Histories

After Miltiades had pushed away the Apsinthians by walling off the neck of the Gelibolu Yarimadasi (peninsula), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, AsiaChersonese, he made war first on the people of +Lapseki [26.7,40.366] (inhabited place), Canakkale, Marmara, Turkey, Asia Lampsacus, but the Lampsacenes laid an ambush and took him prisoner. However, Miltiades stood high in the opinion of Croesus the Lydian, and when Croesus heard what had happened, he sent to the Lampsacenes and commanded them to release Miltiades. If they did not do so, he threatened to cut them down like a pine tree.

The Lampsacenes went astray in their counsels as to what the utterance meant which Croesus had threatened them with, saying he would devastate them like a pine tree, until at last one of the elders understood and said what it was: the pine is the only tree that once cut down never sends out any shoots; it is utterly destroyed. So out of fear of Croesus the Lampsacenes released Miltiades and let him go.