y,
he returned in all haste to assist them. He beat Melissus, who came out
to meet him, and, after putting the enemy to rout, at once built a wall
round their city, preferring to reduce it by blockade to risking the
lives of his countrymen in an assault. As time went on the Athenians
became impatient and eager to fight, and it was hard to restrain their
ardour. Perikles divided the whole force into eight divisions, and made
them all draw lots. The division which drew the white bean he permitted
to feast and take their ease, while the rest did their duty. For this
reason those who are enjoying themselves call it a "white day," in
allusion to the white bean. Ephorus tells us that Perikles made use of
battering engines in this siege, being attracted by their novelty, and
that Artemon the mechanician was present, who was surnamed Periphoretus
because he was lame, and carried in a litter to see such of the works as
required his superintendence. This story is proved to be false by
Herakleides of Pontus, he quoting Anakreon's poems, in which Artemon
Periphoretus is mentioned many generations before the revolt and siege
of Samos. He tells us that Artemon was an effeminate coward who spent
most of his time indoors, with two slaves holding a brazen shield over
his head for fear that anything should fall upon it, and if he was
obliged to go out, used to be carried in a hammock slung so low as
almost to touch the ground, from which he received the name of
Periphoretus.

XXVIII. In the ninth month of the siege the Samians surrendered.
Perikles demolished their walls, confiscated their fleet, and imposed a
heavy fine upon them, some part of which was paid at once by the
Samians, who gave hostages for the payment of the remainder at fixed
periods. Douris, of Samos, makes a lamentable story of this, accusing
Perikles and the Athenians of great cruelty, no mention of which is to
be found in Thucydides, Ephorus, or Aristotle. He obviously does not
tell the truth when he says that Perikles took the captains and marine
soldiers of each ship to the market-place at Miletus, bound them to
planks, and after they had been so for ten days and were in a miserable
state, knocked them on the head with clubs and cast out their bodies
without burial. But Douris, even in cases where he has no personal bias,
prefers writing an exciting story to keeping to the exact truth, and in
this instance probably exaggerated the sufferings of his countrymen in
or