Rich as Croesus - Богат, как Крез
Rich as Croesus is said of a man of great wealth.
It comes after the name of Croesus, the last king of
Lydia of 6th century B.C., an extremely wealthy man.
The riches of Croesus, obtained chiefly from the river gold dust, were greater than those of any king before him, so that his wealth became proverbial. He carried his love of splendour to extravagance and thought
himself the happiest of men. His capital became the
brilliant centre of arts and letters. Various legends
were told about Croesus by the Greeks. One of them
has it that he once asked the philosopher Solon what
he thought of his good fortune. “ I pronounce no man
fortunate until his death,” was the sag e’s reply. Later
a great army of Cyrus, king of the Persians and Medes
invaded Lydia. The Lydians were conquered, and Croesus taken prisoner by Cyrus. When seated on the funeral pyre and about to be burned to death, he recalled
the words of Solon, and thrice repeated his name. Cyrus
demanded an explanation and, on hearing it, spared
his life.
1. О ком можно сказать богат, как Крез? 2. Кем был Крез, когда и где он жил? 3. Что было источником несметных богатств Креза? 4. Что вы можете сказать об образе жизни Креза? 5. Чем стала Лидия во времена Креза? 6. С именем какого философа связывает легенда имя царя Лидии? 7. Что ответил Крезу Солон, когда царь сказал ему, что он счастливейший из людей? 8. Что случилось впоследствии с Крезом? 9. Какую роль в жизни Креза сыграла его встреча с Солоном?