red it. He said to them,--but whether
he was speaking falsely or whether truly I am not able with certainty to
say,--however that may be, he spoke and said that when he had conquered
the sanctuary of Argos, it seemed to him that the oracle of the god had
had its fulfilment for him; therefore he did not think it right to make
an attempt on the city, at least until he should have had recourse to
sacrifice, and should have learnt whether the deity 69 permitted him or
whether she stood opposed to him: and as he was sacrificing for augury
70 in the temple of Hera, a flame of fire blazed forth from the breasts
of the image; and thus he knew the certainty of the matter, namely that
he would not conquer Argos: for if fire had blazed forth from the head
of the image, he would have been conqueror of the city from top to
bottom, 71 but since it blazed from the breasts, everything had been
accomplished for him which the god desired should come to pass. Thus
speaking he seemed to the Spartans to speak credibly and reasonably, and
he easily escaped his pursuers. 72

83. Argos however was so bereft of men that their slaves took possession
of all the State, ruling and managing it until the sons of those who had
perished grew to be men. Then these, endeavouring to gain Argos back
to themselves, cast them out; and the slaves being driven forth gained
possession of Tiryns by fighting. Now for a time these two parties had
friendly relations with one another; but afterwards there came to the
slaves a prophet named Cleander, by race a Phigalian from Arcadia: this
man persuaded the slaves to attack their masters, and in consequence
of this there was war between them for a long time, until at last with
difficulty the Argives overcame them.

84. The Argives then say that this was the reason why Cleomenes went mad
and had an evil end: but the Spartans themselves say that Cleomenes was
not driven mad by any divine power, but that he had become a drinker of
unmixed wine from having associated with Scythians, and that he went mad
in consequence of this: for the nomad Scythians, they say, when Dareios
had made invasion of their land, desired eagerly after this to take
vengeance upon him; and they sent to Sparta and tried to make an
alliance, and to arrange that while the Scythians themselves attempted
an invasion of Media by the way of the river Phasis, the Spartans should
set forth from Ephesos and go up inland, and then that they should meet
in o