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A
YOUNG man whose name was
"Only give me leave to go home and say good-by to those whom I love," he said, "and then I will come back and give up my life."
The tyrant laughed at him.
"How can I know that you will keep your
promise?" he said. "You only want to cheat me,
and save
Then a young man whose name was
"O king! put me in prison in place of my friend
The tyrant was
Time passed, and by and by the day drew near which had been
set for Pythias to die; and he had not come back. The tyrant
ordered the jailer to keep close watch upon Damon, and not
let him escape. But Damon did not try to escape. He still
had faith in the truth and honor of his friend. He said,
"If Pythias does not come back in time, it will not be
his fault. It will be because he is
At last the day came, and then the very hour. Damon was ready to die. His trust in his friend was as firm as ever; and he said that he did not grieve at having to suffer for one whom he loved so much.
Then the jailer came to lead him to his death; but at the
same moment Pythias stood in the door. He had been
The tyrant was not so bad but that he could see good in
others. He felt that men who loved and trusted each other,
as did Damon and Pythias,
ought not to suffer
"I would give all my wealth to have one such friend," he said.