ians buried him publicly where
he fell, and honoured him greatly."

31. So when Solon had moved Croesus to inquire further by the story of
Tellos, recounting how many points of happiness he had, the king
asked again whom he had seen proper to be placed next after this man,
supposing that he himself would certainly obtain at least the second
place; but he replied: "Cleobis and Biton: for these, who were of Argos
by race, possessed a sufficiency of wealth and, in addition to this,
strength of body such as I shall tell. Both equally had won prizes in
the games, and moreover the following tale is told of them:--There was a
feast of Hera among the Argives and it was by all means necessary that
their mother should be borne in a car to the temple. But since their
oxen were not brought up in time from the field, the young men, barred
from all else by lack of time, submitted themselves to the yoke and drew
the wain, their mother being borne by them upon it; and so they brought
it on for five-and-forty furlongs, 28 and came to the temple. Then after
they had done this and had been seen by the assembled crowd, there came
to their life a most excellent ending; and in this the deity declared
that it was better for man to die than to continue to live. For the
Argive men were standing round and extolling the strength 29 of the
young men, while the Argive women were extolling the mother to whose
lot it had fallen to have such sons; and the mother being exceedingly
rejoiced both by the deed itself and by the report made of it, took her
stand in front of the image of the goddess and prayed that she would
give to Cleobis and Biton her sons, who had honoured her 30 greatly,
that gift which is best for man to receive: and after this prayer, when
they had sacrificed and feasted, the young men lay down to sleep within
the temple itself, and never rose again, but were held bound in this
last end. 31 And the Argives made statues in the likeness of them and
dedicated them as offerings at Delphi, thinking that they had proved
themselves most excellent."

32. Thus Solon assigned the second place in respect of happiness to
these: and Croesus was moved to anger and said: "Athenian guest, hast
thou then so cast aside our prosperous state as worth nothing, that thou
dost prefer to us even men of private station?" And he said: "Croesus,
thou art inquiring about human fortunes of one who well knows that
the Deity is altogether envious and apt to distur