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My belief is that in acting thus he did but imitate his maternal
grandfather, Clisthenes, king of Sicyon. This king, when he was
at war with Argos, put an end to the contests of the rhapsodists at
Sicyon, because in the Homeric poems Argos and the Argives were so
constantly the theme of song. He likewise conceived the wish to drive
Adrastus, the son of Talaus, out of his country, seeing that he was
an Argive hero. For Adrastus had a shrine at Sicyon, which yet
stands in the market-place of the town. Clisthenes therefore went to
Delphi, and asked the oracle if he might expel Adrastus. To this
the Pythoness is reported to have answered - "Adrastus is the
Sicyonians' king, but thou art only a robber." So when the god
would not grant his request, he went home and began to think how he
might contrive to make Adrastus withdraw of his own accord. After a
while he hit upon a plan which he thought would succeed. He sent
envoys to Thebes in Boeotia, and informed the Thebans that he wished
to bring Melanippus, the son of Astacus, to Sicyon. The Thebans
consenting, Clisthenes carried Melanippus back with him, assigned
him a precinct within the government-house, and built him a shrine
there in the safest and strongest part. The reason for his so doing
(which I must not forbear to mention) was because Melanippus was
Adrastus' great enemy, having slain both his brother Mecistes and
his son-in-law Tydeus. Clisthenes, after assigning the precinct to
Melanippus, took away from Adrastus the sacrifices and festivals
wherewith he had till then been honoured, and transferred them to his
adversary. Hitherto the Sicyonians had paid extraordinary honours to
Adrastus, because the country had belonged to Polybus, and Adrastus
was Polybus' daughter's son; whence it came to pass that Polybus,
dying childless, left Adrastus his kingdom. Besides other
ceremonies, it had been their wont to honour Adrastus with tragic
choruses, which they assigned to him rather than Bacchus, on account
of his calamities. Clisthenes now gave the choruses to Bacchus,
transferring to Melanippus the rest of the sacred rites.
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