te supremacy the lofty and domineering spirit of
ancient despotism attained.

It ought, however, to be related, in justice to these abominable
tyrants, that they often evinced feelings of commiseration and
kindness; sometimes, in fact, in very singular ways. There was, for
example, in one of the cities, a certain family that had obtained the
ascendency over the rest of the people, and had held it for some time
as an established aristocracy, taking care to preserve their rank and
power from generation to generation, by intermarrying only with one
another. At length, in one branch of the family, there grew up a young
girl named Labda, who had been a cripple from her birth, and, on
account of her deformity, none of the nobles would marry her. A man of
obscure birth, however, one of the common people, at length took her
for his wife. His name was Eetion. One day, Eetion went to Delphi to
consult an oracle, and as he was entering the temple, the Pythian[J]
called out to him, saying that a stone should proceed from Labda which
should overwhelm tyrants and usurpers, and free the state. The nobles,
when they heard of this, understood the prediction to mean that the
destruction of their power was, in some way or other, to be effected
by means of Labda's child, and they determined to prevent the
fulfillment of the prophecy by destroying the babe itself so soon as
it should be born.

[Footnote J: For a full account of these oracles, see the history of
Cyrus the Great.]

They accordingly appointed ten of their number to go to the place
where Eetion lived and kill the child. The method which they were to
adopt was this: They were to ask to see the infant on their arrival at
the house, and then it was agreed that whichever of the ten it was to
whom the babe was handed, he should dash it down upon the stone floor
with all his force, by which means it would, as they supposed,
certainly be killed.

This plan being arranged, the men went to the house, inquired, with
hypocritical civility, after the health of the mother, and desired to
see the child. It was accordingly brought to them. The mother put it
into the hands of one of the conspirators, and the babe looked up into
his face and smiled. This mute expression of defenseless and confiding
innocence touched the murderer's heart. He could not be such a monster
as to dash such an image of trusting and happy helplessness upon the
stones. He looked upon the child, and then gave it int