Greece -- History -- To 146 B.C.; History, Ancient
35. Then while he was engaged about the marriage of his son, there came
to Sardis a man under a misfortune and with hands not clean, a Phrygian
by birth and of the royal house. This man came to the house of Croesus,
and according to the customs which prevail in that land made request
that he might have cleansing; and Croesus gave him cleansing: now the
manner of cleansing among the Lydians is the same almost as that which
the Hellenes use. So when Croesus had done that which was customary, he
asked of him whence he came and who he was, saying as follows: "Man, who
art thou, and from what region of Phrygia didst thou come to sit upon
my hearth? And whom of men or women didst thou slay?" And he replied:
"O king, I am the son of Gordias, the son of Midas, and I am called
Adrastos; and I slew my own brother against my will, and therefore am I
here, having been driven forth by my father and deprived of all that I
had." And Croesus answered thus: "Thou art, as it chances, the offshoot
of men who are our friends and thou hast come to friends, among whom
thou shalt want of nothing so long as thou shalt remain in our land: and
thou wilt find it most for thy profit to bear this misfortune as lightly
as may be." So he had his abode with Croesus. 36
36. During this time there was produced in the Mysian Olympos a boar of
monstrous size. This, coming down from the mountain aforesaid, ravaged
the fields of the Mysians, and although the Mysians went out against it
often, yet they could do it no hurt, but rather received hurt themselves
from it; so at length messengers came from the Mysians to Croesus and
said: "O king, there has appeared in our land a boar of monstrous size,
which lays waste our fields; and we, desiring eagerly to take it, are
not able: now therefore we ask of thee to send with us thy son and also
a chosen band of young men with dogs, that we may destroy it out of our
land." Thus they made request, and Croesus calling to mind the words of
the dream spoke to them as follows: "As touching my son, make no further
mention of him in this matter; for I will not send him with you, seeing
that he is newly married and is concerned now with the affairs of his
marriage: but I will send with you chosen men of the Lydians and the
whole number of my hunting dogs, and I will give command to those who
go, to be as zealous as may be in helping you to destroy the wild beast
out of your land."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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