Periander

l^ranl; of Corinih, was contemporary with the preceding Philosophers, but neither the year of his birth nor that of bis death is precisely known.

It is surprising enough that the Greeks should have bestowed the epithet of toise on one so weak in his conduct as Periander.

'They suffered themselves to be dazzled by the brilliancy of his maxims, vnthout reflecting on the atrocity of his actions. He spoke indeed like a Sage, but he lived like a madman. He kept up a crimir nal intercourse for a length of time with his own mother, Cratea, without any apparent sense of his own dishonour in so infomous a deed.

He made a vow one day, that if he should gem the prize at the Olympic games, he would erect a statue of gold to the honour of Jupiter. He came off victorious in the next games that were celebrated; but not having sufficient money to acqiut himself of his promise, he seized all the ornaments of the ladies, who had come elegantly attired in order to do honour to the festival, and thus performed his vow at their expense.

Periander was the son of Cypselus, of the fiunily of the HeracUdae, and was tyrant at Corinth, his native dty, at the same fame that Halyattes was King of Lydia. He married Lysis, the daughter of Procieus, Prince of Epidanrus. He always evinced the most passionate attadunent to her, and changed ber name from Lysis to Melissa, which signifies in the Greek, from which it is derived, a bee. He had two sons by this marriage. Cypselus, the eldest, was dull, and indeed s^peared almost deficient in intellect; but Lycophroon, the youngest, displayed an elevated mind, and was admirably adapted to govon a State.

Some females, from interested motives, wishing to disgust Periander with his wife Melissa, who was at that dine pregnant, related such calumnies against her as exdted in him the most uncontrollable jealousy; insomuch that meeting her on the stfurcase immediately afterwards, he gave her such a kick hi the body, as hurled her from the top to the bottom, and destroyed at once the mother and the infant which she carried in her womb. Instantly repenting of what he had done, and lovmg her to distraction, he forgot even the respect due to the dead, and throwing himself on the senseless corpse, he committed outrages upon it, for which madness itself could be no excuse. He next wreaked his vengeance on the women who had inspired his suspidons, ordering them to be seized and burnt.

When Procieus, the Prince of Epidanrus, was made acquidnted with the horrible cruelty with whichhis betoved daughter had been treated, he sent for his grandsons, whom he loved witii the utmost tenderness. He kept them with him some time, to console him imder his affliction; and when he sent them back, he embraced them, and said to them, '* My children, you know the murderer of your mother." The eldest paid little attention to the import of these words; but they affec-ted the youngest so powerfully, that on his return to Corinth, he would neither speak to his father, nor make any reply when spoken to by him. Periander questioned Cypselus, his eldest son, very closely, as to what had been said to them by their grandfather; but Cypselus, who had forgotten all that had passed, merely related the kind, treatment they had received.

Periander was, however, by no means satisfied with this answer, conscious that something more must have occurred. He therefore pressed his son so earnestly to recollect himself, that at last Cypselus called to mind the parting words of Prodeos, and repeated them to his father. Periander immediately entered into the full meaning that Prodeus had intended to convey. He now resolved to compel his youngest son to acknowledge his dependence on him. He forbade any person to retsdn him under his roof. Lycophroon, thus driven from one asylum, in v?au endeavoured to procure another: his father's threats had inspired a terror which closed every door against him. At last, some friends took pity on him, and received him at the hazard of incurring the displeasure of the Kiiig. Periander then issued an order, denouncing the punishment of death to any one who should harbour or even speak with Lycophroon. So rigorous a decree terrified all the inhabitants of Coripth, and no one was found haidy enough: to hold any

PKftlANDBR. Sly intercoarse with the subject of it, after H was iffliied. He was shunned as if he had been some ferodous animal, and his nights were passed in the porticos of houses. In the course of four days he was nearly exhausted with hunger and misery. Periander seeing him at the point of death, was touched with pity, and went to him, saying, *' O Lycophroon! whether is it more desirable to drag on a life so wretched as you have rendered yours, or to submit yourself to me, and be made the master of all that I possess? You are my son, and Prince of the flourishing city of Corinth. Any disaster that may happen to you, will be felt by me as keenly as if it had happened to myself: but you have incurred all the sufferings you now experience, by angering him whom you ought to have respected. You have now experienced the fotal consequences of opposition to a father's will, and I permit you to retarn to, your paternal roof." Lycophroon, firm as a rock, listened to this speech from his fother, and when it was finished, he coolly replied, " Vou deserve that punishment yourself for speaking to me, which you have threatened others with should they do so." Seeing that it was impossible to subdue the resolution of his son, Periander determined to send him out of his sight; and accordingly banished him to Corcyra, a country subject to Corinth.

Periander entertaining the liveliest resentment agidnst Prodeus, whom he looked upon as the origin of the breach whkh had taken place between him and his son, raised troops to make war against that Prince, and put himself at their head. He succeeded in all his measures; and having made

8€ PC;RrL^D£R» himself master of Epidaiirus^ ^nd taken Prodeus prisoner, he retsdned him in confinement, though he spared his life.

In the course of time,Periander, finding age come upon him, sent to Corcyra for Lycophroon, intending to resign the sovereignty in his favour, and to set aside his eldest son, who was no way fitted for the cares of government. Lycophroon did not vouchsafe a single word in answer to his proposition. Periander, who loved his son virith the greatest tenderness, could not bear to relinquish the hope of finally prevsuling on him to come into his views. He ordered his daughter to repsUr to Corcyra, thinking that her influence over her brother's mind might work more success than' had hitherto attended on any of his own schones to gain him over. As soon as the young Princess reached her brother, she made use of every argiC-^ ment which she thought most likely to move Inm^ and make his obstinacy give way. ''Would you prefer," said she, '' seebg the throne filled by a stranger, rather than by yourself? Power is a mis^ tress surrounded with suitors, and naturally incoh^ stant. Our father is now in years; and hi^ death cannot be far distant. If you do not h.asten yottr return, our family will be lost. Dream no longsv^ then, of sibandoning to others the.greatness which courts your acceptance, and which is your hereditiuy right." Lycophroon told her, however, that he never would return to Corinth, so long as her fother should remun there.

The Princess took her leave, and acquaitited the King with the resolution which Lycophrodn had m^de. Pdrittpder then iieot a third jnessflge to biiii> IN^lK>rtiIlg that his son might take possession of the throne of Corinth, whenever he pteased, «s he htxo^ self had determined on finishing his days at Corcyra. To this arrangement Lyeophroon made no oppoai* tion^ ^d accordingly it was settled tha^ the goven^ ments should bethus exchanged. The Coreyrandy however^ being Informed of it, conceived sud» a dread of Periander's coming to rule over them, that ^hey l^Uled Lyoophroon, in prder to avert the proo hability of it. The death of his son phmged Penander uito despaur. He issued his commands that thnee hundred children hanging to the best fiakailies In Cort^ra should be seized. Tliese he sent to HalyattQS, to be emasculated. The vessel in which they wejre embarlied was compelled to touch at Samos. The inhabitants of that city being infbnpefl of the cause which destined these un* fortunate youths to Sardis, compassionated them» and secretly advised them to take sanctuary in the temple of Diana: when they had once entered tliither 9 ft was affirmed that they were under the protection of that goddess, and the Corinthians were not allowed to take them away. Without openly in- (furridg the resentment of Periander, methods were deviaed to supply them with the means of subsistence. Every evening, the young men and damsels of Simos were «ent to daiioe round the temple: Ihey were pronded with cakes for the pm^se, made up with hicmey, imd threw them into the tem[^le whilst they Were dandtig; the diikhren frosa Contra pidked them up, and lived on them. Etwry day these dances reeammfenoed, and the

8S PBRIANDBR*

Corinthians at last, wearied of beholding them, returned home. Enraged at being thus disappointed in his intention to avenge his son's death, according to his own fiancy, Periander wished to terminate his existence; but as he was anxious that no one should Icnow the spot where his body might lie, he devised the following contrivance to conceal it: he sent for two young men, to whom he showed a bypath, and commanded them to walk there the next night, at a stated hour, to kill the first person they might meet, and to bury him instantly. Having dismissed these young men, he sent for four more, and commanded them to repidr to the same place, and to kill and bury without fail two young men, whom they would meet there walking together. Afber this he sent for a number of others, and instructed them in the same manner to dispatch the four, and to bury them on the spot where they might foil. Having thus arranged every thing to his mind, he took care to put himself in the way at the time and place he had fixed upon, and being met by the two young men whom he had selected for that purpose, he was deprived of lili^ by them, as he had wished.

The Corinthians erected an appropriate though empty monument to him, and engraved on it an epitaph in honour of his memory.

Periander was the first who was attended by guards, and who changed the name of magistrate into that of tyi-ant (a term at that period synonimous with kmg — ^both signifying an absolute ruler).

Periander did not allow his cities to be thrown open for the residence of all alike. He was greatly iafloeiiced by the advice of HiraajbuluSy who, on a particular occasion, wrote him the Ic^owiog letter:

^* I have concealed nothing from the man whom you sent to me. Itoolc him into a eornfield, and I beat down in his sight every ear that raised its head above the rest. If you wish tomahif* tain yoursdf firmly on the throne, you must follow my example: put aU the chief persons m the city to death, whether friends or enemies. An usurper ought to place no trust even in those who appeal" to be his warmest friends."

Periander used to say, that thought and labour would accomplish all things; insomuch that it had been found practicable to separate an isthmus from the ix>ntinent: that no man ought to propose to himself silver or gold, as the sole recompense of his actions: that the great could have no stronger security than the affection of their subjects: that no possession was more desirable than tranquillity. He held it proper to punish not only those who actually committed faults, but even those against whom the intention of committing them could be proved. '< Pleasures," he observed, "are transient, but glory e;idures for ever. Be temperate in prosperity, and prudent in adversity. Never reveal a secret entrusted to your Iceeping. Let not the circumstances of your friends influence your attachment to them: that ought to be tiie same in adversity as in prosperity."

Periander esteemed men of learning: he wrote to the most eminent Sages of Greece, and invited them to come and stay some time at Corinth, as they had done at Sardis; and on their accepting his invitatioi], he showed them, by his reception of them, and his mode of treating them, that he wished by every attention in his power to mfike their residence at his Court agreeable to them.

He reigned forty years, and lost his life about the 42d Olympiad.

By some it has been imagined that there were two Perianders, and that the words and actions of both have been wrongly attributed to the same individual.