190 TERPSICHORE.

his mother's side, who was prince of Sicyon: this
thenes having been engaged in hostilities with the
Argives, abolished at Sicyon the poetical contests of
the rhapsodists, which he was induced to do, because
in the verses of Homer, which were there generally
selected for this purpose, Argos and its inhabitants
were such frequent objects of praise. From the same
motive, he was solicitous to expel the relics of Adras-
tus, an Argive, the son of Talaus, which were depos­
ited in the forum of Sicyon; he went therefore to in­
quire of the Delphic oracle, whether he might expel
Adrastus. The Pythian said in reply, that Adrastus
was a prince of Sicyon, whilst he (Clisthenes) was a
robber. Meeting with this repulse from the oracle, he
on his return concerted other means to rid himself of
Adrastus. Thinking he had accomplished this, he sent
to Thebes of Boeotia to bring back Melanippus, a na­
tive of Sicyon, and son of Astacus. By the consent of
the Thebans, his request was granted; he then erect­
ed to his honour a shrine in the Prytaneum, and de­
posited his remains in a place strongly fortified. His
motive for thus bringing back Melanippus, which
ought not to be omitted, was the great enmity which
subsisted betwixt him and Adrastus, and farther, be­
cause Melanippus had been accessary to the deaths of
Mecistes the brother, and Tydeus the son-in-law of
Adrastus. When the shrine was completed, Clisthenes
assigned to Melanippus the sacrifices and festivals
which before had been appropriated to Adrastus, and
were solemnized by the Sicyonians with the greatest
pomp and magnificence. This district had formerly
been under tho sovereignty of Polybus, who dying
without children, had left his dominions to Adrastus,
his grandson by a daughter. Among other marks of
honour which the Sicyonians paid the memory of
Adrastus, they commemorated in tragic choruses his
personal misfortunes, to the neglect even of Bacchus.
But Clisthenes appropriated the choruses to Bacchus,
and the other solemnities to Melanippus.

LXVTII. He changed also the names of the Doric
tribes, that those of the Sicyonians might be alto­
gether different from those of the Argives, by which