fon of Cypfelus, had fent to Alyattes, at Sardis, three hundred children of the principal families of the Corcyreans to be made eunuchs. They were entrusted to the care of certain Corinthians, who by diftrefs of weather were compelled to touch at Samos. The Samians foon learned the purpose of the expedition, and accordingly inftructed the children to fly for protection to the temple of Diana, from whence they would not fuffer the Corinthians to take them. But as the Corinthians prevented their receiving any food, the Samians inftituted a festival on the occafion, which they yet obferve. At the approach of night, as long as the children continued as fuppliants in the temple, they introduced a company of youths and virgins, who in a kind of religious dance, were to carry cakes made of honey and flour " in their hands. This was done that the young Corcyreans, by fnatching them away, might fatisfy their hunger, and was repeated till the Corinthians who guarded the children de In an epigram inferted in Stephens's Anthologia, and tranflated by Aufonius, one xpals is the maxim attributed to Periander, “Restrain your anger:" of which rule he must have feverely felt the neceflity, if, as Laertius relates, he killed his wife Meliffa in a transport of paffion, by kicking her or throwing a chair at her when pregnant. Her name, according to the fame author, was Lyfide; Meliffa was probably fubftituted through fondness, certain nymphs and departed human fouls being called Meliffa.-Menage. T. 57 Honey and flour.]—The cakes of Samos were very famous, -See Athenæus, book xiv. c. 13. parted. parted. The Samians afterwards fent the children back to Corcyra 58. XLIX. If after the death of Periander there had existed any friendship betwixt the Corinthians and the Corcyreans, it might be supposed that they would not have affifted in this expedition against Samos. But notwithstanding these people had the fame origin (the Corinthians having built Corcyra) they had always lived in a state of enmity. The Corinthians, therefore, did not forget the affront which they had received at Samos; and it was in refentment of injuries formerly received from the Corcyreans, that Periander had fent to Sardis these three hundred youths of the firft families of Corcyra, with the intention of their being made eunuchs. 58 Back to Corcyra.]-Plutarch, in his Treatife on the Malignity of Herodotus, fays, "that the young Corcyreans were not preferved by the Samians, but by the Cnidians."-This affertion is examined and refuted by Larcher. Pliny fays, that the fish called echines ftopped the vessel going fwift before the wind, on board of which were meffengers of Periander, having it in command to caftrate the fons of the Cnidian noblemen; for which reason these fhells were highly reverenced in the temple of Venus at Cnidos, M. Larcher, avow edly giving the reader the above paffage from Pliny, is guilty of a mifquotation: " thefe fhells," fays he, "arreterent le vaiffeau où étoient ces enfans;" whereas the words of Pliny (fee Gronovius's edition, vol. i. page 609) are thefe, " Quibus inhærentibus ftetiffe navem portantem nuncios a Periandro ut caftrarentur nobiles pueri."-T. L L. When Periander had put his wife Meliffa to death, he was involved in an additional calamity. By Meliffa he had two fons, one of whom was feventeen, the other eighteen years old: Procles, their grandfather by the mother's fide, had fent for them to Epidaurus, of which place he was prince; and had treated them with all the kindness due to the children of his daughter. At the time appointed for their departure, he took them aside, and asked them if they knew who had killed their mother. To these words the elder brother paid no attention; but the younger, whofe name was Lycophron, took it fo exceedingly to heart, that at his return to Corinth he would neither falute his father, converfe with, nor anfwer him; in indignation at which behaviour Periander banished him hiș house. LI. After the above event Periander asked his elder fon, what their grandfather had faid to them. The youth informed him, that their grandfather had received them very affectionately, but as he did not remember, he could not relate the words he had used to them at parting. The father, however, continued to prefs him; faying, it was impoffible that their grandfather fhould difmifs them without fome advice. This induced the young man more seriously to reflect on what had paffed; and he afterwards informed his father of every particular. Upon this Periander was determined not at all to relax from his feverity, but immediately fent to those who had received his fon under their protection, protection, commanding them to difmifs him. Ly. cophron was thus driven from one place to another, and from thence to a third, and from this last also the severity of Periander expelled him. Yet, fearful as people were to entertain him, he ftill found, an afylum, from the confideration of his being the fon of Periander. LII. Periander at length commanded it to be publickly proclaimed, that whoever harboured his fon, or held any converfation with him, fhould pay, a ftipulated fine for the ufe of Apollo's temple. After this no perfon prefumed either to receive or converse with him, and Lycophron himself acquiefced in the injunction, by retiring to the public portico. On the fourth day Periander himself obferved him in this fituation, covered with rags and perishing with hunger: his heart relenting, he approached, and thus addreffed him: "My fon, "which do you think preferable, your present ex"tremity of diftrefs, or to return to your obedience, " and share with me my authority and riches? You "who are my fon, and a prince of the happy Co"rinth, choose the life of a mendicant, and perfe"vere in irritating him who has the strongest claims upon your duty. If the incident which induces << you to think unfavourably of my conduct has any evil resulting from it, the whole is fallen ❝ upon myself; and I feel it the more sensibly, from "the reflection that I was myself the author of it, "Experience has taught you how much better it is $ 45 * to be envied than pitied ", and how dangerous it is to provoke a fuperior and a parent-return "therefore to my house." To this fpeech Periander received no other anfwer from his fon, than that he himself, by converfing with him, had incurred the penalty which his edict had impofed. The king, perceiving the perverfenefs of his fon to be immutable, determined to remove him from his fight; he therefore fent him in a veffel to Corcyra, which place also belonged to him. After this, Periander made war upon his father-in-law Procles, whom he confidered as the principal occafion of what had happened. He made himself master of Epidaurus, and took Procles prifoner; whom neverthelefs he preferved alive. LIII. 39 Envied than pitied.]-Of this M. Larcher remarks, that it is a proverbial expreffion in the French language: it is no lefs fo in our own. The fame fentiment in Pindar is referred to by the learned Frenchman, which is thus beautifully tranflated by Mr. Welt. 1 Nor le's diftafteful is exceffive fame To the four palate of the envious mind; Who hears with grief his neighbour's goodly name, Yet in thy virtue, Hiero, perfevere, Since to be envied is a nobler fate Than to be pitied, and let ftrict juftice fteer And arm thy tongue with truth: Oh king! beware T. 60 Epidaurus.This was a city of the Peloponnefe, famous for a temple of Afculapius. When the Romans were once afflicted by a grievous peftilence, they were offered by the Strats 2-56 oracle |