On the first occasion you sent Medosades yonder, to Chalcedon, and you begged me to use my influence in favour of the army crossing over from Asia.  You promised me, in return for this conduct on my part, various kindnesses; at least that is what Medosades stated”; and before proceeding further he turned to Medosades and asked, “Is not that so?” The other assented.  “Again, on a second occasion, the same Medosades came when I had crossed over from Parium to rejoin the army; and he promised me that if I would bring you the army, you would in various respects treat me as a friend and brother.  He said especially with regard to certain seaboard places of which you are the owner and lord, that you were minded to make me a present of them.”  At this point he again questioned Medosades, “Whether the words attributed to him were exact?” and Medosades once more fully assented.  “Come now,” proceeded Xenophon, “recount what answer I made you, and first at Chalcedon.”  “You answered that the army was, in any case, about to cross over to Byzantium; and as far as that went, there was no need to pay you or any one else anything; and for yourself, you added, that once across you were minded to leave the army, which thing came to pass even as you said.”  “Well! what did I say,” he asked, “at your next visit, when 28 you came to me in Selybria?” “You said that the proposal was impossible; you were all going to Perinthus to cross into Asia.”  “Good,” said Xenophon, “and in spite of it all, at the present moment, here I am myself, and Phryniscus, one of my colleagues, and Polycrates yonder, a captain; and outside, to represent the other generals (all except Neon the Laconian), the trustiest men they could find to send.  So that if you wish to give these transactions the seal of still greater security, you have nothing to do but to summon them also; and do you, Polycrates, go and say from me, that I bid them leave their arms outside, and you can leave your own sword outside before you enter with them on your return.”

When Seuthes had heard so far, he interposed:  “I should never mistrust an Athenian, for we are relatives already[3], I know; and the best of friends, I believe, we shall be.”  After that, as soon as the right men entered, Xenophon first questioned Seuthes as to what use he intended to make of the army, and he replied as follows:  “Maesades was my father; his sway extended over the Melanditae, the Thynians, and the Tranipsae.  Then the affairs of the Odrysians took a bad turn, and my father was driven out of this country, and later on died himself of sickness, leaving me to be brought up as an orphan at the court of Medocus, the present king.  But I, when I had grown to man’s estate, could not endure to live with my eyes fixed on another’s board.  So I seated myself on the seat by him as a suppliant, and begged him to give me as many men as he could spare, that I might wreak what mischief I could on those who had driven us forth from our land;