saying, "Now you see, O Solon, why I
have never married, lest I should expose myself to griefs such as these;"
and then told him it was all a trick. Solon could not much have approved
such a trick, for when Thespis, a great actor of plays, came to Athens,
Solon asked him if he were not ashamed to speak so many falsehoods.
Thespis answered that it was all in sport. "Ay," said Solon, striking
his staff on the ground; "but he that tells lies in sport will soon tell
them in earnest."

After this, Solon went on to Lydia. This was a kingdom of Greek settlers
in Asia Minor, where flowed that river Pactolus, whose sands contained
gold-dust, from King Midas' washing, as the story went. The king was
Croesus, who was exceedingly rich and splendid. He welcomed Solon, and,
after showing him all his glory, asked whom the philosopher thought the
happiest of men. "An honest man named Tellus," said Solon, "who lived
uprightly, was neither rich nor poor, had good children, and died bravely
for his country." Croesus was vexed, but asked who was next happiest.
"Two brothers named Cleobis and Bito," said Solon, "who were so loving
and dutiful to their mother, that, when she wanted to go to the temple of
Juno, they yoked themselves to her car, and drew her thither; then,
having given this proof of their love, they lay down to sleep, and so
died without pain or grief." "And what do you think of me?" said
Croesus. "Ah!" said Solon, "call no man happy till he is dead."

Croesus was mortified at such a rebuff to his pride, and neglected Solon.
There was a clever crooked Egyptian slave at Croesus' court, called
AEsop, who gave his advice in the form of the fables we know so well,
such as the wolf and the lamb, the fox and the grapes, etc.; though, as
the Hindoos and Persians have from old times told the same stories, it
would seem as if AEsop only repeated them, but did not invent them. When
AEsop saw Solon in the background, he said, "Solon, visits to kings
should be seldom, or else pleasant." "No," said Solon; "visits to kings
should be seldom, or else profitable," as the courtly slave found them.
AEsop came to a sad end. Croesus sent him to Delphi to distribute a sum
of money among the poor, but they quarrelled so about it that AEsop said
he should take it back to the king, and give none at all; whereupon the
Delphians, in a rage, threw him off a precipice, and killed him.

Croesus was just thinking of going to war with the great