who was a spendthrift
by nature and married to a woman of expensive habits, a daughter of
Tisander, the son of Epilykus, could not bear with his father's stingy
ways and the small amount of money which he allowed him. He consequently
sent to one of his friends and borrowed money from him as if Perikles
had authorised him to do so. When the friend asked for his money back
again, Perikles prosecuted him, at which proceeding young Xanthippus was
enraged and abused his father, sneering at his way of life and his
discussions with the sophists. When some athlete accidentally killed
Epitimus of Pharsalus with a javelin, he said that Perikles spent the
whole day arguing with Protagoras whether in strict accuracy the
javelin, or the man who threw it, or the stewards of the games, ought to
be considered the authors of the mishap. And, besides this, Stesimbrotus
tells us that Xanthippus put about that scandal about his father and his
own wife, so that the father and son remained irreconcilable enemies
until Xanthippus's death, which happened during the plague, by an
attack of that disorder. At the same time Perikles lost his sister and
most of his relations, especially those who supported his policy. Yet he
would not yield, nor abate his firmness and constancy of spirit because
of these afflictions, but was not observed to weep or mourn, or attend
the funeral of any of his relations, until he lost Paralus, the last of
his legitimate offspring. Crushed by this blow, he tried in vain to keep
up his grand air of indifference, and when carrying a garland to lay
upon the corpse he was overpowered by his feelings, so as to burst into
a passion of tears and sobs, which he had never done before in his whole
life.

XXXVII. Athens made trial of her other generals and public men to
conduct her affairs, but none appeared to be of sufficient weight or
reputation to have such a charge entrusted to him. The city longed for
Perikles, and invited him again to lead its counsels and direct its
armies; and he, although dejected in spirits and living in seclusion in
his own house, was yet persuaded by Alkibiades and his other friends to
resume the direction of affairs. The people apologised for their
ungrateful treatment of him, and when he was again in office and elected
as general, he begged of them to be released from the operations of the
law of bastardy, which he himself had originally introduced, in order
that his name and race might not altoge