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[Croesus,] king of [the] Lydians, thinking himself to be the richest and most fortunate man, summoned Solon the Athenian, a wise man, showed off his treasuries and his other riches to him and asked him, "Who, of all men, do you consider fortunate?" And he said "Tellos the Athenian,[1] who lived blessedly and died fighting for his country." And learning this he asked, "So who after Tellos?" Solon said, "Cleobis and Biton, Argives by birth, whose mother Theano or Kydippe[2] was a priestess and intended to lead a procession in the traditional festival in a wagon as far as the temple of Hera; as the oxen were delayed, her sons bent their own necks and dragged the wagon and took their mother to the precinct. And after their mother had prayed to Hera that the most beautiful thing for men might come to them, in the following night they were found dead."
Aelian said about Croesus: "groaning he fetched up a sigh and called out 'Solon!' three times."[3]

Κροι̂σος, Λυδω̂ν βασιλεύς, νομίζων ἑαυτὸν πλουσιώτατον εἰ̂ναι καὶ εὐδαιμονέστατον, μεταπεμψάμενος Σόλωνα τὸν ̓Αθηναι̂ον, ἄνδρα σοφόν, ἐπέδειξεν αὐτῳ̂ τοὺς θησαυροὺς καὶ τἄλλα του̂ πλούτου καὶ ἠρώτησεν αὐτόν, τίνα εὐδαίμονα πάντων ἀνθρώπων νενόμικας; ὁ δὲ ἔφη Τέλλον τὸν ̓Αθηναι̂ον, ζήσαντα εὐτυχω̂ς καὶ ἀποθανόντα ὑπὲρ τη̂ς πατρίδος μαχόμενον. πυνθανομένου δὲ αὐτου̂, τίνα οὐ̂ν μετὰ Τέλλον; ὁ δὲ ἔφη Κλέοβιν καὶ Βίτωνα, τὸ γένος ̓Αργείους, οἵτινες τη̂ς μητρὸς αὐτω̂ν Θεανου̂ς ἢ Κυδίππης ἱερωμένης καὶ μελλούσης πομπεύειν τῃ̂ πατρίῳ ἑορτῃ̂ ἐπὶ ἀπήνης μέχρι τεμένους τη̂ς ̔́Ηρας, χρονιζόντων τω̂ν ὑποζυγίων, ὑποθέντες τοὺς ἰδίους αὐχένας οἱ παι̂δες τὴν ἀπήνην εἵλκυσαν καὶ ἤγαγον τὴν μητέρα ἐπὶ τὸ τέμενος. εὐξαμένης δὲ ἐκείνης τῃ̂ ̔́Ηρᾳ γενέσθαι αὑτη̂ς τοι̂ς παισὶν ὅ τι κάλλιστον ἀνθρώποις, τῃ̂ ἐπιούσῃ νυκτὶ εὑρέθησαν ἀμφότεροι τετελευτηκότες. ὅτι Αἰλιανὸς περὶ Κροίσου ἔφη: ὁ δὲ ἀνηνέγκατο ἄρα στενάξας καὶ ἐς τρὶς ἐκάλεσε τὸν Σόλωνα.

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