ge on you the misfortunes of their
conquered brethren?"

This shrewd suggestion taught Croesus a lesson. Instead of fighting
the islanders, he made a treaty of peace and friendship with them. But
he continued his conquests on the mainland till in the end all Asia
Minor was under his sway, and Lydia had become one of the great
kingdoms of the earth. Such wealth came to Croesus as a result of his
conquests and unchanging good fortune that he became accounted the
richest monarch upon the earth, while Sardis grew marvellous for its
splendor and prosperity. At an earlier date there had come thither
another of the seven wise men of Greece, Solon, the law-giver of Athens.
What passed between this far-seeing visitor and the proud monarch of
Lydia we have already told.

The misfortunes which Solon told the king were liable to come upon any
man befell Croesus during the remainder of his life. Herodotus, the
historian, tells us the romantic story of how the gods sent misery to
him who had boasted overmuch of his happiness. We give briefly this
interesting account.

Croeus had two sons, one of whom was deaf and dumb, the other, Atys by
name, gifted with the highest qualities which nature has to bestow. The
king loved his bright and handsome son as dearly as he loved his wealth,
and when a dream came to him that Atys would die by the blow of an iron
weapon, he was deeply disturbed in his mind.

How should he prevent such a misfortune? In alarm, he forbade his son to
take part in military forays, to which he had before encouraged him;
and, to solace him for this deprivation, bade him to take a wife. Then,
lest any of the warlike weapons which hung upon the walls of his
apartments might fall and wound him, the king had them all removed, and
stored away in the part of the palace devoted to the women.

But fate had decreed that all such precautions should be in vain. At
Mount Olympus, in Mysia, had appeared a monster boar, that ravaged the
fields of the lowlands and defied pursuit into his mountain retreat.
Hunting parties were sent against him, but the great boar came off
unscathed, while the hunters always suffered from his frightful tusks.
At length ambassadors were sent to Croesus, begging him to send his
son, with other daring youths and with hunting hounds, to aid them rid
their country of this destructive brute.

"That cannot be," answered Croesus, still in terror from his dream.
"My son is just married, and cannot so soon