For some reason, I decided to leaf through Herodotus last night. For those of you who suspect that there really is nothing new under the sun, I've got more evidence for you.
At one point, he has a Greek advisor to Xerxes explain that God is jealous of us, because death provides an out from our suffering. This idea formed the basis of a science fiction story by Asimov, where after death, those deemed smart enough are given an afterlife, and set to work on the project of finding a way for God to die.
Earlier, he relates a story of how Gorgo, the future wife of Leonidas, as a child, advised her father to leave the room in order not to be corrupted by the escalating amounts offered by a would-be briber. Of course, in Lincoln's version, he threw the guy out, claiming that, "Every man has his price, and you were getting awfully close to mine."