"History" of Herodotus: the first scientific work on world history. "History" of Herodotus: the first scientific work on world history Herodotus history read online
To his mentor, Andrey Danilovich Yurkevich, a gymnasium teacher, he dedicates with gratitude
author and translator
Book one
Clio
Introduction and the mythical antiquity of Lydia (1–5). History of Lydia from Croesus: the transfer of power from the Heraclides to the Mermnads (6–13). The reign of Gyges, Ardis, Sadiatt, Aliatta; their relationship to the Hellenes; the case of Arion (14–25). Croesus, visited by Solon (26-33). Domestic disasters of Croesus; test of oracles (34–52). Preparations for war with the Persians; appeal to the Athenians and Spartans and the affairs of these latter (53-70). The war with the Persians, the fall of Sardis, the enslavement of the Medes by the Persians; the fate of Croesus (71–94). Asia before the domination of the Persians: the dominion of the Assyrians, the history of the Medes; Cyrus before the conquest of Media (95–129). The conquest of the Medes by the Persians; manners and customs of the Persians (130-140). Cities of the Ionians and Aeolians (141–153). Conquests of Cyrus on the mainland and islands (154–177). Assyria with Babylon, the conquest of Babylon, the sights of Assyria (178-200). Hike to the Massagetae; the death of Cyrus; the manners of the Massagetae (201–216).
1. Herodotus of Halicarnassus presents the following research so that from time to time the deeds of people are not erased from our memory, and also so that huge and amazing structures, made partly by Hellenes, partly by barbarians, are not forgotten ingloriously, mainly in order not to be forgotten reason for the war between them.
Persian scholars assert that the Phoenicians were the perpetrators of the strife, namely: having arrived from the so-called Erythrean Sea to Ours and settled here in the land that they still occupy now, the Phoenicians immediately turned to navigation to distant countries; with Egyptian and Assyrian goods they went to different lands, among other things, to Argos. Argos at that time was in present-day Hellas the state that prevailed in all respects. Upon arrival here, the Phoenicians began to sell their goods. On the fifth or sixth day, when everything was almost sold, among other women, the daughter of the king Inach there, named Io, came to the seashore, as the Hellenes also call her. Sitting at the stern, the women bought the goods that each of them liked the most. Then the Phoenicians, agreeing among themselves, rushed at the women; most of them fled, but Io, along with a few others, was captured by the Phoenicians. Throwing women on the ship, they sailed to Egypt.
2. So Io arrived in Egypt, according to the stories of the Persians; but this is not how the Hellenes speak of it. According to Persian scholars, this was the first offense. After that, they continue, several Hellenes landed near the Phoenician city of Tyre, and kidnapped the royal daughter Europa there; the Persians do not know the tribe of the Hellenes; they must have been Cretans. Thus, for the insult inflicted by the Phoenicians, the Hellenes repaid an equal insult. After this, the Hellenes committed a new injustice: they arrived on a long ship to Eia, in Colchis, on the river Phasis, and there, in fulfillment of the assignment entrusted to them, they kidnapped the royal daughter Medea. The king of Colchis sent a herald to Hellas demanding his daughter back and satisfaction for her abduction; but the Hellenes answered that the Phoenicians did not pay them anything for the kidnapping of the Argive Io, and therefore the Colchians would not receive any satisfaction from them.
3. In the next generation, according to the stories of the Persians, the son of Priam Alexander, having learned about what had happened, had a desire to kidnap a woman from Hellas for himself, being fully convinced of the impunity of the kidnapping, because the kidnappers, the Hellenes, did not suffer punishment. He kidnapped Elena. The Hellenes first of all decided to send ambassadors to Asia demanding the return of Helen and paying a fine for the kidnapping. But in response to these demands, they were reminded of the kidnapping of Medea, with a reproach that they themselves had not paid any fine and did not agree to extradite the kidnapped woman, while they would like to receive satisfaction from others.
4. Until now, there have been kidnappings of individuals on both sides, and from now on the Hellenes become gravely guilty: they invade Asia with an army before the Persians invade Europe. In general, the Persians consider the abduction of women to be the work of insolent people, while revenge for the abducted, in their opinion, is decent for fools; it is not at all befitting for prudent people to take care of the kidnapped, for women would not be kidnapped if they did not want it themselves. That is why the inhabitants of Asia, say the Persians, did not pay any attention to the abduction of their women, while the Hellenes, because of one woman - the Lacedaemonian, gathered a huge army and, having come to Asia, destroyed the kingdom of Priam. Since that time, the Persians have always considered the Hellenes as their enemies: revering Europe with the Hellenes for separate country, they appropriate Asia with the peoples living in it.
5. So tell the Persians, calling the destruction of Troy the cause of their enmity towards the Hellenes. Regarding Io, the Phoenicians do not agree with the Persians. They did not bring her to Egypt by force, the Phoenicians say, but in Argos she entered into a relationship with the owner of the ship, then, noticing her pregnancy and not wanting to open it out of fear of her parents, she voluntarily sailed with the Phoenicians. Such are the stories of the Persians and Phoenicians. For my part, I will not enter into an argument, whether it was so or otherwise, but I will name the person whom I consider the first offender of Hellas, and I will continue my story, surveying small and large cities in the same way, for the once large cities later became small, and vice versa : cities that were significant in my time were formerly small. I know that human happiness is impermanent, and therefore I will mention both large and small cities.
6. Croesus was a Lydian by birth, the son of Alyattes, and ruled over the peoples on this side of the river Halys, which flows from the south between the Syrians and the Paphlagonians and flows north into what is now called the Pontus Euxinus. Of all the barbarians known to us, Croesus was the first to subject some of the Hellenes to his power, forcing them to pay tribute, and entered into friendship with others. He conquered the Ionians, the Aeolians, and the Dorians living in Asia, and made friends for himself in the Lacedaemonians. Before reign Croesus, all the Hellenes were free, for the invasion of the Cimmerians, which preceded Croesus, and reached Jovia, was not a conquest of states, but only a predatory raid.
7. Belonging at first to the Heraclides, power then passed to the genus of Croesus, to the so-called Mermnads, as follows. The ruler of Sardis was Candaulus, called Mirsil by the Hellenes, a descendant of Alcaeus, the son of Hercules. Agron, son of Ninus, grandson of Belus, great-grandson of Alcaeus, was the first king of Sardis from the Heraclid family, and Candaulus, son of Mirs, the last. The lords who reigned in this country before Agron descended from Lid, the son of Atys, after whom the whole Lydian people, formerly called Meons, is named. It was they who invested the Heraclides with the power that they received according to the utterance of the oracle. The Heraclides descended from the slave of Jardan and Hercules, ruled the country in the person of twenty-two generations for five hundred and five years in uninterrupted succession from father to son to Kandaul, son of Mirs.
8. This Candaules passionately loved his wife and therefore imagined that he possessed the most beautiful woman in the world. The king had a spearman, the son of Daskil, Gyges, to whom the king was very disposed; Kandavl entrusted his most important deeds to him and, among other things, extolled the beauty of his wife. A short time later, Kandavlus was destined to die, the king turned to Gyges with the following speech: “It seems to me, Gyges, you do not trust my words about the beauty of your wife, because a person’s hearing is not as trusting as sight; so try to see her naked.” In response to this, Gyges cried out: “I hear foolish speeches from you, lord! Are you telling me to look at my naked mistress? After all, along with a dress, a woman removes shame from herself. For a long time there have been beautiful sayings among people; lessons to be learned from them; among the sayings is the following: "everyone see his own." I believe that your wife is the most beautiful woman, and please do not demand from me the unlawful.
9 . With this remark, Gyges hoped to protect himself from misfortune, because he was afraid that some misfortune would come from here for him. But Candaules objected: “Be bolder, Gyges; do not think that I offer you this for the sake of testing, do not be afraid of anything on the part of my woman. From the very beginning, I will arrange the whole thing in such a way that she will not even notice when you look at her: I will put you in our bedchamber for open door; my wife will immediately follow me into the bedroom to the bed. There is a chair by the door; undressing, she will fold her dress on him one by one, and you can calmly examine her. When she moves away from the chair to the bed and turns her back on you, try to slip through the door so that she does not notice you.
10. Seeing that it was impossible to evade, Gyges agreed. When it was time to go to bed, Candaules led Gyges into the bedchamber, and then his wife entered. Giges looked at her when she, entering the room, took off her dress. When the queen turned her back on him and went to the bed, Gyges furtively went out. But at the same time, the wife of Kandavlus saw him and understood that everything was arranged by her husband; she was very ashamed, but did not shout and did not give herself away, harboring revenge on Kandavla in her soul. The fact is that among the Lydians, like almost all barbarians, even a man considers it a great shame for himself if he is seen naked.
11. So, finding nothing then, she kept calm; but the next day she immediately prepared her most faithful servants and ordered Gyges to be called. He went to the call, not suspecting that the wife of Kandavla knew something about what had happened: before, he appeared every time the queen called him. When Gyges appeared, she turned to him with the following speech: “I give you, Gyges, the choice of one of the two roads that lie in front of you, which of them you prefer: either, having killed Candaulus, own me and the whole Lydian kingdom, or you will die immediately himself, so that from now on, for the sake of Kandavlus, you do not look at what is not appropriate for you. Therefore, either he must die for having arranged this, or you for looking at me naked and thereby doing the unlawful. At first, the speeches of the queen amazed Gyges, then he begged her not to force him to such a choice. But she remained adamant, and Gyges saw himself really compelled to either kill his master or die himself; he chose to stay alive. “Since you are forcing me against my will to kill my master,” Gyges then said to the queen, “then teach us how to attack him.” Agreeing to this, she said: "The attack must be made from the very place from which he showed you me naked, and death will befall him during sleep."
12. When the plan was ready and night fell, Gyges followed the queen to the bedchamber; until that moment he was not released, and there was no salvation for him from the choice - either to die himself, or to destroy Kandavl. Putting a sword in her hands, the queen hid Gyges behind that very door. When after that Candaules went to bed, Gyges came out from behind the door, killed the king and thus took possession of his wife and kingdom (this was mentioned in the iambic trimeter by Archilochus from Paros, who lived at the same time).
13. Having received power, Gyges consolidated it behind him with the assistance of the Delphic soothsayer. When, on the occasion of the murder of Candaulus, the Lydians were indignant and rebelled with weapons in their hands, then the rebels, led by Gyges, agreed with the rest of the Lydians that he would reign over them if the oracle recognized him as king; if not, he will hand over the kingdom back to the Heraclides. The oracle recognized Gyges, and he then reigned. However, the Pythia then announced that the Heraclides would be avenged in the fifth generation of Gyges. Neither the Lydians nor their kings paid any attention to the saying of the oracle until it was fulfilled.
14. So the Mermnads gained power, taking it away from the Heraclids, and after the accession, Gyges sent numerous gifts to Delphi: no matter how many silver gifts there are, most of them are from him and are in Delphi. In addition to silver, he donated a large number of golden vessels; among them the most worthy of mention are the six golden cups. They weigh three hundred talents and are placed in the treasury of the Corinthians; however, to tell the truth, this treasury is not the work of the Corinthian state, but Cypselus, the son of Eetion. As far as we know, Gyges was the first of the barbarians after Midas, the Phrygian king, the son of Gordius, to send gifts to Delphi. Midas dedicated to the oracle the royal throne, sitting on which he had previously performed judgment, a wonderful work; the throne is in the same place where the cups of Gyges are. The gold and silver that Gyges gave, the Delphians call Gigades, after the name of the donor.
15. Having become king, Gyges also made military campaigns against Miletus and Smyrna and took the lower Colophon; however, he did not mark the thirty-eight years of his reign with anything glorious. Therefore, I will not say anything more about him, I will only mention his son Ardis, who reigned after Gyges. Ardis conquered Priene and went to war against Miletus; in his reign, the Cimmerians, driven from their homeland by the nomadic Scythians, came to Asia and took possession of Sardis, with the exception of the acropolis.
16. Ardis, who reigned forty-nine years, was succeeded by his son Sadiattes and reigned twelve years, and Sadiatt was followed by his son Aliattes. This latter fought with Cyaxares, the grandson of Deiocus, and drove the Cimmerians out of Asia; he conquered Smyrna, inhabited by the inhabitants of Colophon, and attacked Clazomene. However, from here he returned home not as he wished, but having suffered a severe defeat. Other important deeds of his reign are as follows.
17. He waged war with Miletus, having inherited it from his father. Having set off with an army against Miletus, he ravaged the city in the following way: every year at that time, when the fruits ripened in the fields, he broke into the city lands with an army; the army marched to the sound of pipes, stringed instruments, with female and male flutes. Entering the Miletus region, Aliattes did not destroy the houses on the land there, did not burn them and did not break the doors in them; houses were left alone, but each time he destroyed trees and crops and then returned back. Since the sea was in the power of the Milesians, a regular siege of the city would have been useless; The Lydian king spared the houses, so that the Milesians, living in them, would have the opportunity to sow and cultivate the fields, and he would again devastate the cultivated lands with his attacks.
18. He waged this kind of war for eleven years, during which time the Milesians suffered two cruel defeats, one on their own land, in Limeney, the other on the Meander plain. For six years out of eleven, the Lydians were still ruled by Sadyatt, the son of Ardis, who at that time was making campaigns in the Miletus region; Sadiatt also started this war. The remaining five years of the eleven that followed those six were fought by the son of Sadyatt Aliatt; having received it from his father, as mentioned above, he fought with unrelenting zeal. None of the Ionians helped the Milesians in this war, with the exception of the Chios, who paid a favor for the same service: earlier the Milesians helped the Chios in their war with the Erythreans.
19. Finally, in the twelfth year, when the Lydians again set fire to the fields, the following happened: as soon as the field was on fire, the wind directed the flame to the temple of Athena, called Assesia, and the temple burned down. At first, no attention was paid to this, and on the return of the army to Sardis, Aliatt fell ill. Since his illness was prolonged, either on the advice of another, or by his own decision, he sent to Delphi to ask the deity about the cause of the illness. The Pythia told those who came to Delphi that she would not tell them anything until they restored the temple of Athena, burned in Asses, near Miletus.
20. I know this from the words of the Delphians. The Miletians, however, add that the son of Kypsel Periander, the most tender friend of the then Milesian tyrant Thrasybulus, having learned about the utterance of the oracle Alyatta, communicated this dictum to the tyrant through a messenger so that he would know him and in accordance with him would conduct his affairs.
21. This is what the Milesians say about it. Meanwhile, Aliattes, having received the answer of the oracle, immediately sent a herald to Miletus to conclude peace with Thrasybulus and the Miletians for such a time as would be required for the construction of the temple. The messenger appeared in Miletus, and Thrasybulus, having been notified in advance of everything and knowing the intentions of Alyattes, arranged the following: all the bread that he himself and private individuals had in the city, he ordered to take it to the square and warned the Milesians that they should At the signal, they all gathered together and went from house to house in noisy crowds.
22. Thrasybulus arranged and spoke like this so that the herald from Sardis would see a large pile of bread, a merry population and would notify Aliatt about this. So indeed it happened. When the herald saw all this, reported the order of his king to Thrasybulus and returned back to Sardis, a truce was concluded, as I learn, precisely for this, and no other reason: Alyattes believed that in Miletus there was a strong need for bread and that its inhabitants are in an extremely distressed situation, and now a herald who has returned from the city has brought news that is opposite and unexpected. When a truce was concluded on the condition of mutual friendship and alliance, and two temples were built in honor of Athena in Asses instead of one, Alyattes recovered. Thus was Alyattes waged war with the Milesians and with Thrasybulus.
23. The Periander who revealed to Thrasybulus the utterance of the oracle was the son of Kypselus. He was a tyrant in Corinth. According to the stories of the Corinthians, and the Lesbos agree with them, an extraordinary miracle happened in the life of Periander, namely: Arion the Methymian, the best kifared at that time, was carried to Tenar on a dolphin; he was the first, so far as we know, to compose a dithyramb, give it a name, and perform it in Corinth.
24. They say that this Arion, who spent most of his life in Corinth with Periander, wished one day to visit Italy and Sicily, and, having acquired great wealth there, was about to sail to Corinth. Trusting the Corinthians most of all, he hired a Corinthian ship in Tarantos and departed from there. On the open sea, the Corinthians intended to throw Arion into the sea and take possession of his property. Upon learning of this, Arion begged them to leave him life and offered them his riches; but the carriers were adamant and suggested that he either kill himself so that they would bury him on land, or immediately throw himself into the water. In this extremely difficult situation, Arion asked, if they so desired, to be allowed to sing a song, standing at the stern in his full outfit; he promised to kill himself after the performance of the song. In anticipation of the pleasure of singing the best singer, the carriers retired from the stern of the ship to the middle of it. Arion put on his full outfit, picked up a kithara and, standing on the stern boards, sang a high-pitched song; at the end of the song, he, as he was in full dress, threw himself into the sea. The carriers sailed on to Corinth, and the dolphin, as they say, took Arion on himself and carried him to Tenar. Coming ashore, he went to Corinth in his dress, and there told everything that had happened to him. Not trusting Arion, Periander kept him in custody, never let him go, but ordered him to watch the sailors as well. As soon as the ship arrived, he called the carriers and asked them about Arion; they answered that he was in Italy, that he was in good health, and that they had left him, prosperous, in Tarantes. Then Periander showed them Arion in the form in which he threw himself into the sea. The carriers were astounded and could not object to the evidence. This is what the Corinthians and Lesbos say, and on Tenar there is a small copper image donated by Arion - a man sitting on a dolphin.
25. The Lydian king Aliattes reigned for fifty-seven years and died at the end of the war with the Milesians. For the cure of the disease, he, the second from this house, donated to Delphi a large silver bowl and an iron brazed cup; among the sacred gifts at Delphi, this last donation is noteworthy; the cup holder was made by the Commander-in-Chief of Chios, the sole inventor of iron soldering.
26. After the death of Alyattes, his son Croesus succeeded to power in the thirty-fifth year of his life; the inhabitants of Ephesus were the first of the Hellenes against whom he went to war. The Ephesians besieged by him dedicated their city to Artemis, as a sign of which they stretched a rope from her temple to the city wall; the distance between the old city, which was then under siege, and the temple was seven stadia. So the Ephesians were the first to be attacked by Croesus; then the rest of the Ionians and Aeolians experienced the same thing, one after the other, and each time Croesus put forward new pretexts, inventing serious accusations against some, insignificant ones against others.
27. When in this way Croesus subjugated all the Asiatic Hellenes and made them his tributaries, he planned to build a fleet and attack the inhabitants of the islands. Everything was already ready for the construction of the fleet, when, according to some, Biant came to Sardis from Priene, according to others, Pittacus from Mitylene, and with the news about Hellas he suspended the construction of ships, namely: to the question of Croesus, is there anything new, the guest answered: "The islanders, the king, are buying horses in large numbers, intending to make war on Sardis and on you." Believing that he was telling the truth, Croesus remarked: “If the gods inspired the islanders with the idea of going to the sons of Lydia on horseback!” And the guest said to this: “It seems, king, that you would very much like to meet the islanders on land on horseback, and you are absolutely right; but don't you think that when they hear of your intention to build a fleet against them, they will most desire to attack the Lydians at sea and avenge them on land for those Hellenes on land whom you have reduced into slavery? As they say, this remark pleased Croesus very much; he found it witty and persuasive and suspended the construction of the fleet; after that he concluded a friendly alliance with the Ionians living on the islands.
28. In the course of time, almost all the peoples living on this side of the Halys River were conquered by Croesus, with the exception of the Cilicians and Lycians (namely: Lydians, Phrygians, Mysians, Mariandins, Khalibs, Paphlagonians, Thracians, Finns and Bithyns, Carians, Ionians, Dorians, Aeolians , pamphylos).
29. After the conquest of these peoples (and joining them to the Lydians), all sorts of wise men began to come from Hellas to Sardis, blooming with wealth, for various reasons; among them was the Athenian Solon, who drew up laws for the Athenians on their behalf and then traveled for ten years under the pretext of curiosity, but in fact in order not to be forced to cancel any of the laws he had drawn up. The Athenians could not do this without Solon, because they obliged themselves with formidable oaths to use the laws given to them by Solon for ten years.
30. So, having set off to travel for the sake of this and out of curiosity, Solon arrived in Egypt to Amasis and in Sardis to Croesus. Croesus was received cordially in royal palace. On the third or fourth day after arriving in Sardis, the royal servants, at the behest of Croesus, took Solon through the treasuries and showed him all the riches, all the luxury and magnificence of the king. After Solon saw and carefully examined all this, Croesus said to him: “About your wisdom and your travels, dear Athenian, a loud rumor reaches us; out of a thirst for knowledge and out of curiosity, you have visited many lands, and therefore I would like to ask you: have you already seen happiest person? Croesus asked this question in the belief that he himself was the happiest of men. Without suspecting anything of this, Solon sincerely answered: "The Athenian Tella, the king." The astonished Croesus hastily asked: “Why do you think Tellus is the happiest?” Solon answered: “Firstly, the native state of Tell was happy; he had wonderful children and lived to the time when all of them had children and grew up safely; secondly, he had sufficient means of subsistence, according to our concepts, and he ended his days with a glorious death, namely: during the battle of the Athenians with their neighbors at Eleusis, he helped his own put the enemies to flight and died a courageous death; the Athenians buried him at the public expense in the very place where he fell, and honored him with high honors.
31. When with detailed stories about the happy fate of Tella Solon even more aroused the attention of Croesus, this latter again asked him whom he considered the second lucky, being sure that he had at least the second place. “Cleobis and Biton,” answered, however, Solon. “They were Argives by birth, had sufficient means of subsistence and possessed such physical strength that both together emerged victorious from the competition. They tell about it this way: once on the feast of Hera of Argos, their mother urgently needed to come in a wagon to the temple of the goddess; the bulls did not arrive in time from the field, it was necessary to hurry, then the young men themselves put a yoke on themselves and dragged the wagon to the temple for forty-five stadia; their mother sat on the wagon. Having done this in front of the festive assembly, the young men died a most beautiful death, and the deity showed them that it is much better for a person to die than to live. The Argives who were present glorified the young men for strength, and the mother for such children; the mother herself, admiring the feat of her sons and the glory she had inherited, prayed before the face of the goddess that the deity would grant the best human fate to Cleobis and Biton. After this prayer, they made a sacrifice and participated in a festive meal, then fell asleep in that very temple and did not get up again; this was the end of their lives. The Argives made statues of young men and donated them to Delphi as images of the most worthy people.
32. Thus, Solon recognized these young men as the second winners in happiness. Then Croesus asked with annoyance: “Really, dear Athenian, you don’t put my happiness in anything and consider me lower than ordinary people? Solon answered this: “I know, Croesus, that every deity is envious and loves confusion, and you ask me about human happiness. How much in his long life a man is compelled to see what he would not wish to see, and how much he must experience! limit human life I honor seventy years; these seventy years are twenty-five thousand two hundred days, not counting the intercalary month. If, however, every second year is increased by one month so that the seasons exactly coincide with the chronology, then for seventy years there will be thirty-five intercalary months, which will be one thousand and fifty days. Of all these days in seventy years, and there are twenty-six thousand two hundred and fifty of them, not one ever brings with him what the other. Thus, Croesus, the whole person is nothing more than an accident. Of course, you are very rich and reign over many nations, but I cannot call you happy until I know that you ended your life happily. For a very rich man is not in the least happier than one who has only his daily bread, unless the former is destined, having all the blessings, to end his days happily. For many very rich people are unhappy, while many others of moderate wealth are happy. A very rich but unhappy man is superior to a happy but poor man in only two respects, and a happy man is superior to an unfortunate rich man in many ways. While the former has the ability to satisfy his passions and endure a great misfortune that has befallen him, the latter surpasses him in the following: being unable to satisfy passions and endure misfortunes like the former, the latter is protected from them by his happiness; he is not tested, free from disease, does not fall into misfortune, has children, is handsome. If, in addition to all this, the end of his life is beautiful, then here is the one you are asking about - a man worthy of being called happy. Still, before his death, abstain from the sentence, do not call him happy, but only prosperous. It is impossible to combine everything in one person, just as no country is sufficient for itself in everything, but, having one, it needs another, and that country is the best that has the most. Similarly, there is not a single person who satisfies himself in everything: he has one thing, he needs another; who owns largest number good to the end of his days and ends his life in prosperity, that, the king, in my opinion, is fair to call happy. In every case, one should look at the end: the deity caressed many people with the hope of happiness and then finally overthrew them.
33. These speeches were unpleasant to Croesus; he looked at Solon with disdain and let him go; he seemed to him a fool who does not pay attention to real blessings and advises in every business to look only at the end.
34. After the departure of Solon, Croesus suffered a heavy retribution from the deity, as it seems, because he considered himself the happiest of all people. On the very first night, a ghost appeared to him in a dream and truthfully predicted the misfortunes that threatened his son. Croesus had two sons; one of them was a cripple, deaf and dumb; the other was far superior to his peers in everything; his name was Atis. It was to this Atys that the dream of Croesus indicated, saying that he would die from a wound inflicted by an iron spear. Waking up, Croesus came to his senses and, horrified by the dream, immediately decided to marry his son; and, although Atys used to be at the head of the Lydian army, Croesus did not let him go on military campaigns anymore. In the same way, he ordered that darts, a spear, and any other weapon be transferred from the hall to the far chambers so that they would not fall from the walls on his son.
35. At the time of his son's wedding, a man came to Sardis, stained by an involuntary crime, with his hands still unclean; a Phrygian by origin, he was of a royal family; he came to the house of Croesus and, according to local customs, asked for purification. Croesus cleared it. The rite of purification among the Lydians resembles the same rite among the Hellenes. Having completed the usual cleansing, Croesus began to ask the guest where and who he was from: “Who are you, wanderer, from which part of Phrygia did you come to my hearth? What man or woman did you kill? “King,” answered the guest, “I am the son of Gordias, the grandson of Midas; my name is Adrastus, and I accidentally killed my own brother and came here, expelled by my father and deprived of everything. Croesus remarked to him: “You are the son of our friends and have come to friends; Being in our house, you will not need anything. Endure your misfortune patiently, and it will serve you well. So he lived in the house of Croesus.
36. At this very time, a ferocious boar appeared on the Mysian Olympus; descending from the mountain, he devastated the fields of the Mysians. Many times the Mysians went out to the beast, but did not cause him any harm, on the contrary, they themselves suffered from him. Finally, messengers from the Mysians came to Croesus with a request. “In our land, king,” they said, “a huge boar has appeared, devastating our fields; with all our efforts, we cannot overcome it. Now we ask you to send us your son and chosen young men with dogs to drive the wild beast out of our land. So they asked Croesus, but the king, remembering the dream, said to them: “Do not remember my son anymore; I will not send him to you; he recently got married and is now busy with his wife. But I will give you the best Lydians and all my hunting dogs. And I will order you to make every effort to drive the beast out of your land together with you.
. ... the Athenian Solon ... - Solon (c. 640 - c. 560 BC) - the famous Athenian politician, poet and legislator.
. ... having set out to travel for the sake of this and out of curiosity, Solon arrived in Egypt to Amasis and in Sardis to Croesus ... - Amasis II (Ahmose II) - the Egyptian king of the XXVI (Sais) dynasty, who ruled from 570 to 526 BC. e. Croesus (b. 595 BC) reigned from 560 to 546 BC. e. Solon's journey falls on the years 594-584, respectively, he could not meet with Amasis and Croesus.
HERODOTUS.
STORY
Book I Clio
Herodotus of Halicarnassus collected and recorded this information1 so that the past events would not fall into oblivion over time and the great and surprisingly worthy deeds2 of both Hellenes and barbarians would not remain in obscurity, especially why they fought wars with each other.
1. According to people who are knowledgeable among the Persians, the Phoenicians were the perpetrators of the strife between the Hellenes and the barbarians. The latter came from the so-called Red Sea to Our Sea3 and settled in the country where they still live4. The Phoenicians immediately embarked on long sea voyages. Carrying Egyptian and Assyrian goods to many countries, they, among other things, arrived in Argos. Argos, in those days, was the most significant city in the country, which is now called Hellas. When the Phoenicians arrived just at the mentioned Argos, they put their goods up for sale. On the fifth or sixth day after their arrival, when almost all the goods were already sold out, the king's daughter, among many other women, came to the seashore. Her name was Io, daughter of Inach; the Hellenes also call it. Women stood at the stern of the ship and bought the goods they liked most. Then the Phoenicians, following this sign, attacked the women. Most of women, however, fled, but they managed to capture Io with several others. The Phoenicians dragged the women onto a ship and then hastily set sail for Egypt.
2. So, say the Persians, Io ended up in Egypt. The Greeks convey it differently. This event was the first cause of enmity. Then, they tell further, some Hellenes (they cannot give a name) arrived in Phoenician Tire and abducted the royal daughter Europa7. It must have been the Cretans. By this they only repaid the Phoenicians for their misdeed. Then the Hellenes still again offended the barbarians. On a warship they arrived at Aia in Colchis and at the mouth of the river Phasis. Having completed all the affairs for which they arrived there, the Hellenes then kidnapped the royal daughter Medea. The king of the Colchians then sent an envoy to Hellas demanding a fine for the kidnapped and the return of his daughter. The Hellenes, however, gave the following answer: since they themselves did not receive a fine for the abduction of the Argive woman Io, they would not give anything to the king either.
3. Then in the next generation, they say, Alexander, the son of Priam, who heard about this kidnapping, wished to get a woman from Hellas by kidnapping. He was firmly convinced that he would not be punished, since the Hellenes then did not pay anything. After Alexander thus kidnapped Helen, the Hellenes first decided to send messengers to return Helen and demand a fine for the kidnapping. The Trojans responded by reproaching them for kidnapping Medea. After all, they said, the Hellenes themselves did not give any penalty and did not return Medea, but now they are demanding a penalty from others.
4. Until now, only temporary abductions of women have occurred. As for the subsequent time, then, undoubtedly, a heavy fault lies with the Hellenes, since they went on a campaign to Asia earlier than the barbarians to Europe. The abduction of women, it is true, is an unjust thing, but to try to avenge the abduction, according to the Persians, is reckless. In any case, the wise is the one who does not care about the kidnapped women. It is clear, after all, that women would not have been kidnapped if they themselves did not want it. According to the Persians, the inhabitants of Asia do not at all pay attention to the abduction of women, while the Hellenes, on the contrary, gathered a huge army for the sake of a woman from Lacedaemon, and then crossed over to Asia and crushed the power of Priam. Since that time, the Persians have always recognized the Hellenes as their enemies. After all, the Persians consider Asia and those living there barbarian tribes their own, while Europe and Hellas are a foreign country for them.
5. Such, say the Persians, was the course of events, and the capture of Ilion, they think, was the cause of enmity towards the Hellenes. The Phoenicians tell about the abduction of Io differently than the Persians, that's what. Namely, according to them, they did not at all take Io by force to Egypt, since already in Argos she entered into a love affair with the owner of the ship. When she felt pregnant, out of shame in front of her parents, she voluntarily left with the Phoenicians to hide her shame. This is what the Persians and Phoenicians say. As for me, I do not presume to say whether it happened in this way or in some other way. Nevertheless, I want to name a person who, as I myself know, initiated hostilities against the Greeks9. Then, in continuation of my story, I will describe in a similar way both small and great human cities. After all, many once great cities have now become small, and those that were powerful in my time were formerly insignificant. And since I know that human happiness is changeable, I will equally mention the fate of both. 6. Croesus, by birth a Lydian10, son of Aliattes, was the lord of the peoples on this side of the river Halys (Halis flows from south to north between the lands of the Syrians11 and the Paphlagonians and flows into the sea called the Euxine Pontus). This Croesus, as far as I know, was the first of the barbarians to subdue a part of the Hellenes, forced him to pay tribute; with others he concluded allied treaties. He subjugated the Ionians, the Aeolians, and the Asiatic Dorians,12 and entered into an alliance with the Lacedaemonians. However, before the reign of Croesus, all Hellenes were free. For the invasion of the Cimmerians,13 who even before the time of Croesus reached Ionia, was not a long-term conquest, but rather a simple raid to seize booty.
7. The power that previously belonged to the house of Heraclides passed to the clan of Croesus (this clan is called Mermnads)14. It happened in this way: Candaulus, whom the Hellenes call Mirsil, was the tyrant of Sardis. He was a descendant of Alcaeus, son of Hercules. The first king of Sardis from the house of Heraclides was Agron, son of Nin, grandson of Bel, great-grandson of Alcaeus. Candaules son of Mirs was their the last king. The kings who ruled this country before Agron were the descendants of Lydus, the son of Atys, that Lydian from whom all the present people (formerly called Meons) received the name Lydians. From them, according to the prediction of the oracle, the Heraclids received power. The latter descended from Hercules and the slave girl Jardan and ruled for 22 human generations15, 505 years, and their son always inherited power from his father up to Kandavl, the son of Mirs.
8. This Candaule was very much in love with his wife and, like a lover, believed that he possessed the most beautiful woman in the world. He had among his bodyguards a certain Gyges16, the son of Daskil, whom he especially valued. It was to this Gyges that Kandavl entrusted the most important matters and even praised the beauty of his wife. Soon after this (after all, a bad end was predicted for Kandavlus), he turned to Gyges with the following words: “Gyges, you don’t seem to believe what I told you about the beauty of my wife (after all, people trust ears less than eyes), so try to see her naked.” With a loud cry of astonishment, Gyges answered: “What foolish words, sir, you speak! Are you telling me to look at the naked mistress? After all, women, along with clothing, also remove shame from themselves! 17 Long ago people learned the rules of decency and they should be assimilated. One of them is the main thing: let everyone look only after his own. I believe that she is more beautiful than all women, but still I ask: do not demand anything from me that is contrary to customs.
9. So spoke Gyges, trying to reject the proposal of the king for fear of getting into trouble because of this. Candaulus objected to him with these words: “Be calm, Gyges, and do not be afraid: I did not say this in order to test you, and my wife will not cause you any harm either. I'll set everything up first so that she won't even notice that you saw her. I will place you in our sleeping quarters behind a closing door. My wife will also come in after me to lie down on a bed. Close to the entrance is an armchair where the wife, undressing, will put her clothes one by one. And then you can calmly admire it. If she goes from the chair to the bed and turns her back on you, then try to leave through the door so that she does not see you.
10. Then Gyges could no longer evade such an offer and expressed his readiness. When Candaules decided that it was time to go to sleep, he led Gyges into a sleeping chamber, where his wife immediately came. And Gyges admired how she entered and took off her clothes. As soon as the woman turned her back on him, Gyges tried, slipping away unnoticed, to get out of the rest. Nevertheless, the woman saw him leave. Although, she realized that all this was set up by her husband, she did not scream with shame, but, on the contrary, showed the appearance that she had not noticed anything, but in her heart she decided to take revenge on Kandavlus. For among the Lydians and all other barbarians it is considered a great disgrace, even if a man is seen naked.
11. As if nothing had happened, the woman kept silent so far. But as soon as the day came, she ordered her most devoted servants to be ready and call Gyges to her. Gyges, however, came to the call, confident that she did not know anything about the incident, since in the past he usually came whenever the queen called him to her. When Gyges appeared before her, the woman turned to him with these words: “Gyges, there are now two ways before you; I give you the choice which way you want to go. Either you will kill Candaules and, having taken me as your wife, become the king of the Lydians, or you will die right away, so that you, as a faithful friend of Candaules, will not see at another time what is not befitting to you. So, one of you must die: either he, who seduced you to this act, or you, who committed obscenity when he saw my nakedness. Struck by her words, Gyges at first did not know what to answer, and then began to pray to the queen not to force him to such a terrible choice. Giges failed to convince her. Then, seeing that the choice was inevitable - either to kill his master, or to fall at the hands of the executioners himself, he chose life for himself and turned to the queen with the following question: “Since you are forcing me to kill my master against my will, then tell me how Are we done with him?" To this, the queen gave the following answer: "We will attack him at the very place from where he showed you me naked, and you will kill him during sleep."
Herodotus - a resident of ancient Greece, the "father of history." The Greek became the author of the first surviving treatise "History", in which he described in detail the customs of the peoples that existed in the fifth century BC, as well as the course of the Greco-Persian wars. The works of Herodotus played important role in the development of ancient culture.
We have come down to two key sources of information about life path Herodotus: an encyclopedia of the Judgment, created in the second half of the tenth century in Byzantium, and the texts of the historian himself. Some of the information in these sources is contradictory.
Bust of Herodotus
The generally accepted version is that Herodotus was born in Halicarnassus in 484 BC. This ancient city was located on the territory of the historical region "Karia", on the coast mediterranean sea in Asia Minor. The city of Halicarnassus was founded by the Dorians, and a settlement of the Carians was located nearby (both the Dorians and the Carians are representatives of the main ancient Greek tribes).
The future ancient Greek historian was born into an influential and wealthy Lix family. As a young man, Herodotus participated in political life people. He joined the party, which aimed to overthrow the tyrannical ruler Ligdamid, was expelled, lived for some time on the island of Samos.
Then Herodotus went on long and numerous journeys. He traveled to Egypt, Babylon, Asia Minor, Assyria, the Northern Black Sea region, the Hellespont, and also traveled around the Balkan Peninsula from Macedonia to the Peloponnese. During his travels, the historian made sketches for his subsequent creation.
At the age of forty, Herodotus settled in Athens. At that time, he was already reading excerpts from his History to representatives of the upper strata of urban society, which gave the researchers the opportunity to conclude that the outlines were written while traveling. In Athens, the historian met and became close friends with the supporters of Pericles, the commander and orator, who is considered one of the founders of democracy in Athens. In 444 BC, when the Greek colony of Thurii was founded on the site of the destroyed city of Sybaris, he took part in the restoration of the settlement from the ruins.
The science
Thanks to Herodotus, science was enriched by the fundamental work "History". This book cannot be named historical research. It is an interesting story of an inquisitive, sociable, gifted person who has traveled to many places and has extensive knowledge about his contemporaries. The "History" of Herodotus combines several components at once:
- ethnographic data. The historian has collected an impressive amount of information about the traditions, customs, features of life of various tribes and peoples.
- geographic information. Thanks to the "History" it became possible to restore the outlines of the ancient states as of the fifth century BC.
- Natural history materials. Herodotus included in the book data on historical events that he managed to witness.
- literary component. The author was a gifted writer who managed to create an interesting and captivating narrative.
Book "History" by Herodotus
In total, the work of Herodotus includes nine books. The essay is divided into two parts:
- In the first part, the author tells about Scythia, Assyria, Libya, Egypt, Babylonia and a number of other states of that time, as well as about the rise of the Persian kingdom. Since in the second half of the work the author intended to tell a story about numerous Greco-Persian wars, in the first part he sought to trace the milestones of the historical struggle between the Hellenes and the barbarians. Due to the desire for such unity, the interconnectedness of the presentation, Herodotus did not include in the work all the materials that he remembered from his travels, but managed with a limited number of them. In his work, he often expresses a subjective point of view on certain historical realities.
- The second part of Herodotus' work is a chronological account of the military confrontation between the Persians and the Greeks. The story ends in 479 BC, when Athenian troops besieged and took the Persian city of Sesta.
When writing his book, Herodotus paid attention to the whims of fate and the envy of divine forces in relation to the happiness of people. The author believed that the gods constantly intervene in the natural course historical events. He recognized the fact that the personal qualities of politicians are also the key to their success.
Herodotus condemned the rulers of Persia for their impudence, for their desire to violate the existing order of the world order, according to which the Persians should live in Asia, and the Hellenes in Europe. In 500 BC, an Ionian uprising took place, due to which Ancient Greece and was involved in a bloody war. The author characterizes this event as a manifestation of pride and extreme indiscretion.
Structure of Herodotus' "History"
- The first book is Clio. It tells about the beginning of the strife between the barbarians and the Hellenes, gives the history of the ancient country of Lydia, the story of the Athenian politician and sage Solon, the tyrant Peisistratus, the history of Media and Sparta. In this book, Herodotus also mentions the Scythians in the context of the confrontation with the Cimmerians, and also talks about the war between the Massagetae and the Persians.
- The second book is "Euterpe". In this part of the work, the historian decided to tell about the history of Libya and Egypt, about the pygmies and the Nasamones, about the ancient Egyptian pharaohs. Here Herodotus recounted the legend of how Psammetichus I determined that ancient people in the world are the Phrygians.
- Book three - "Thalia". It provides information about Arabia and India, about the Greek tyrant Polycrates, and also tells about the conquest of Egypt by the Persian king Cambyses, about the revolt of the magicians, the conspiracy of the seven and the anti-Persian uprising that took place in Babylon.
Fragment of a page from the book "History" by Herodotus
- The fourth book is Melpomene. Here the author described the peoples of Scythia, Thrace, Libya and Asia, and also outlined the information known to him about the campaign of the Persian king Darius against the Scythians of the Black Sea region.
- The fifth book is Terpsichore. In this book, the emphasis is already on the events of the Greco-Persian wars. If in previous volumes the author devoted many pages to describing the ethnographic features of the peoples, then here he talks about the Persians in Macedonia, about the Ionian uprising, about the coming of the Persian governor Aristagoras to Athens and the Athenian wars.
- Book six - Erato. Key events of those described naval battle"The Battle of Lada", the capture of the Carian ancient Greek city of Miletus, the campaign of the Persian commander Mardonius, the campaign of the Persian commanders Artafren and Datis.
Herodotus. Bas-relief in the Louvre, Paris
- The seventh book is "Polyhymnia". In her we are talking about the death of Darius and the ascension of Xerxes (Darius and Xerxes were Persian kings), about the attempts of Xerxes to conquer Asia and Europe, as well as about the iconic battle of the Persians and Greeks in the Thermopylae gorge.
- Book eight - "Urania". This material describes the naval battle of Artemisia, the naval battle of Salamis, the flight of Xerxes, and the arrival of Alexander in Athens.
- Book nine - "Calliope". In the final part of the monumental work, the author decided to tell about the preparation and course of the battle of Plataea (one of the largest battles of the Greco-Persian wars, which took place on land), the battle of Merkala, as a result of which the Persian army was inflicted a crushing defeat, and about the siege of Sest.
The "History" of this ancient Greek thinker is also called the "Muses", since the Alexandrian scientists decided to name each of its nine parts after one of the Muses.
Nine Muses named the volumes of Herodotus' History
In the course of his work, Herodotus used not only his own memories and his own attitude to events, but was also guided by the recollections of eyewitnesses, records of oracles, and inscription materials. In order to reconstruct each battle as accurately as possible, he specially visited the battlefields. Being a supporter of Pericles, he often sings of the merits of his family.
Despite the belief in divine intervention, the subjective approach and the limited means for obtaining information in antiquity, the author did not reduce his entire work to glorifying the battle of the Greeks for their freedom. He also tried to determine the causes and consequences of their victories or defeats. "History" of Herodotus became an important milestone in the development of world historiography.
The success of the historian's work is due not only to the fact that in one work he collected many facts about the peoples and events of his time. He also demonstrated the high skill of the storyteller, bringing his "History" closer to the epic and making it an exciting reading for both contemporaries and people of the New Age. Most of the facts stated by him in the book were subsequently proven during archaeological excavations.
Personal life
The biography of Herodotus has survived to this day only in the form of fragmentary information, in which it is impossible to find data about the scientist’s own family, about whether he had a wife and children. It is only known that the historian was an inquisitive and sociable person, he easily got along with people and was able to show amazing perseverance in the search for historically reliable facts.
Death
Herodotus supposedly died in 425 BC. The place of his burial is unknown.
HERODOTUS.
STORY
Book I Clio
Herodotus of Halicarnassus collected and recorded this information1 so that the past events would not fall into oblivion over time and the great and surprisingly worthy deeds2 of both Hellenes and barbarians would not remain in obscurity, especially why they fought wars with each other.
1. According to people who are knowledgeable among the Persians, the Phoenicians were the perpetrators of the strife between the Hellenes and the barbarians. The latter came from the so-called Red Sea to Our Sea3 and settled in the country where they still live4. The Phoenicians immediately embarked on long sea voyages. Carrying Egyptian and Assyrian goods to many countries, they, among other things, arrived in Argos. Argos, in those days, was the most significant city in the country, which is now called Hellas. When the Phoenicians arrived just at the mentioned Argos, they put their goods up for sale. On the fifth or sixth day after their arrival, when almost all the goods were already sold out, the king's daughter, among many other women, came to the seashore. Her name was Io, daughter of Inach; the Hellenes also call it. Women stood at the stern of the ship and bought the goods they liked most. Then the Phoenicians, following this sign, attacked the women. Most of the women, however, fled, but they managed to capture Io with several others. The Phoenicians dragged the women onto a ship and then hastily set sail for Egypt.
2. So, say the Persians, Io ended up in Egypt. The Greeks convey it differently. This event was the first cause of enmity. Then, they tell further, some Hellenes (they cannot give a name) arrived in Phoenician Tire and abducted the royal daughter Europa7. It must have been the Cretans. By this they only repaid the Phoenicians for their misdeed. Then the Hellenes still again offended the barbarians. On a warship they arrived at Aia in Colchis and at the mouth of the river Phasis. Having completed all the affairs for which they arrived there, the Hellenes then kidnapped the royal daughter Medea. The king of the Colchians then sent an envoy to Hellas demanding a fine for the kidnapped and the return of his daughter. The Hellenes, however, gave the following answer: since they themselves did not receive a fine for the abduction of the Argive woman Io, they would not give anything to the king either.
3. Then in the next generation, they say, Alexander, the son of Priam, who heard about this kidnapping, wished to get a woman from Hellas by kidnapping. He was firmly convinced that he would not be punished, since the Hellenes then did not pay anything. After Alexander thus kidnapped Helen, the Hellenes first decided to send messengers to return Helen and demand a fine for the kidnapping. The Trojans responded by reproaching them for kidnapping Medea. After all, they said, the Hellenes themselves did not give any penalty and did not return Medea, but now they are demanding a penalty from others.
4. Until now, only temporary abductions of women have occurred. As for the subsequent time, then, undoubtedly, a heavy fault lies with the Hellenes, since they went on a campaign to Asia earlier than the barbarians to Europe. The abduction of women, it is true, is an unjust thing, but to try to avenge the abduction, according to the Persians, is reckless. In any case, the wise is the one who does not care about the kidnapped women. It is clear, after all, that women would not have been kidnapped if they themselves did not want it. According to the Persians, the inhabitants of Asia do not at all pay attention to the abduction of women, while the Hellenes, on the contrary, gathered a huge army for the sake of a woman from Lacedaemon, and then crossed over to Asia and crushed the power of Priam. Since that time, the Persians have always recognized the Hellenes as their enemies. After all, the Persians consider Asia and the barbarian tribes living there their own, while Europe and Hellas are a foreign country for them.
5. Such, say the Persians, was the course of events, and the capture of Ilion, they think, was the cause of enmity towards the Hellenes. The Phoenicians tell about the abduction of Io differently than the Persians, that's what. Namely, according to them, they did not at all take Io by force to Egypt, since already in Argos she entered into a love affair with the owner of the ship. When she felt pregnant, out of shame in front of her parents, she voluntarily left with the Phoenicians to hide her shame. This is what the Persians and Phoenicians say. As for me, I do not presume to say whether it happened in this way or in some other way. Nevertheless, I want to name a person who, as I myself know, initiated hostilities against the Greeks9. Then, in continuation of my story, I will describe in a similar way both small and great human cities. After all, many once great cities have now become small, and those that were powerful in my time were formerly insignificant. And since I know that human happiness is changeable, I will equally mention the fate of both. 6. Croesus, by birth a Lydian10, son of Aliattes, was the lord of the peoples on this side of the river Halys (Halis flows from south to north between the lands of the Syrians11 and the Paphlagonians and flows into the sea called the Euxine Pontus). This Croesus, as far as I know, was the first of the barbarians to subdue a part of the Hellenes, forced him to pay tribute; with others he concluded allied treaties. He subjugated the Ionians, the Aeolians, and the Asiatic Dorians,12 and entered into an alliance with the Lacedaemonians. However, before the reign of Croesus, all Hellenes were free. For the invasion of the Cimmerians,13 who even before the time of Croesus reached Ionia, was not a long-term conquest, but rather a simple raid to seize booty.
7. The power that previously belonged to the house of Heraclides passed to the clan of Croesus (this clan is called Mermnads)14. It happened in this way: Candaulus, whom the Hellenes call Mirsil, was the tyrant of Sardis. He was a descendant of Alcaeus, son of Hercules. The first king of Sardis from the house of Heraclides was Agron, son of Nin, grandson of Bel, great-grandson of Alcaeus. Candaulus, son of Mirs, was their last king. The kings who ruled this country before Agron were the descendants of Lydus, the son of Atys, that Lydian from whom all the present people (formerly called Meons) received the name Lydians. From them, according to the prediction of the oracle, the Heraclids received power. The latter descended from Hercules and the slave girl Jardan and ruled for 22 human generations15, 505 years, and their son always inherited power from his father up to Kandavl, the son of Mirs.
8. This Candaule was very much in love with his wife and, like a lover, believed that he possessed the most beautiful woman in the world. He had among his bodyguards a certain Gyges16, the son of Daskil, whom he especially valued. It was to this Gyges that Kandavl entrusted the most important matters and even praised the beauty of his wife. Soon after this (after all, a bad end was predicted for Kandavlus), he turned to Gyges with the following words: “Gyges, you don’t seem to believe what I told you about the beauty of my wife (after all, people trust ears less than eyes), so try to see her naked.” With a loud cry of astonishment, Gyges answered: “What foolish words, sir, you speak! Are you telling me to look at the naked mistress? After all, women, along with clothing, also remove shame from themselves! 17 Long ago people learned the rules of decency and they should be assimilated. One of them is the main thing: let everyone look only after his own. I believe that she is more beautiful than all women, but still I ask: do not demand anything from me that is contrary to customs.