d the mother who was blest with such a pair of sons; and the
mother herself, overjoyed at the deed and at the praises it had won,
standing straight before the image, besought the goddess to bestow on
Cleobis and Bito, the sons who had so mightily honored her, the
highest blessing to which mortals can attain. Her prayer ended, they
offered sacrifice and partook of the holy banquet, after which the two
youths fell asleep in the temple. They never woke again, but so passed
from the earth. The Argives, looking on them as among the best of men,
caused statues of them to be made, which they gave to the shrine at
Delphi."

When Solon had thus assigned these youths the second place Croesus
broke in angrily, "What, stranger of Athens! is my happiness then so
utterly set at naught by thee that thou dost not even put me on a
level with private men?"

"O Croesus," replied the other, "thou askedst a question concerning
the condition of man, of one who knows that the Power above us is
full of jealousy, and fond of troubling our lot. A long life gives
one to witness much, and experience much oneself, that one would not
choose. Seventy years I regard as the limit of the life of man. In
these seventy years are contained, without reckoning intercalary
months, twenty-five thousand and two hundred days. Add an intercalary
month to every other year, that the seasons may come round at the
right time, and there will be, besides the seventy years, thirty-five
such months, making an addition of one thousand and fifty days. The
whole number of the days contained in the seventy years will thus be
twenty-six thousand two hundred and fifty, whereof not one but will
produce events unlike the rest. Hence man is wholly accident.

"For thyself, O Croesus, I see that thou art wonderfully rich, and
art the lord of many nations; but with respect to that whereon thou
questionest me, I have no answer to give, until I hear that thou hast
closed thy life happily. For assuredly he who possesses great store of
riches is no nearer happiness than he who has what suffices for his
daily needs, unless it so hap that luck attend upon him, and so he
continue in the enjoyment of all his good things to the end of life.
For many of the wealthiest men have been unfavored of fortune, and
many whose means were moderate have had excellent luck. Men of the
former class excel those of the latter but in two respects; these last
excel the former in many. The wealthy man is be