TRANSLATION OF EPHORUS FRAGMENTS 58-60 (MULLER) ON THE CYPSELIDS

fragment 58:

Cypselus, who was himself a Bacchiad by his mother, became the first tyrant of Corinth by killing Hippoclides, the last of the Bacchiadai. How he succeeded him in power at Corinth and ruled with greater authority is as follows. The response of the oracle predicted that Cypselus the son of Aetion would expel the Bacchiad dynasty. Therefore, when Cypselus was born and was still wrapped in swaddling cloth, several mercenaries were dispatched to kill him. Coming to his house with the intent of killing him, they found the child reaching out to them and smiling. Struck by tender mercy, the assassins could not kill the child, but after explaining what they had been ordered to do to Aetion, they decided to leave. Since Aetion now knew what had been decreed, he immediately took the child to Olympia where he placed it as a suppliant before the god. After receiving the god's surety, the child was taken home by Cleonas, and grew in beauthy and character to excell all others. After this Cypselus wanted to return to Corinth, so he consulted the Delphic oracle, and receiving a favorable response, he delayed no longer, but went to Corinth, where he rapidly earned the respect of the citizens because of his courage and modesty. Particularly since his character contrasted so remarkably with the arrogance and violence of the the rest of the Bacchiadai. And he soon earned for himself even greater love of the citizens when he fulfilled the duties of polemarch (war archon), since whoever held this office tended to surpass all others. And this he did greatly through the following. There was a law among the Corinthians that whoever was convicted in the popular court was to be brought before the polemarch, who was to imprison them until such time as they paid their fines assessed, and that part of these fines were kept by the polemarch himself. Cypselus never arrested or bound any citizen, but rather, he released them upon receiving sureties, and he sometimes went surety himself. In any event he always returned his portion of the assessed fines to those punished. In this manner he quickly became the hero of the populace. And seeing that the people of Corinth truly hated the Bacchiadae and that if the people only had a leader they would overthrow them, he proposed himself and gained the support of the people by revealing the ancient oracle whereby it was predicted that he himself would put an end to Bacchiad rule. And he added further how they had tried to kill him as a baby and how even now they were plotting against him, but that it was in the end impossible to avert that which was fated to be. And the Corinthians gladly listening to these speeches began to hate the Bacchiadai even more and to love Cypselus, whose noble character gave them reason to hope for fresh changes. And having thus built his support, he killed Patroclides (or Hippoclides), a violator of laws and troublesome man who then was in charge. In his place Cypselus had himself proclaimed king (basileus) by the people. He then recalled all the exiles and had them restored to the full rights and honors of which the Bacciadai had deprived them, and by this means was able to accomplish all necessary measures against the Bacchiadai. Those who opposed them he banished to newly formed colonies so that he could more effectively control the opponents who remained. And he dispatched his two illegitimate sons Pylades and Echiades to found the colonies at Leucas and Anactorium. He also drove all the Bacchiadai into exile and confiscated their possessions in the name of the state. The Bacchiadai meanwhile took control of Corcyra. Cypselus ruled Corinth with mildness, he never resorted to bodyguards and was not the least bit hated by the Corinthians. Finally after a reign of 30 years, he died, leaving four sons, of which one Periander, was legitimate, while the other four were illegitimate.

Fragment 59:

Periander, the son of Cypselus the king of Corinth, accepted the rule of his father according to the custom of the time, but converted it into tyranny through his cruelty and violence. He surrounded himself with 300 bodyguards. He prohibited the citizens from conducting business and going about their private affairs and daily vexed them with new accusations. Whenever he saw anyone loitering in the agora, he immediately punished them, fearing that they were plotting conspiracies against him. And it was said that he engaged in another unholy crime, namely performing sex with his wife after she had died. Being extremely aggressive and warlike, he undertook great expeditions and by constructing triremes, seized control of the sea on both sides of Corinth. Many claim that he was one of the Seven Sages of Greece, but this is false.

Fragment 60:

When Periander the tyrant of Corinth was an old man, all of his sons perished: Euagoras while founding the colony at Potidea, Lycophron while attempting to establish a tyranny among the neighboring villages, Gorgus while winning a race, broke his back, Nicolaus finally, who seemed to be the best son of all, was killed by a conspiracy in the following manner. Periander, after the loss of his other sons wanted to put his rule in order, and knowing that the Corinthians hated him greatly, and that owing to Nicolaus' moderation they would be able to endure his rule more easily, Periander left for Corcyra and decreed that he was yielding Corinth to Nicolaus. When some of the Corcyraeans learned of Periander's intentions, fearing that the arrival of the tyrant at their town would put an end to their freedom, hastily killed Nicolaus themselves. Upon this Periander organized an army and invaded Corcyra. Seizing the town, he ordered that the fifty ringleaders of this deed be executed along with their sons, and that numerous others be dispatched to King Alyattes of Lydia for slavery. These prisoners upon arriving at Samos on route threw themselves at the mercy of the sanctuary of Hera and were spared by the Samians, who learned the truth of the matter. Periander, after placing Corcyra under Psammeticho the son of his brother Gorgis, returned to Corinth.

Periander left the rule of Corinth to Cypselus the son of his brother Gorgis, who coming from Corcyra was able to maintain the tyranny at Corinth for a short while. Eventually several Corinthians formed themselves into a faction and killed Cypselus, thus liberating the city for all time. The people opened up the house of the tyrants and confiscated their goods. They ordered Cypselus to be interred beyond the frontier of the city and (exhuming his remains) they scattered most of his bones. And then they formed themselves into a republic in the following manner: there was one proboulos of eight men, and they elected 9 men from the rest of the senate...