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ChapterI
wasthefirstevent;laterafewGreekslandedinthePhoeniciancityofTyreand
abductedtheprincess,whosenamewasEurope.Thusthedeptwaspaid,but
latertheGreeksabductedMedea,theprincessofColchis,whomtheyrefusedto
return.Inthefollowinggeneration,AlexanderthesonofKingPriamofTroy
abductedHelen;theTrojansrefusedtoreturnheroroffercompensation,citing
theprecedentofMedea,whowasnotreturnedeither,andtheyhadnotreceived
reparationsforthewrongdone(Herodotus,BookI).
YetthosemutualabductionsofwomenareviewedbyHerodotuswithsome
leniency:“Hithertotheinjuriesoneithersidehadbeenmereactsofcommon
violence;butinwhatfollowedthePersiansconsiderthattheGreekswere
greatlytoblame,sincebeforeanyattackhadbeenmadeonEurope,theyledan
armyintoAsia.Nowasforthecarryingoffofwomen,itisthedeed,theysay,
ofarogue:buttomakeastiraboutsuchasarecarriedoff,arguesamanafool.
Menofsensecarenothingforsuchwomen,sinceitisplainthatwithouttheir
ownconsenttheywouldneverbeforcedaway.TheAsiatics,whentheGreeks
ranoffwiththeirwomen,nevertroubledthemselvesaboutthematter;butthe
Greeks,forthesakeofasingleLacedaemoniangirl,collectedavastarma-
ment,invadedAsia,anddestroyedthekingdomofPriam.Henceforththeyever
lookedupontheGreeksastheiropenenemies.ForAsia,withallthevarious
tribesofbarbariansthatinhabitit,isregardedbythePersiansastheirown;but
EuropeandtheGreekracetheylookonasdistinctandseparate”(Herodotus,
BookI).
ThecaseofKingCandaulesofSardis,describedbyHerodotus,isanexample
ofhomicideinwhichawoman’sbeautyreflectsonthemotivation.Havingavery
beautifulwife,whomhethought“thefairestwomaninthewholeworld”,Cand-
aulesboastedofherbeautywhereverhecould,alsoinfrontofhisbodyguard,
oneGyges.Finally,ratherunwisely,heremarked:“Iseethoudostnotcredit
whatItelltheeofmylady’sloveliness;butcomenow,sincemen’searsareless
credulousthantheireyes,contrivesomemeanswherebythoumaystbeholdher
naked”.TheloyalGygestriedtodeclinetheproposal,butthekinginsistedand
finallyinstructedhimhowtoproceed.Whenthequeenwaspreparingforsleep,
hesawhernakedinthebedchamber.Yetwhenhewasleavingtheapartment,she
noticedhim,“andinstantlydiviningwhathadhappened,sheneitherscreamedas
hershameimpelledher,norevenappearedtohavenoticedaught,purposingto
takevengeanceuponthehusbandwhohadsoaffrontedher.Foramongthe
Lydians,andindeedamongthebarbariansgenerally,itisreckonedadeepdis-
grace,eventoaman,tobeseennaked”.ThequeensummonedGygestoherin
secretandtoldhim:“Takethychoice,Gyges,oftwocourseswhichareopento
thee.SlayCandaules,andtherebybecomemylord,andobtaintheLydianthrone,