The Life of Polycrates and Other Stories for Antiquated Children by Brendan Connell
Authors: Brendan Connell
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retreat was cut off from behind, and so they died, and later, their bravery being much admired by the Samians, they were buried at public expense, with great honour.
XXX.
“ We will never take the city by storm.”
“ So we will defer our ambitions.”
“ But will we gratify them?”
“ Yes. We will starve the Samians out.”
Polycrates sent off Polydor, who left the city through the tunnel of Eupalinus, hiked over the hills and swam from Samos to Ephesus, where a number of Samian crafts were kept. These, under his command, set off and patrolled the waters, interceding and harassing any supply ship sent to the Spartans. The Spartans sent out their foraging parties of Helots to gather food, but these were continually pursued by small groups of Polycrates’ javelin-bearing Naxians and so were in no way able to take in enough supplies to satisfy the hunger of the substantial number of men encamped on the island. Democedes, that most brilliant of pharmacists, made pellets of tithymal and bean meal and these were clandestinely scattered in the water all around the island, and they thus killed all the fish in the surrounding ocean, making it barren of meat, and those fish that floated to the surface of the water or washed ashore were foul and poisoned.
Echoiax, in the open air of public spaces, roasted lambs, calves and kids on spits, dressed the meat with rich gravy and served it up with sweet bread while the holy singers of Hera joined their voices together and let them melodiously drift on the wind, together with the perfume of succulent flesh, toward the enemy camps. The Spartans listened with their noses more than their ears; some Samian renegades wept to hear the songs they well knew while excluded from all native celebration.
“ Surrender,” Ariston shouted from below the walls.
“ Spartan, you came here and compelled us to take up arms. Now we don’t want to lay them down.”
“ We will starve you out!”
“ Starve us out!” laughed Polycrates. “Why look here man . . .” And so saying he had two citizens hurl a well-fatted pig over the ramparts. A duo of hungry renegades ran forward and secured the broken, squealing creature while those behind the walls looked on with broad grins and laughter. Samian warriors held loaves of bread in their hands and stuffed their mouths full; a group of Illyrian mercenaries merrily shared out some cheesecakes, while a Sythic bowman, wearing a peaked felt cap of almost absurd length, waved a great joint of meat as if it were a flag.
Ariston’s chin sunk to his breast. Truly it was a shame, the besiegers starving and not the besieged!
And so, after forty days the Spartans retreated, took their ships and left; at home ridiculed by the women who would have rather seen none come back alive at all, who would have rather paraded weeping through the streets while banging on brass pots, than see such numbers return in disgrace.
. . . And Sarapammon and his rebels went off, caused trouble in other parts of Greece.
XXXI.
Said Pythagoras:
The square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.
Graffito, in Eupalinus’s tunnel:
By the Delphian god! Right here Crimon had fun with Pharnabazus, slave of eximious Hipponicus.
Graffito, reckoning on the wall of an inn:
1 st bread 8, wine 2, dates 1
2 nd bread 8, wine 2, fish 2
3 rd lentils 2, wine 2, cheese 2
4 th cheese 1, bread 8, oil 3, wine 3
5 th bread 8, oil 5, bowl 1, bread for the slave 2, wine 2
6 th wine for the winner 1, bread 8, wine 2, gosling 5
7 th bread 2, for women 8, wheat 1, cucumber 1, incense 1, cheese 2, sausage 1, oil 7
Said Pythagoras:
Aphrodite as an evening star is the same as Aphrodite as a morning star.
Graffito, in the barracks of the peltasts:
Brimias the Thracian makes the girls sing.
Said Ibycus: 16
The gods give much prosperity to those whom they wish to have it, but for the others they destroy it
XXX.
“ We will never take the city by storm.”
“ So we will defer our ambitions.”
“ But will we gratify them?”
“ Yes. We will starve the Samians out.”
Polycrates sent off Polydor, who left the city through the tunnel of Eupalinus, hiked over the hills and swam from Samos to Ephesus, where a number of Samian crafts were kept. These, under his command, set off and patrolled the waters, interceding and harassing any supply ship sent to the Spartans. The Spartans sent out their foraging parties of Helots to gather food, but these were continually pursued by small groups of Polycrates’ javelin-bearing Naxians and so were in no way able to take in enough supplies to satisfy the hunger of the substantial number of men encamped on the island. Democedes, that most brilliant of pharmacists, made pellets of tithymal and bean meal and these were clandestinely scattered in the water all around the island, and they thus killed all the fish in the surrounding ocean, making it barren of meat, and those fish that floated to the surface of the water or washed ashore were foul and poisoned.
Echoiax, in the open air of public spaces, roasted lambs, calves and kids on spits, dressed the meat with rich gravy and served it up with sweet bread while the holy singers of Hera joined their voices together and let them melodiously drift on the wind, together with the perfume of succulent flesh, toward the enemy camps. The Spartans listened with their noses more than their ears; some Samian renegades wept to hear the songs they well knew while excluded from all native celebration.
“ Surrender,” Ariston shouted from below the walls.
“ Spartan, you came here and compelled us to take up arms. Now we don’t want to lay them down.”
“ We will starve you out!”
“ Starve us out!” laughed Polycrates. “Why look here man . . .” And so saying he had two citizens hurl a well-fatted pig over the ramparts. A duo of hungry renegades ran forward and secured the broken, squealing creature while those behind the walls looked on with broad grins and laughter. Samian warriors held loaves of bread in their hands and stuffed their mouths full; a group of Illyrian mercenaries merrily shared out some cheesecakes, while a Sythic bowman, wearing a peaked felt cap of almost absurd length, waved a great joint of meat as if it were a flag.
Ariston’s chin sunk to his breast. Truly it was a shame, the besiegers starving and not the besieged!
And so, after forty days the Spartans retreated, took their ships and left; at home ridiculed by the women who would have rather seen none come back alive at all, who would have rather paraded weeping through the streets while banging on brass pots, than see such numbers return in disgrace.
. . . And Sarapammon and his rebels went off, caused trouble in other parts of Greece.
XXXI.
Said Pythagoras:
The square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.
Graffito, in Eupalinus’s tunnel:
By the Delphian god! Right here Crimon had fun with Pharnabazus, slave of eximious Hipponicus.
Graffito, reckoning on the wall of an inn:
1 st bread 8, wine 2, dates 1
2 nd bread 8, wine 2, fish 2
3 rd lentils 2, wine 2, cheese 2
4 th cheese 1, bread 8, oil 3, wine 3
5 th bread 8, oil 5, bowl 1, bread for the slave 2, wine 2
6 th wine for the winner 1, bread 8, wine 2, gosling 5
7 th bread 2, for women 8, wheat 1, cucumber 1, incense 1, cheese 2, sausage 1, oil 7
Said Pythagoras:
Aphrodite as an evening star is the same as Aphrodite as a morning star.
Graffito, in the barracks of the peltasts:
Brimias the Thracian makes the girls sing.
Said Ibycus: 16
The gods give much prosperity to those whom they wish to have it, but for the others they destroy it
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