66 THALIA.

restored the king to life; accordingly, every one of
them, taking out a vase of gold, gave it to Democedes
with the case. The present was so very valuable,
that a servant who followed him behind, whose name
was Sciton, by gathering up the staters which fell to
the ground, obtained a prodigious sum of money.

CXXXI. The following incident was what induced
Democedes to forsake Crotona, and attach himself to
Polycrates. At Crotona he suffered continual re­
straint from the austere temper of his father; this be­
coming insupportable, he left him and went to .JCgina.
In the first year of his residence at this place, he ex­
celled the most skilful of the medical profession, with­
out having had any regular education, and indeed
without the common instruments of the art. His
reputation, however, was so great that, in the second
year, the inhabitants of ^5gina, by general consent,
engaged his services at the price of one talent. In the
third year, the Athenians retained him, at a salary
of one hundred mines ; and in the fourth year, Poly­
crates engaged to give him two talents. His residence
was then fixed at Samos; and to this man the physi­
cians of Crotona are considerably indebted for the
reputation which they enjoy ; for at this period, in
point of medical celebrity, the physicians of Crotona
held the first, and those of Cyrcne, the next place.
At this time also the Argives had the credit of being
the most, skilful musicians of Greece.

CXXXII. Democedes having in this manner re­
stored the king to health, had a sumptuous house
provided him at Susa, was entertained at the king's
own table, and, except the restriction of not being
able to return to Greece, enjoyed all that he could
wish. The Egyptian physicians, who, before this
event, had the care of the king's health, were on ac­
count of their inferiority to Democedes, a Greek, con­
demned to the cross, but he obtained their pardon.
He also procured the liberty of an Clean soothsayer,
who having followed Polycrates, was detained and
neglected among his other slaves. It may be added,
that Democedes remained in the highest estimation
with the king.