40.4
This
brutality, hideous as it was, was rendered still more so by the sufferings of
one particular family. Herodicus, a leading man in Thessaly, had been put to
death by Philip many years ago; afterwards he put his sons-in-law to death
and his two widowed daughters, Theoxena and Archo, were left each with
one little son. Theoxena had several offers of marriage but declined them all.
Archo married a man called Poris who held quite the first place among the
Aenianes. She bore him several children but died whilst they were still small.
In order that her sister's children might be brought up under her own care,
Theoxena married Poris and took as much care of her sister's sons as she did
of her own. When she heard of the king's edict about arresting the children
of those whom he had put to death, she felt sure that the boys would fall
victims to the king's lust and even to the passions of his guards. She formed
a terrible design and dared to say that she would rather kill them with her
own hand than let them fall into Philip's power. Poris was horrified at the
mere mention of such a deed, and said that he would send them away to
some trustworthy friends in Athens and that he would accompany them in
their flight. They went from Thessalonica to Aenia. A festival was being held
there at the time, which was celebrated with great pomp every four years in
honour of Aeneas, the founder of the city. After spending the day in the
customary feasting they waited till the third watch, when all were asleep, and
went on board a ship which Poris had in readiness, ostensibly to return to
Thessalonica, but really to sail across to Euboea. While, however, they were
vainly trying to make headway against a contrary wind, they were surprised
by daylight not far from land, and the king's troops who were on guard at the
harbour sent an armed boat to seize the ship, with strict orders not to return
without her. Poris, meanwhile, was doing his utmost to urge on the rowers
and sailors, lifting up his hands from time to time to heaven and imploring
the gods to help him. His wife, a woman of indomitable spirit, fell back on
the purpose she had long ago formed, and mixing some poison, placed the
cup where it could be seen, together with some naked swords. "Death," she
said, "alone can free us. Here are two ways of meeting it, choose each of you
which you will, as the escape from the king's tyranny. Come, my boys, you
who are the older be the first to grasp the sword, or if you would have a
more lingering death, drink off the poison." On the one hand were the enemy
close to them, on the other the insistent mother urging them to die. Some
chose the one death, some the other, and whilst still half-alive they were
thrown from the ship. Then the mother herself, flinging her arms round her
husband, sprang with him into the sea. The king's troops took possession of
a deserted ship.
