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At Thera, Polymnestus, one of the chief citizens of the place,
took Phronima to be his concubine. The fruit of this union was a
son, who stammered and had a lisp in his speech. According to the
Cyrenaeans and Theraeans the name given to the boy was Battus: in my
opinion, however, he was called at the first something else, and only
got the name of Battus after his arrival in Libya, assuming it either
in consequence of the words addressed to him by the Delphian oracle,
or on account of the office which he held. For, in the Libyan
tongue, the word "Battus" means "a king." And this, I think,
was the reason the Pythoness addressed him as she did: she he was to
be a king in Libya, and so she used the Libyan word in speaking to
him. For after he had grown to man's estate, he made a journey to
Delphi, to consult the oracle about his voice; when, upon his
putting his question, the Pythoness thus replied to him:
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Battus, thou camest to ask of thy voice; but Phoebus Apollo
Bids thee establish a city in Libya, abounding in fleeces;
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which was as if she had said in her own tongue, "King, thou camest
to ask of thy voice." Then he replied, "Mighty lord, I did
indeed come hither to consult thee about my voice, but thou speakest to
me of quite other matters, bidding me colonise Libya - an impossible
thing! what power have I? what followers?" Thus he spake, but he
did not persuade the Pythoness to give him any other response; so,
when he found that she persisted in her former answer, he left her
speaking, and set out on his return to Thera.
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