isthenes first inquired of their native
countries and of the descent of each one, and then keeping them for a
year he made trial continually both of their manly virtue and of
their disposition, training and temper, associating both with each one
separately and with the whole number together: and he made trial of them
both by bringing out to bodily exercises those of them who were younger,
and also especially in the common feast: for during all the time that he
kept them he did everything that could be done, and at the same time he
entertained them magnificently. Now it chanced that those of the wooers
pleased him most who had come from Athens, and of these Hippocleides the
son of Tisander was rather preferred, both by reason of manly virtues
and also because he was connected by descent with the family of Kypselos
at Corinth.

129. Then when the appointed day came for the marriage banquet and for
Cleisthenes himself to declare whom he selected from the whole number,
Cleisthenes sacrificed a hundred oxen and feasted both the wooers
themselves and all the people of Sikyon; and when the dinner was over,
the wooers began to vie with one another both in music and in speeches
for the entertainment of the company; 113 and as the drinking went
forward and Hippocleides was very much holding the attention of the
others, 114 he bade the flute-player play for him a dance-measure;
and when the flute-player did so, he danced: and it so befell that he
pleased himself in his dancing, but Cleisthenes looked on at the whole
matter with suspicion. Then Hippocleides after a certain time bade one
bring in a table; and when the table came in, first he danced upon it
Laconian figures, and then also Attic, and thirdly he planted his head
upon the table and gesticulated with his legs. Cleisthenes meanwhile,
when he was dancing the first and the second time, though he abhorred
the thought that Hippocleides should now become his son-in-law, because
of his dancing and his shamelessness, yet restrained himself, not
desiring to break out in anger against him; but when he saw that he thus
gesticulated with his legs, he was no longer able to restrain himself,
but said: "Thou hast danced away thy marriage however, 115 son of
Tisander!" and Hippocleides answered and said: "Hippocleides cares not!"

130. and hence comes this saying. Then Cleisthenes caused silence to
be made, and spoke to the company as follows: "Men who are wooers of my
daughter, I comm