hem by heart, that it might seem extempore, ran out into
the market-place with a cap upon his head, and, the people gathering
about him, got upon the herald's stand, and sang that elegy which begins
thus:--

I am a herald come from Salamis the fair,
My news from thence my verses shall declare.

The poem is called "Salamis"; it contains a hundred verses, very
elegantly written. When it had been sung, his friends commended it, and
especially Pisistratus exhorted the citizens to obey his directions;
insomuch that they recalled the law, and renewed the war under Solon's
conduct. The popular take is, that with Pisistratus he sailed to Colias,
and, finding the women, according to the custom of the country there,
sacrificing to Ceres, he sent a trusty friend to Salamis, who should
pretend himself a renegade, and advise them, if they desired to seize
the chief Athenian women, to come with him at once to Colias; the
Megarians presently sent off men in the vessel with him, and Solon,
seeing it put off from the island, commanded the women to be gone, and
some beardless youths, dressed in their clothes, their shoes, and caps,
and privately armed with daggers, to dance and play near the shore till
the enemies had landed and the vessel was in their power. Things being
thus ordered, the Megarians were allured with the appearance, and,
coming to the shore, jumped out, eager who should first seize a prize,
so that not one of them escaped; and the Athenians set sail for the
island and took it.

For this Solon grew famed and powerful; but his advice in favor of
defending the oracle at Delphi, to give aid, and not to suffer the
Cirrhaeans to profane it, but to maintain the honor of the god, got him
most repute among the Greeks: for upon his persuasion the Amphictyons
undertook the war.

Now the Cylonian pollution had a long time disturbed the commonwealth,
ever since the time when Megacles the archon persuaded the conspirators
with Cylon that took sanctuary in Athena's temple to come down and stand
to a fair trial. And they, tying a thread to the image, and holding one
end of it, went down to the tribunal; but when they came to the temple
of the Furies, the thread broke of its own accord, upon which, as if the
goddess had refused them protection, they were seized by Megacles and
the other magistrates; as many as were without the temples were stoned,
those that fled for sanctuary were butchered at the altar, and only
those es