origin of the largest Aeginetan fortunes. The district of
Plataea gave up long after to fortunate finders deposits of
plate and valuables that had been hidden away by those who
never had a chance of recovering them, and the Aeginetans
bought from the helots sometimes the secret of such stores, and
sometimes the purloined objects themselves,--armlets, chains
or torques, and golden-hilted scimetars that were found upon
the bodies of the slain enemy all over the field. The helots,
fresh from their secluded servitude at Lacedaemon, were as
ignorant of the precious metals as the Swiss when they rifled
the tents and stripped the bodies of the Burgundians at
Granson, and were glad to get the price of brass for objects
of gold which in any case they would have been unable to
conceal or employ to any purpose.

A still more shameful fraud on the part of the Aeginetans
against the victors in a battle in which they themselves had
scarcely taken any part, was the suggestion made to Pau-
sanias by Lampon son of Pytheus, one of their leading men,
a member of a family distinguished for hereditary prowess in
the public games, and a participator in the glory of ¹ Sala-
mis. He represented that the predicted penalty to be re-
covered from Mardonius still lacked completion; it would be
exacted in full and the glory of Pausanias immensely enhanced
if the head of Mardonius were cut off and exposed, as
Mardonius and Xerxes had done with the remains of Leonidas.
Pausanias repudiated the suggestion with contemptuous dig-
nity; it was barbarian, not Hellenic, in spirit, and repugnant
to Lacedaemonians, whatever it might be to Aeginetans.
Lampon was bidden to bring no more advice, and might be
thankful that even this time he got away with only a rebuke.

By next day the body of Mardonius was missing--with-
drawn for burial, it was assumed; and more than one man
afterwards claimed and received large rewards from his son

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