XVII. POLYCRITE1
A war arose between the Naxians and Milesians
on account of Neaera the wife of Hypsicreon of
Miletus. It was because she fell in love with
Promedon of Naxos and sailed away with him. He
was a friend and guest of Hypsicreon, but yielded to
Neaera's ardent advances, and then, as she was in
fear of her husband, he took her away to Naxos, and
placed her as a suppliant at the shrine of Hestia.
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When the Naxians, as a favour to Promedon, refused
to give her up, though they advanced another
excuse, her position as suppliant, the war arose.
Besides the many others who fought on the side of
the Milesians the Erythraeans were the most zealous
among the lonians; and the war dragged on and on,
and brought great calamities. Then it came to an
end through a woman's bravery, as it had arisen
through a woman's badness.
Diognetus, the general of the Erythraeans, entrusted with the command of a stronghold, its natural
advantages reinforced by fortification to menace the
city of the Naxians, gathered much spoil from the
Naxians, and captured some free women and maidens;
with one of these, Polycrite, he fell in love and kept
her, not as a captive, but in the status of a wedded
wife. Now when a festival which the Milesians
celebrate came due in the army, and all turned to
drinking and social gatherings, Polycrite asked
Diognetus if there were any reason why she should
not send some bits of pastry to her brothers. And
when he not only gave her permission but urged her
to do so, she slipped into a cake a note written on a
sheet of lead, and bade the bearer tell her brothers
that they themselves and no others should consume
what she had sent. The brothers came upon the
piece of lead and read the words of Polycrite, advising them to attack the enemy that night, as they
were all in a state of carelessness from drink on account of the festival. Her brothers took this message
to their generals and strongly urged them to set
forth with themselves. When the place had been
taken and many slain, Polycrite begged for the life of
Diognetus from her citizens, and saved him. When
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she herself arrived at the gates, and found herself
confronting the citizens who came to meet her,
welcoming her with joy and garlands and giving
expression to their admiration for her, she could not
bear the immensity of her joy, but fell down dead
beside the gate; and there she is buried, and her
tomb is called the Tomb of Envy, as though by some
envious fortune Polycrite was begrudged the enjoyment of her honours.
This is the story which the Naxian writers record.
Aristotle,
2 however, says that Polycrite was not taken
captive, but that Diognetus, in some other way, saw
her and fell in love with her, and stood ready to give
or to do anything; and she agreed to come to him,
if she might obtain just one thing, for which, as the
philosopher asserts, she required an oath of Diognetus. And when he had given the required oath,
she demanded in fulfilment that Delium be given to
her (the place was called by this name), otherwise
she would have nothing to do with him. He, because
of his love and his oath, was carried quite away, and
handed over the spot to Polycrite, and she in turn to
the citizens. Following this, the Naxians were again
put on an equal footing, and effected a reconciliation
with the Milesians on such terms as they desired.
