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Seven years passed from the utterance of the oracle, and not a drop of
rain fell in Thera: all the trees in the island, except one, were
killed with the drought. The Theraeans upon this sent to Delphi,
and were reminded reproachfully that they had never colonised Libya.
So, as there was no help for it, they sent messengers to Crete, to
inquire whether any of the Cretans, or of the strangers sojourning
among them, had ever travelled as far as Libya: and these messengers
of theirs, in their wanderings about the island, among other places
visited Itanus, where they fell in with a man, whose name was
Corobius, a dealer in purple. In answer to their inquiries, he told
them that contrary winds had once carried him to Libya, where he had
gone ashore on a certain island which was named Platea. So they hired
this man's services, and took him back with them to Thera. A few
persons then sailed from Thera to reconnoitre. Guided by Corobius to
the island of Platea, they left him there with provisions for a
certain number of months, and returned home with all speed to give
their countrymen an account of the island.
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