Greece -- History -- To 146 B.C.; History, Ancient
52. At last Periander made a proclamation that whosoever should either
receive him into their houses or converse with him should be bound
to pay a fine 43 to Apollo, stating the amount that it should be.
Accordingly, by reason of this proclamation no one was willing either to
converse with him or to receive him into their house; and moreover
even he himself did not think it fit to attempt it, since it had been
forbidden, but he lay about in the porticoes enduring exposure: and
on the fourth day after this, Periander seeing him fallen into squalid
misery and starvation felt pity for him; and abating his anger he
approached him and began to say: "Son, which of these two is to be
preferred, the fortune which thou dost now experience and possess, 44 or
to inherit the power and wealth which I possess now, by being submissive
to thy father's will? Thou however, being my son and the prince 45 of
wealthy Corinth, didst choose nevertheless the life of a vagabond by
making opposition and displaying anger against him with whom it behoved
thee least to deal so; for if any misfortune happened in those matters,
for which cause thou hast suspicion against me, this has happened to me
first, and I am sharer in the misfortune more than others, inasmuch as I
did the deed 46 myself. Do thou however, having learnt by how much to be
envied is better than to be pitied, and at the same time what a grievous
thing it is to be angry against thy parents and against those who are
stronger than thou, come back now to the house." Periander with these
words endeavoured to restrain him; but he answered nothing else to his
father, but said only that he ought to pay a fine to the god for having
come to speech with him. Then Periander, perceiving that the malady of
his son was hopeless and could not be overcome, despatched a ship to
Corcyra, and so sent him away out of his sight, for he was ruler also of
that island; and having sent him away, Periander proceeded to make war
against his father-in-law Procles, esteeming him most to blame for the
condition in which he was; and he took Epidauros and took also Procles
himself and made him a prisoner.
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