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hopes of the women's company at last But when Cha- ron returned, and found the men prepared, not as if they hojied for safety and success, but to die bravely and with the slaughter of their enemies, he told Pelopidas and his fi'iends the truth, but pretended to others in the house that Archias talked to him about something else, invent-^ ing a story for the occasion. This storm was just blow- ing over, when fortune brought another ; for a messenger came with a letter from one Archias, the Hierophant at Athens, to his namesake Archias, who was his friend and guest. This did not merely contain a vague conjectural suspicion, but, as appeared afterwards, disclosed every par- ticular of the design. The messenger being brought in to Archias, who was now pretty well drunk, and deliver- ing the letter, said to him, " The writer of this desired it might be read at once ; it is on urgent business." Archias, with a smile, replied, " Urgent business to-morrow," and so receiving the letter, he put it under his pillow, and re- turned to what he had been speaking of with Phillidas ; and these words of his are a proverb to this day amongst the Greeks. Now when the opportunity seemed convenient for action, they set out in two companies ; Pelopidas and Damoclides with their party went against Leontidas and Hypates, that lived near together; Charon and Melon against Archias and Philip, having put on women's appa- rel over their breastplates, and thick garlands of fir and pine to shade their faces ; and so, as soon as they came to the door, the guests clapped and gave an huzza, suppos- ing them to be the women they expected. But when the conspirators had looked about the room, and carefully marked all that were at the entertainment, they drew their swords, and making at Archias and Philip amongst the tables, disclosed who they were. Phillidas persuaded some few of his guests to sit still, and those that got up