is a slippery thing--it has
many suitors; and he is old and stricken in years--let not thy own
inheritance go to another."

Thus did the sister, who had been tutored by Periander what to say,
urge all the arguments most likely to have weight with her brother.
He, however, made answer that so long as he knew his father to be
still alive, he would never go back to Corinth. When the sister
brought Periander this reply, he sent to his son a third time by a
herald, and said he would come himself to Corcyra, and let his son
take his place at Corinth, as heir to his kingdom. To these terms
Lycophron agreed; and Periander was making ready to pass into Corcyra
and his son to return to Corinth, when the Corcyreans, being informed
of what was taking place, to keep Periander away, put the young man to
death. For this reason it was that Periander took vengeance on the
Corcyreans.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 15: From Book III of the "History." Translated by George
Rawlinson. Periander was tyrant of Corinth, succeeding to power about
625 B.C. He is believed to have reigned forty years.]

[Footnote 16: A city on the coast of Argolis, one of the states of
southern Greece.]

[Footnote 17: Now known as Corfu, an island lying off the western
coast of Greece, adjacent to Epirus.]

THUCYDIDES

Born in Athens about 471 B.C.; died about 401; celebrated as
a historian; claimed blood relationship with Miltiades and
Cimon; possest an ample fortune; in 424 commanded an
expedition against Brasidas, but failing in it went into
exile, returning to Athens twenty years later; did not live
to finish his "History of the Peloponnesian War," the
narrative ending seven years before the war closed; the
Greek text first printed by Aldus at Venice in 1502.[18]

I

THE ATHENIANS AND SPARTANS CONTRASTED[19]

Such were the causes of ill feeling which at this time existed between
the Athenians and Peloponnesians;[20] the Corinthians complaining that
the Athenians were blockading their colony of Potidaea, which was
occupied by a Corin