fifty-eighth Olympiad,
the Amphictyons, those celebrated judges of Greece, took upon themselves
the care of rebuilding it.(103) They agreed with an architect for three
hundred talents, which amounts to nine hundred thousand livres.(104) The
cities of Greece were to furnish that sum. The inhabitants of Delphi were
taxed a fourth part of it, and collected contributions in all parts, even
in foreign nations, for that service. Amasis, at that time king of Egypt,
and the Grecian inhabitants of his country, contributed considerable sums
towards it. The Alcmaeonidae, a potent family of Athens, took upon
themselves the conduct of the building, and made it more magnificent, by
considerable additions of their own, than had been proposed in the model.

Gyges, king of Lydia, and Croesus, one of his successors, enriched the
temple of Delphi with an incredible number of presents. Many other
princes, cities, and private persons, by their example, in a kind of
emulation of each other, had heaped up in it tripods, vases, tables,
shields, crowns, chariots, and statues of gold and silver of all sizes,
equally infinite in number and value. The presents of gold which Croesus
alone made to this temple, amounted, according to Herodotus,(105) to
upwards of 254 talents; that is, about 762,000 French livres;(106) and
perhaps those of silver to as much. Most of these presents were in being
in the time of Herodotus. Diodorus Siculus,(107) adding those of other
princes to them, makes their amount ten thousand talents, or thirty
millions of livres.(108)

Amongst the statues of gold, consecrated by Croesus in the temple of
Delphi, was placed that of his female baker, the occasion of which was
this:(109) Alyattes, Croesus's father, having married a second wife, by
whom he had children, she laid a plan to get rid of her son-in-law, that
the crown might descend to her own issue. For this purpose she engaged the
female baker to put poison into a loaf, that was to be served at the young
prince's table. The woman, who was struck with horror at the crime, (in
which she ought to have had no part at all,) gave Croesus notice of it. The
poisoned loaf was served to the queen's own children, and their death
secured the crown to the lawful successor. When he ascended the throne, in
gratitude to his benefactress, he erected a statue to her in the temple of
Delphi. But, it may be said, could a person of so mean a condition deserve
so great an honour? Plutarch answe