is purse. Men who seek wisdom rarely succeed in gaining much
money, but Solon's story goes to show that wisdom is far the better of
the two, and that a rich mind is of more value than a rich purse. When
he returned to Attica he gained such fame as a poet and a man of
learning and wisdom that he has ever since been classed as one of the
Seven Wise Men of Greece.

Of these wise men the following story is told. Some fishermen of Cos
cast their net into the sea, and brought up in its meshes a golden
tripod, which the renowned Helen had thrown into the sea during her
return from Troy. A dispute arose as to whom the tripod should belong
to. Several cities were ready to go to war about it. To prevent
bloodshed the oracle of Apollo was applied to, and answered that it
should be sent to the wisest man that could be found.

It was at first sent to Thales of Miletus, a man famous for wisdom. But
he decided that Bias of Priene was wiser than he, and sent it to him.
And thus it went the round of the seven wise men,--Solon among them, so
we are told,--and finally came back to Thales. He refused to keep it,
and placed it in the temple of Apollo at Thebes.

An evidence alike of Solon's wisdom, shrewdness, and political skill
arose in the war for the island of Salamis, which adjoined the two
states of Megara and Attica, and for whose possession they were at war.
After the Athenians had been at great loss of men and money in this
conflict, Megara gained the island, and the people of Athens became so
disgusted with the whole affair that a law was passed declaring that any
man who spoke or wrote again about the subject should be put to death.

This Solon held to be a stain on the honor of Athens. He did not care to
lose his life by breaking the law, but was not content that his country
should rest under the stigma of defeat, and should yield so valuable a
prize. He accordingly had it given out that he had gone mad; and in
pretended insanity he rushed into the public square, mounted the
herald's stone, and repeated a poem he had composed for the occasion,
recalling vividly to the people the disgrace of their late defeat. His
stirring appeal so wrought upon their feelings that the law was
repealed, war was declared, and Solon was placed in command of the army.

Megara sent out a ship to watch the proceedings, but this was seized by
Solon's fleet and manned by part of his force. The remainder of his men
were landed and marched towards the