Μίνως δὲ πυθόμενος τὴν κατὰ τὸν υἱὸν συμφοράν, ἧκεν εἰς τὰς Ἀθήνας δίκας αἰτῶν τοῦ Ἀνδρόγεω φόνου. οὐδενὸς δ᾽ αὐτῷ προσέχοντος, πρὸς μὲν Ἀθηναίους πόλεμον συνεστήσατο, ἀρὰς δὲ ἐποιήσατο τῷ Διὶ γενέσθαι κατὰ τὴν πόλιν τῶν Ἀθηναίων αὐχμὸν καὶ λιμόν. ταχὺ δὲ περὶ τὴν Ἀττικὴν καὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα γενομένων αὐχμῶν καὶ φθαρέντων τῶν καρπῶν, συνελθόντες οἱ τῶν πόλεων ἡγεμόνες ἐπηρώτησαν τὸν θεὸν πῶς ἂν δύναιντο τῶν κακῶν ἀπαλλαγῆναι. ὁ δ᾽ ἔχρησεν ἐλθεῖν αὐτοὺς πρὸς Αἰακὸν τὸν Διὸς καὶ Αἰγίνης τῆς Ἀσωποῦ θυγατρός, καὶ κελεύειν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν εὐχὰς ποιήσασθαι. [2] ὧν πραξάντων τὸ προσταχθέν, ὁ μὲν Αἰακὸς ἐπετέλεσε τὰς εὐχάς, καὶ ὁ αὐχμὸς παρὰ μὲν τοῖς ἄλλοις Ἕλλησιν ἐπαύσατο, παρὰ δὲ τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις μόνοις διέμεινεν: οὗ δὴ χάριν ἠναγκάσθησαν οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι τὸν θεὸν ἐπερωτῆσαι περὶ τῆς τῶν κακῶν ἀπαλλαγῆς. εἶθ᾽ ὁ μὲν θεὸς ἔχρησεν, ἐὰν τοῦ Ἀνδρόγεω φόνου τῷ Μίνῳ δίκας δῶσιν ἃς ἂν ἐκεῖνος δικάσῃ: [3] ὑπακουσάντων δὲ τῷ θεῷ τῶν Ἀθηναίων, προσέταξεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Μίνως διδόναι κόρους ἑπτὰ καὶ τὰς ἴσας κόρας δι᾽ ἐτῶν ἐννέα βορὰν τῷ Μινωταύρῳ ὅσον ἂν χρόνον ζῇ τὸ [p. 494] τέρας. δόντων δ᾽ αὐτῶν, ἀπηλλάγησαν τῶν κακῶν οἱ κατὰ τὴν Ἀττικήν, καὶ ὁ Μίνως πολεμῶν ἐπαύσατο τὰς Ἀθήνας. διελθόντων δὲ ἐτῶν ἐννέα πάλιν ὁ Μίνως ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν Ἀττικὴν μετὰ μεγάλου στόλου, καὶ τοὺς δὶς ἑπτὰ κόρους ἀπαιτήσας ἔλαβε. [4] μελλόντων δ᾽ ἐκπλεῖν τῶν περὶ τὸν Θησέα, ὁ Αἰγεὺς συνέθετο πρὸς τὸν κυβερνήτην καὶ προσέταξεν αὐτῷ, ἐὰν μὲν ὁ Θησεὺς νικήσῃ τὸν Μινώταυρον, καταπλεῖν αὐτοὺς λευκοῖς ἱστίοις, ἐὰν δὲ ἀπόληται, μέλασι, καθάπερ καὶ πρότερον ποιεῖν εἰώθεσαν. καταπλευσάντων δ᾽ αὐτῶν εἰς Κρήτην Ἀριάδνη μὲν ἡ θυγάτηρ τοῦ Μίνωος ἠράσθη τοῦ Θησέως εὐπρεπείᾳ διαφέροντος, Θησεὺς δ᾽ εἰς λόγους ἐλθὼν αὐτῇ καὶ ταύτην συνεργὸν λαβών, τόν τε Μινώταυρον ἀπέκτεινε καὶ τὴν ἔξοδον τὴν τοῦ λαβυρίνθου παρ᾽ αὐτῆς μαθὼν διεσώθη. [5] ἀνακομιζόμενος δ᾽ εἰς τὴν πατρίδα καὶ κλέψας τὴν Ἀριάδνην ἔλαθεν ἐκπλεύσας νυκτός, καὶ κατῆρεν εἰς νῆσον τὴν τότε μὲν Δίαν, νῦν δὲ Νάξον προσαγορευομένην. καθ᾽ ὃν δὴ χρόνον μυθολογοῦσι Διόνυσον ἐπιφανέντα, καὶ διὰ τὸ κάλλος τῆς Ἀριάδνης ἀφελόμενον τοῦ Θησέως τὴν παρθένον, ἔχειν αὐτὴν ὡς γυναῖκα γαμετὴν ἀγαπωμένην διαφερόντως. μετὰ γοῦν τὴν τελευτὴν αὐτῆς διὰ τὴν φιλοστοργίαν ἀθανάτων καταξιῶσαι τιμῶν, καταστερίσαντα τὸν ἐν οὐρανῷ στέφανον Ἀριάδνης. [6] τοὺς δὲ περὶ τὸν Θησέα φασὶ διὰ τὴν ἁρπαγὴν τῆς κόρης δυσφοροῦντας ἰσχυρῶς, [p. 495] καὶ διὰ τὴν λύπην ἐπιλαθομένους τῆς Αἰγέως παραγγελίας, τοῖς μέλασιν ἱστίοις καταπλεῖν εἰς τὴν Ἀττικήν. [7] Αἰγέα δὲ θεασάμενον τὸν κατάπλουν, καὶ δόξαντα τεθνηκέναι τὸν υἱόν, ἡρωικὴν ἅμα πρᾶξιν καὶ συμφορὰν ἐπιτελέσασθαι: ἀναβάντα γὰρ εἰς τὴν ἀκρόπολιν, καὶ διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς λύπης προσκόψαντα τῷ ζῆν, ἑαυτὸν κατακρημνίσαι. [8] μετὰ δὲ τὴν Αἰγέως τελευτὴν Θησεὺς διαδεξάμενος τὴν βασιλείαν ἦρχε τοῦ πλήθους νομίμως καὶ πολλὰ πρὸς αὔξησιν τῆς πατρίδος ἔπραξεν. ἐπιφανέστατον δὲ συνετελέσθη τὸ τοὺς δήμους, ὄντας μικροὺς μὲν τοῖς μεγέθεσι, πολλοὺς δὲ τὸν ἀριθμόν, μεταγαγεῖν εἰς τὰς Ἀθήνας: [9] ἀπὸ γὰρ τούτων τῶν χρόνων Ἀθηναῖοι διὰ τὸ βάρος τῆς πόλεως φρονήματος ἐνεπίμπλαντο καὶ τῆς τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἡγεμονίας ὠρέχθησαν. ἡμεῖς δὲ περὶ τούτων ἀρκούντως διεληλυθότες τὰ λειπόμενα τῶν περὶ Θησέα γενομένων ἀναγράψομεν.
| [4.61.1] Minos, when he learned of the fate which had befallen his son, came to Athens and demanded satisfaction for the murder of Androgeos. And when no one paid any attention to him, he declared war against the Athenians and uttered imprecations to Zeus, calling down drought and famine throughout the state of the Athenians. And when drought quickly prevailed about Attica and Greece and the crops were destroyed, the heads of the communities gathered together and inquired of the god what steps they could take to rid themselves of their present evils. The god made answer to them that they should go to Aeacus, the son of Zeus and Aeginê, the daughter of Asopus, and ask him to offer up prayers on their behalf. [4.61.2] And when they had done as they had been commanded, Aeacus finished offering the prayers and thereupon, among the rest of the Greeks, the drought was broken, but among the Athenians alone it continued; wherefore the Athenians were compelled to make inquiry of the god how they might be rid of their present evils. Thereupon the god made answer that they could do so if they would render to Minos such satisfaction for the murder of Androgeos as he might demand. [4.61.3] The Athenians obeyed the order of the god, and Minos commanded them that they should give seven youths and as many maidens every nine years to the Minotaur for him to devour, for as long a time as the monster should live. And when the Athenians gave them the inhabitants of Attica were ride of their evils and Minos ceased warring on Athens. At the expiration of nine years Minos came again to Attica accompanied by a great fleet and demanded and received the fourteen young people. [4.61.4] Now Theseus was one of those who were to set forth, and Aegeus made the agreement with the captain of the vessel that, if Theseus should overcome the Minotaur, they should sail back with their sails white, but if he died, they should be black, just as they had been accustomed to do on the previous occasion. When they had landed in Crete, Ariadnê, the daughter of Minos, became enamoured of Theseus, who was unusually handsome, and Theseus, after conversing with her and securing her assistance, both slew the Minotaur and got safely away, since he had learned from her the way out of the labyrinth. [4.61.5] In making his way back to his native land he carried off Ariadnê and sailed out unobserved during the night, after which he put in at the island which at that time was called Dia, but is now called Naxos. At this same time, the myths relate, Dionysus showed himself on the island, and because of the beauty of Ariadnê, he took the maiden away from Theseus and kept her as his lawful wife, loving her exceedingly. Indeed, after her death he considered her worthy of immortal honours because of the affection he had for her, and placed among the stars of heaven the “Crown of Ariadnê.” [4.61.6] But Theseus, they say, being vexed exceedingly because the maiden had been taken from him, and forgetting because of his grief the command of Aegeus, came to port in Attica with the black sails. [4.61.7] And Aegeus, we are told, witnessing the return of the ship and thinking that his son was dead, performed an act which was at the same time heroic and a calamity; for he ascended the acropolis and then, because he was disgusted with life by reason of his excessive grief, cast himself down the height. [4.61.8] After Aegeus had died, Theseus, succeeding to the kingship, ruled over the masses in accordance with the laws and performed many deeds which contributed to the aggrandizement of his native land. [4.61.9] The most notable thing which he accomplished was the incorporation of the demes, which were small in size but many in number, into the city of Athens; since from that time on the Athenians were filled with pride by reason of the importance of their state and aspired to the leadership of the Greeks. But for our part, now that we have set forth these facts at sufficient length, we shall record what remains to be said about Theseus.
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