Histories

When the Samians who were expelled by Polycrates came to Sparta [22.4417,37.0667] (Perseus) Sparta, they came before the ruling men and made a long speech to show the greatness of their need. But the Spartans at their first sitting answered that they had forgotten the beginning of the speech and could not understand its end.

After this the Samians came a second time with a sack, and said nothing but this: “The sack wants flour.” To this the Spartans replied that they were over-wordy with “the sack”;[*](It would have been enough (the Lacedaemonians meant) to say a)lfi/twn de/etai, without using the word qu/lakos.) but they did resolve to help them.

The Lacedaemonians then equipped and sent an army to +Nisos Samos [26.8,37.75] (island), Samos, Aegean Islands, Greece, Europe Samos, returning a favor, as the Samians say, because they first sent a fleet to help the Lacedaemonians against +Nomos Messinias [21.833,37.25] (department), Peloponnese, Greece, Europe Messenia; but the Lacedaemonians say that they sent this army less to aid the Samians in their need than to avenge the robbery of the bowl which they had been carrying to Croesus and the breastplate which Amasis King of Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt had sent them as a gift.

This breastplate had been stolen by the Samians in the year before they took the bowl; it was of linen, decked with gold and cotton embroidery, and embroidered with many figures;