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So spake the Pythoness. Arcesilaus upon this returned to Cyrene,
taking with him the troops which he had raised in Samos. There he
obtained possession of the supreme power; whereupon, forgetful of the
oracle, he took proceedings against those who had driven him into
banishment. Some of them fled from him and quitted the country for
good; others fell into his hands and were sent to suffer death in
Cyprus. These last happening on their passage to put in through
stress of weather at Cnidus, the Cnidians rescued them, and sent
them off to Thera. Another body found a refuge in the great tower of
Aglomachus, a private edifice, and were there destroyed by
Arcesilaus, who heaped wood around the place, and burnt them to
death. Aware, after the deed was done, that this was what the
Pythoness meant when she warned him, if he found the jars in the
oven, not to bake them, he withdrew himself of his own accord from the
city of Cyrene, believing that to be the island of the oracle, and
fearing to die as had been prophesied. Being married to a relation of
his own, a daughter of Alazir, at that time king of the Barcaeans,
he took up his abode with him. At Barca, however, certain of the
citizens, together with a number of Cyrenaean exiles, recognising him
as he walked in the forum, killed him; they slew also at the same time
Alazir, his father-in-law. So Arcesilaus, wittingly or
unwittingly, disobeyed the oracle, and thereby fulfilled his destiny.
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