re the corpse delivered
himself up to Croesus, holding forth his hands and bidding the king slay
him over the corpse, speaking of his former misfortune and saying that
in addition to this he had now been the destroyer of the man who had
cleansed him of it; and that life for him was no more worth living. But
Croesus hearing this pitied Adrastos, although he was himself suffering
so great an evil of his own, and said to him: "Guest, I have already
received from thee all the satisfaction that is due, seeing that thou
dost condemn thyself to suffer death; and not thou alone art the cause
of this evil, except in so far as thou wert the instrument of it against
thine own will, but some one, as I suppose, of the gods, who also long
ago signified to me that which was about to be." So Croesus buried his
son as was fitting: but Adrastos the son of Gordias, the son of Midas,
he who had been the slayer of his own brother and the slayer also of the
man who had cleansed him, when silence came of all men round about the
tomb, recognising that he was more grievously burdened by misfortune
than all men of whom he knew, slew himself upon the grave.

46. For two years then Croesus remained quiet in his mourning,
because he was deprived of his son: but after this period of time the
overthrowing of the rule of Astyages the son of Kyaxares by Cyrus
the son of Cambyses, and the growing greatness of the Persians caused
Croesus to cease from his mourning, and led him to a care of cutting
short the power of the Persians, if by any means he might, while yet it
was in growth and before they should have become great.

So having formed this design he began forthwith to make trial of
the Oracles, both those of the Hellenes and that in Libya, sending
messengers some to one place and some to another, some to go to Delphi,
others to Abai of the Phokians, and others to Dodona; and some were
sent to the shrine of Amphiaraos and to that of Trophonios, others to
Branchidai in the land of Miletos: these are the Oracles of the Hellenes
to which Croesus sent messengers to seek divination; and others he sent
to the shrine of Ammon in Libya to inquire there. Now he was sending the
messengers abroad to the end that he might try the Oracles and find
out what knowledge they had, so that if they should be found to have
knowledge of the truth, he might send and ask them secondly whether he
should attempt to march against the Persians.

47. And to the Lydians whom h