ing:--evidently the
spring is the noblest part of the year; and so he meant to say that
his army was the noblest part of the army of the Hellenes: for Hellas
therefore, deprived of his alliance, it was, he said, as if the spring
had been taken out of the year. 152

163. The envoys of the Hellenes, having thus had conference with Gelon,
sailed away; and Gelon upon this, fearing on the one hand about the
Hellenes, lest they should not be able to overcome the Barbarian, and
on the other hand considering it monstrous and not to be endured that
he should come to Peloponnesus and be under the command of the
Lacedemonians, seeing that he was despot of Sicily, gave up the thought
of this way and followed another: for so soon as he was informed that
the Persian had crossed over the Hellespont, he sent Cadmos the son of
Skythes, a man of Cos, with three fifty-oared galleys to Delphi, bearing
large sums of money and friendly proposals, to wait there and see how
the battle would fall out: and if the Barbarian should be victorious,
he was to give him the money and also to offer him earth and water
from those over whom Gelon had rule; but if the Hellenes should be
victorious, he was bidden to bring it back.

164. Now this Cadmos before these events, having received from his
father in a prosperous state the government 153 of the people of Cos,
had voluntarily and with no danger threatening, but moved merely by
uprightness of nature, placed the government in the hands of the people
of Cos 154 and had departed to Sicily, where he took from 155 the
Samians and newly colonised the city of Zancle, which had changed its
name to Messene. This same Cadmos, having come thither in such manner
as I have said, Gelon was now sending, having selected him on account of
the integrity which in other matters he had himself found to be in him;
and this man, in addition to the other upright acts which had been done
by him, left also this to be remembered, which was not the least of
them: for having got into his hands that great sum of money which Gelon
entrusted to his charge, though he might have taken possession of it
himself he did not choose to do so; but when the Hellenes had got the
better in the sea-fight and Xerxes had marched away and departed, he
also returned to Sicily bringing back with him the whole sum of money.

165. The story which here follows is also reported by those who dwell in
Sicily, namely that, even though he was to be under th