Histories

In doing this, to my thinking, this Cleisthenes was imitating his own mother's father, Cleisthenes the tyrant of Sikyon [22.725,37.9833] (Perseus)Sicyon,[*](Cleisthenes ruled at Sikyon [22.725,37.9833] (Perseus)Sicyon from 600 to 570.) for Cleisthenes, after going to war with the Argives, made an end of minstrels' contests at Sikyon [22.725,37.9833] (Perseus)Sicyon by reason of the Homeric poems, in which it is the Argives and Argos [22.7333,37.6417] (Perseus) Argos which are primarily the theme of the songs. Furthermore, he conceived the desire to cast out from the land Adrastus son of Talaus, the hero whose shrine stood then as now in the very marketplace of Sikyon [22.725,37.9833] (Perseus)Sicyon because he was an Argive.

He went then to Delphi [22.5167,38.4917] (Perseus) Delphi, and asked the oracle if he should cast Adrastus out, but the priestess said in response: “Adrastus is king of Sikyon [22.725,37.9833] (Perseus)Sicyon, and you but a stone thrower.” When the god would not permit him to do as he wished in this matter, he returned home and attempted to devise some plan which might rid him of Adrastus. When he thought he had found one, he sent to Boeotian Thebes saying that he would gladly bring Melanippus son of Astacus into his country, and the Thebans handed him over.