Histories

Then, when he had subjugated all the Asiatic Greeks of the mainland and made them tributary to him, he planned to build ships and attack the islanders;

but when his preparations for shipbuilding were underway, either Bias of Priene [27.2833,37.6333] (Perseus) Priene or Pittacus of Mytilene [26.55,39.1] (Perseus) Mytilene (the story is told of both) came to Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis and, asked by Croesus for news about Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas, put an end to the shipbuilding by giving the following answer:

“O King, the islanders are buying ten thousand horse, intending to march to Sardis [28.0167,38.475] (Perseus) Sardis against you.” Croesus, thinking that he spoke the truth, said: “Would that the gods would put this in the heads of the islanders, to come on horseback against the sons of the Lydians!” Then the other answered and said:

“O King, you appear to me earnestly to wish to catch the islanders riding horses on the mainland, a natural wish. And what else do you suppose the islanders wished, as soon as they heard that you were building ships to attack them, than to catch Lydians on the seas, so as to be revenged on you for the Greeks who dwell on the mainland, whom you enslaved?”

Croesus was quite pleased with this conclusion, for he thought the man spoke reasonably and, heeding him, stopped building ships. Thus he made friends with the Ionians inhabiting the islands.