Thalia   

took Procles himself, and carried him into captivity.
As time went on, and Periander came to be old, he found himself no
longer equal to the oversight and management of affairs. Seeing,
therefore, in his eldest son no manner of ability, but knowing him
to be dull and blockish, he sent to Corcyra and recalled Lycophron
to take the kingdom. Lycophron, however, did not even deign to ask the
bearer of this message a question. But Periander's heart was set
upon the youth, so he sent again to him, this time by his own
daughter, the sister of Lycophron, who would, he thought, have more
power to persuade him than any other person. Then she, when she
reached Corcyra, spoke thus with her brother:- "Dost thou wish the
kingdom, brother, to pass into strange hands, and our father's
wealth to be made a prey, rather than thyself return to enjoy it? Come
back home with me, and cease to punish thyself. It is scant gain, this
obstinacy. Why seek to cure evil by evil? Mercy, remember, is by
many set above justice. Many, also, while pushing their mother's
claims have forfeited their father's fortune. Power is a slippery
thing- it has many suitors; and he is old and stricken in years- let
not thy own inheritance go to another." Thus did the sister, who had
been tutored by Periander what to say, urge all the arguments most
likely to have weight with her brother. He however made answer,
"That so long as he knew his father to be still alive, he would
never go back to Corinth." When the sister brought Periander this
reply, he sent his son a third time by a herald, and said he would
come himself to Corcyra, and let his son take his place at Corinth
as heir to his kingdom. To these terms Lycophron agreed; and Periander
was making ready to pass into Corcyra and his son to return to
Corinth, when the Corcyraeans, being informed of what was taking
place, to keep Periander away, put the young man to death. For this
reason it was that Periander took vengeance on the Corcyraeans.
The Lacedaemonians arrived before Samos with a mighty armament,
and forthwith laid siege to the place. In one of the assaults upon the
walls, they forced their way to the top of the tower which stands by
the sea on the side where the suburb is, but Polycrates came in person
to the rescue with a strong force, and beat them back. Meanwhile at
the upper tower, which stood on the ridge of the hill, the besieged,
both mercenaries and Samians, made a sally; but after they had
withstood the Lacedaemonians a short time, they fled backwards, and
the Lacedaemonians, pressing upon them, slew numbers.
If now all who were present had behaved that day like Archias
and Lycopas, two of the Lacedaemonians, Samos might have been taken.
For these two heroes, following hard upon the flying Samians,
entered the city along with them, and, being all alone, and their
retreat cut off, were slain within the walls of the place. I myself
once fell in with the grandson of this Archias, a man named Archias
like his grandsire, and the son of Samius, whom I met at Pitana, to
which canton he belonged. He respected the Samians beyond all other
foreigners, and he told me that his father was called Samius,
because his grandfather Archias died in Samos so gloriously, and
that the reason why he respected the Samians so greatly was that his
grandsire was buried with public honours by the Samian people.
The Lacedaemonians besieged Samos during forty days, but not
making any progress before the place, they raised the siege at the end
of that time, and returned home to the Peloponnese. There is a silly
tale told that Polycrates struck a quantity of the coin of his country
in lead, and, coating it with gold, gave it to the Lacedaemonians, who
on receiving it took their departure.
This was the first expedition into Asia of the Lacedaemonian
Dorians.
The Samians who had fought against Polycrates, when they knew that
the Lacedaemonians were about to forsake them, left Samos
themselves, and sailed to Siphnos. They happened to be in want of
money; and the Siphnians at that time were at the height of their
greatness, no islanders having so much wealth as they. There were