98 HISTORICAL TALES.

Thus, driven from every house, Lycophron took
lodging in the public porticos, where he dwelt
without shelter and almost without food. Seeing
his wretched state, Periander took pity on him and
bade him come home and no longer indulge in such
foolish and unfilial behavior.

Lycophron’s only reply was that his father had
broken his own edict by coming and talking with
him, and therefore himself owed the penalty to
Apollo.

Periander, seeing that the boy was uncontrollable
in his indignation, and troubled at heart by the pite-
ous spectacle, now sent him by ship to the island of
Coreyra, a colony of Corinth. As for Proclus, the
tyrant made war upon him for his indiscreet revela-
tion, robbed him of his kingdom, Epidaurus, and
carried him captive to Corinth.

And the years went on, and Periander grew old
and unable properly to handle his affairs. His elder
son was incapable of taking his place, so he sent to
Corcyra and asked Lycophron to come to Corinth
and take the kingship of that fair land.

Lycophron, whose indignation time had not cooled,
refused even to answer the message. Then Periander
sent his daughter, the sister of Lycophron, hoping
that she might be able to persuade him. She made
a strong appeal, begging him not to let the power
pass away from their family and their father’s wealth
fall into strange hands, and reminding him that
mercy was a higher virtue than justice.

Her appeal was in vain. Lycophron refused to go
back to Corinth as long as his father remained alive.