Lessons in tyranny

Thrasybulus was tyrant of Miletus (an ancient city on what is now the west coast of Turkey) in the seventh century BC and he was an ally of Periander, tyrant of Corinth. Herodotus relates that Periander sent a messenger to Miletus to ask Thrasybulus for advice on ruling. Thrasybulus did not give the messenger any message to take back to Periander but instead took him for a walk in a cornfield and swiped the heads off the tallest stalks of corn with a stick. The messenger relayed these events back in Corinth and they were correctly interpreted by Periander that he should eliminate those men who may be sufficiently powerful to challenge him.

P.S. Bad news: it's St Swithun's Day today and it was pouring with rain in Winchester this morning.