Page:Key to Easy Latin Stories for beginners.djvu/62

 who has saved the king’s life. Then each one of them, drawing up gold from a chest with a saucer, presented Democedes with so great a gift of gold, that a servant who was following him, whose name was Scito, collected a great quantity of gold for himself from the coins which had fallen to the ground.   165.Among the Thracians this custom is ordained. Each man has several wives. But when a man is dead, there takes place a great dispute among the wives, as to which (of the wives) was dearest to her husband. Then, the one who has been adjudged such, being greatly praised by the men and women, is slain over the tomb by the relations; then she is buried together with her husband. But the rest think that this is a great calamity to them.   166.A people inhabit lake Prasias in this way. There stand in the middle of the lake, stages laid on lofty piles, which have a narrow approach from the mainland. Each man has a hut on these stages, in which he spends his life. But they fasten very little boys and girls by cords &om the foot, fearing that they may fall into the water unaware. They give fish to their horses and beasts of burden instead of fodder. Moreover, there is such a quantity of fish, that when they let down a basket by a cord into the water, they draw it out full of fish after a short delay.   167.Aristagoras of Miletus tried to persuade Cleomenes, king of the Spartans, to undertake an expedition against the Persians. And when he knew not how to decline the affair, he asked Aristagoras how many days’ journey it was from the Ionian sea to the Great King. And Aristagoras, otherwise a crafty fellow, and getting round him finely, was obliged to