18
When the Megarians had expelled Theagenes, cf. Thucydides, i. 126. their despot, for a short time they were sober and sensible in their government. But later when the popular leaders poured a full and heady draught of freedom for them, as Plato cf. Plato, Republic, 562 d. says, they were completely corrupted and, among their shocking acts of misconduct toward the wealthy, the poor would enter their homes and insist upon being entertained and banqueted sumptuously. But if they did not receive what they demanded, they would treat all the household with violence and insult. Finally they enacted a decree whereby they received back again the interest which they chanced to have paid to their creditors, calling the measure return-interest.
19
Which is the Anthedon to which the utterance of the prophetic priestess refers: Drink wine turbid with lees, since thou dwellest not in Anthedon, for Anthedon in Boeotia is not rich in wine?
19
In days of old they used to call Calaureia by the name of Eirenê, from the woman Eirenê who, as legend has it, was born of Poseidon and Melantheia, the daughter of the Alpheius. But later, when the companions of Anthus and Hypera settled there, they called the island Anthedonia and Hypereia. According to AristotleFrag. 597 (ed. V. Rose); cf. Frag. 596 and Athenaeus, 31 b-c. the oracle ran as follows: Drink wine turbid with lees, since thou dwellest not in Anthedon, No, nor in Hypera holy; for wine without lees thou didst drink there. This, then, is Aristotle’s version. But Mnasigeiton says that Anthus, the brother of Hypera, disappeared from home while he was still a child, and that Hypera, while she was wandering about in search of him, came to Pherae to the house of Acastus, where it chanced that Anthus was the slave appointed to be cupbearer. While they were feasting the boy recognized his sister, as he was bearing her cup to her, and said to her softly Drink wine turbid with lees, since thou dwellest not in Anthedon.
