Regum et imperatorum apophthegmata

Once in a precipitate retreat his baggage was plundered, and as he ate dry figs and barley-bread he exclaimed, What a pleasure is this which has never been mine before! [*](Ibid. chap. xii. (1017 B_ is a similar story regarding stale water.)

Parysatis, the mother of Cyrus and Artaxerxes, advised that he who was intending to talk frankly with the king should use words of softest texture.

Orontes, the son-in-law of King Artaxerxes, became involved in disgrace because of an accusation, [*](Against Tiribazus according to Diodorus, xv. 10-11, where the story is told at length.) and, when the decision was given against him, he said that, as mathematicians’ fingers are able to represent tens of thousands at one time, and at another

Memnon, who was waging war against Alexander on the side of King Darius, [*](Circa 333 B.C.) when one of his mercenary soldiers said many libellous and indecent things of Alexander, struck the man with his spear, saying, I pay you to fight Alexander, not to malign him.

The kings of the Egyptians, in accordance with a rule of their own, used to require their judges to swear that, even if the king should direct them to decide any case unfairly, they would not do so. [*](Cf. Diodorus, i. 71.)

Poltys, king of the Thracians at the time of the Trojan war, when once both the Trojans and the Greeks sent deputations to him at the same time, bade Alexander restore Helen and accept a couple of beautiful women from him,

Teres, the father of Sitalces, used to say that whenever he had nothing to do and was not in the field with his army he felt that there was no difference between himself and his grooms. [*](In Moralia, 729 C, this remark is attributed to Ateas, king of the Scythians.)

Cotys was once presented with a leopard, and he presented the donor with a lion in return. He was by nature very irascible and prone to punish severely any lapses in service. On a time when a friend from abroad brought him some vessels of earthenwrare, very fragile and delicate, wrought with figures in relief in a realistic and highly artistic manner, he gave presents to the friend, but broke all the vessels in pieces, so that I, as he said, may not in anger punish too severely those that break them.

Idanthyrsus, the king of the Scythians, against whom Darius crossed the Danube, tried to persuade the despots of the lonians to break up the bridge that spanned the river, and then withdraw. But when they were not willing to do so because of their plighted word to Darius, he called them good slaves who would never run away. [*](Cf. Herodotus, iv. 142.)

Ateas wrote to Philip: You are the ruler of the Macedonians who have learned to fight against men; but I am ruler of the Scythians who are able to fight against both hunger and thirst.

While he was engaged in currying his horse he asked the ambassadors who had come from Philip whether Philip did this.

Having captured in battle Ismenias, the very best of flute-players, he bade him play a tune. Everybody else was filled with admiration, but Ateas swore

Scilurus, who left eighty sons surviving him, when he was at the point of death handed a bundle of javelins to each son in turn and bade him break it. After they had all given up, he took out the javelins one by one and easily broke them all, thereby teaching the young men that, if they stood together, they would continue strong, but that they would be weak if they fell out and quarrelled. [*](Cf. Moralia, 511 C.)

Gelon, the despot, after vanquishing the Carthaginians off Himera, forced them, when he made peace with them, to include in the treaty an agreement to stop sacrificing their children to Cronus, [*](Cf. Moralia, 171 (and the note), and 552 A. According to Diodorus, xx. 14, the practice was revived in 310 B.C., even if it had not persisted during the intervening years. Cf. G.F. Moore in the Journal of Biblical Literature, xvi. (1897), p. 161. Cronus is the Semitic El, Moloch, or Baal.)

He often led out the Syracusans to plant their fields, as if it had been for a campaign, so that the land should be improved by being worked, and the men should not deteriorate by being idle.

He asked for money from the citizens, and, when they began to murmur, he said that he was asking for it with the intent to repay, and he did repay it when the war was over.