338 THE LTFE OF PERICLES.
the other: you shall easily iudge that reade our writings of their liues. Pericles was of the tribe of the Acamantides, of the town of Cholargvs, and one of the best and most ancient families of the city of Athens, both by his father and mother. For Xantip-pus his father (who ouercame in battell the lieutenants of the king of Persia in the iourny of Mygala) maried Agariste that came of Clisthenes, he who draue out of Athens Pysistratus ofspring, and valiantly ouer-threw their tyranny. • Afterwardes he established lawes, and ordained a very graue forme of gouern-ment, to maintaine his citizens in peace and concord together. This Agarist dreamed one night that she was brought to bed of a Lion : and very shortly after she was deliuered of Pericles, who was so well proportioned in all the parts of his body, that nothing could be mended, sauing that his head was somewhat too long and 'out of proportion to the rest of his body. And this is the onely cause why all the statues and images of him almost are made with a helmet on his head : because the workmen as it should seeme (and so it is most likely) were willing to hide the blemish of his deformitie. But the Attican Poets did call him Schinocephalos, as much as to say as, headed like an onion. For those of Attica do somtime name that which is called in the vulgar toung- Scilla, that is to say, an onion of Barbaric, Schinos. And Cratinus the Comicall Poet in his comedy he intituled Chirones, said :
Old Saturne he, and dreadfull dire Debate^ begotten haue, betweene them carnallyr, this tyrant here^ this heauy iolting pate, in court of gods so tearmed <worthely. And againe also in that which he nameth Nemesis, speaking of him, he saith:
Come lupiter, come lupiter.
Come iolt head, and come inkeeper.