Wherefore if any of the citizens be our friend, yea even if he be against us, let him not seek to hide the thing that hath been well done in the common cause, and so despise the word of the old god of the sea[4].  He biddeth one give praise with the whole heart to noble deeds, yea even to an enemy, so be it that justice be on his side.

Full many times at the yearly feast of Pallas have the maidens seen thee winner, and silently they prayed each for herself that such an one as thou, O Telesikrates, might be her beloved husband or her son; and thus also was it at the games of Olympia and of ample-bosomed Earth[5], and at all in thine own land.

Me anywise to slake my thirst for song the ancient glory of thy forefathers summoneth to pay its due and rouse it yet again—­to tell how that for love of a Libyan woman there went up suitors to the city of Irasa to woo Antaios’ lovely-haired daughter of great renown; whom many chiefs of men, her kinsmen, sought to wed, and many strangers also; for the beauty of her was marvellous, and they were fain to cull the fruit whereto her gold-crowned youth had bloomed.

But her father gained for his daughter a marriage more glorious still.  Now he had heard how sometime Danaos at Argos devised for his forty and eight maiden daughters, ere mid-day was upon them, a wedding of utmost speed—­for he straightway set the whole company at the race-course end, and bade determine by a foot-race which maiden each hero should have, of all the suitors that had come.

Even on this wise gave the Libyan a bridegroom to his daughter, and joined the twain.  At the line he set the damsel, having arrayed her splendidly, to be the goal and prize, and proclaimed in the midst that he should lead her thence to be his bride who, dashing to the front, should first touch the robes she wore.

Thereon Alexidamos, when that he had sped through the swift course, took by her hand the noble maiden, and led her through the troops of Nomad horsemen.  Many the leaves and wreaths they showered on him; yea and of former days many plumes of victories had he won.

[Footnote 1:  A Thessalian maiden, from whom, according to this legend, the colony of Kyrene in Africa took its name.]

[Footnote 2:  I. e.  Libya, the continent which we now call Africa.]

[Footnote 3:  I. e. by seizing the moment left to him before it should be too late to act.  Thebes and Kyrene were connected by the fact that members of the Aigid family lived at both places.]

[Footnote 4:  Nereus.  Powers of divination and wisdom generally are often attributed to sea-deities.]

[Footnote 5:  I. e. at Delphi or Pytho.  As being the supposed centre of the Earth it was the place of the worship of the Earth-goddess.]

X.

For Hippokleas of Thessaly,

Winner in the two-stadion foot-race of boys.