at
ye were sending for Hippias, and now we marvel even more because ye say
these things; and we adjure you, calling upon the gods of Hellas, not
to establish despotisms in the cities. If however ye will not cease from
your design, but endeavour to restore Hippias contrary to that which is
just, know that the Corinthians at least do not give their consent to
that which ye do."

93. Socles being the envoy of Corinth thus spoke, and Hippias made
answer to him, calling to witness the same gods as he, that assuredly
the Corinthians would more than all others regret the loss of the sons
of Peisistratos, when the appointed days should have come for them to
be troubled by the Athenians. Thus Hippias made answer, being acquainted
with the oracles more exactly than any other man: but the rest of the
allies, who for a time had restrained themselves and kept silence, when
they heard Socles speak freely, gave utterance every one of them to
that which they felt, and adopted the opinion of the Corinthian envoy,
adjuring the Lacedemonians not to do any violence to a city of Hellas.

94. Thus was this brought to an end: and Hippias being dismissed from
thence had Anthemus offered to him by Amyntas king of the Macedonians
and Iolcos by the Thessalians. He however accepted neither of these, but
retired again to Sigeion; which city Peisistratos had taken by force
of arms from the Mytilenians, and having got possession of it, had
appointed his own natural son Hegesistratos, born of an Argive woman, to
be despot of it: he however did not without a struggle keep possession
of that which he received from Peisistratos; for the Mytilenians and
Athenians carried on war for a long time, having their strongholds
respectively at Achilleion and at Sigeion, the one side demanding that
the place be restored to them, and the Athenians on the other hand not
admitting this demand, but proving by argument that the Aiolians had
no better claim to the territory of Ilion than they and the rest of the
Hellenes, as many as joined with Menelaos in exacting vengeance for the
rape of Helen.

95. Now while these carried on the war, besides many other things of
various kinds which occurred in the battles, once when a fight took
place and the Athenians were conquering, Alcaios the poet, taking to
flight, escaped indeed himself, but the Athenians retained possession of
his arms and hung them up on the walls of the temple of Athene which
is at Sigeion. About this ma