Pelopidas

Many were moved to tears by the noble concern which Charon showed, and all were indignant that he should think any one of them so demoralized by the present peril and so mean-spirited as to suspect him or blame him in the least. They also begged him not to involve his son with them, but to put him out of harm’s way, that he might escape the tyrants and live to become an avenger of his city and his friends.

Charon, however, refused to take his son away, asking if any kind of life or any safety could be more honourable for him than a decorous death with his father and all these friends. Then he addressed the gods in prayer, and after embracing and encouraging them all, went his way, striving so to compose his countenance and modulate his voice as not to betray what he was really doing.

When he reached the door of the house, Archias came out to him, with Phillidas, and said: Charon, I have heard that certain men have come and hid themselves in the city, and that some of the citizens are in collusion with them. Charon was disturbed at first, but on asking who the men were that had come and who were concealing them, he saw that Archias could give no clear account of the matter, and conjectured that his information had not come from any of those who were privy to the plot. He therefore said: Do not, then, suffer any empty rumour to disturb you. However, I will look into the matter; for perhaps no story should be ignored.

Phillidas, too, who stood by, approved of this, and after leading Archias back, got him to drink hard, and tried to protract the revel with hopes of a visit from the women. But Charon, when he got back home, and found the men there disposed, not to expect safety or victory at all, but to die gloriously after a great slaughter of their enemies, told the truth only to Pelopidas himself, while for the rest he concocted a false tale that Archias had talked with him about other matters.[*](According to Plutarch’s lengthy version of this affair in his Discourse concerning the Daemon of Socrates (chapter 29, Morals, p. 595 f.), Charon hid the truth from no one.)

Before this first storm had yet blown over, fortune brought a second down upon the men. For there came a messenger from Athens, from Archias the hierophant to his namesake Archias, who was his guest-friend, bearing a letter which contained no empty nor false suspicion, but stated clearly all the details of the scheme that was on foot, as was subsequently learned.

At the time, however, Archias was drunk, and the bearer of the letter was brought to him and put it into his hands, saying: The sender of this bade thee read it at once; for it is on serious business. Then Archias answered with a smile: Serious business for the morrow; and when he had received the letter he put it under his pillow, and resumed his casual conversation with Phillidas. Wherefore these words of his are a current proverb to this day among the Greeks.