By Ouphil.

Otago Witness, Issue 1681, 9 February 1884, Page 26

By Ouphil.

YARN XXX— HOW CAMBYSES DREW HIS BOW, AND CROESUS CUT HIS # STICK. Seeing that Cambyses was in danger of bringing destruction upon himself through his monstrous and outrageous conduct, Cicegus the former king of Lydia, and the fri«nd and adviser of hia fatli9r, Cyrus — ventured to give the young Persian monarch a word of admonishment. " O king," said Croesus, " do not thus yield to your youthful paasions, but try to put some curb upon your impetuosity and rashness. You do not see what misery you are preparing for" yourself by your thoughtless conduct. Hero you put to death your own subjects without the shadow of an excuse, and you seize and slay their children. If you persist in such a course, you must beware lest tho Persians revolt from you and renounce their allegiance. I venture to give you this warning, because 1 promised your father that I iihould nor, fail to admonish you when I saw it to ba necessary, and to point out what I might think for your good." " Do you' presume," replied Cambyses, "to give advice to me— you who managed your own affairs with such consummate wisdom— you who gave such excellent counsel to my father when you advised him to cross over into the countiy of hia enemy and meet hia death, whereas he might have fought them had he chosen on his own ground? First yen ruined yourself by your own reckless government, and then you ruined Cyrus, who listened to your advice. But do not flatter youm-lf that I shall listen- to your counsel; I have long sought some excuse for proceeding against you, aud now I have found it." So saying Cambyses took up his bow, and would have shot Crce3us had not his plainspoken adviser jumped up and rup out. Cambyses, finding that he could not shoot CrcesUP, commanded his attendants to seize him and put him to death. The attendants, however, very well knew that Cambysos was given to changing his mind, and that it was not unlikely that their king might be extremely sorry for having been so hasty with his 'faithful counsellor, in which case they thought Cambyses would pcive a liberal reward to anyone who would be able to produce Croesus alive and safe. The attendants therefore determined not to put Croesus to death. If Cambyses should repent, then they would produce Croesus ; it not, they would put him to death. Nog long after, just ac the attendants anticipated, Croesus did repent of his rashness, and expressed regret for the loss of Crcusus, upon which the attendants, expecting meed as well as praise, informed him that Croesus still lived. " I am extremely delighted," said Cambyses, " that Crocus is still alive. Those, however, who dared to save his life shall not escape unpunished. I shall have them instantly put to death." And he was as good as his word.

YARN XXXI. — HOW POLYORATES WAS TOO PROSPEROUS, AND HOW A FISHER CAUGHT A FA MOUS FISH. Polycrates the Strong reigned over tho island of. Samos, which, if you will take the trouble to look, you will find to be an island lying close in to the mainland en the west coast of Asia Minor, just opposite Ephesus. At first Polycrates seetLS to have been a generous young man enough, for he seemed willing to share the sovereignty of this not very large island with two brothers with whom we have little concern, and whose uncomfortably long names I prefer not giving. Suffice it to say that Polycrates was not long content with a third of the sovereignty, but soon found occasion and opportunity to murder one brother and expel the other. His very dear friend and cjose ally was that same Amasis, king of Egypt, of whom we have already heard some* what. A lucky dog this Polycrates seems to have been by all accounts. Everything he undertook seemed to succeed, so that'by-and-bye his name was known throughout Greece and tho neighbouring isles as a favoured and powerful prince. If he made war-on any State he was certain to be victorious. He had a fleet *f~^ hundred fifty-oared galleys, and a thousand, archers which seem to have been the admiration and terror of all who wore not Samians. Polycrates had a theory which must have made him rather, an uncomfortable sort of friend. It was his opinion that he made.hiH friends much more grateful if he first plundered them and then restored their property to thorn, than if he had never molested them at all ; and probably he was right. At any rate ho plundered right and left, taking many islands in tho Archipelago and not a few cities on the continent. On one occasion he overcame in a naval battle the Lesbians, who had come to assist the inhabitants of Miletus, and ? putting thflm in chains, he made them dig a trench round rhe walls of Samos. So far good : Polycrates was a successful man— indeed, a suspiciously successful man, for, as we know, the gods. are extremely jea; lons of those who are too happy. So at least thought Amat-is, his Egyptian fellow-king and, friend ; for, heaving of hit* good fortune, hp wrote him the following letter :—: — " Amasis to Bolycrates, greeting. " It gives me, of course, great pleasure tq hear of the successes of a friend and ally. My

joy in your good fortune, however, is not un qualified, for I remember that the gods aw jealous of those who are too fortunate. For my own part, I should much prefer that I myself and those I love should bo successful in f«oine undertakings and unsuccessful in others — that we should pa*>s our lives subject to the vicissitudes of fortune rather than in the midst of unvaried prosperity ; for I can remember no instancy of a man visited with a kng run of unbroken prosperity who did not in the end miserably perish. Take my advice, then, and so you may anticipate and prevent your avil fortune. Consider well what possession you most value in all the world, the 1033 of which would most severely try your fortitude. When you have made up your mind as to what you value most, cast it from you so that you may never more set eyes upon it. If after that you tind your career of success still unchequered by reverses, have recourse to the same remedy, and so perhap3 you may avort the anger of the deity." Such the letter Amasis wrote ; and when Poly'crafce3 had read it, tho advice contained in it Heetned to him good. H« thought over in ! his own mind what possession was most dear to him, and he came to the conclusion that the thing he valued most in all the world was a certain ugnet-ring— a piece of rare and canning workmanship, emerald set in gold, the work of .the most skilful artificer in Samoa, T eodorus. the son of Telecles. Determined to sacrifice this signet- ring, he manned a fifty-oared galley and put out to sea and when he thought the vessel was sumciently far from land he took off the precious signet-ring, in presence of all on board, and flonsr it into the sea. Thi3 done, he returned to Samoa and mourned for the loss »f his seal. Just observe, however, how the will of the sods is not to be frustrated by any little arti- J nee of puny man. Do you suppose those busy old ladies, the Fates, were to be circumvented in this fashion by even fifty kiDgs of Samos added to as many kings of Egypt ? Oh no l m Mesdamea Clothe, Atropoa, and Lachesis (for these wore the old ladies' names) just laughed till every loose tooth in their old withered iangs clattered again. They were not to be On the fifth or tuxth day after Polycrates had thrown away his signet-ring a fisherman came to the palace gate, bringing as a present for the king a very largo and beautiful fish, which he had caught some distance from the coast. The iiaherman desired to be admitted to the presence, and on being ushered hvbefore the king, said to him : „ . .. " May it please the King b Excellent Majesty, here is a fish which I caught in my net. Seeing it was such a very large and beautiful fish, 1 thought it a fit present for a king, and so instead of taking it to the market, I have brought it as a present for your Majesty's table." " You have done well," said the king, exceedingly pleased with the delicate attention. "You have done well. 1 beg you will accept my thanks both for your present and for the pleasant Bpeech that accompanied it, and I further invite you to partake of the fish with me to-night at supper." Tho fisherman, greatly flattered with the king's invitation, and no doubt thinking his fortune was made, returned to his home. The king's servants took the fish to the royal kitchen, and great was the cook's surprise, on opening it, to find in its belly the king's signetring. Great was the joy of the royal kitchen over the discovery. The domestics forthwith carried the ring to Polycrates, thinking that he would be overjoyed to recover the jewel he prized bo much. The king, however, thought he saw in this strange occurrence some indications of the divine interference, and he accordingly wrote off to Amasis a detailed account of the whole matter. When Air.asis read the letter of Polycrates he saw that nothing could save the king of Samoa from his fate. Since Polycrates was so fortunate in everything that he could lose nothing even when he tried, he must certainly come to a bad end. Amasia therefore answered the letter by sending a herald to Samos to carry word to Polyorates that the king of Egypt must thenceforward renounce his friendship. This Amasis did, lest, if some great calamity overwhelmed Polycrates, he might be grieved for him as for a friend. Friendship was something in those days.