The education of Cyrus. Translated from the Greek of Xenophon

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EDITED BY ERNEST RHYS

CLASSICAL

THE EDUCATION OF CYRUS

TRANSLATED BY H. G. DAKYNS

REVISED BY F. M. STAWELL

WITH INTRODUCTION BY THE

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THE Oi^^}f*

EDUCATION
OF CYRUS

TRANSLATED FROM
THE GREEK OF'^i^

XENOPHON
BY HENRY
GRAHANK©

•®rDAKYNS

LONDON: PUBLISHED
byJ-M-DENT ^-SONS'^JIP
AND IN NE^^ YORK
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CLIFTON COLLEGE

CONTENTS

Introduction .

pagb;
xi

Bibliography ....... xiii

Note for Leading Passages .... xv

Reviser's Note ...... i

Cyropaedia, or Education of Cyrus —

Book I.

Notes

3-47
47-49

Book II. .

50-77

Notes

77-80

Book III,

81-109

Notes

log-iio

Book IV. .

111-141

Notes

141-14S

Book V. .

Notes

146-184

184-188

Book VI. .

189-214

Notes

214-216

Book VII.
Notes

217-249
249-252

Book VIII.
Notes

253-300
300-305

INTRODUCTION

A VERY few words may suf&ce by way of introduction
to this translation of the Cyropaedia.

Professor Jowett, whose Plato represents the high-
water mark of classical translation, has given us the
following reminders: " An English translation ought to
be idiomatic and interesting, not only to the scholar,
but also to the unlearned reader. It should read as an
original work, and should also be the most faithful
transcript which can be made of the language from
which the translation is taken, consistently with the
first requirement of all, that it be English. The excel-
lence of a translation will consist, not merely in the
faithful rendering of words, or in the composition of a
sentence only, or yet of a single paragraph, but in the
colour and style of the whole work."

These tests may be safely applied to the work of
Mr. Dakyns. An accomplished Greek scholar, for many
years a careful and sympathetic student of Xenophon,
and possessing a rare mastery of English idiom, he was
unusually well equipped for the work of a translator.
And his version wUl, as I venture to think, be found to
satisfy those requirements of an effective translation
which Professor Jowett laid down. It is faithful to the
tone and spirit of the original, and it has the literary
quality of a good piece of original English writing. For
these and other reasons it should prove attractive
and interesting reading for the average Englishman.

Xenophon, it must be admitted, is not, like Plato,
Thucydides, or Demosthenes, one of the greatest of
Greek writers; but there are several considerations
which should commend him to the general reader. He

xi

xii The Education of Cyrus

is more representative of the type of man whom the
ordinary EngUshman specially admires and respects,
than any other of the Greek authors usually read.

An Athenian of good social position, endowed with
a gift of eloquence and of literary style, a pupil of
Socrates, a distinguished soldier, an historian, an essayist,
a sportsman, and a lover of the country, he represents
a type of country gentleman greatly honoured in English
life, and this should ensure a favourable reception for
one of his chief works admirably rendered into idiomatic
English. And the substance of the Cyropaedia, which
is in fact a political romance, describing the education of
the ideal ruler, trained to rule as a benevolent despot
over his admiring and willing subjects, should add a
further element of enjoyment for the reader of this
famous book in its English garb.

J. HEREFORD.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hellenica. — Printed by Aldus at Venice, 1503; Greek and
Latin, 1762; L. Breitenbach, 1874-84; R. Biichsenschitz, 1880-
91; O. Keller, Leipsig, 1890. English traiislations : John Newman,
1685; William Smith, 1770; Books I., II., III., R. Mongan, 1848;
Books IV., v., J. A. Prout, 1896; Books VI., VII.; Books I.-VII.,
H. G. Dakyns, 1890-92; J. A. Prout, 1897.

CEcoNOMicus. — Paris, 1526; Greek and Latin, 1693; G. Kus"
terus, 1812; H. A. Holden, 1884. English translations : Gentian
Hervet, 1532; Robert Bradley, 1727; A. D. O. Wedderbum and
W. Collingwood, 1876; H. G. Dakyns, 1897.

Anabasis. — Books I., II., VIII., 1627; Book VIII. Greek and
Latin, 1735; Greek and Latin, 1762; Zeunius, 1785 ; Hutchinson,
1805; Schneider, 1821; Kiihner, 1852; Kriiger, 1871; Cobet
(revised), 1873; Macmichael, 1883; Blackenbury, 1891; G. M.
Edwards, 1898. English translations: John Bingham, 1623;
Edw. Spelman, 1742; N. S. Smith, 1824; J. S. Watson (Bohn's
Classical Library), 1848; H. G. Dakyns, 1901.

Cyrop^dia. — Paris, 1538; Greek and Latin, 1612; from the text
of Dindorf, notes from Dindorf, Fischer, Hutchinson, Poppo,
Schneider, and Sturz, by E. H. Barker, 1831; Breitenbach, 1875;
Hertlein and Nitsche, 1886; Books VI., VII., VIII., H. A. Holden,
1890. English translations : M. William Bercher, no date; second
edition, 1567; Philemon Holland, 1632; F. Digby and J, Norris,
1685; Maurice Ashly Cooper, 1728; Books VII., VIII., Mongan,
1880.

HipPiKE, OR Treatise on Horsemanship. — Tub., 1539; Greek
and Latin, H. Aldrich, 1693; Tommasini, 1902. English transla-
tions : Translated in 1584 (translator not known); M. H. Morgan,
1893; H. G. Dakyns, 1897.

Memorabilia. — Florence, without date; Greek and Latin, 1541
(contains onlj' 2 books, Latin version by Bessarion) ; Greek and
Latin, H. Aldrich, 1690; Oxford, 1785 (various readings extracted
from eleven different MSS. from the Vatican, Medicean, and
Parisian libraries); Cluer, 1880; Kiihner, 1882; Breitenbach,
1889. English translations: W. Bysshe, 1712; Sarah Fielding,
1762; E. Levien, 1872; J. S. Watson (Bohn), 1848; Lubbock's
Hundred Books, 78, 1894; H. G. Dakyns, 1897.

Hiero. — Printed in the fifteenth century vvithout name of
printer, place, or date; Reuchlin, 1520; Greek and Latin, Leun-
clavius, 1745; H. A. Holden, 1885. English translations : Eliza-
beth, Queen of England, London, 1759 (first printed in No. 11 of
Miscellaneous Correspondence, in 1743) ; R- R- Greaves, 1793 ; H. G.
Dakyns, 1897; Rev. J. S. Watson, 1906.

Two Treatises on the Spartan and Athenian States. —
Althorp, 1583; Glasgow, 1756; Spartan, G. Pierleoni, 1905;
xiii

xiv The Education of Cyrus

Athenian, Miiller and Striibing, i88o. English translations
Athenian State by James Morris, 1794; Both Treatises by H. G.
Dak3Tis, 1892.

Agesilaus. — J. Reuchlin, 1520; Greek and Latin, H. Aldrich,
1691; Jewitt, 1868; R. W. Taylor, 1880; O. Giithling, 1888.
English translations : R. Mongan, 1848; H. Hailstone, 1879; H. G.
Dakyns, 1892.

Epistle. — Greek and Latin, L. Allatius, 1637. English transla-
tion in Stanley's History of Philosophy, 1743.

The Apology of Socrates. — J. Reuchlin, 1520; Greek and
Latin, 1662; J. Geel, 1836. English translations: Sarah Fielding,
1762; H. G. Dakyns, 1897.

Symposium. — J. Cornarius, 1548; Greek with Latin version of
Leunclavius, 1691; J. C. Zeunius, 1782; Schneider, 1812; Din-
dorf, Leipsig, 1823; E. Mehler, 1850. English translations: J.
Welwood, 1710 (printed 1750); H. G. Dakyns, 1897.

HippARCHicus, OR The Cavalry General. — Greek and Latin,
H. Aldrich, 1693. English translation: H. G. Dakyns, 1897.

Cynegeticus: A Treatise on Hunting. — Greek and Latin, H.
Aldrich, 1693; G. Pierleoni, 1902. English translation: H. G.
Dakyns, 1897.

A Treatise on the Revenues of Athens. — Greek and Latin
of Leunclavius, Oxford, 1754. English translations : Walter Moyle,
1697 (reprinted in his works); H. G. Dakyns, 1897.

Collected Editions. — Edition of E. Boninus, printed by P-
Giunta, Florence, 15 16 (it does not contain the Agesilaus, the
Apology, the treatise on the Revenue of Athens, and a part of the
treatise on the Athenian Commonwealth) ; edition of Andrea of
Asola, printed by Aldus at Venice, 1525, contains all the works of
Xenophon except the Apology; the Basel edition, printed by N.
Brylinger, 1545 (first edition of the Greek text with a Latin transla-
tion); H. Stephens, 1561 (amended text); edition of Weiske,
6 vols., Leipsig, 1798-1804; edition of Gail, 6 vols., Paris, 1797-
1804 (a seventh volume published afterwards, contains Vcirious
readings of three MSS.). This edition contains the Greek text,
the Latin version of Leunclavius, a French version and notes;
Schneider, 1791-1815; Sauppe, 1865-66; Dindorf, 1875; C. E.
Marchant, 1900.

A. B. M.

NOTE

LEADING PASSAGES

As some parts of Xenophon's work are much more
interesting than others, it may be well to recommend the
following passages to the reader who takes it up for the
first time.

PAGE

Book I. c. 2, §§ 3-16 — The Old Persian Polity . 6

,, ,, c. 3, c. 4, §§ 1-26 — The Boyhood of Cyrus . 11
,, ,, c. 6, §§ 12-46 — The Young General . . 36

Book II. c. I, §§ 11-19 — The Persian Army . . 52

,, ,, c. 2, c. 3, §§ I -16 — Peers and People. . 57

Book III. c. I, §§ 36-41 — Tigranes, his Bride, and his

Teacher . . .89

,, c. 3, §§ 34-70 — The Attack on Assyria . 103

Book IV. c. I, § 8-c. 3, § 27 — Cyrus in Pursuit . 11 1

,, c. 5, §§ 8-54 — Cynis and Cyraxares . . 130

,, c. 6 — The Tale of Gobryas . . .138

Book V. c. I, §§ 1-18 — Araspas and Pantheia. . 146

,, c. 2 — Cyrus and Gobryas . . .152

,, c. 5 — Cyrus and Cyaxares . . .176

Book VI. c. I, §§ 1-22 — Cyrus and the Allies . . 189

,, ,, c. I, §§ 31-49 — i Araspas, Pantheia, ( .194

,, c. 4, §§ i-ii — ( and her Husband ) .211

Book VII. c. 2, §§ 9-29 — Cyrus and Croesus . . 226

,, c. 3, §§ 2-15 — The Death of Pantheia . 230

,, c. 5, §§ 1-36 — The Siege of Babylon . . 235

,, c. 5, § 37-c. 6 — Cyrus the Great King . 240

Book VIII. c. I — Cyrus and his Empire . . . 253

c. 2, §§ 13-23 — The Generosity of Cyrus . 263

c. 3, §§ 24-50 — The Persian and the Sakian 270

,, ,, c. 7 — The Death of Cyrus . . .290

For the Geography, readers are advised to consult Maps 6-7.
lo-i I , and 58-59 in the new Classical Atlas of this series (1914) ,

F. M. S.

EDITOR'S NOTE

In preparing this work for the press, I came upon some
notes made by Mr. Dakyns on the margin of his Xenophon.
These were evidently for his own private use, and are full
of scholarly colloquialisms, impromptu words humorously
invented for the need of the moment, and individual turns
of phrase, such as the references to himself under his
initials in small letters, " hgd." Though plainly not
intended for publication, the notes are so vivid and
illuminating as they stand that I have shrunk from putting
them into a more formal dress, believing that here, as in
the best letters, the personal element is bound up with
what is most fresh and living in the comment, most charac-
teristic of the writer, and most delightful both to those who
knew him and to those who will wish they had. I have,
therefore, only altered a word here and there, and added a
note or two of my own (always in square brackets), where
it seemed necessary for the sake of clearness.

F. M. S.

CYROPAEDIA

THE EDUCATION OF CYRUS

BOOK I

We have had occasion before now to reflect how often C.
democracies have been overthrown by the desire for some
other type of government, how often monarchies and
ohgarchies have been swept away by movements of the
people, how often would-be despots have fallen in their
turn, some at the outset by one stroke, while those who
have maintained their rule for ever so brief a season are
looked upon with wonder as marvels of sagacity and
success.

The same lesson, we had little doubt, was to be learnt
from the family: the household might be great or small —
even the master of few could hardly count on the obedience
of his little flock. 2. And so, one idea leading to another,
we came to shape our reflexions thus : Drovers may cer-
tainly be called the rulers of their cattle and horse-
breeders the rulers of their studs — all herdsmen, in short,
may reasonally be considered the governors of the animals
they guard. If, then, we were to beheve the evidence
of our senses, was it not obvious that flocks and herds
were more ready to obey their keepers than men their
rulers? \\'atch the cattle wending their way wherever
their herdsmen guide them, see them grazing in the
pastures where they are sent and abstaining from for-
bidden grounds, the fruit of their own bodies they yield
to their master to use as he thinks best ; nor have we ever
seen one flock among them all combining against their

3

4 The Education of Cyrus

guardian, either to disobey him or to refuse him the
absolute control of their produce. On the contrary, they
are more apt to show hostility against other animals than
against the owner who derives advantage from them.
But with man the rule is converse ; men unite against none
so readily as against those whom they see attempting to
rule over them. 3. As long, therefore, as we followed
these reflexions, we could not but conclude that man is
by nature fitted to govern all creatures, except his fellow-
man. But when we came to realise the character of Cyrus
the Persian, we were led to a change of mind: here is a
man, we said, who won for himself obedience from thou-
sands of his fellows, from cities and tribes innumerable:
we must ask ourselves whether the government of men is
after all an impossible or even a difficult task, provided
one set about it in the right way. Cyrus, we know,
found the readiest obedience in his subjects, though
some of them dwelt at a distance which it would take days
and months to traverse, and among them were men who
had never set eyes on him, and for the matter of that
could never hope to do so, and yet they were willing to
obey him. 4. Cyrus did indeed eclipse all other monarchs,
before or since, and I include not only those who have
inherited their power, but those who have won em-
pire by their own exertions. How far he surpassed them
all may be felt if we remember that no Scythian,
although the Scythians are reckoned by their myi'iads,
has ever succeeded in dominating a foreign nation; indeed
the Scythian would be well content could he but keep his
government unbroken over his own tribe and people.
The same is true of the Thracians and the lUyrians, and
indeed of all other nations within our ken; in Europe, at
any rate, their condition is even now one of independence,
and of such separation as would seem to be permanent.
Now this was the state in which Cyrus found the tribes
and peoples of Asia when, at the head of a small Persian
force, he started on his career. The Medes and the
Hyrcanians accepted his leadership willingly, but it was
through conquest that he won Syria, Assyria, Arabia,

Book I. The Fame of Cyrus 5

Cappadocia, the two Phrygias, Lydia, Caria, Phoenicia, C. i
and Babylonia. Then he established his rule over the
Bactrians, Indians, and Cilicians, over the Sakians,
Paphlagonians, and Magadidians, over a host of other
tribes the very names of which defy the memory of the
chronicler; and last of all he brought the Hellenes in Asia
beneath his sway, and by a descent on the seaboard
Cyprus and Egypt also.

5. It is obvious that among this congeries of nations
few, if any, could have spoken the same language as him-
self, or understood one another, but none, the less Cyrus
was able so to penetrate that vast extent of country by the
sheer terror of his personality that the inhabitants were
prostrate before him: not one of them dared lift hand
against him. And yet he was able, at the same time, to
inspire them all with so deep a desire to please him and
win his favour that all they asked was to be guided by
his judgment and his alone. Thus he knit to himself a
complex of nationalities so vast that it would have taxed
a man's endurance merely to traverse his empire in any
one direction, east or west or south or north, from the
palace which was its centre. For ourselves, considering
his title to our admiration proved, we set ourselves to
inquire what his parentage might have been and his
natural parts, and how he was trained and brought up to
attain so high a pitch of excellence in the government of
men. And all we could learn from others about him
or felt we might infer for ourselves we will here endeavour
to set forth.

The father of Cyiiis, so runs the stor\', was Cambyses, C. 2
a king of the Persians, and one of the Perseidae, who look
to Perseus as the founder of their race. His mother, it
is agreed, was ]\Iandane, the daughter of Astyages, king of
the Medes. Of C}tus himself, even now in the songs and
stories of the East the record lives that nature made him
most fair to look upon, and set in his heart the threefold
love of man, of knowledge, and of honour. He would
endure all labours, he would undergo all dangers, for the
sake of glory. 2. Blest by nature with such gifts of soul

6 The Education of Cyrus

C. 2 and body, his memory lives to this day in the mindful heart
of ages. It is true that he was brought up according to
the laws and customs of the Persians, and of these laws it
must be noted that while they aim, as laws elsewhere, at
the common weal, their guiding principle is far other than
that which most nations follow. Most states permit their
citizens to bring up their own children at their own dis-
cretion, and allow the grown men to regulate their own
lives at their own will, and then they lay down certain
prohibitions, for example, not to pick and steal, not to
break into another man's house, not to strike a man un-
justly, not to commit adultery, not to disobey the magis-
trate, and so forth; and on the transgressor they impose
a penalty. 3. But the Persian laws try, as it were, to
steal a march on time, to make their citizens from the
beginning incapable of setting their hearts on any wicked-
ness or shameful conduct whatsoever. And this is how
they set about their object.

In their cities they have an open place or square
dedicated to Freedom (Free Square they call it), where
stand the palace and other public buildings. From this
place all goods for sale are rigidly excluded, and all hawkers
and hucksters with their yells and cries and vulgarities.
They must go elsewhere, so that their clamour may not
mingle with and mar the grace and orderliness of the
educated classes. 4. This square, where the public build-
ings stand, is divided into four quarters which are assigned
as follows: one for the boys, another for the youths, a
third for the grown men, and the last for those who are
past the age of military service. The law requires all the
citizens to present themselves at certain times and seasons
in their appointed places. The lads and the grown men
must be there at daybreak: the elders may, as a rule,
choose their own time, except on certain fixed days, when
they too are expected to present themselves like the rest.
Moreover, the young men are bound to sleep at night round
the public buildings, with their arms at their side; only
the married men among them are exempt, and need
not be on duty at night unless notice has been given,

Book I. The Persian Polity 7

though even in their case frequent absence is thought C. 2
unseemly. 5. Over each of these divisions are placed
twelve governors, twelve being the number of the Persian
tribes. The governors of the boys are chosen from the
elders, and those are appointed who are thought best
fitted to make the best of their lads : the governors of the
youths are selected from the grown men, and on the same
principle; and so for the grown men themselves and their
own governors; the choice falls on those who will, it is
hoped, make them most prompt to carry out their
appointed duties, and fulfil the commands imposed by the
supreme authority. Finally, the elders themselves have
presidents of their own, chosen to see that they too perform
their duty to the full.

6. We will now describe the services demanded from
the different classes, and thus it will appear how the
Persians endeavour to improve their citizens. The boys
go to school and give their time to learning justice and
righteousness : they will tell you they come for that pur-
pose, and the phrase is as natural with them as it is for us
to speak of lads learning their letters. The masters spend
the chief part of the day in deciding cases for their pupils :
for in this boy-world, as in the grown-up world without,
occasions of indictment are never far to seek. There will
be charges, we know, of picking and stealing, of violence,
of fraud, of calumny, and so forth. The case is heard and
the offender, if shown to be guilty, is punished. 7. Nor
does he escape who is found to have accused one of his
fellows unfairly. And there is one charge the judges do
not hesitate to deal with, a charge which is the source of
much hatred among grown men, but which they seldom
press in the courts, the charge of ingratitude. The cul-
prit convicted of refusing to repay a debt of kindness
when it was fully in his power meets with severe chastise-
ment. They reason that the ungrateful man is the most
likely tD forget his duty to the gods, to his parents, to his
fatherland, and his friends. Shamelessness, they hold,
treads close on the heels of ingratitude, and thus ingrati-
tude is the ringleader and chief instigator to every kind

8 The Education of Cyrus

C. 2 of baseness. 8. Further^ the boys are instructed in
temperance and self-restraint, and they find the utmost
help towards the attainment of this virtue in the self-
respecting behaviour of their elders, shown them day by
day. Then they are taught to obey their rulers, and here
again nothing is of greater value than the studied obedi-
ence to authority manifested by their elders everywhere.
Continence in meat and drink is another branch of in-
struction, and they have no better aid in this than, first,
the example of their elders, who never withdraw to satisfy
these carnal cravings until those in authority dismiss them,
and next, the rule that the boys must take their food, not
with their mother but with their master, and not till the
governor gives the sign. They bring from home the
staple of their meal, dry bread with nasturtium for a
relish, and to slake their thirst they bring a drinking-cup,
to dip in the running stream. In addition, the}- are taught
to shoot with the bow and to fling the javelin.

The lads follow their studies till the age of sixteen or
seventeen, and then they take their places as young men.

9. After that they spend their time as follows. For
ten years they are bound to sleep at night round the public
buildings, as we said before, and this for two reasons, to
guard the community and to practise self-restraint;
because that season of life, the Persians conceive, stands
most in need of care. During the day they present them-
selves before the governors for ser\dce to the state, and,
whenever necessar}', they remain in a body round the
public buildings. Moreover, when the king goes out to
hunt, which he will do several tim.es a month, he takes
half the company with him, and each man must carry bow
and arrows, a sheathed dagger, or " sagaris," slung beside
the quiver, a light shield, and two javelins, one to hurl and
the other to use, if need be, at close quarters. 10. The
reason of this public sanction for the chase is not far to
seek: the king leads just as he does in war, hunting in
person at the head of the field, and making his men follow,
because it is felt that the exercise itself is the best possible
training for the needs of war. It accustoms a man to early

Book I. The Boyhood of Cyrus 9

rising : it hardens him to endure heat and cold ; it teaches C. 2
him to march and to run at the top of his speed ; he must
perforce learn to let fly arrow and javelin the moment the
quarry is across his path ; and, above all, the edge of his
spirit must needs be sharpened by encountering any of the
mightier beasts : he must deal his stroke when the creature
closes, and stand on guard when it makes its rush : indeed,
it would be hard to find a case in war that has not its
parallel in the chase, ii. But to proceed: the young
men set out with provisions that are ampler, naturally,
than the boys' fare, but otherwise the same. During the
chase itself they would not think of breaking their fast, but
if a halt is called, to beat up the game, or for any hunter's
reason, then they will make, as it were, a dinner of their
breakfast, and, hunting again on the morrow till dinner-
time, they will count the two days as one, because they
have only eaten one day's food. This they do in order
that, if the like necessity should arise in war, they may be
found equal to it. As relish to their bread these young
men have whatever they may kill in the chase, or failing
that, nasturtium like the boys. And if one should ask how
they can enjoy the meal with nasturtium for their only
condiment and water for their only drink, let him bethink
himself how sweet barley bread and wheaten can taste to
the hungry man and water to the thirsty. 12. As for
the young men who are left at homxC, they spend their
time in shooting and hurling the javelin, and practising
all they learnt as boys, in one long trial of skill. Beside
this, public games are open to them and prizes are ofiered ;
and the tribe which can claim the great^est number of lads
distinguished for skill and courage and faithfulness is
given the meed of praise from all the citizens, who honour,
not only their present governor, but the teacher who
trained them when they were boys. Moreover, these
young men are also employed by the magistrates if
garrison work needs to be done or if mialefactors are to be
tracked or robbers run down, or indeed on any errand
which calls for strength of limb and fleetness of foot.
Such is the life of the youth. But when the ten years are

I o The Education of Cyrus

C. 2 accomplished they are classed as grown men. 13. And from
this time forth for five-and-twenty years they live as follows.

First they present themselves^ as in youth, before
the magistrates for service to the state wherever there
is need for strength and sound sense combined. If
an expedition be on foot the men of this grade march
out, not armed with the bow or the light shield any longer,
but equipped with what are called the close-combat arms,
a breastplate up to the throat, a buckler on the left arm
(just as the Persian warrior appears in pictures), and for
the right hand a dagger or a sword. Lastly, it is from this
grade that all the magistrates are appointed except the
teachers for the boys. But when the five-and-twenty years
are over and the men have reached the age of fifty years or
more, then they take rank as elders, and the title is
deserved. 14. These elders no longer go on military
service beyond the frontier; they stay at home and
decide all cases, public and private both. Even capital
charges are left to their decision, and it is they who choose
all the magistrates. If a youth or a grown man breaks
the law he is brought into court by the governors of his
tribe, who act as suitors in the case, aided by any other
citizen who pleases. The cause is heard before the elders
and they pronounce judgment; and the man who is con-
demned is disfranchised for the rest of his days.

15. And now, to complete the picture of the whole
Persian polity, I will go back a little. With the help of
what has been said before, the account may now be brief:
the Persians are said to number something like one
hundred and twenty thousand men: and of these
no one is by law debarred from honour or office. On the
contrary, every Persian is entitled to send his children to
the public schools of righteousness and justice. As a fact,
all who can afford to bring up their children without work-
ing do send them there: those who cannot must forego
the privilege. A lad who has passed through a public
school has a right to go and take his place among the
youths, but those who have not gone through the first
course may not join them. In the same way the youths

Book I. The Boyhood of Cyrus 1 1

who have fulfilled the duties of their class are entitled C. 2
eventually to rank with the men, and to share in office
and honour : but they must first spend their full time among
the youths ; if not, they go no further. Finally, those who
as grown men have lived without reproach may take their
station at last among the elders. Thus these elders form
a college, every member of which has passed through the
full circle of noble learning; and this is that Persian polity
and that Persian training which, in their belief, can
win them the flower of excellence. 16. And even to this
day signs are left bearing witness to that ancient tem-
perance of theirs and the ancient discipline that preserved
it. To this day it is still considered shameful for a Persian
to spit in public, or wipe the nose, or show signs of wind,
or be seen going apart for his natural needs. And they
could not keep to this standard unless they were accustomed
to a temperate diet, and were trained to exercise and toil,
so that the humours of the body were drawn off in other
ways. Hitherto we have spoken of the Persians as a
whole: we will now go back to our starting-point and
recount the deeds of Cyrus from his childhood.

Until he was twelve years old or more, Cyrus was brought C. 3
up in the manner we have described, and showed himself
to be above all his fellows in his aptitude for learning and
in the noble and manly performance of every duty. But
about this time, Astyages sent for his daughter and her
son, desiring greatly to see him because he had heard how
noble and fair he was. So it fell out that Mandane came
to Astyages, bringing her son Cyrus with her. 2. And as
soon as they met, the boy, when he heard that Astyages
was his mother's father, fell on his neck and kissed him
without more ado, like the loving lad nature had made
him, as though he had been brought up at his grand-
father's side from the first and the two of them had been
playmates of old. Then he looked closer and saw that
the king's eyes were stencilled and his cheeks painted,
and that he wore false curls after the fashion of the Medes
in those days (for these adornments, and the purple robes,
the tunics, the necklaces, and the bracelets, they are all

1 2 The Education of Cyrus

Median first and last, not Persian ; the Persian, as you
find him at home even now-a-days, still keeps to his
plainer dress and his plainer style of living.) The boy,
seeing his grandfather's splendour, kept his eyes fixed on
him, and cried, "Oh, mother, how beautiful my grand-
father is!" Then his mother asked him which he
thought the handsomer, his father or his grandfather, and
he answered at once, " My father is the handsomest of all
the Persians, but my grandfather much the handsomest
of all the Medes I ever set eyes on, at home or abroad."
3. At that Astyages drew the child to his heart, and gave
him a beautiful robe and bracelets and necklaces in sign
of honour, and when he rode out, the boy must ride beside
him on a horse with a golden bridle, just like King
Astyages himself. And Cyrus, who had a soul as sensitive
to beauty as to honour, was pleased with the splendid
robe, and overjoyed at learning to ride, for a horse is a
rare sight in Persia, a mountainous country, and one
little suited to the breed.

4. Now C}Tus and his mother sat at meat with the king,
and Astyages, wishing the lad to enjoy the feast and not
regret his home, plied him with dainties of every sort.
At that, so says the story, Cjtus burst out, " Oh, grand-
father, what trouble you must give yourself reaching for
all these dishes and tasting all these wonderful foods!"
" Ah, but," said Astyages, " is not this a far better meal
than you ever had in Persia? " Thereupon, as the tale
runs, Cyrus answered, " Our way, grandfather, is much
shorter than yours and much simpler. We are hungry
and wish to be fed, and bread and meat bring us where we
want to be at once, but you Medes, for all your haste,
take so many turns and wind about so much it is a wonder
if you ever find your way to the goal that we have reached
long ago." 5. " Well, my lad," said his grandfather,
" we are not at all averse to the length of the road: taste
the dishes for yourself and see how good they are." " One
thing I do see," the boy said, " and that is that you do
not quite like them yourself." And when Astyages asked
him how he felt so sure of that, Cyrus answered, " Because

Book I. The Boyhood of Cyrus i 3

when you touch an honest bit of bread you never wipe C.
your hands, but if you take one of these fine kickshaws
you turn to your napkin at once, as if you were angry to
find your fingers soiled." 6. " Well and good, my lad,
well and good," said the king, " only feast away yourself
and make good cheer, and we shall send you back to
Persia a fine strong fellow." And with the word he had
dishes of meat and game set before his grandson. The
boy was taken aback by their profusion, and exclaimed,
" Grandfather, do you give me all this for myself, to do
what I like with it? " " Certainly I do," said the king.
7. Whereupon, without more ado, the boy Cyrus took
first one dish and then another and gave them to the
attendants who stood about his grandfather, and with
each gift he made a little speech: " That is for you, for so
kindly teaching me to ride; " " And that is for you, in
return for the javelin you gave me, I have got it still; "
" And this is for you, because you wait on my grandfather
so prettily; " " And this for you, sir, because you honour
my mother." And so on until he had got rid of all the
meat he had been given. 8. " But you do not give a
single piece to Sacas, my butler," quoth the grandfather,
" and I honour him more than all the rest." Now this
Sacas, as one may guess, was a handsome fellow, and he
had the right to bring before the king all who desired
audience, or keep them back if he thought the time un-
seasonable. But C}Tus, in answer to his grandfather's
question retorted eagerly, like a lad who did not know
what fear meant, " And why should you honour him so
much, grandfather? " Then Astyages laughed and said,
" Can you not see how prettily he mixes the cup, and with
what a grace he serves the wine? " And indeed, these
royal cup-bearers are neat-handed at their task, mixing
the bowl with infinite elegance, and pouring the wine into
the beakers without spilling a drop, and when they hand
the goblet they poise it deftly between thumb and finger
for the banqueter to take. 9. " Now, grandfather," said
the boy, " tell Sacas to give me the bowl, and let me pour
out the wine as prettily as he if I can, and win your

14 The Education of Cyrus

C. 3 favour." So the king bade the butler hand him the bowl^
and Cyrus took it and mixed the wine just as he had seen
Sacas dOj and then, showing the utmost gravity and the
greatest deftness and grace, he brought the goblet to his
grandfather and offered it with such an air that his
mother and Astyages, too, laughed outright, and then
Cyrus burst out laughing also, and flung his arms round his
grandfather and kissed him, crying, " Sacas, your day is
done ! I shall oust you from your office, you may be sure.
I shall make just as pretty a cup-bearer as you — and not
drink the wine myself ! " For it is the fact that the king's
butler when he offers the wine is bound to dip a ladle in
the cup first, and pour a little into the hollow of his hand
and sip it, so that if he has mixed poison in the bowl it
will do him no good himself. lo. Accordingly Astyages, to
carry on the jest, asked the little lad why he had forgotten
to taste the wine though he had imitated Sacas in every-
thing else. And the boy answered, " Truly, I was afraid
there might be poison in the bowl. For when you gave
your birthday feast to your friends I could see quite
plainly that Sacas had put in poison for you all." " And
how did you discover that, my boy? " asked the king.
" Because I saw how your wits reeled and how you
staggered; and you all began doing what you will not let
us children do — you talked at the top of your voices, and
none of you understood a single word the others said, and
then you began singing in a way to make us laugh, and
though you would not hsten to the singer you swore that
it was right nobly sung, and then each of you boasted of
his own strength, and yet as soon as you got up to dance,
so far from keeping time to the measure, you could barely
keep your legs. And you seemed quite to have forgotten,
grandfather, that you were king, and your subjects that
you were their sovereign. Then at last I understood that
you must be celebrating that ' free speech ' we hear of :
at any rate you were never silent for an instant." ii.
" Well, but, boy," said Astyages, " does your father never
lose his head when he drinks? " " Certainly not," said
the boy. " What happens then? " asked the king. " He

Book I. The Boyhood of Cyrus 15

quenches his thirst/' answered Cyrus, " and that is all. C. 3
No harm follows. You see, he has no Sacas to mix his
wine for him." " But, Cyrus," put in his mother, " why are
you so unkind to Sacas? " " Because I do so hate him,"
answered the boy. " Time after time when I have wanted
to go to my grandfather this old villain has stopped me.
Do please, grandfather, let me manage him for three
days." " And how would you set about it? " Astyages
asked. " Why," said the boy, " I will plant myself in the
doorway just as he does, and then when he wants to go in
to breakfast I will say ' You cannot have breakfast yet:
HE is busy with some people,' and when he comes for
dinner I will say ' No dinner yet : HE is in his bath,' and
as he grows ravenous I will say ' Wait a little : HE is with
the ladies of the court,' until I have plagued and tor-
mented him as he torments me, keeping me away from
you, grandfather, when I want to come." 12. Thus the
boy delighted his elders in the evening, and by day if he
saw that his grandfather or his uncle wanted anything, no
one could forestall him in getting it; indeed nothing
seemed to give him greater pleasure than to please them.

13. Now when Mandane began to think of going back to
her husband, Astyages begged her to leave the boy behind.
She answered that though she wished to please her father
in everything, it would be hard to leave the boy against his
will. 14. Then the old man turned to Cyrus: " My boy,
if you will stay with us, Sacas shall never stop you from
coming to me: you shall be free to come whenever you
choose, and the oftener you come the better it will please
me. You shall have horses to ride, my own and as many
others as you like, and when you leave us you shall take
them with you. And at dinner you shall go your own
way and follow your own path to your own goal of temper-
ance just as you think right. And I will make you a
present of all the game in my parks and paradises, and
collect more for you, and as soon as you have learnt to
ride you shall hunt and shoot and hurl the javelin exactly
like a man. And you shall have boys to play with and
anything else you wish for : you have only to ask me and it

1 6 The Education of Cyrus

3 shall be yours." 15. Then his mother questioned the
boy and asked him whether he would rather stay with his
grandfather in Media, or go back home with her: and he
said at once that he would rather stay. And when she
went on to ask him the reason, he answered, so the story
says, " Because at home I am thought to be the best of
the lads at shooting and hurling the javelin, and so I think
I am : but here I know I am the worst at riding, and that
you may be sure, mother, annoys me exceedingly. Now if
you leave me here and I learn to ride, when I am back in
Persia you shall see, I promise you, that I will outdo all
our gallant fellows on foot, and when I come to Media
again I will try and show my grandfather that, for all his
splendid cavalry, he will not have a stouter horseman than
his grandson to fight his battles for him." 16. Then said
his mother, " But justice and righteousness, my son, how
can you learn them here when your teachers are at home ? "
" Oh," said Cyrus, " I know all about them already."
"How do you know that you do?" asked Mandane.
" Because," answered the boy, " before I left home my
master thought I had learnt enough to decide the cases,
and he set me to try the suits. Yes! and I remember
once," said he, " I got a whipping for misjudgment.
17. I will tell you about that case. There were two boys,
a big boy and a little boy, and the big boy's coat was small
and the small boy's coat was huge. So the big boy
stripped the little boy and gave him his own small coat,
while he put on the big one himself. Now in giving judg-
ment I decided that it was better for both parties that each
should have the coat that fitted him best. But I never
got any further in my sentence, because the master
thrashed me here, and said that the verdict would have
been excellent if I had been appointed to say what fitted
and what did not, but I had been called in to decide to
whom the coat belonged, and the point to consider was,
who had a right to it: Was he who took a thing by violence
to keep it, or he who had had it made and bought it for
his own ? And the master taught me that what is lawful
is just and what is in the teeth of law is based on violence,

Book I. The Boyhood of Cyrus 17

and therefore, he said, the judge must always see that his C.
verdict tallies with the law. So you see, mother, I have
the whole of justice at my fingers' ends already. And if
there should be anything more I need to know, why, I
have my grandfather beside me, and he will give me
lessons." 18. " But," rejoined his mother, " what
everyone takes to be just and righteous at your grand-
father's court is not thought to be so in Persia. For
instance, your own grandfather has made himself master
over all and sundry among the Medes, but with the
Persians equahty is held to be an essential part of justice :
and first and foremost, your father himself must perform
his appointed services to the state and receive his
appointed dues : and the measure of these is not his own
caprice but the law. Have a care then, or you may be
scourged to death when you come home to Persia, if you
learn in your grandfather's school to love not kingship
but tyranny, and hold the tyrant's belief that he and he
alone should have more than all the rest." " Ah, but,
mother," said the boy, " my grandfather is better at
teaching people to have less than their share, not more.
Cannot you see," he cried, " how he has taught all the
Medes to have less than himself ? So set your mind at
rest, mother, my grandfather will never make me, or
any one else, an adept in the art of getting too much."

So the boy's tongue ran on. But at last his mother went C.
home, and Cyrus stayed behind and was brought up in
Media. He soon made friends with his companions and
found his way to their hearts, and soon won their parents
by the charm of his address and the true affection he bore
their sons, so much so that when they wanted a favour
from the king they bade their children ask Cyrus to
arrange the matter for them. And whatever it might be,
the kindliness of the lad's heart and the eagerness of his
ambition made him set the greatest store on getting it
done. 2. On his side, Astyages could not bring himself
to refuse his grandson's lightest wish. For once, when he
was sick, nothing would induce the boy to leave his side; he
could not keep back his tears, and his terror at the thought

B

1 8 The Education of Cyrus

C. 4 that his grandfather might die was plain for every one to
see. If the old man needed an}'thing during the night
C}Tus was the first to notice it. it was he who sprang up
first to wait upon him, and bring him what he thought
would please him. Thus the old king's heart was his.

3. During these early days, it must be allowed, the boy
was something too much of a talker, in part, may be,
because of his bringing-up. He had been trained by his
master, whenever he sat in judgment, to give a reason for
what he did, and to look for the like reason from others.
And moreover, his curiosity and thirst for knowledge
were such that he must needs inquire from ever\' one he
met the explanation of this, that, and the other; and
his ovm wits were so lively that he was ever ready with an
answer himself for any question put to him, so that talka-
tiveness had become, as it were, his second nature. But,
just as in the body when a boy is overgrown, some touch of
youthfulness is sure to show itself and tell the secret of
his age, so for all the lad's loquacity, the impression left on
the Ustener was not of arrogance, but of simpUcity and
warmheartedness, and one would gladly have heard his
chatter to the end rather than have sat beside him and
found him dumb.

4. However, as he grew in stature and the years led him
to the time when childhood passes into youth he became
more char}- of his words and quieter in his tone: at times,
indeed, he was so shy that he would blush in the presence
of his elders, and there was little sign left of the old
forwardness, the impulsiveness of the puppy who vf^
jump up on every one, master and stranger alike. Thus
he grew more sedate, but his company was still most
fascinating, and httle wonder: for whenever it came to
a trial of skill between himself and his comrades he w'ould
never challenge his mates to those feats in which he him-
self excelled: he would start precisely one where he felt
his ovr-n inferiority, averring that he would outdo them
all, — indeed, he would spring to horse in order to shoot or
hurl the javelin before he had got a firm seat — and then,
when he was worsted, he would be the first to laugh at his

Book I. The Boyhood of Cyrus 19

own discomfiture. 5. He had no desire to escape defeat C. 4

by giving up the effort, but took glory in the resolution
to do better another time, and thus he soon found himself
as good a horseman as his peers, and presently, such was
his ardour, he surpassed them all, and at last the thinning
of the game in the king's preserves began to show what
he could do. What with the chasing and the shooting and
the spearing, the stock of animals ran so low that Astyages
was hard put to it to collect enough for him. Then Cyrus,
seeing that his grandfather for all his goodwill could never
furnish him with enough, came to him one day and said,
" Grandfather, why should you take so much trouble in
finding game for me? If only you would let me go out
to hunt with my uncle, I could fancy every beast we came
across had been reared for my particular delight ! "
6. But however anxious the lad might be to go out to the
chase, he had somehow lost the old childish art of winning
what he wanted by coaxing: and he hesitated a long time
before approaching the king again. If in the old days
he had quarrelled with Sacas for not letting him in, now
he began to play the part of Sacas against himself, and ';
could not summon courage to intrude until he thought
the right moment had come : indeed, he implored the real
Sacas to let him know when he might venture. So that
the old butler's heart was won, and he, like the rest of the
world, was completely in love with the young prince.

7. At last when Astyages saw that the lad's heart was
really set on hunting in the open country, he gave him
leave to go out with his uncle, taking care at the same
time to send an escort of mounted veterans at his heels,
whose business it was to keep watch and ward over him
in any dangerous place or against any savage beast. Cyrus
plied his retinue with questions about the creatures they
came across, which must he avoid and which might he
hunt? They told him he must be on his guard against
bears and wild-boars and lions and leopards : many a man
had found himself at too close quarters with these
dangerous creatures, and been torn to pieces: but ante-
lopes, they said, and deer and mountain sheep and wild

20 The Education of Cyrus

C. 4 asses were harmless enough. And the huntsman^ they
added^ ought to be as careful about dangerous places as
about the beasts themselves: many a time horse and
rider had gone headlong down a precipice to death.
8. The lad seemed to take all their lessons to heart at the
time: but then he saw a stag leap up, and forgot all the
wise cautions he had heard, giving chase forthwith,
noticing nothing except the beast ahead of him. His horse,
in its furious plunge forward, slipped, and came down on
its knees, all but throwing the rider over its head. As
luck would have it the boy managed to keep his seat, and
the horse recovered its footing. When they reached the
fiat bottom, Cyrus let fly his javelin, and the stag fell dead,
a beautiful big creature. The lad was still radiant with
delight when up rode the guards and took him severely to
task. Could he not see the danger he had run? They
would certainly tell his grandfather, that they would.
Cyrus, who had dismounted, stood quite still and listened
ruefully, hanging his head while they rated him. But
in the middle of it all he heard the view-halloo again:
he sprang to his horse as though frenzied — a wild-boar
was charging down on them, and he charged to meet it, and
drawing his bow with the surest aim possible, struck the
beast in the forehead, and laid him low. 9. But now his
uncle thought it was high time to scold his nephew him-
self; the lad's boldness was too much. Only, the more
he scolded the more Cyrus begged he would let him take
back the spoil as a present for his grandfather. To which
appeal, says the story, his uncle made reply: "But if
your grandfather finds out that you have gone in chase
yourself, he will not only scold you for going but me for
letting you go." " Well, let him whip me if he likes,"
said the boy, " when once I have given him my beasts:
and you too, uncle," he went on, " punish me however
you choose, only do not refuse me this." So Cyaxares
was forced to yield: — " Have it your own way then, you
are little less than our king already." 10. Thus it was
that Cyrus was allowed to bring his trophies home, and in
due course presented them to his grandfather. "See,

Book I. The Boyhood of Cyrus 2 1

grandfather, here are some animals I have shot for you." C. 4
But he did not show his weapons in triumph: he only
laid them down with the gore still on them where he
hoped his grandfather would see them. It is easy to
guess the answer Astyages gave: — " I must needs accept
with pleasure every gift you bring me, only I want none
of them at the risk of your own life." And Cyrus said,
' ' If you really do not want them yourself, grandfather,
will you give them to me ? And I will divide them among
the lads." " With all my heart," said the old man,
"take them, or anything else you like; bestow them,
where you will, and welcome." 11. So Cyrus carried off
the spoil, and divided it with his comrades, saving all the
while, " What foolery it was, was it not, when we used
to hunt in the park! It was no better than hunting
creatures tied by a string. First of all, it was such a little
bit of a place, and then what scarecrows the poor beasts
were, one halt, and another maimed! But those real
animals on the mountains and the plains — what splendid
beasts, so gigantic, so sleek and glossy! Why, the stags
leapt up against the sky as though they had wings, and
the wild-boars came rushing to close quarters like
warriors in battle ! And thanks to their breadth and bulk
one could not help hitting them. Why, even as they lie
dead there," cried he, " they look finer than those poor
walled-up creatures when alive! But you," he added,
" could not your fathers let you go out to hunt too? "
" Gladly enough," answered they, " if only the king gave
the order." 12. "Well," said Cyrus, "who will speak
to Astyages for us? " " Why," answered they, " who so
fit to persuade him as yourself? " " No, by all that's
holy, not I! " cried Cyrus. " I cannot think what has
come over me: I cannot speak to my grandfather any
more; I cannot look him straight in the face. If this fit
grows on me, I am afraid I shall become no better than
an idiot. And yet, when I was a little boy, they tell me,
I was sharp enough at talking." To which the other lads
retorted, " Well, it is a bad business altogether: and if
you cannot bestir yourself for your friends, if you can do

2 2 The Education of Cyrus

C. 4 nothing for us in our need^ we must turn elsewhere."
13. When Cyrus heard that he was stung to the quick:
he went away in silence and urged himself to put on a
bold face^ and so went in to his grandfather, not, however,
without planning first how he could best bring in the
matter. Accordingly he began thus: "Tell me, grand-
father/' said he, " if one of your slaves were to run away
and you caught him, what would you do to him? "
" What else should I do," the old man answered, " but
clap irons on him and set him to work in chains ? " " But
if he came back of his own accord, how would you treat
him then? " " Why, I would give him a whipping, as a
warning not to do it again, and then treat him as though
nothing had happened." "It is high time then," said
the boy, " that you began getting a birch ready for your
grandson: for I am planning to take my comrades and
run away on a hunting expedition." " Very kind of you
to tell me, beforehand," said Astyages. " And now
listen, I forbid you to set foot outside the palace grounds.
A pretty thing," he added, " if for the sake of a day's hunt-
ing I should let my daughter's lamb get lost." 14. So
Qtus did as he was ordered and stayed at home, but he
spent his days in silence and his brow was clouded. At
last Astyages saw how bitterly the lad felt it, and he made
up his mind to please him by leading out a hunting-party
himself. He held a great muster of horse and foot, and the
other lads were not forgotten: he had the beasts driven
down into the flat country where the horses could be taken
easily, and then the hunt began in splendid style. After
the royal fashion — for he was present in person himself —
he gave orders that no one was to shoot until C}tus had
hunted to his heart's content. But Cyrus would not hear
of any such hindrance to the others: "Grandfather,"
he cried, " if you wish me to enjoy myself, let my friends
hunt with me and each of us try our best." 15. There-
upon Astyages let them all go, while he stood still and
watched the sight, and saw how they raced to attack the
quarry and how their ambition burned within them as
they followed up the chase and let fly their javelins. But

Book I. The Boyhood of Cyrus 23

above all he was overjoyed to see how his grandson could C. 4
not keep silence for sheer delight, calling upon his fellows
by name whenever he came up with the quarry, like a
noble young hound, baying from pure excitement. It
gladdened the old man's heart to hear how gleefully the
boy would laugh at one of his comrades and how eagerly he
would applaud another without the slightest touch of
jealousy. At length it was time to turn, and home they
went, laden with their mighty trophies. And ever after-
wards, so well pleased was the king with the day's hunting,
that whenever it was possible, out he must go with his
grandson, all his train behind him, and he never failed to
take the boys also, " to please Cyrus." Thus did Cyrus
spend his early life, sharing in and helping towards the
happiness of all, and bringing no sorrow to any man.

16. But when he was about fifteen years of age, it
chanced that the young Prince of Assyria, who was about
to marry a wife, planned a hunting-party of his own, in
honour of the bridal. And, having heard that on the
frontiers of Assyria and Media there was much game to
be got, untouched and unmolested because of the war, the
prince chose these marches for his hunting-ground. But
for safety sake he took with him a large escort of cavalry
and targeteers, who were to drive the beasts down from
their lairs into the cultivated levels below where it was
easy to ride. He set out to the place where the Assyrian
outposts were planted and a garrison on duty, and there
he and his men prepared to take their supper, intending to
begin the hunt with the morrow's dawn. 17. And as
evening had fallen, it happened that the night-watch, a
considerable body of horse and foot, arrived from the
city to relieve the garrison on guard. Thus the prince
found that he had something like a large army at his call :
the two garrisons as well as the troop of horse and foot
for the hunt. And then he asked himself whether it would
not be the best of plans to drive off booty from the country
of the Medes ? In this way more lustre would be given to
the chase, and there would be great store of beasts for
sacrifice. With this intent he rose betimes and led his

2 4 The Education of Cyrus

C. 4 army out: the foot soldiers he massed together on the
frontier, while he himself, at the head of his cavalry, rode
up to the border fortresses of the Medes. Here he halted
with the strongest and largest part of his company, to
prevent the garrisons from sallying out, and meanwhile he
sent picked men forward by detachments with orders to
raid the country in every direction, waylay everything
they chanced upon, and drive the spoil back to him.

i8. While this was going on newslwas brought to
Astyages that the enemy was across' the border, and he
hastened to the rescue at once, himself at the head of his
own body-guard, and his son with such troopers as were
ready to hand, leaving word for others to follow with all
despatch. But when they were in sight of the Assyrians,
and saw their serried ranks, horse and foot, drawn up in
order, compact and motionless, they came to a halt them-
selves, ig. Now Cyrus, seeing that all the rest of the world
was off to the rescue, boot and saddle, must needs ride out
too, and so put on his armour for the first time, and could
scarcely believe it was true, he had longed so often and so
ardently to wear it all. And right beautiful it was, and
right well it fitted the lad, the armour that his grandsire
had had made for him. So he put on the whole accoutre-
ment, mounted his charger, and galloped to the front. And
Astyages, though he wondered who had sent the boy, bade
him stay beside him, now that he had come. Cyrus, as he
looked at the horsemen facing them, turned to his grand-
father with the question, " Can those men yonder be our
enemies, grandfather, those who are standing so quietly
beside their horses? " " Enemies they are for all that,"
said the king. " And are those enemies too? " the boy
asked, " those who are riding over there? " " Yes, to be
sure." " Well, grandfather," said the lad, " a sorry set
they look, and sorry jades they ride to ravage our lands !
It would be well for some of us to charge them ! " " Not
yet, my boy," answered his grandfather, " look at the mass
of horsemen here. If we were to charge the others now,
these friends of theirs would charge us, for our full strength
is not yet on the field." " Yes, but," suggested the boy,

Book I. The Boyhood of Cyrus 25

" if you stay here yourself, ready to receive our supporters, C. 4
these fellows will be afraid to stir either, and the cattle-
lifters will drop their booty quick enough, as soon as they
find they are attacked."

20. Astyages felt there was much in what the boy
said, and thinking all the while what wonderful sense he
showed and how wide-awake he was, gave orders for his
son to take a squadron of horse and charge the raiders.
" If the main body move to attack," he added, " I will
charge myself and give them enough to do here." Accord-
ingly Cyaxares took a detachment of horse and galloped
to the field. Cyrus seeing the charge, darted forward him-
self, and swept to the van, leading it with Cyaxares close
at his heels and the rest close behind them. As soon as the
plunderers saw them, they left their booty and took to
flight. 21. The troopers, with Cyrus at their head, dashed
in to cut them off, and some they overtook at once and
hewed down then and there ; others slipped past, and then
they followed in hot pursuit, and caught some of them too.
And Cyrus was ever in the front, like a young hound, un-
trained as yet but bred from a gallant stock, charging a
wild-boar recklessly: forward he swept, without eyes or
thought for anything but the quarry to be captured and the
blow to be struck. But when the Assyrian army saw their
friends in trouble they pushed forward, rank on rank, say-
ing to themselves the pursuit would stop when their own
movement was seen. 22. But Cjttus never slackened his
pace a whit: in a transport of joy he called on his uncle by
name as he pressed forward, hanging hot-foot on the fugi-
tives, while Cyaxares still clung to his heels, thinking
maybe what his father Astyages would say if he hung back,
and the others still followed close behind them, even the
faint-hearted changed into heroes for the nonce.

Now Astyages, watching their furious onslaught, and
seeing the enemy move steadily forward in close array to
meet them, decided to advance without a moment's delay
himself, for fear that his son and Cyrus might come to
harm, crashing in disorder against the solid battalions of
the foe. 23. The Assyrians saw the movement of the king

26 The Education of Cyrus

4 and came to a halt, spears levelled and bows bent, expect-
ing that^ when their assailants came within range, they
would halt likewise as they had usually done before. For
hitherto, whenever the armies met, they would only charge
up to a certain distance, and there take flying shots, and
so keep up the skirmish until evening fell. But now the
Assyrians saw their own men borne down on them in rout,
with Cyrus and his comrades at their heels in full career,
while Astyages and his cavalry were already within bow-
shot. It was more than they could face, and they turned
and fled. After them swept the Medes in full pursuit, and
those they caught they mowed down, horse and man, and
those that fell they slew. There was no pause until they
came up with the Assyrian foot. 24. Here at last they
drew rein in fear of some hidden ambuscade, and Astyages
led his army ofT. The exploit of his cavalry pleased him
beyond measure, but he did not know what he could say
to Cyrus. It was he to whom the engagement was due,
and the victory; but the boy's daring was on the verge of
madness. Even during the return home his behaviour
was strange: he could not forbear riding round alone to
look into the faces of the slain, and those whose duty it was
could hardly drag him away to lead him to Astyages:
indeed, the youth was glad enough to keep them as a
screen between himself and the king, for he saw that the
countenance of his grandfather grew stem at the sight
of him.

25. So matters passed in Media: and more and more the
name of Cyrus was on the lip of every man, in song and
story everywhere, and Astyages, who had always loved
him, was astonished beyond all measure at the lad. Mean-
while his father, Cambyses, rejoiced to hear such tidings of
his son; but, when he heard that he was already acting
like a man of years, he thought it full time to call him
home again that he might complete his training in the
discipline of his fatherland. The story tells how Cyrus
answered the summons, saying he would rather return
home at once so that his father might not be vexed or his
country blame him. And Astyages, too, thought it his

Book I. The Boyhood of Cyrus 27

plain duty to send the boy back, but he must needs give C. 4
him horses to take with him, as many as he would care to
choose, and other gifts beside, not only for the love he bore
him but for the high hopes he had that the boy would one
day prove a man of mark, a blessing to his friends, and a
terror to his foes. And when the time came for Cyrus to
go, the whole world poured out to speed him on his
journey — little children and lads of his own age, and grown
men and greybeards on their steeds, and Astyages the
king. And, so says the chronicle, the eyes of none were
dry when they turned home again. 26. Cyrus himself,
they tell us, rode away in tears. He heaped gifts on all his
comrades, sharing with them what Astyages had given to
himself; and at last he took ofE the splendid Median cloak
he wore and gave it to one of them, to tell him, plainer
than words could say, how his heart clung to him above
the rest. And his friends, they say, took the gifts he gave
them, but they brought them all back to Astyages, who
sent them to Cyrus again. But once more Cyrus sent them
back to Media with this prayer to his grandfather: — " If
you would have me hold up my head when I come back to
you again, let my friends keep the gifts I gave them."
And Astyages did as the boy asked.

27. And here, if a tale of boyish love is not out of place,
we might tell how, when Cyrus was just about to depart
and the last good-byes were being said, each of his kinsmen
in the Persian fashion — and to this day the custom holds
in Persia — kissed him on the lips as they bade him god-
speed. Now there was a certain Mede, as beautiful and
brave a man as ever lived, who had been enamoured of
Cyrus for many a long day, and, when he saw the kiss, he
stayed behind, and after the others had withdrawn he
went up to Cyrus and said, " Me, and me alone, of all your
kindred, Cyrus, you refuse to recognise?" And Cyrus
answered, " What, are you my kinsman, too? " " Yes,
assuredly," the other answered, and the lad rejoined,
" Ah, then, that is why you looked at me so earnestly;
and I have seen you look at me like that, I think, more
than once before." " Yes," answered the Mede, " I

28 The Education of Cyrus

C. 4 have often longed to approach you, but as often, heaven
knows, my heart failed me." '' But why should that be,"
said C\"Tus. " seeing you are my kinsman? " And with
the word, he leant forward and kissed him on the lips.
28. Then the Mede. emboldened by the loss, took heart
and said. " So in Persia it is really the custom for relatives
to kiss? " " Truly yes," answered C>tus, '" when we see
each other after a long absence, or when we part for a jour-
ney." " Then the time has come," said the other, " to
give me a second kiss, for I must leave you now." With
that C>TU5 kissed him again and so they parted. But the
travellers were not far on their way when suddenly the
Mede came galloping after them, his charger covered
with foam. C\tus caught sight of him: — "You have
forgotten something? There is something else you
wanted to say? " " Xo.'" said the Mede, " it is only such
a long, long while since we met." " Such a Uttle, httle
while you mean, my kinsman," answered C\tus. '" A
little while! " repeated the other. " How can you say
that? Cannot you understand that the time it takes to
wink is a whole etemit\- if it severs me from the beauty
of your face? "

Then C^tus burst out laughing in spite of his own
tears, and bade the unfortunate man take heart of grace
and be gone. " I shall soon be back \sith you again, and
then you can stare at me to your heart's content, and never
wink at all."

C. ; Thus C}Tus left his grandfather's court and came
home to Persia, and there, so it is said, he spent one year
more as a boy ajnong the boys. At first the lads were dis-
posed to laugh at him, thinkinghe must have leamt luxurious
ways in Media, but when they saw that he could take the
simple Persian food as happily as themselves, and how,
whenever they made good cheer at a festival, far from
asking for any more himself he was ready to give his own
share of the dainties away, when they saw and felt in this
and in other things his inborn nobleness and superiority
to themselves, then the tide turned and once more they
were at his feet.

Book I. The Young General 29

And when this part of his training was over, and the C.
time was come for him to join the younger men, it was the
same tale once more. Once more he outdid all his fellows,
alike in the fulfilment of his dut%-, in the endurance of
hardship, in the reverence he showed to age, and the
obedience he paid to authority.

2. Now in the fullness of time Ast\-ages died in Media,
and Cyaxares his son, the brother of C\"tus" mother, took
the kingdom in his stead. By this time the king of Ass\Tia
had subdued all the tribes of S\Tia, subjugated the king of
Arabia, brought the H\Tcanians under his rule, and was
holding the Bactrians in siege. Therefore he came to
think that, if he could but weaken the power of the Medes,
it would be easy for him to extend his empire over all the
nations round him, since the Medes were, without doubt,
the strongest of them all. 3. Accordingly he sent his
messengers to every part of his dominions: to Croesus,
king of Lydia, to the king of Cappadocia, to both the
Phr^-gias, to the Paphlagonians and the Indians, to the
Carians and the Cilicians. And he bade them spread
slanders abroad against the Persians and the Medes, and
say moreover that these were great and might%- kingdoms
which had come together and made aUiance by marriage
with one another, and unless a man should be beforehand
with them and bring down their power it could not be but
that they would fall on each of their neighbours in turn
and subdue them one by one. So the nations Listened
to the messengers and made aUiance with the king of
Ass\Tia : some were persuaded by what he said and others
were won over by gifts and gold, for the riches of the
Ass\Tian were great. 4. Now C^.'axares, the son of
Astyages. was aware of these plots and preparations,
and he made ready on his side, so far as in him lay. sending
word to the Persian state and to Cambyses the king, who
had his sister to wife. And he sent to C\tus also, begging
him to come with all speed at the head of any force that
might be furnished, if so be the GDundl of Persia would
give him men-at-arms. For by this time C^tus had
accompUshed his ten years among the youths and was

3© The Education of Cyrus

5 now enrolled with the grown men. 5. He was right will-
ing to go, and the Council of Elders appointed him to
command the force for Media. They bade him choose
two hundred men among the Peers, each of them to choose
four others from their fellows. Thus was formed a body
of a thousand Peers : and each of the thousand had orders
to raise thirty men from the commons — ten targeteers,
ten slingers, and ten archers — and thus three regiments
were levied, 10,000 archers, 10,000 slingers, and 10,000
targeteers, over and above the thousand Peers. The
whole force was to be put under the command of Cyrus.
6. As soon as he was appointed, his first act had been to
offer sacrifice, and when the omens were favourable he had
chosen his two hundred Peers, and each of them had
chosen their four comrades. Then he called the whole
body together, and for the first time spoke to them as
follows : —

7. " My friends, I have chosen you for this work, but
this is not the first time that I have formed my opinion
of your worth: from my boyhood I have watched your
zeal for all that our country holds to be honourable and
your abhorrence for all that she counts base. And I wish
to tell you plainly why I have accepted this office myself
and why I ask your help. 8. I have long felt sure that
our forefathers were in their time as good men as we.
For their lives were one long effort towards the self-same
deeds of valour as are held in honour now: and still, for
all their worth, I fail to see what good they gained either
for the state or for themselves. 9. Yet I cannot bring
myself to believe that there is a single virtue practised
among mankind merely in order that the brave and good
should fare no better than the base ones of the earth.
Men do not forego the pleasures of the moment to say
good-bye to all joy for evermore — no, this self-control is
a training, so that we may reap the fruits of a larger joy
in the time to come. A man will toil day and night to
make himself an orator, yet oratory is not the one aim of
his existence : his hope is to influence men by his eloquence
and thus achieve some noble end. So too with us, and

Book I. The Young General 3 i

those like us, who are drilled in the arts of war: we do
not give our labours in order to fight for ever, endlessly
and hopelessly, we hope that we too one day, when we
have proved our mettle, may win and wear for ourselves
and for our city the threefold ornament of wealth, of
happiness, of honour. 10. And if there should be some
who have worked hard all their lives and suddenly old-
age, they find, has stolen on them unawares, and taken
away their powers before they have gathered in the fruit
of all their toil, such men seem to me like those who desire
to be thrifty husbandmen, and who sow well and plant
wisely, but when the time of harvest comes let the fruit
drop back ungarnered into the soil whence it sprang. Or
as if an athlete should train himself and reach the heights
where victory may be won and at the last forbear to enter
the lists — such an one, I take it, would but meet his deserts
if all men cried out upon him for a fool. 11. Let not such
be our fate, my friends. Our own hearts bear us witness
that we, too, from our boyhood up, have been trained in
the school of beauty and nobleness and honour, and now
let us go forward to meet our foes. They, I know right
well, when matched with us, will prove but novices in war.
He is no true warrior, though he be skilled with the javelin
and the bow and ride on horseback with the best, who,
when the call for endurance comes, is found to fail: toil
finds him. but a novice. Nor are they warriors who, when
they should wake and watch, give way to slumber: sleep
finds them novices. Even endurance will not avail, if a
man has not learnt to deal as a man should by friends and
foes : such a one is unschooled in the highest part of his
calling. 12. But with you it is not so: to you the night
will be as the day ; toil, your school has taught you, is the
guide to happiness ; hunger has been your daily condiment,
and water you take to quench your thirst as the lion laps
the stream. And you have that within your hearts which
is the rarest of all treasures and the most akin to war : of
all sweet sounds the sweetest sound for you is the voice of
fame. You are fair Honour's suitors, and you must needs
win your title to her favour. Therefore you undergo
toil and danger gladly.

32 The Education of Cyrus

C. 5 " 13. Now if I said all this of yoU; and my heart were not
in my words, I should but cheat myself. For in so far as
you should fail to fulfil my hopes of you, it is on me that
the shame would fall. But I have faith in you, bred of
experience: I trust in your goodwill towards me, and in
our enemy's lack of wit; you will not belie my hopes.
Let us go forth with a light heart ; we have no ill-fame to
fear: none can say we covet another man's goods unlaw-
fully. Our enemy strikes the first blow in an unrighteous
cause, and our friends call us to protect them. What is
more lawful than self-defence? What is nobler than to
succour those we love ? 14. And you have another ground
of confidence — in opening this campaign I have not been
forgetful of the gods : you have gone in and out with me,
and you know how in all things, great and small, I strive
to win their blessing. And now," he added, " what
need of further words? I will leave you now to choose
your own men, and when all is ready you will march into
Media at their head. Meanwhile I will return to my
father and start before you, so that I may learn what I
can about the enemy as soon as may be, and thus make all
needful preparations, so that by God's help we may win
glory on the field."

C. 6 Such were his orders and they set about them at once.
But Cyrus himself went home and prayed to the gods of
his father's house, to Hestia and Zeus, and to all who had
watched over his race. And when he had done so, he set
out for the war, and his father went with him on the road.
They were no sooner clear of the city, so says the story,
than they met with favourable omens of thunder and
lightning, and after that they went forward without further
divination, for they felt that no man could mistake the
signs from the Ruler of the gods. 2. And as they went on
their way Cyrus' father said to him, " My son, the gods are
gracious to us, and look with favour on your journey —
they have shown it in the sacrifices, and by their signs
from heaven. You do not need another man to tell you
so, for I was careful to have you taught this art, so that
you might understand the counsels of the gods yourself

Book I. The Young General 33

and have no need of an interpreter, seeing with your own C. 6
eyes and hearing with your own ears and taking the
heavenly meaning for yourself. Thus you need not be at
the mercy of any soothsayers who might have a mind to
deceive you, speaking contrarv^ to the omens vouchsafed
from heaven, nor yet, should you chance to be without a
seer, drift in perplexity and know not how to profit by the
heavenly signs: you yourself through your own learning
can understand the warnings of the gods and follow them."
3. " Yes, father," answered C}tus, " so far as in me lies, I
bear your words in mind, and pray to the gods continually
that they may show us favour and vouchsafe to counsel us.
I remember," he went on, " how once I heard you say that,
as with men, so with the gods, it was but natural if the
prayer of him should prevail who did not turn to flatter
them only in time of need, but was mindful of them above
all in the heyday of his happiness. It was thus indeed,
you said, that we ought to deal with our earthly friends."
4. " True, my son," said his father, " and because of all my
teaching, you can now approach the gods in prayer with a
lighter heart and a more confident hope that they will
grant you what you ask, because your conscience bears
you witness that you have never forgotten them." " Even
so," said Cyrus, " and in truth I feel towards them as
though they were my friends." 5. " And do you remem-
ber," asked his father, " certain other conclusions on
which we were agreed? How we felt there were certain
things that the gods had permitted us to attain through
learning and study and training? The accomplishment
of these is the reward of effort, not of idleness ; in these it
is only when we have done all that it is our duty to do that
we are justified in asking for blessings from the gods."
6. " I remember very well," said Cyrus, " that you used
to talk to me in that way: and indeed I could not but
agree with the arguments you gave. You used to say
that a man had no right to pray he might win a cavalry
charge if he had never learnt to ride, or triumph over
master-bowmen if he could not draw a bow, or bring a
ship safe home to harbour if he did not know how to steer,

c

34 The Education of Cyrus

6 or be rewarded with a plenteous harvest if he had not so
much as sown grain into the ground, or come home safe
from battle if he took no precautions whatsoever. All
such prayers as these, you said, were contrary to the very
ordinances of heaven, and those who asked for things for-
bidden could not be surprised if they failed to win them
from the gods. Even as a petition in the face of law on
earth would have no success with men."

7. " And do you remember," said his father, " how we
thought that it would be a noble work enough if a man
could train himself really and truly to be beautiful and
brave and earn all he needed for his household and him-
self? That, we said, was a work of which a man might
well be proud ; but if he went further still, if he had the
skill and the science to be the guide and governor of other
men, supplying all their wants and making them all they
ought to be, that, it seemed to us, would be indeed a mar-
vel." 8. " Yes, my father," answered Cyrus, " I remem-
ber it very well. I agreed with you that to rule well and
nobly was the greatest of all works, and I am of the same
mind still," he went on, " whenever I think of government
in itself. But when I look on the world at large, when I
see of what poor stuff those men are made who contrive
to uphold their rule and what sort of antagonists we are
likely to find in them, then I can only feel how disgraceful
it would be to cringe before them and not face them myself
and try conclusions with them on the field. All of them,
I perceive," he added, " beginning with our own friends
here, hold to it that the ruler should only differ from his
subjects by the splendour of his banquets, the wealth of
gold in his coffers, the length and depth of his slumbers,
and his freedom from trouble and pain. But my views
are different : I hold that the ruler should be marked out
from other men, not by taking Hfe easily, but by his fore-
thought and his wisdom and his eagerness for work."
9. " True, my son," the father answered, " but you know
the struggle must in part be waged not against flesh and
blood but against circumstances, and these may not be
overcome so easily. You know, I take it, that if supplies

Book I. The Young General 35

were not forthcomings farewell to this government of C. 6
yours." " Yes," Cyrus answered, " and that is why
Cyaxares is undertaking to provdde for all of us who join
him, whatever our numbers are." " So," said the father,
" and you really mean, my son, that you are relying only
on these supplies of Cyaxares for this campaign of yours ? "
" Yes," answered Cyrus. " And do you know what they
amount to.'' " " No," he said, " I cannot say that I do."
" And yet," his father went on, " you are prepared to rely
on what you do not know? Do you forget that the needs
of the morrow must be high, not to speak of the outlay for
the day? " " Oh, no," said C\tus, " I am well aware of
that." " Well," said the father, " suppose the cost is
more than Cyaxares can bear, or suppose he actually
meant to deceive you, how would your soldiers fare? "
" 111 enough, no doubt," answered he. " And now tell me,
father, while we are still in friendly country, if you know
of any resources that I could make my own ? " lo. " You
want to know where you could find resources of your
own ? " repeated his father. " And who is to find that out,
if not he who holds the keys of power? We have given
you a force of infantry' that you would not exchange, I
feel sure, for one that was more than twice its size: and
you will have the cavalry of Media to support you, the
finest in the world. I conceive there are none of the
nations round about who will not be ready to serve you,
whether to win your favour or because they fear disaster.
These are matters you must look to carefully, in concert
with Cyaxares, so that nothing should ever fail you of
what you need, and, if only for habit's sake, you should
devise som.e means for supplying your revenue. Bear tliis
maxim in mind before all others — never put off the collec-
ting of supplies until the day of need, make the season of
your abundance provide against the time of dearth.
You will gain better terms from those on whom you
must depend if you are not thought to be in straits, and,
what is more, you will be free from blame in the eyes of
}'-our soldiers. That in itself will make you more respected ;
wherever you desire to help or to hurt, your troops will

36 The Education of Cyrus

C. 6 follow you with the greater readiness, so long as they
have all they need, and your words, you may be sure,
will carry the greater weight the fuller your display of
power for weal or woe."

11. " Yes, father," Cyrus said, " I feel all you say is
true, and the more because as things now stand none of my
soldiers will thank me for the pay that is promised them.
They are well aware of the terms Cyaxares has offered for
their help: but whatever they get over and above the
covenanted amount they will look upon as a free gift, and
for that they will, in all likelihood, feel most gratitude to
the giver." " True," said the father, " and really for a
man to have a force with which he could serve his friends
and take vengeance on his foes, and yet neglect the sup-
plies for it, would be as disgraceful, would it not ? as for a
farmer to hold lands and labourers and yet allow fields to
lie barren for lack of tillage."

" No such neglect," answered the son, " shall ever be
laid at my door. Through friendly lands or hostile, trust
me, in this business of supplying my troops with all they
need I will always play my part."

12. " Well, my son," the father resumed, " and do you
remember certain other points which we agreed must never
be overlooked?" "Could I forget them?" answered
Cyrus. " I remember how I came to you for money to
pay the teacher who professed to have taught me general-
ship, and you gave it me, but you asked me many ques-
tions. ' Now, my boy,' you said, ' did this teacher you
want to pay ever mention economy among the things a
general ought to understand? Soldiers, no less than
servants in a house, are dependent on supplies.' And
I was forced to tell the truth and admit that not a syllable
had been mentioned on that score. Then you asked me if
anything had been taught about health and strength, since
a true general is bound to think of these matters no less
than of tactics and strategy. And when I was forced to
say no, you asked me if he had taught me any of the arts
which give the best aid in war. Once again I had to say no
and then you asked whether he had ever taught me how to

Book I. The Young General 37

kindle enthusiasm in my men. For in every undertaking, C. 6
you said^ there was all the difference in the world between
energy and lack of spirit. I shook my head and your
examination went on: — Had this teacher laid no stress on
the need for obedience in an army^ or on the best means
of securing discipline ? 14. And finally, when it was plain
that even this had been utterly ignored, you exclaimed,
' What in the world, then, does your professor claim to
have taught you under the name of generalship ? ' To
that I could at last give a positive answer: ' He taught me
tactics.' And then you gave a little laugh and ran through
your list point by point : — ' And pray what will be the use
of tactics to an army without supplies, without health,
without discipline, without knowledge of those arts and
inventions that are of use in war.^* ' And so you made it
clear to me that tactics and manoeuvres and drill were only
a small part of all that is implied in generalship, and when
I asked you if you could teach me the rest of it you bade
me betake myself to those who stood high in repute as
great generals, and talk with them and learn from their
lips how each thing should be done. 15. So I consorted
with all I thought to be of authority in these matters. As
regards our present supplies I was persuaded that what
Cyaxares intended to provide was sufficient, and, as for
the health of the troops, I was aware that the cities where
health was valued appointed medical officers, and the
generals who cared for their soldiers took out a medical
staff ; and so when I found myself in this office I gave my
mind to the matter at once: and I flatter myself, father,"
he added, " that I shall have with me an excellent staff of
surgeons and physicians." 16. To which the father made
reply, " Well, my son, but these excellent men are, after
all, much the same as the tailors who patch torn garments.
When folk are ill, your doctors can patch them up, but
your own care for their health ought to go far deeper than
that: your prime object should be to save your men from
falling ill at all." " And pray, father," asked C>tus,
" how can I succeed in that? " " Well," answered Cam-
byses, " I presume if you are to stay long in one place you

38 The Education of Cyrus

6 will do your best to discover a healthy spot for your camp,
and if you give your mind to the matter you can hardly
fail to find it. Men, we know, are for ever discussing
what places are healthy and what are not, and their own
complexions and the state of their own bodies is the clear-
est evidence. But you will not content yourself with
choosing a site, you will remember the care you take your-
self for your own health." 17. " Well," said Cyrus, " my
first rule is to avoid over-feeding as most oppressive to the
system, and my next to work off all that enters the body :
that seems the best way to keep health and gain strength."
" My son," Cambyses answered, " these are the principles
you must apply to others." " What! " said Cyrus; " do
you think it will be possible for the soldiers to diet and
train themselves ? " " Not only possible," said the father,
" but essential. For surely an army, if it is to fulfil its
function at all, must always be engaged in hurting the foe
or helping itself. A single man is hard enough to support
in idleness, a household is harder still, an army hardest of
all. There are more mouths to be filled, less wealth to
start with, and greater waste; and therefore an army
should never be unemployed." iS. " If I take your mean-
ing," answered Cyrus, " you think an idle general as use-
less as an idle farmer. And here and nov/ I answer for the
working general, and promise on his behalf that with God's
help he will show you that his troops have all they need
and their bodies are all they ought to be. And I think,"
he added, " I know a way by which an officer might do
much towards training his men in the various branches of
war. Let him propose competitions of every kind and
offer prizes ; the standard of skill will rise, and he will soon
have a body of troops ready to his hand for any service he
requires." " Nothing could be better," answered the
father. " Do this, and you may be sure you will watch
your regiments at their manoeuvres with as much delight
as if they were a chorus in the dance."

19. " And then," continued Cyrus, " to rouse enthu-
siasm in the men, there can be nothing, I take it, like the
power of kindling hope? " " True," answered his father.

Book I. The Young General 39

" but that alone would be as though a huntsman were for C. 6
ever rousing his pack with the view-halloo. At first, of
course, the hounds will answer eagerly enough, but after
they have been cheated once or twice they will end by
refusing the call even when the quarry is really in sight.
And so it is with hope. Let a man rouse false expectations
often enough, and in the end, even when hope is at the
door, he may cry the good news in vain. Rather ought
he to refrain from speaking positively himself when he
cannot know precisely ; his agents may step in and do it in
his place; but he should reserve his own appeal for the
supreme crises of supreme danger, and not dissipate his
credit."

''By heaven, a most admirable suggestion!" cried
Cyrus, "and one much more to my mind! 20. As for
enforcing obedience, I hope I have had some little training
in that already: you began my education yourself when I
was a child by teaching me to obey you, and then you
handed me over to masters who did as you had done, and
afterwards, when we were lads, my fellows and myself,
there was nothing on which the governors laid more
stress. Our laws themselves, I think, enforce this double
lesson : — ' Rule thou and be thou ruled.' And when I come
to study the secret of it all, I seem to see that the real in-
centive to obedience lies in the praise and honour that it
wins against the discredit and the chastisement which
fall on the disobedient." 21. " That, my son," said the
father, " is the road to the obedience of compulsion. But
there is a shorter way to a nobler goal, the obedience of the
will. When the interests of mankind are at stake, they
will obey with joy the man whom they believe to be wiser
than themselves. You may prove this on all sides: you
may see how the sick man will beg the doctor to tell him
what he ought to do, how a whole ship's company will
listen to the pilot, how travellers will cling to the one who
knows the way better, as they believe, than they do them-
selves. But if men think that obedience will lead them
to disaster, then nothing, neither penalties, nor per-
suasion, nor gifts, will avail to rouse them. For no man

40 The Education of Cyrus

6 accepts a bribe to his own destruction." 22. " You
would have me understand/' said Cyrus, " that the best
way to secure obedience is to be thought wiser than those
we rule? " " Yes/' said Cambyses^ " that is my behef."

" And what is the quickest way/' asked Cyrus, " to
win that reputation? "

" None quicker, my lad, than this: wherever you wish
to seem wise, be wise. Examine as many cases as you like,
and you will find that what I say is true. If you wished to
be thought a good farmer, a good horseman, a good
physician, a good flute-player, or anything else whatever,
without really being so, just imagine what a world of
devices you would need to invent, merely to keep up the
outward show! And suppose you did get a following to
praise you and cry you up, suppose you did burden your-
self with all kinds of paraphernalia for your profession,
what would come of it all ? You succeed at first in a very
pretty piece of deception, and then by and by the test
comes, and the impostor stands revealed."

23. " But/' said Cyrus, " how can a man really and
truly attain to the wisdom that will serve his turn? "

" Well, my son, it is plain that where learning is the
road to wisdom, learn you must, as you learnt your
battalion-drill, but when it comes to matters which are not
to be leamt by mortal men, nor foreseen by mortal minds,
there you can only become wiser than others by com-
municating with the gods through the art of divination.
But, always, wherever you know that a thing ought to be
done, see that it is done, and done with care; for care, not
carelessness, is the mark of the wise man."

24. " And now," said Cyrus, " to win the affection of
those we rule — and there is nothing, I take it, of greater
importance — surely the path to follow lies open to all who
desire the love of their friends. We must, I mean, show
that we do them good." " Yes, my child, but to do good
really at all seasons to those we wish to help is not always
possible : only one way is ever open, and that is the way of
sympathy; to rejoice with the happy in the day of good
things, to share their sorrow when ill befalls them, to lend

Book I. The Young General 41

a hand in all their difficulties, to fear disaster for them, C,
and guard against it by foresight — these, rather than actual
benefits, are the true signs of comradeship. 25. And so in
war: if the campaign is in summer the general must show
himself greedy for his share of the sun and the heat, and in
winter for the cold and the frost, and in all labours for toil
and fatigue. This will help to make him beloved of his
followers." " You mean, father," said Cyrus, " that a
commander should always be stouter-hearted in every-
thing than those whom he commands." " Yes, my son,
that is my meaning," said hej " only be well assured of
this: the princely leader and the private soldier may be
alike in body, but their sufferings are not the same: the
pains of the leader are always lightened by the glor^' that
is his and by the very consciousness that all his acts are
done in the public eye."

26, " But now, father, suppose the time has come, and
you are satisfied that your troops are well supplied, sound
in wind and limb, well able to endure fatigue, skilled in
the arts of war, covetous of honour, eager to show their
mettle, anxious to follow, would you not think it well
to try the chance of battle without delay? " " By all
means," said the father, " if you are likely to gain by the
move : but if not, for my own part, the more I felt per-
suaded of my own superiority and the power of my troops,
the more I should be inclined to stand on my guard, just
as we put our greatest treasures in the safest place v,e
have." 27. " But how can a man make sure that he will
gain? " " Ah, there you come," said the father, " to a
most weighty matter. This is no easy task, I can tell you.
If your general is to succeed he must prove himself an
arch-plotter, a king of craft, full of deceits and stratagems,
a cheat, a thief, and a robber, defrauding and over-reaching
his opponent at every turn."

" Heavens! " said C}Tus, and burst out laughing, " is
this the kind of man you want your son to be ! " "I want
him to be," said the father, " as just and upright and law-
abiding as any man who ever lived." 28.^ " But how comes
it," said his son, " that the lessons you taught us in boy-

42 The Education of Cyrus

C, 6 hood and youth were exactly opposed to what you teach
me now? " " Ah," said the father, " those lessons were
for friends and fellow-citizens, and for them they still hold
good, but for your enemies— do you not remember that
you were also taught to do much harm? "

" No, father," he answered, " I should sav certainly
not."

" Then why were you taught to shoot? Or to hurl the
javelin ? Or to trap wild-boars ? Or to snare stags with
cords and caltrops? And why did you never meet the
lion or the bear or the leopard in fair fight on equal terms,
but were always trying to steal some advantage over them ?
Can you deny that all that was craft and deceit and fraud
and greed? "

29. " Why, of course," answered the young man, " in
dealing with animals, but with human beings it was differ-
ent ; if I was ever suspected of a wish to cheat another, I
was punished, I know, with many stripes."

" True," said the father, " and for the matter of that we
did not permit you to draw bow or hurl javelin against
human beings; we taught 3^ou merely to aim at a mark.
But why did we teach you that ? Not so that you might
injure your friends, either then or now, but that in war you
might have the skill to make the bodies of living men your
targets. So also we taught you the arts of deceit and
craft and greed and covetousness, not among men it is
true, but among beasts; we did not mean you ever to
turn these accomplishments against your friends, but in
war we wished you to be something better than raw
recruits."

30. " But, father," C)^rus answered, " if to do men good
and to do men harm were both of them things we ought to
learn, surely it would have been better to teach them in
actual practice? "

31. Then the father said, " My son, we are told that in
the days of our forefathers there was such a teacher once.
This man did actually teach his boys righteousness in the
way you suggest, to lie and not to lie, to cheat and not to
cheat, to calumniate and not to calumniate, to be grasping

Book I. The Young General 43

and not grasping. He drew the distinction between our C. 6
duty to friends and our duty to enemies ; and he went fur-
ther still; he taught men that it was just and right to
deceive even a friend for his own good, or steal his pro-
perty. 32. And with this he must needs teach his pupils
to practise on one another what he taught them, just as
the people of Hellas, we are told, teach lads in the wrest-
ling-school to fence and to feint, and train them by their
practice with one another. Now some of his scholars
showed such excellent aptitudes for deception and over-
reaching, and perhaps no lack of taste for common money-
making, that they did not even spare their friends, but
used their arts on them. 33. And so an unwritten law-
was framed by which we still abide, bidding us teach our
children as we teach our servants, simply and solely not
to lie, and not to cheat, and not to covet, and if they did
otherwise to punish them, hoping to make them humane
and law-abiding citizens. 34. But when they came to
manhood, as you have come, then, it seemed, the risk
was over, and it would be time to teach them what is
lawful against our enemies. For at your age we do not
believe you will break out into savagen,- against your
fellows with whom you have been knit together since
childhood in ties of friendship and respect. In the same
way we do not talk to the young about the mysteries of
love, for if lightness were added to desire, their passion
might sweep them beyond all bounds."

35. " Then in heaven's name, father,'" said Cyrus,
" remember that your son is but a backward scholar and a
late learner in this lore of selfishness, and teach me all you
can that may help me to overreach the foe."

" Well," said the father, " you must plot and you must
plan, whatever the size of his force and your ov/n, to catch
his men in disorder when yours are all arrayed, unarmed
when yours are armed, asleep when yours are awake, or
you must wait till he is \asible to you and you invisible
to him, or till he is labouring over heavy ground and
you are in your fortress and can give him welcome
there."

44 The Education of Cyrus

6 36. But how/' asked Cyrus, " can I catch him in all
these blunders? "

" Simply because both you and he are bound to be often
in some such case ; both of you must take your meals some-
time ; both of you must sleep ; your men must scatter in
the morning to satisfy the needs of nature, and, for better
for worse, whatever the roads are like, you will be forced
to make use of them. All these necessities you must lay
to heart, and wherever you are the weaker, there you must
be most on your guard, and wherever your foe is most
assailable, there you must press the attack."

37. Then Cyrus asked, " And are these the only cases
where one can apply the great principle of greed, or are
there others ? "

" Oh, 3^es, there are many more; indeed in these simple
cases any general will be sure to keep good watch, knowing
how necessary it is. But your true cheat and prince of
swindlers is he who can lure the enemy on and throw him
off his guard, suffer himself to be pursued and get the
pursuers into disorder, lead the foe into difficult ground
and then attack him there. 38. Indeed, as an ardent
student, you must not confine yourself to the lessons you
have learnt; you must show yourself a creator and dis-
coverer, you must invent stratagems against the foe; just
as a real musician is not content with the mere elements
of his art, but sets himself to compose new themes. And
if in music it is the novel melody, the flower-like freshness,
that wins popularity, still more in military matters it is
the newest contrivance that stands the highest, for the
simple reason that such will give you the best chance of
outwitting your opponent. 39. And yet, my son, I must
say that if you did no more than apply against human
beings the devices you learnt to use against the smallest
game, you would have made considerable progress in this
art of overreaching. Do you not think so yourself?
Why, to snare birds you would get up by night in the
depth of winter and tramp off in the cold ; your nets were
laid before the creatures were astir, and your tracks com-
pletely covered and you actually had birds of your own.

Book I. The Young General 45

trained to serve you and decoy their kith and kin, while C. 6
your yourself lay in some hiding-place, seeing yet unseen,
and you had learnt by long practice to jerk in the net before
the birds could fly away. 40. Or you might be out after
hares, and for a hare you had two breeds of dogs, one to
track her out by scent, because she feeds in the dusk and
takes to her form by day, and another to cut off her escape
and run her down, because she is so swift. And even if she
escaped these, she did not escape you ; you had all her runs
by heart and knew all her hiding-places, and there you
would spread your nets, so that they were scarcely to be
seen, and the very haste of her flight would fling her into
the snare. And to make sure of her you had men placed
on the spot to keep a look-out, and pounce on her at once.
And there were you at her heels, shouting and scaring her
out of her wits, so that she was caught from sheer terror,
and there lay your men, as you had taught them, silent
and motionless in their ambuscade. 41 . I say, therefore,
that if you chose to act like this against human beings, you
would soon have no enemies left to fight, or I am much
mistaken. And even if, as well may be, the necessity
should arise for you to do battle on equal terms in open
field, even so, my son, there will still be power in those
arts which you have studied so long and which teach you
to out-villain villainy. And among them I include all
that has served to train the bodies and fire the courage of
your men, all that has made them adepts in evers^ craft of
war. One thing you must ever bear in mind : if you wish
your men to follow you, remember that they expect you
to plan for them. 42. Hence you must never know a
careless mood : if it be night, you must consider what your
troops shall do when it is day ; if day, how the night had
best be spent. 43. For the rest, you do not need me to
tell you now how you should draw up your troops or con-
duct your march by day or night, along broad roads or
narrow lanes, over hills or level ground, or how you should
encamp and post your pickets, or advance into battle or
retreat before the foe, or march past a hostile city, or
attack a fortress or retire from it, or cross a river or pass

46 The Education of Cyrus

C. 6 through a defile, or guard against a charge of cavalry or
an attack from lancers or archers, or what you should do
if the enemy comes into sight when you are marching in
column and how you are to take up position against him,
or how deploy into action if you are in line and he takes
you in flank or rear, and how you are to learn all you can
about his movements, while keeping your own as secret as
may be; these are matters on which you need no further
words of mine ; all that I know about them you have heard
a hundred times, and I am sure you have not neglected
any other authority on whom you thought you could rely.
You know all their theories, and you must apply them
now, I take it, according to circumstances and your need.
44. But," he added, " there is one lesson that I would
fain impress on you, and it is the greatest of them all.
Observe the sacrifices and pay heed to the omens ; when
they are against you, never risk your army or yourself,
for you must remember that men undertake enterprises on
the strength of probability alone and without any real
knowledge as to what will bring them happiness. 45. You
may learn this from all life and all history. How often
have cities allowed themselves to be persuaded into war,
and that by advisers who were thought the wisest of men,
and then been utterly destroyed by those whom they
attacked! How often have statesmen helped to raise a
city or a leader to power, and then suffered the worst at
the hands of those whom they exalted! And many
who could have treated others as friends and equals,
giving and receiving kindnesses, have chosen to use
them as slaves, and then paid the penalty at their hands ;
and many, not content to enjoy their own share of
good, have been swept on by the craving to master
all, and thereby lost everything that they once possessed ;
and many have won the very wealth they prayed for
and through it have found destruction. 46. So little
does human wisdom know how to choose the best, help-
less as a man who could but draw lots to see what he
should do. But the gods, my son, who live for ever, they
know all things, the things that have been and the things

Book I. The Young General 47

that are and the things that are to be, and all that shall C. 6
come from these ; and to us mortals who ask their counsel
and whom they love they will show signs, to tell us what
we should do and what we should leave undone. Nor must
we think it strange if the gods will not vouchsafe their
wisdom to all men equally; no compulsion is laid on them
to care for men, unless it be their will."

NOTES

Book I

[This work concludes the translation of Xenophon under-
taken by Mr. Dakyns. (" The Works of Xenophon," with
maps, introductions, and notes, Vols. I. -III., Macmillan.)
From references in the earlier vols. {e.g. Vol. I. pp. Ivii.,
Ixx., xc, cxiii., cxxxi. ; Vol. III. Part I. pp. v.-vii.) it is
plain the translator considered that the historical romance
of the Cyropaedia was written in Xenophon's old age
(completed circa 365 B.C.), embodying many of his own
experiences and his maturest thoughts on education, on
government, on the type of man, — a rare type, alone fitted
for leadership. The figure of his hero, Cyrus the Great,
the founder of the Persian empire, known to him by
story and legend, is modelled on the Spartan king AgesUaiis,
whom he loved and admired, and under whom he served in
Persia and in Greece {op. cit. Vol. II., see under Agesilans,
Index, and Hellenica, Bks. III.-V. Agesilaiis, an Encomium,
passim). Certain traits also are taken from the younger C\t:us,
whom Xenophon followed in his famous march against his
brother, the Persian king, up from the coast of Asia Minor
into the heart of Babjdonia (see the A nabasis, Bk. I., especiadly
c. ix. ; op. cit. Vol. I. p. 109). Clearly, moreover, many of
the customs and institutions described in the work as Persian
are really Dorian, and were still in vogue among Xenophon's
Spartan friends (vide e.g. Hellenica, Bk. IV. i. § 28; op. cit.
Vol. II. p. 44).]

§ 4. Qy. Were these tribal customs of the Persians, as C. 2
doubtless of the Dorians, or is it all a Dorian idealisation?

§ 13. Good specimen of the " annotative " style with a
parenthetic comment. The passage in brackets might be a
gloss, but is it?

§ 3. When did Xenophon himself first learn to ride? C. 3
Surely this is a boyish reminiscence, full of sympathy with
boy-nature.

48 The Education of Cyrus

C. 3 § 12. Beautiful description of a child subject to his parents,

growing in stature and favour with God and man.
C. 4 § 2. Perhaps his own grandson, Xenophon the son of
Grylus, is the prototype, and Xenophon himself a sort of
ancient Victor Hugo in this matter of fondness for children.

§ 3. Contrast Autolycus in the} Symposium, who had,
however, reached the more silent age [e.g. Svmp., c. iii., fin.
tr. Works, Vol. III. Part I. p. 309].

§ 4. The touch about the puppy an instance of Xenophon's
KadapoTTji [clear simplicity of style].

§ 8. Reads like a biographical incident in some hunt of
Xenophon, boy or father.

§§ 9, 10. The rapidity, one topic introducing and taken up
by another, wave upon wave, Avqpidfiov -yiXairtia [" the
multitudinous laughter of the sea "].

§ 1 2. The truth of this due to sympathy (cf . Archidamus and
his father Agesilaus, Hell., V. c. iv. ; tr. Works, Vol. II. p. 126).

§ 22. Cyaxares recalls John Gilpin.

§ 24. An Hellenic trait; madness of battle-rage, jurji/ts.
Something of the fierceness of the Iliad here.
C. 5 § 7. Cyrus. His first speech as a general; a fine one; a
spirit of athleticism breathes through it. Cf. Memorabilia for
a similar rationalisation of virtiious self-restraint (e.g. Mem.,
Bk. I. c. 5, 6; Bk. III. c. 8). Paleyan somewhat, perhaps
Socratic, not devoid of common sense. What is the end and
aim of our training ? Not only for an earthly aim, but for a
high spiritual reward, all this toil.

§ 10. This is Dakyns.

§ II. "Up, Guards, and at 'em!"
C. 6 This chapter might have been a separate work appended
to the Memorabilia on Polemics or Archies [" Science of War "
and " Science of Rule "].

§§ 3-6. Sounds like some Socratic counsel: the righteous
man's conception of prayer and the part he must himself
play.

§ 7. Personal virtue and domestic economy a sufficiently
hard task, let alone that still graver task, the art of grinding
masses of men into virtue.

§ 8, fin. The false theory of ruling in vogue in Media :
the plus of ease instead of the plus of foresight and danger-
loving endurance. Cf. Walt Whitman.

§ 30. Is like the logical remark of a disputant in a Socratic
dialogue of the Alcibiades type, and §§ 31-33 a.SocTa.ticmythos
to escape from the dilemma; the breakdown of this ideal
plus and minus righteousness due to the hardness of men's
hearts and their feeble intellects.

§ 31. Who is this ancient teacher or who is his prototype

Book I. Notes 49

if he is an ideal being ? A sort of Socrates-Lycurgus ? Or is C. 6
Xenophon thinking of the Spartan Crypteia?

§ 34. For pleonexia and deceit in war, vide Hipparch., c. 5
[tr. Works, Vol. III. Part II. p. 20]. Interesting and Hellenic,
I think, the mere raising of this sort of question ; it might be
done nowadays, perhaps, with advantage or disadvantage,
less cant and more plain brutality.

§ 39. Hunting devices applied : throws light on the date of
the Cyropaedia, after the Scilluntine days, probablj'. [After
Xenophon was exiled from Athens, his Spartan friends gave
him a house and farm at Scillus, a township in the Peloponnese,
not far from Olympia. See Sketch of Xenophon' s Life, Works,
Vol. I., p. cxxvi.]

§ 41, init. Colloquial exaggerated turn of phrase ; almost
" you could wipe them off the earth."

BOOK II

Thus they talked together, and thus they journeyed on
until they reached the frontier, and there a good omen
met them: an eagle swept into view on the right, and
went before them as though to lead the way, and they
prayed the gods and heroes of the land to show them
favour and grant them safe entry, and then they crossed
the boundary. And when they were across, they prayed
once more that the gods of Media might receive them
graciously, and when they had done this they embraced
each other, as father and son will, and Cambyses turned
back to his own city, but Cyrus went forward again, to
his uncle Cyaxares in the land of Media. 2. And when
his journey was done and he was face to face with him
and they had greeted each other as kinsmen may, then
Cyaxares asked the prince how great an armament he had
brought with him ? And Cyrus answered, " I have 30,000
with me, men who have served with you before as mer-
cenaries ; and more are coming on behind, fresh troops,
from the Peers of Persia."

" How many of those? " asked Cyaxares. 3. And
Cyrus answered, " Their numbers will not please you, but
remember these Peers of ours, though they are few, find it
easy to rule the rest of the Persians, who are many. But
now," he added, " have you any need of us at all.'* Per-
haps it was only a false alarm that troubled you, and the
enemy are not advancing? "

" Indeed they are," said the other, " and in full force."

4. "How do you know?" asked Cyrus.

" Because," said he, " many deserters come to us, and
all of them, in one fashion or another, tell the same tale."

" Then we must give battle? " said Cyrus.

" Needs must," Cyaxares replied.

*' Well," answered Cyrus, " but you have not told me
50

Book II. The Persian Army 51

yet how great their power is^ or our own either. I want C.
to hear, if you can tell me, so that we may make our plans."
" Listen, then," said Cyaxares. 5. " Croesus the Lydian
is coming, we hear, with 10,000 horse and more than
40,000 archers and targeteers. Artamas the governor of
Greater Phrygia is bringing, they say, 8000 horse, and
lancers and targeteers also, 40,000 strong. Then there is
Aribaius the king of Cappadocia with 6000 horse and
30,000 archers and targeteers. And Aragdus the Arabian
with 10,000 horse, a hundred chariots, and innumerable
slingers. As for the Hellenes who dwell in Asia, it is not
clear as yet whether they will send a following or not.
But the Phrygians from the Hellespont, we are told, are
mustering in the Caystrian plain under Gabaidus, 6000
horse and 40,000 targeteers. Word has been sent to the
Carians, Cilicians, and Paphlagonians, but it is said they
will not rise ; the Lord of Assyria and Babylon will himself,
I believe, bring not less than 20,000 horse, and I make no
doubt as many as 200 chariots, and thousands upon thou-
sands of men on foot; such at least has been his custom
whenever he invaded us before."

6. Cyrus answered: " Then you reckon the numbers of
the enemy to be, in all, something like 60,000 horse and
200,000 archers and targeteers. And what do you take
your own to be? "

" Well," he answered, " we ourselves can furnish over
10,000 horse and perhaps, considering the state of the
country, a many as 60,000 archers and targeteers. And
from our neighbours, the Armenians," he added, " we
look to get 4000 horse and 20,000 foot."

" I see," said Cyrus, " you reckon our cavalry at less
than a third of the enemy's, and our infantry at less than
half."

7. " Ah," said Cyaxares, " and perhaps you feel that
the force you are bringing from Persia is very small? "

" We will consider that later on," answered Cyrus, " and
see then if we require more men or not. Tell me first the
methods of fighting that the different troops adopt."

" They are much the same for all," answered Cyaxares,

52 The Education of Cyrus

" that is to say, their men and ours ahke are armed with
bows and javelins."

" Well/' replied Cyrus, " if such arms are used, skirmish-
ing at long range must be the order of the day." " True,"
said the other. 8. " And in that case," went on €50118,
" the victory is in the hands of the larger force; for even if
the same numbers fall on either side, the few would be
exhausted long before the many." " If that be so," cried
Cyaxares, " there is nothing left for us but to send to
Persia, and make them see that if disaster falls on Media it
will fall on Persia next, and beg them for a larger force."
" Ah, but," said Cyrus, " you must remember that even if
every single Persian were to come at once, we could not
outnumber our enemies." 9. " But," said the other, " can
you see anything else to be done?" "For my part,"
answered Cyrus, " if I could have my way, I would arm
every Persian who is coming here in precisely the same
fashion as our Peers at home, that is to say, with a corslet
for the breast, a shield for the left arm, and a sword or
battle-axe for the right hand. If you will give us these,
you will make it quite safe for us to close with the enemy,
and our foes will find that flight is far pleasanter than
defence. But we Persians," he added, " will deal with
those who do stand firm, leaving the fugitives to you and
to your cavalry, who must give them no time to rally and
no time to escape."

10. That was the counsel of Cyrus, and Cyaxares ap-
proved it. He thought no more of sending for a larger
force, but set about preparing the equipment he had been
asked for, and all was in readiness just about the time when
the Peers arrived from Persia at the head of their own
troops. II. Then, so says the story, C)tus called the Peers
together and spoke to them as follows: " Men of Persia,
my friends and comrades, when I looked at you first and
saw the arms you bore and how you were all on fire to meet
the enemy, hand to hand, and when I remembered that
your squires are only equipped for fighting on the outskirts
of the field, I confess my mind misgave me. Few and for-
lorn they will be, I said to myself, swallowed up in a host of

Book II. The Persian Army 53

enemies; no good can come of it. But to-day you are here, C.
and your men behind you, stalwart and stout of limb, and
to-morrow they shall have armour like our own. None
could find fault with their thews and sinews, and as for
their spirit, it is for us to see it does not fail. A leader
must not only have a stout heart himself; he must see to
it that his followers are as valiant as he."

12. Thus Cyrus spoke, and the Peers were well satisfied
at his words, feeling that on the day of battle they would
have more to help them in the struggle. 13. And one of
them said, " Perhaps it will seem strange if I ask Cyrus to
speak in our stead to our fellow-combatants when they
receive their arms, and yet I know well that the words of
him who has the greatest power for weal or woe sink
deepest into the listener's heart. His very gifts, though
they should be less than the gifts of equals, are valued
more. These new comrades of ours," he went on, " would
far rather be addressed by Cyrus himself than by us, and
now that they are to take their place among the Peers their
title will seem to them far more secure if it is given them
by the king's own son and our general-in-chief. Not that
we have not still our own duties left. We are bound to do
our best in every way to rouse the spirit of our men. Shall
we not gain ourselves by all they gain in valour? "

14. So it came about that Cyrus had the new armour
placed before him and summoned a general meeting of the
Persian soldiery, and spoke to them as follows:

15. " Men of Persia, bom and bred in the same land as
ourselves, whose limbs are as stout and strong as our own,
your hearts should be as brave. I know they are; and
yet at home in the land of our fathers you did not share
our rights ; not that we drove you out ourselves, but you
were banished by the compulsion that lay upon you to find
your hvelihood for yourselves. Now from this day for-
ward, with heaven's help, it shall be my care to pro\'ide it
for you ; and now, if so you \vill, you have it in your power
to take the armour that we wear ourselves, face the same
perils and win the same honours, if so be you make any
glorious deed your own. 16. In former days you were

54 The Education of Cyrus

trained, like ourselves, in the use of bow and javelin, and
if you were at all inferior to us in skill, that was not to be
wondered at; you had not the same leisure for practice as
we; but now in this new accoutrement we shall have no
pre-eminence at all. Each of us will wear a corslet fitted
to his breast and carry a shield on his left arm of the type
to which we are all accustomed, and in his right hand a
sabre or a battle-axe. With these we shall smite the
enemy before us, and need have no fear that we shall miss
the mark. 17. How can we differ from one another with
these arms ? There can be no difference except in daring.
And daring you may foster in your hearts as much as we
in ours. What greater right have we than you to love
victory and follow after her, victory who wins for us and
preserves to us all things that are beautiful and good?
Why should you, any more than we, be found lacking
in that power which takes the goods of weaklings and
bestows them on the strong.-* "

18. He ended: " Now you have heard all. There lie
your weapons; let him who chooses take them up and
write his name with the brigadier in the same roll as ours.
And if a man prefers to remain a mercenary, let him do so ;
he carries the arms of a servant."

19. Thus spoke Cyrus; and the Persians, every man of
them, felt they would be ashamed for the rest of their days,
and deservedly, if they drew back now, when they were
offered equal honour in return for equal toil. One and
all they inscribed their names and took up the new
arms.

20. And now in the interval, before the enemy were
actually at hand, but while rumour said they were ad-
vancing, Cyrus took on himself a three-fold task : to bring
the physical strength of his men to the highest pitch, to
teach them tactics, and to rouse their spirit for martial
deeds. 21. He asked Cyaxares for a body of assistants
whose duty it should be to provide each of his soldiers
with all they could possibly need, thus leaving the men
themselves free for the art of war. He had learnt, he
thought, that success, in whatever sphere, was only to

Book II. The Persian Army ^^

be won by refusing to attempt a multitude of tasks and C.
concentrating the mind on one.

Thus in the military training itself he gave up the
practice with bow and javelin, leaving his men to perfect
themselves in the use of sabre, shield, and corslet, accustom-
ing them from the very first to the thought that they must
close with the enemy, or confess themselves worthless as
fellow-combatants; a harsh conclusion for those who knew
that they were only protected in order to fight on behalf of
their protectors. 22. And further, being convinced that
wherever the feeling of emulation can be roused, there the
eagerness to excel is greatest, he instituted competitions
for everything in which he thought his soldiers should be
trained. The private soldier was challenged to prove him-
self prompt to obey, anxious to work, eager for danger, and
yet ever mindful of discipline, an expert in the science of
war, an artist in the conduct of his arms, and a lover of
honour in all things. The petty officer commanding a
squad of five was not only to equal the leading private, he
must also do what he could to bring his men to the same
perfection; the captain of ten must do the same for his
ten, and the company's captain for the company, while the
commander of the whole regiment, himself above re-
proach, must take the utmost care with the officers under
him so that they in their turn should see that their sub-
ordinates were perfect in all their duties. 23. For prizes,
Cyrus announced that the brigadier in command of the
finest regiment should be raised to the rank of general, the
captain of the finest company should be made a brigadier,
the captain of the finest squad of ten captain of a com-
pany, and the captain of the best five a captain of ten,
while the best soldiers from the ranks should become
captains of five themselves. Every one of these officers
had the privilege of being served by those beneath him,
and various other honours also, suited to their several
grades, while ampler hopes were offered for any nobler
exploits. 24. Finally prizes were announced to be
won by a regiment or a company or a squad taken as
a whole, by those who proved themselves most loyal to

56

The Education of Cvrus

their leaders and most zealous in the practice of their duty.
These prizes, of course, were such as to be suitable for men
taken in the mass.

Such were the orders of the Persian leader, and such the
exercises of the Persian troops. 25. For their quarters, he
arranged that a separate shelter should be assigned to every
brigadier, and that it should be lai^e enough for the whole
regiment he commanded; a r^;iment consisting of 100
men. Thus they were encamped by regiments, and in the
mere fact of conmion quarters there was this ad%£intage,
C>"rus thought, for the coming struggle, that the men saw
they were all treated alike, and therefore no one could
pretend that he was slighted, and no one sink to the con-
fession that he was a worse man than his neighbours when
it came to facing the foe. Moreover the life in common
would help the men to know each other, and it is only by
such knowledge, as a rule, that a common conscience is
engendered: those who Uve apart, xmknowing and un-
known, seem far more apt for mischief, like those who
skulk in the dark. 26. Cyrus thought the common life
would lead to the happiest results in the discipline of the
raiments. By this s}-stem aU the officers — brigadiers,
company-captains, captains of the squads — could keep
their men in as perfect order as if they were marching
before them in single file. 27. Such precision in the
ranks would do most to guard against disorder and
re-establish order if ever it were broken; just as when
timbers and stones have to be fitted together it is easy
enough to put them in place, where^"er they chance to
he, proxided only that they are marked so as to leave no
doubt where each belongs. 28. And finally, he felt, there
was the fact that those who live together are the less likely
to desert one another; even the wild animals, Cyrus knew,
who are reared together suffer terribly from loneliness
when they are severed from each other.

29. There was a further matter, to which he gave much
care; he wished no man to take his meal at morning or at
night till he had sweated for it. He would lead the men
out to himt, or invent games for them, or if there was work

Book II. The Persian Army ^y

to be done, he would so conduct it that they did not leave it C.
without sweat. He believed this regimen gave them zest
for their food, was good for their health, and increased their
powers of toil ; and the toil itself was a blessed means for
making the men more gentle towards each other; just as
horses that work together grow gentle, and will stand
quietly side by side. Moreover the knowledge of having
gone through a common training would increase tenfold
the courage with which they met the foe.

30. C}Tus had his own quarters built to hold all the
guests he might think it well to entertain, and, as a rule, he
would invite such of the brigadiers as the occasion seemed
to call for, but sometimes he would send for the company-
captains and the officers in command of the smaller squads,
and even the private soldiers were summoned to his board,
and from time to time a squad of five, or of ten, or an entire
company, or even a whole regiment, or he would give a
special invitation by way of honour to any one whom he
knew had undertaken some work he had at heart himself.
In every case there was no distinction whatever between
the meats for himself and for his guests. 31. Further he
always insisted that the army servants should share and
share alike with the soldiers in everything, for he held that
those who did such service for the army were as much to
be honoured as heralds or ambassadors. They were bound,
he said, to be loyal and intelligent, alive to all a soldier's
needs, active, swift, unhesitating, and withal cool and im-
perturbable. Nor was that all ; he was convinced that they
ought also to possess those qualities which are thought to
be peculiar to what we call " the better classes," and yet
ne\-er despise their work, but feel that everything their
commander laid upon them must be fit for them to do.

It was the constant aim of Cyrus whenever he and his C.
soldiers messed together, that the talk should be lively and
full of grace, and at the same time do the listeners good.
Thus one day he brought the conversation round to the
following theme: —

" Do you think, gentlemen," said he, " that our new
comrades appear somewhat deficient in certain respects

58 The Education of Cyrus

simply because they have not been educated in the same
fashion as ourselves? Or will they show themselves our
equals in daily life and on the field of battle when the time
comes to meet the foe? "

2. Hystaspas took up the challenge: — "What sort of
warriors they will prove I do not pretend to know, but this
I do say, in private life some of them are cross-grained
fellows enough. Only the other day," he went on,
" Cyaxares sent a present of sacrificial meat to every regi-
ment. There was flesh enough for three courses apiece or
more, and the attendant had handed round the first, begin-
ning with myself. So when he came in again, I told him
to begin at the other end of the board, and serve the com-
pany in that order. 3. But I was greeted by a yell from
the centre : one of these men who was sitting there bawled
out, ' Equality indeed ! There's not much of it here, if
we who sit in the middle are never served first at all ! ' It
nettled me that they should fancy themselves treated
worse than we, so I called him up at once and made him sit
beside me. And I am bound to say he obeyed that order
with the most exemplary alacrity. But when the dish
came round to us, we found, not unnaturally, since we were
the last to be served, that only a few scraps were left. At
this my man fell into the deepest dudgeon, and made no
attempt to conceal it, muttering to himself, ' Just like my
ill-luck ! To be invited here just now and never before ! '
4. I tried to comfort him. ' Never mind,' I said, ' pre-
sently the servant will begin again with us, and then you
will help yourself first and you can take the biggest piece.'
Just then the third course, and, as it proved, the last, came
round, and so the poor fellow took his helping, but as he
did so it struck him that the piece he had chosen first
was too small, and he put it back, meaning to pick out
another. But the carver, thinking he had changed his
mind and did not want any more, passed on to the next
man before he had time to secure his second slice. 5. At
this our friend took his loss so hard that he only made
matters worse: his third course was clean gone, and now
in his rage at his bad luck he somehow managed to overset

Book II. The Persian Army 59

the gravy, which was all that remained to him. The C. 2
captain next to us seeing how matters stood rubbed his
hands with glee and went into peals of laughter. And,"
said Hystaspas, " I took refuge in a fit of coughing myself,
for really I could not have controlled my laughter. There,
Cyrus," said he, " that is a specimen of our new comrades,
as nearly as I can draw his portrait."

6. The description, as may be guessed, was greeted with
shouts of laughter, and then another brigadier took up the
word: "Well, Cyrus," said he, "our friend here has
certainly met with an absolute boor: my own experience
is somewhat different. You remember the admonitions
you gave us when you dismissed the regiments, and how
you bade each of us instruct his own men in the lessons we
had learnt from you. Well, I, like the rest of us, went off
at once and set about instructing one of the companies
under me. I posted the captain in front with a fine young
fellow behind him, and after them the others in the order
I thought best; I took my stand facing them all, and
waited, with my eyes fixed on the captain, until I thought
the right moment had come, and then I gave the order to
advance. 7. And what must my fine fellow do but get
in front of the captain and march off ahead of the whole
troop. I cried out, ' You, sir, what are you doing? '
' Advancing as you ordered." ' I never ordered you to
advance alone,' I retorted, ' the order was given to the
whole company.' At which he turned right round and
addressed the ranks : ' Don't you hear the officer abusing
you ? The orders are for all to advance ! ' Whereupon
the rest of them marched right past their captain and up
to me. 8. Of course the captain called them back, and
they began to grumble and growl : ' Which of the two are
we to obey ? One telis us to advance, the other won't let
us move.'

" Well, I had to take the whole matter very quietly and
begin again from the beginning, posting the company as
they were, and explaining that no one in the rear was to
move until the front rank man led off : all they had to do
was to follow the man in front. 9. As I was speaking, up

6o The Education of Cyrus

came a friend of mine ; he was going off to Persia, and had
come to ask me for a letter I had written home. So I
turned to the captain who happened to know where I had
left the letter lying, and bade him fetch it for me. Off he
ran, and off ran my young fellow at his heels, breast-
plate, battle-axe, and all. The rest of the company thought
they were bound to follow suit, joined in the race, and
brought my letter back in style. That is how my com-
pany, you see, carries out your instructions to the full."

10. He paused, and the hsteners laughed to their hearts'
content, as well as they might, over the triumphant entry
of the letter under its armed escort. Then Cyrus spoke:

" Now heaven be praised! A fine set they are, these
new friends of ours, a most rare race! So grateful are
they for any little act of courtesy, you may win a hundred
hearts by a dish of meat ! And so docile, some of them,
they must needs obey an order before they have under-
stood it ! For my part I can only pray to be blest with
an army like them all."

11. Thus he joined in the mirth, but he turned the
laughter to the praise of his new recruits.

Then one of the company, a brigadier called Aglaitadas,
a somewhat sour-tempered man, turned to him and said:

" Cyrus, do you really think the tales they tell are
true?"

" Certainly," he answered, " why should they say what
is false?"

" Why," repeated the other, " simply to raise a laugh,
and make a brag like the impostors that they are."
12. But Cyrus cut him short, " Hush! hush! You must
not use such ugly names. Let me tell you whatan impostor
is. He is a man who claims to be wealthier or braver
than he is in fact, and who undertakes what he can
never carry out, and all this for the sake of gain. But
he who contrives mirth for his friends, not for his own
profit, or his hearers' loss, or to injure any man, surely, if
we must needs give him a name, we ought to call him
a man of taste and breeding and a messenger of wit."

13. Such was the defence of Cyrus in behalf of the

Book II. The Persian Army 6i

merrymakers. And the officer who had begun the jest C. 2
turned to Aglaitadas and said:

" Just think, my dear sir, if we had tried to make you
weep ! What fault you would have " found with us !
Suppose we had been like the ballad-singers and story-
tellers who put in lamentable tales in the hope of reducing
their audience to tears ! What would you have said about
us then ? Why, even now, when you know we only wish to
amuse you, not to make you suffer, you must needs hold
us up to shame."

14. "And is not the shame justified?" Aglaitadas
repUed. " The man who sets himself to make his fellows
laugh does far less for them than he who makes them weep.
If you will but think, you will admit that what I say is
true. It is through tears our fathers teach self-control
unto their sons, and our tutors sound learning to their
scholars, and the laws themselves lead the grown man
to righteousness by putting him to sit in the place of
penitence. But yo.ur mirth-makers, can you say they
benefit the body or edify the soul? Can smiles make a
man a better master or a better citizen? Can he learn
economy or statesmanship from a grin? "

15. But Hystaspas answered back:

" Take my advice, Aglaitadas, pluck up heart and
spend this precious gift of yours upon our enemies : make
them sit in the seat of the sorrowful, and fling away on us,
your friends, that vile and worthless laughter. You must
have an ample store of it in reserve : it cannot be said you
have squandered it on yourself, or ever wasted a smile on
friend or foreigner if you could help it. So you have no
excuse to be niggardly now, and cannot refuse us a
smile."

" I see," said Aglaitadas, " you are trying to get a
laugh out of me, are you not? "

But the brigadier interposed, " Then he is a fool for his
pains, my friend : one might strike fire out of you, perhaps,
but not a laugh, not a laugh."

16. At this sally all the others shouted with glee, and
even Aglaitadas could not help himself : he smiled.

62 The Education of Cyrus

C. 2 And Cyrus, seeing the sombre face light up, said :

" Brigadier, you are very wrong to corrupt so virtuous

a man, luring him to laughter, and that too when he is

the sworn foe of gaiety."

So they talked and jested. 17. And then Chrysantas

began on another theme.

18. " Cyrus," he said, " and gentlemen all, I cannot
help seeing that within our ranks are men of every kind,
some better and some worse, and yet if anything is won
every man will claim an equal share. Now to my mind
nothing is more unfair than that the base man and the
good should be held of equal account."

" Perhaps it would be best, gentlemen," said Cyrus in
answer, " to bring the matter before the army in council
and put it to them, v/hether, if God grant us success, we
should let all share and share alike, or distribute the
rewards and honours in proportion to the deserts of each."

19. " But why," asked Chrysantas, " why discuss the
point? Why not simply issue a general order that you
intend to do this? Was not that enough in the case
of the competitions? "

" Doubtless," Cyrus answered, " but this case is
different. The troops, I take it, will feel that all they win
by their services on the campaign should belong to them
in common : but they hold that the actual command of the
expedition was mine by right even before we left home, so
that I was fully entitled, on their view, to appoint umpires
and judges at my own will."

20. " And do you really expect," asked Chrysantas,
" that the mass of the army will pass a resolution giving
up the right of all to an equal share in order that the best
men should receive the most? "

" Yes, I do," said Cyrus, " partly because we shall be
there to argue for that course, but chiefly because it would
seem too base to deny that he who works the hardest and
does most for the common good deserves the highest
recompense. Even the worst of men must admit that
the brave should gain the most."

21. It was, however, as much for the sake of the Peers

Book 11. The Persian Army 63

themselves as for any other reason that Cyrus wished the C.
resolution to be passed. They would prove all the better
men, he thought, if they too were to be judged by their
deeds and rewarded accordingly. And this was the right
moment, he felt, to raise the question and put it to the
vote, now when the Peers were disposed to resent being
put on a level with the common people. In the end it
was agreed by all the company that the question should be
raised, and that every one who claimed to call himself a
man was bound to argue in its favour.

22. And on that one of the brigadiers smiled to himself
and said: " I know at least one son of the soil who will
be ready to agree that the principle of share and share
alike should not be followed everywhere."

" And who is he? " another asked.

" Well," said the first, " he is a member of our quarters,
I can tell you that, and he is always hunting after the
lion's share of every single thing."

"What? Of everything?" said a third. "Of work
as well? " " Oh, no! " said the first, " you have caught
me there. I was wrong to say so much, I must confess.
When it comes to work, I must admit, he is quite ready
to go short: he will give up his own share of that, without
a murmur, to any man whatever."

23. " For my part, gentlemen," said Cyrus, " I hold
that all such idlers ought to be turned out of the army,
that is, if we are ever to cultivate obedience and energy in
our men. The bulk of our soldiers, I take it, are of the
type to follow a given lead : they will seek after nobleness
and valour if their leaders are valiant and noble, but after
baseness if these are base. 24. And we know that only
too often the worthless will find more friends than the
good. Vice, passing lightly along her path of pleasure,
wins the hearts of thousands with her gifts ; but Virtue,
toiling up the steep ascent, has little skill to snare the souls
of men and draw them after her, when all the while their
comrades are calling to them on the easy downward way.
25. It is true there are degrees, and where the evil springs
only from sloth and lethargy, I look on the creatures as

64 The Education of Cyrus

C. 2 mere drones, only injuring the hive by what they cost:
but there are others, backward in toil and forward in
greed, and these are the captains in villainy: for not
seldom can they show that rascality has its advantages.
Such as they must be removed, cut out from among us,
root and branch. 26. And I would not have you fill their
places from our fellow-citizens alone, but, just as you
choose your horses from the best stocks, wherever you
find them, not limiting yourselves to the national breed,
so you have all mankind before you, and you should choose
those, and those only, who will increase your power and
add to your honour. Let me clinch my argument by
examples: no chariot can travel fast if the horses in the
team are slow, or run straight if they will not be ruled;
no house can stand firm if the household is evil: better
empty walls than traitors who will bring it to the ground,

27. " And be sure, my friends," he added, " the removal
of the bad means a benefit beyond the sheer relief that
they are taken away and will trouble us no more: those
who are left and were ripe for contagion are purified, and
those who were worthy will cleave to virtue all the closer
when they see the dishonour that falls on wickedness."

28. So Cyrus spoke, and his words won the praise of all
his friends, and they set themselves to do as he advised.

But after that Cyrus began to jest again. His eye fell
on a certain captain who had chosen for his comrade at the
feast a great hairy lad, a veritable monster of ugliness,
and Cyrus called to the captain by name: " How now,
Sambulas ? Have you adopted the Hellenic fashion too ?
And will you roam the world together, )^ou and the lad
who sits beside you, because there is none so fair as he? "
"By heaven," answered Sambulas, "you are not far
wrong. It is bliss to me to feast my eyes on him." 29. At
that all the guests turned and looked on the young man's
face, but when they saw how ugly it was, they could not
help laughing outright. " Heavens, Sambulas, tell us the
valiant deed that knit your souls together ! How has he
drawn you to himself ? " 30. '' Listen then," he answered,
" and I will tell you the whole truth. Every time I call

Book II. The Persian Army 65

him, morning, noon, or night, he comes to me ; never yet q 2
has he excused himself, never been too busy to attend ; and
he comes at a run, he does not walk. Whatever I have
bidden him do, he has always done it, and at the top of his
speed. He has made all the petty captains under him the
very models of industry ; he shows them, not by word but
deed, what they ought to be." 31. "And so," said
another, " for all these virtues you give him, I take it,
the kiss of kinship? " But the ugly lad broke out: " Not
he ! He has no great love for work. And to kiss me, if
it came to that, would mean more effort than all his
exercises."

So the hours passed in the general's tent, from grave to C. 3
gay, till at last the third Hbation was poured out, and the
company bent in prayer to the gods — " Grant us all that
is good " — and so broke up, and went away to sleep.

But the next day Cyrus assembled the soldiers in full
conclave, and spoke to them : 2. " My men," he said, " my
friends, the day of struggle is at hand, and the enemy are
near. The prizes of victory, if \dctory is to be ours — and
we must believe it will be ours, we must make it ours — the
prizes of victory will be nothing short of the enemy him-
self and all that he possesses. And if the victory should
be his, then, in like manner, all the goods of the vanquished
must he at the victor's feet. 3. Therefore I would have
you take this to your hearts: wherever those who have
joined together for war remember that unless each and
every one of them play his part with zeal nothing good can
follow; there we may look for glorious success. For there
nothing that ought to be done will be left undone. But
if each man thinks ' My neighbour will toil and fight, even
though my own heart should fail and my own arm fall
slack,' then, believe me, disaster is at the door for each
and all alike, and no man shall escape. 4. Such is the
ordinance of God : those who will not work out their own
salvation he gives into the hands of other men to bear
rule over them. And now I call on any man here," he
added, " to stand up and say whether he believes that
virtue will best be nourished among us if he who bears the

66 The Education of Cyrus

C. 3 greatest toil and takes the heaviest risk shall receive the
highest honours. Or whether we should hold that coward-
ice makes no difference in the end, seeing that we all must
share alike? "

5. Thereupon Chrysantas of the Peers rose up. He
was a man of understanding, but his bodily presence was
weak. And now he spoke thus:

" I do not imagine, Cyrus, that you put this question
with any belief that cowards ought really to receive the
same share as the brave. No, you wished to make trial
of us and see whether any man would dare to claim an
equal part in all that his fellows win by their nobleness,
though he never struck a single valiant stroke himself.
6. I myself," he continued, " am neither fleet of foot_nor
stout of limb, and for aught I can do with my body, I per-
ceive that on the day of trial neither the first place nor the
second can be mine, no, nor yet the hundredth, nor even,
it may be, the thousandth. But this I know right well,
that if our mighty men put forth all their strength, I too
shall receive such portion of our blessings as I may deserve.
But if the cowards sit at ease and the good and brave are
out of heart, then I fear that I shall get a portion, a larger
than I care to think, of something that is no blessing but
a curse."

7. So spoke Chrysantas, and then Pheraulas stood up.
He was a man of the people, but well known to Cyrus in
the old days at home and well-beloved by him : no mean
figure to look at, and in soul like a man of noble birth.
Now he spoke as follows :

8. " Cyrus, friends, and Persians, I hold to the belief
that on this day we all start equal in that race where valour
is the goal, I speak of what I see: we are trained on the
same fare; we are held worthy of the same comradeship;
we contend for the same rewards. All of us alike are told
to obey our leaders, and he who obeys most frankly never
fails to meet with honour at the hands of Cyrus. Valour
is no longer the privilege of one class alone : it has become
the fairest prize that can fall to the lot of any man.
9. And to-day a battle is before us where no man need

Book II. The Persian Army 67

teach us how to fight: we have the trick of it by nature, C.
as a bull knows how to use his horns, or a horse his hoofs,
or a dog his teeth, or a wild boar his tusks. The animals
know well enough," he added, " when and where to guard
themselves : they need no master to tell them that. 10. I
myself, when I was a little lad, I knew by instinct how to
shield myself from the blow I saw descending: if I had
nothing else, I had my two fists, and used them with all
my force against my foe : no one taught me how to do it,
on the contrary they beat me if they saw me clench my
fists. And a knife, I remember, I never could resist: I
clutched the thing whenever I caught sight of it: not a
soul showed me how to hold it, only nature herself, I do
aver. I did it, not because I was taught to do it, but in
spite of being forbidden, Hke many another thing to which
nature drove me, in spite of my father and mother both.
Yes, and I was never tired of hacking and hewing with my
knife whenever I got the chance : it did not seem merely
natural, like walking or running, it was positive joy.
II. Well, to-day we are to fight in this same simple
fashion: energy, rather than skill, is called for, and
glorious it will be to match ourselves against our friends,
the Peers of Persia. And let us remember that the same
prizes are offered to us all, but the stakes differ : our friends
give up a life of honour, the sweetest hfe there can be, but
we escape from years of toil and ignominy, and there can
be no life worse than that. 12. And what fires me most of
all, my friends, and sends me into the lists most gladly, is
the thought that Cyrus will be our judge: one who will
give no partial verdict. I call the gods to witness when I
say that he loves a valiant man as he loves his own soul : I
have seen him give such an one more than he ever keeps for
himself. 13. And now," he added, " I know that our
friends here pride themselves upon their breeding and what
it has done for them. They have been brought up to
endure hunger and thirst, cold and nakedness, and yet
they are aware that we too have been trained in the self-
same school and by a better master than they: we were
taught by Necessity, and there is no teacher so good, and

68 The Education of Cyrus

C. 3 none so strict. 14. How did our friends here learn their
endurance ? By bearing arms, weapons of war, tools that
the wit of the whole human race has made as light as well
could be : but Necessity drove us, my fellows and myself,
to stagger under burthens so heavy that to-day, if I may
speak for myself, these weapons of mine seem rather wings
to lift me than weights to bear. 15. I for one am ready,
Cyrus, ready to enter the lists, and, however I prove, I
will ask from you no more than I deserve : I would have
you believe this. And you," he added, turning to his
fellows, " you, men of the people, I would have you plunge
into the battle and match yourselves with these gentlemen-
warriors: the fine fellows must meet us now, for this is
the people's day."

16. That was what Pheraulas said, and many rose to
follow him and support his views. And it was resolved
that each man should be honoured according to his deserts
and that Cyrus should be the judge. So the matter ended,
and all was well.

17. Now Cyrus gave a banquet and a certain brigadier
was the chief guest, and his regiment with him. Cjtus
had marked the officer one day when he was drilling his
men ; he had drawn up the ranks in two divisions, opposite
each other, ready for the charge. They were all wearing
corslets and carried light shields, but half were equipped
with stout staves of fennel, and half were ordered to snatch
up clods of earth and do what they could with these. 18.
When all were ready, the officer gave the signal and the
artillery began, not without effect : the missiles fell fast on
shields and corslets, on thighs and greaves. But when
they came to close quarters the men of the staves had their
turn : they struck at thighs and hands and legs, or, if the
adversary stooped and twisted, they belaboured back and
shoulders, till they put the foe to utter rout, delivering
their blows with shouts of laughter and the glee of boys.
Then there was an exchange of weapons, and the other side
had their revenge : they took the staves in their turn, and
once more the staff triumphed over the clod. 19. Cyrus
was full of admiration, partly at the inventiveness of the

Book II. The Persian Army 69

commander, partly at the discipline of the men; it was C 3.
good to see the active exercise, and the gaiety of heart, and
good to know that the upshot of the battle favoured those
who fought in the Persian style. In every way he was
pleased, and then and there he bade them all to dinner.
But at the feast many of the guests wore bandages, some
on their hands, others on their legs, and C>tus saw it and
asked what had befallen them. They told him they had
been bruised by the clods. 20. "At close quarters?"
said he, " or at long range? " " At long range," they
answered, and all the club-bearers agreed that when it
came to close quarters, they had the finest sport. But
here those who had been carbonaded by that weapon broke
in and protested loudly that it was anything but sport to
be clubbed at short range, and in proof thereof they showed
the weals on hand and neck and face. Thus they laughed
at one another as soldiers will: and on the next day the
whole plain was studded with combats of this type, and
whenever the army had nothing more serious in hand, this
sport was their delight.

21. Another day Cyrus noticed a brigadier who was
marching his regiment up from the river back to their
quarters. They were advancing in single file on his left,
and at the proper moment he ordered the second company
to wheel round and draw up to the front alongside the first,
and then the third, and then the fourth; and when the
company-captains were all abreast, he passed the word
along, " Companies in twos," and the captains-of-ten came
into line ; and then at the right moment he gave the order,
" Companies in fours," and the captains-of-five wheeled
round and came abreast, and when they reached the tent
doors he called a halt, made them fall into single file once
more, and marched the first company in first, and then the
second at its heels, and the third and fourth behind them,
and as he introduced them, he seated them at the table,
keeping the order of their entry. What Cyrus commended
was the quiet method of instruction and the care the officer
showed, and it was for that he invited him and all his
regiment to dinner in the royal tent.

70 The Education of Cyrus

C, 3 22. Now it chanced that another brigadier was among
the guests, and he spoke up and said to Cyrus: " But will
you never ask my men to dinner too? Day after day,
morning and evening, whenever we come in for a meal we
do just the same as they^ and when the meal is over the
hindmost man of the last company leads out his men with
their fighting-order reversed, and the next company
follows, led by their hindmost man, and then the third, and
then the fourth: so that all of them, if they have to retire
before an enemy, will know how to fall back in good order.
And as soon as we are drawn up on the parade-ground we
set off marching east, and I lead off with all the divisions
behind me, in their regular order, waiting for my word.
By-and-by we march west, and then the hindmost man of
the last division leads the way, but they must still look
to me for commands, though I am marching last: and
thus they learn to obey with equal promptitude whether I
am at the head or in the rear."

23. " Do you mean to tell me," said Cyrus, " that this
is a regular rule of yours? "

" Truly yes," he answered, " as regular as our meals,
heaven help us ! "

" Then I hereby invite you all to dinner, and for three
good reasons; you practice your drill in both forms, you
do this morning and evening both, and by your marching
and counter-marching you train your bodies and benefit
your souls. And since you do it all twice over every day,
it is only fair to give you dinner twice."

24. " Not twice in one day, I beg you ! " said the officer,
" unless you can furnish us with a second stomach apiece."

And so the conversation ended for the time. But the
next day Cyrus was as good as his word. He had all the
regiment to dinner; and the day after he invited them
again : and when the other regiments knew of it they fell
to doing as they did.
C, 4 Now it chanced one day as Cyrus was holding a review, a
messenger came from Cyaxares to tell him that an embassy
from India had just arrived, and to bid him return with all
despatch.

Book II. The Persian Army 71

" And I bring with me," said the messenger, " a suit of C.
splendid apparel sent from Cyaxares himself: my lord
wishes you to appear in all possible splendour, for the
Indians will be there to see you."

2, At that Cyrus commanded the brigadier of the first
regiment to draw up to the front with his men behind him
on the left in single file, and to pass the order on to the
second, and so throughout the army. Officers and men
were quick to obey; so that in a trice the whole force on
the field was drawn up, one hundred deep and three hundred
abreast, with their officers at the head. 3. When they
were in position Cyrus bade them follow his lead and off
they went at a good round pace. However the road lead-
ing to the royal quarters was too narrow to let them pass
with so wide a front and Cyrus sent word along the line
that the first detachment, one thousand strong, should
follow as they were, and then the second, and so on to the
last, and as he gave the command he led on without a
pause and all the detachments followed in due order, one
behind the other. 4. But to prevent mistakes he sent two
gallopers up to the entrance with orders to explain what
should be done in case the men were at a loss. And when
they reached the gates, Cyrus told the leading brigadier to
draw up his regiment round the palace, twelve deep, the
front rank facing the building, and this command he was to
pass on to the second, and the second to the third, and so
on till the last. 5. And while they saw to this he went in
to Cyaxares himself, wearing his simple Persian dress with-
out a trace of pomp. Cyaxares was well pleased at his
celerity, but troubled by the plainness of his attire, and
said to him, " What is the meaning of this, Cyrus? How
could you show yourself in this guise to the Indians? I
wished you to appear in splendour : it would have done me
honour for my sister's son to be seen in great magnificence."

6. But Cyrus made answer: " Should I have done you
more honour if I had put on a purple robe, and bracelets
for my arms, and a necklace about my neck, and so pre-
sented m3^elf at your call after long delay? Or as now,
when to show you respect I obey you with this despatch

72 The Education of Cyrus

4 and bring you so large and fine a force^ although I wear no
ornament but the dust and sweat of speed, and make no
display unless it be to show you these men who are as
obedient to you as I am myself." Such were the words of
Cyrus, and Cyaxares felt that they were just, and so sent
for the Indian ambassadors forthwith. 7. And when they
entered they gave this message :— The king of the Indians
bade them ask what was the cause of strife between the
Assyrians and the Medes, " And when we have heard you,"
they said, " our king bids us betake ourselves to the
Assyrian and put the same question to him, and in the end
we are to tell you both that the king of the Indians, when
he has enquired into the justice of the case, will uphold the
cause of him who has been wronged."

8. To this Cyaxares rephed:

" Take then from me this answer : we do the Assyrian no
wrong nor any injustice whatsoever. And now go and
make inquiry of him, if you are so minded, and see what
answer he will give."

Then Cyrus, who was standing by, asked Cyaxares, " May
I too say what is in my mind? " " Say on," answered
Cyaxares. Then Cyrus turned to the ambassadors: " Tell
your master," he said, " unless Cyaxares is otherwise
minded, that we are ready to do this : if the Assyrian lays
any injustice to our charge we choose the king of the
Indians himself to be our judge, and he shall decide
between us."

9. With that the embassy departed. And when they
had gone out Cyrus turned to his uncle and began,
" Cyaxares, when I came to you I had scant wealth of my
own and of the little I brought with me only a fragment
is left. I have spent it all on my soldiers. You may
wonder at this," he added, " when it is you who have
supported them, but, believe me, the money has not been
wasted : it has all been spent on gifts and rewards to the
soldiers who have deserved it. 10. And I am sure," he
added, "if we require good workers and good comrades
in any task whatever, it is better and pleasanter to en-
courage them by kind speeches and kindly acts than to

Book II. Cyrus and Armenia 73

drive them by pains and penalties. And if it is for war C. 4
that we need such trusty helpers^ we can only win the
men we want by every charm of word and grace of deed.
For our true ally must be a friend and not a foe, one who
can never envy the prosperity of his leader nor betray
him in the day of disaster. 1 1 . Such is my conviction, and
such being so, I do not hide from myself the need of money.
But to look to you for everything, when I know that you
spend so much already, would be monstrous in my eyes.
I only ask that we should take counsel together so as to
prevent the failure of your funds. I am well aware that
if you won great wealth, I should be able to help myself
at need, especially if I used it for your own advantage.
12. Now I think you told me the other day that the king
of Armenia has begun to despise you, because he hears
we have an enemy, and therefore he will neither send you
troops nor pay the tribute which is due." 13. " Yes/'
answered Cyaxares, " such are his tricks. And I cannot
decide whether to march on him at once and try to subdue
him by force, or let the matter be for the time, for fear of
adding to the enemies we have." Then Cyrus asked,
" Are his dwellings very strongly fortified, or could they
be attacked?" And Cyaxares answered, "The actual
fortifications are not very strong: I took good care of
that. But he has the hill-country to which he can retire,
and there for the moment lie secure, knowing that he
himself is safely out of reach, with everything that he can
convoy thither; unless we are prepared to carry on a
siege, as my father actually did."

14. Thereupon Cyrus said, " Now if you were willing to
send me with a moderate force of cavalry — I will not ask
for many men — I believe, heaven helping me, I could
compel him to send the troops and the tribute. And I
even hope that in the future he may become a firmer
friend than he is now." 15. And Cyaxares said: "I
think myself they are more likely to listen to you than
to me. I have been told that his sons were your com-
panions in the chase when you were lads, and possibly old
habits will return and they will come over to you. Once

74 The Education of Cyrus

C. 4 they were in our power, everything could be done as we
desire." " Then," said Cyrus, " tliis plan of ours had
better be kept secret, had it not? " "No doubt,"
answered Cyaxares. " In that way they would be more
likely to fall into our hands, and if we attack them they
would be taken unprepared."

i6. " Listen then," said C5n:us, " and see what you
think of this. I have often hunted the marches between
your country and Armenia with all my men, and some-
times I have taken horsemen with me from our comrades
here." " I see," said Cyaxares, " and if you chose to
do the like again it would seem only natural, but if your
force was obviously larger than usual, suspicion would
arise at once." 17. " But it is possible," said Cyrus, " to
frame a pretext which would find credit with us and with
them too, if any rumour reached them. We might give
out that I intend to hold a splendid hunt and I might ask
you openly for a troop of horse."

" Admirable! " said Cyaxares. " And I shall refuse to
give you more than a certain number, my reason being
that I wish to visit the outposts on the S)T*ian side. And
as a matter of fact," he added, " I do wish to see them and
put them in as strong a state as possible. Then, as soon
as you have started with your men, and marched, let us
say, for a couple of days, I could send you a good round
number of horse and foot from my own detachment. And
when you have them at your back, you could advance at
once, and I will follow with the rest of my men as near you
as I may, close enough to appear in time of need."

18. Accordingly Cyaxares proceeded to muster horse
and foot for his own march, and sent provision-waggons
forward to meet him on the road. Meanwhile Cyrus
offered sacrifice for the success of his expedition and found
an opportunity to ask Cyaxares for a troop of his junior
cavalr}'. But Cyaxares would only spare a few, though
many wished to go. Soon aftenvards he started for the
outposts himself with all his horse and foot, and then
Cyrus found the omens favourable for his enterprise, and
led his soldiers out as though he meant to hunt. 19. He

Book II. Cyrus and Armenia y^

was scarcely on his way when a hare started up at their C.
feet^ and an eagle, flying on the right, saw the creature as
it fled, swooped down and struck it, bore it aloft in its
talons to a cliff hard by, and did its will upon it there.
The omen pleased Cyrus well, and he bowed in worship to
Zeus the King, and said to his company, " This shall
be a right noble hunt, my friends, if God so will."

20. When he came to the borders he began the hunt in
his usual way, the mass of horse and foot going on ahead
in rows like reapers, beating out the game, with picked
men posted at intervals to receive the animals and give
them chase. And thus they took great numbers of boars
and stags and antelopes and wild-asses : even to this day
wild-asses are plentiful in those parts. 21. But when
the chase was over, Cyrus had touched the frontier of the
Armenian land, and there he made the evening meal.
The next day he hunted till he reached the mountains
which were his goal. And there he halted again and
made the evening meal. At this point he knew that the
army from Cyaxares was advancing, and he sent secretly
to them and bade them keep about eight miles off, and
take their evening meal where they were, since that would
make for secrecy. And when their meal was over he told
them to send their officer to him, and after supper he
called his own brigadiers together and addressed them
thus:

22. " My friends, in old days the Armenian was a faith-
ful ally and subject of Cyaxares, but now when he sees an
enemy against us, he assumes contempt: he neither sends
the troops nor pays the tribute. He is the game we have
come to catch, if catch we can. And this, I think, is the
way. You, Chrysantas," said he, " will sleep for a few
hours, and then take half the Persians with you, make for
the hill country and seize the heights which we hear are
his places of refuge when alarmed. I will give you guides.
23. The hills, they tell us, are covered with trees and scrub,
so that we may hope you will escape unseen: still you
might send a handful of scouts ahead of you, disguised
as a band of robbers. If thev should come across anv

76 The Education of Cyrus

C. 4 Armenians they can either make them prisoners and
prevent them from spreading the news, or at least scare
them out of the way, so that they will not realise the
whole of your force, and only take measures against a
pack of thieves. 24. That is your task, Chrysantas, and
now for mine. At break of day I shall take half the foot
and all the cavalry and march along the level straight to
the king's residence. If he resists, we must fight, if he
retreats along the plain we must run him down, if he makes
for the mountains, why then," said C^tus, " it will be
your business to see that none of your visitors escape.
25. Think of it as a hunt: we down below are the beaters
rounding up the game, and you are the men at the nets :
only bear in mind that the earths must all be stopped
before the game is up, and the men at the traps must be
hidden, or they will turn back the flying quarry. 26. One
last word, Chrysantas: you must not behave now as I
have known you do in your passion for the chase: you
must not sit up the whole night long without a wink of
sleep, you must let all your men have the modicum of rest
that they cannot do without. 27. Nor must you — just
because you scour the hills in the hunt without a guide,
following the lead of the quarry and that alone, checking
and changing course wherever it leads you — you must
not now plunge into the wildest paths : you must tell your
guides to take you by the easiest road unless it is much
the longest. 28. In war, they say, the easiest way is the
quickest. And once more, because you can race up a
mountain yourself you are not to lead on your men at the
double; suit your pace to the strength of all. 29. Indeed,
it were no bad thing if some of your best and bravest were
to fall behind here and there and cheer the laggards on:
and it would quicken the pace of all, when the column
had gone ahead, to see them racing back to their places
past the marching files."

30. Chr}^santas Hstened, and his heart beat high at the
trust reposed in him. He took the guides, and gave the
necessary orders for those who were to march with him,
and then he lay down to rest. And when all his men had

Book II. Cyrus and Armenia ^'j \

had the sleep he thought sufficient he set out for the hills. C. 4 j

31. Day dawned, and Cyrus sent a messenger to the j

Armenian with these words : " C}Tnas bids you see to it that j

you bring your tribute and your troops without delay." 1

" And if he asks you where Cyrus is, tell the truth and say ,

I am on the frontier. And if he asks whether I am advanc- \

ing myself, tell the truth again and say that you do not !
know. And if he enquires how many we are, bid him send

some one with you to find out." \

32. Having so charged the messenger he sent him on ■

forthwith, holding this to be more courteous than to at- \

tack without warning. Then he drew up his troops him- '
self in the order best suited for marching, and, if necessary',
for fighting, and so set forth. The soldiers had orders
that not a soul was to be wronged, and if they met any

Armenians they were to bid them have no fear, but open j

a market wherever they wished, and sell meat or drink ''■

as they chose. j

NOTES j

Book II \

§ 5. Is this historical, t.f. 9»flsi-historical ? Are any of the C. I i

names real or aJ] invented to give verisimilitude? I

§ 13. Anv touch of the sycophancy of the future in it? As |

in modem Germany, a touch of that involved in the sj'stem j
of royalty.

§ 15. The raw material is good, but not worked up. Im-
portant for the conception of Hellenic democracy (cf. § 17). ;
Daring, courage, virtue — there is no monopoly of these
things.

§ 21. (Cf. below VIII. c. ii. § 5.) Worthy of Adam Smith. ;
Xenophon has bump of economy strongly developed ; he re-
sembles J. P.^ in that respect. The economic methodism,

the mosaic interbedding, the architectonic structure of it all, I

a part and parcel of Xenophon's genius. Was Alexander's :

army a highly-organised, spiritually and materially built-up, |

vitalised machine of this sort? What light does Arrian, i

that younger Xenophon, throw upon it? I

§ 25. Camaraderie encouraged and developed through a j

sense of equality and fraternity, the life au grand jour in ]

[ ^ " J. P." = John Percival, Bishop of Hereford (the writer of the
Introduction to this volume), at the time the notes were written

Headmaster of Clifton College. — F. M. S.] '

78 The Education of Cyrus

C I common, producing a common consciousness (cf. Comte and

J. P.; Epaminondas and the Sacred Band at Thebes).
C 2 Contrast of subject enlivening the style — light concrete
as a foil to the last drier abstract detail. Humorous also,
with a dramatising and development of the characters,
Shakespeare-wise — Hystaspas, and the rest. Aglaitadas, a
type of educator we know well (cf. Eccles. "Cocker not a
child "), grim, dry person with no sense of humour. Xeno-
phon's own humour shines out.

§ 12. The term given to the two stories eh rdyaOov.
T. E. B.* could do it, or Socrates, without dullness or seeming
to preach. There is a crispness in the voice which is anti-
pedantic.

§ 19. Cyrus recognises the ideal principle of co-operation
and collective ownership. Xenophon, Economist, ahead of
the modems.

§ 26. Xenophon's breadth of view: virtue is not
confined to citizens, but we have the pick of the whole world.
Cosmopolitan Hellenism.
C 2 § 4- Xenophon's theory of rule (cf. Ruskin) : a right, in-
alienable, God-bestov/ed, of the virtuous; subjection an
inevitable consequence on lack of self-discipline.

§ 5, init. Is this a carelessness, or what ? Chrysantas has
been introduced before, but here he is described as if stepping
on the stage for the first time. The sentence itself suggests the
mould for the New Testament narrative.

§ 7. Pheraulas, and of him we shall hear much. A sharp
contrast to Chrysantas, the Peer, with his pointed plebeian
similes. His speech important again for Xenophon's sym-
pathetic knowledge of children and also of the hard-working
poor.

§ 10. How true to nature this. Cannot one see the little
boy doubling his little fists, a knife in his pocket, possibly a
bail of string ?

§ II. Is there a touch of flunkeyism in this? Not so; it
is the clear-sighted scientific Greek, that is all.

§ 14. Very Scotch all this.

§§21, 22. Locus classicus for regimental marching tactics.
Qy. : Are any of these tactical improvements by Xenophon
himself ?

[§ 21. The "regiment" of a hundred men was divided into
four ' ' companies "of twenty -five, to each of these one company-
captain {a) and twenty-four men, viz.: twenty privates (x),
twocaptains-of-ten(x6, x6'),andtwocaptains-of-five(xc, xc'),
the two captains-of-ten having also especial charge over

r 1 "T. E. B." =T. E. Brown, the Manx poet, at that time a
coUeogue of Mr. Dakyns at Clifton. — F. M. S.]

Book II. Notes 79

the two remaining squads of five. A condensed diagram C. 3
(two companies figured instead of four) may make the little
manoeuvre clear:

First position — One long column. All in single file.

Second position. — Fotir columns.

Single files for each company.

Co. II. a Co. I. a

24 deep X fe X b

»

X X

X X

X X

X c xc

X X

X X

xb' X &'

X

X c'

X X

X X

X X

Third position. — Eight columns.

Double files. Co. II. a Co. I. a

12 deep X fc' X 6 xb' xb

X

X

X

X

X

X

X c'

XC

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

8o The Education of Cyrus

C. 3 Fourth position. — Sixteen columns.

Quadruple files. Co. II. a Co. I. a

6 deep xc'xfe'xcxb xc'x6'xcx6

xxxx xxxx

xxxx xxxx

xxxx xxxx

xxxx xxxx

xxxx xxxx]

C. 4 § IS- Cyaxares means to kidnap them, doesn't he? That
is not quite Cyrus's method. If so, it contrasts Cyaxares
and Cyrus again.

§ 17. Cyaxares the old fox improves upon the plan.

§ 30, init. It is these touches which give the thrilling
subjective feeling to the writings of Xenophon, or, rather,
thus his nerves tingle, just as the external touches give a
sense of objective health {e.g. above, c. i. § 29).

§ 22. All this is entirely modem, never yet excelled, I
imagine.

BOOK III

Thus Cyrus made his preparations. But the Armenian, C. i
when he heard what the messenger had to say, was terror-
stricken: he knew the wrong he had done in neglecting
the tribute and withholding the troops, and, above all, he
was afraid it would be discovered that he was beginning
to put his palace in a fit state for defence. 2. Therefore,
with much trepidation, he began to collect his own forces,
and at the same time he sent his younger son Sabaris into
the hills with the women, his own wife, and the wife of his
elder son and his daughters, taking the best of their orna-
ments and furniture with them and an escort to be their
guide. Meanwhile he despatched a party to discover
what Cyrus was doing, and organised all the Armenian
contingents as they came in. But it was not long before
other messengers arrived, saying that Cyrus himself was
actually at hand. 3. Then his courage forsook him; he
dared not come to blows and he withdrew. As soon as the
recruits saw this they took to their heels, each man bent on
getting his own property safely out of the way. When
Cyrus saw the plains full of them, racing and riding every-
where, he sent out messengers privately to explain that he
had no quarrel with any who stayed quietly in their homes,
but if he caught a man in flight, he warned them he would
treat him as an enemy. Thus the greater part were per-
suaded to remain, though there were some who retreated
with the king.

4. But when the escort with the women came on the
Persians in the mountains, they fled with cries of terror,
and many of them were taken prisoners. In the end the
young prince himself was captured, and the wife of the
king, and his daughters, and his daughter-in-law, and all
the goods they had with them. And when the king
learnt what had happened, scarcely knowing where to

81 F

82 The Education of Cyrus

C- I turn, he fled to the summit of a certain hill. 5. Cyrus,
when he saw it, surrounded the spot with his troops and
sent word to Chrysantas, bidding him leave a force to
guard the mountains and come down to him. So the
mass of the army was collected under Cyrus, and then he
sent a herald to the king with this enquiry:

" Son of Armenia, will you wait here and fight with
hunger and thirst, or will you come down into the plain
and fight it out with us? " But the Armenian answered
that he wished to fight with neither. 6. Cyrus sent again
and asked, " Why do you sit there, then, and refuse to
come down? " " Because I know not what to do,"
answered the other. " It is simple enough," said C}tus,
" come down and take your trial." " And who shall try
me?" asked the king. "He," answered Cyrus, "to
whom God has given the power to treat you as he lists,
without a trial at all."

Thereupon the Armenian came down, yielding to neces-
sity, and Cyrus took him and all that he had and placed
him in the centre of the camp, for all his forces were now
at hand.

7. Meanwhile Tigranes, the elder son of the king, was
on his way home from a far country. In old days he had
hunted with Cyrus and been his friend, and now, when he
heard what had happened, he came forward just as he was ;
but when he saw his father and his mother, his brother
and sisters, and his own wife all held as prisoners, he
could not keep back the tears. 8. But Cyrus gave him
no sign of friendship or courtesy, and only said, " You
have come in time, you may be present now to hear your
father tried." With that he summoned the leaders of
the Persians and the Medes, and any Armenian of rank
and dignity who was there, nor would he send away the
women as they sat in their covered carriages, but let them
listen too. 9. When all was ready he began: " Son of
Armenia, I would counsel you, in the first place, to speak
the truth, so that at least you may stand free from what
deserves the utmost hate: beyond all else, be assured,
manifest lying checks the sympathy between man and

Book III. Cyrus and Armenia 83

man. Moreover," said he, " your own sons, your daugh-
ters, and your wife are well aware of all that you have
done, and so are your own Armenians who are here: if
they perceive that you say what is not true, they must
surely feel that out of your own lips you condemn yourself
to suffer the uttermost penalty when I learn the truth."
" Nay," answered the king, " ask me whatever you will,
and I will answer truly, come what come may." 10.
" Answer then," said Cyrus, " did you once make war upon
Astyages, my mother's father, and his Medes?" "I
did," he answered. "And were you conquered by him, and
did you agree to pay tribute and furnish troops whenever
he required, and promise not to fortify your dwellings? "
" Even so," he said. " Why is it, then, that to-day you
have neither brought the tribute nor sent the troops, and
are building forts?" "I set my heart on Hberty: it
seemed to me so fair a thing to be free myself and to leave
freedom to my sons." 11. "And fair and good it is,"
said Cyrus, " to fight for freedom and choose death rather
than slavery, but if a man is worsted in war or enslaved
by any other means and then attempts to rid himself of
his lord, tell me yourself, would you honour such a man as
upright and a doer of noble deeds, or would you, if you
got him in your power, chastise him as a malefactor? "
" I would chastise him," he answered, " since you drive
me to the truth." 12. " Then answer me now, point by
point," said Cyrus. " If you have an officer and he does
wrong, do you suffer him to remain in office, or do you set
up another in his stead ? " " I set up another." "And
if he have great riches, do you leave him all his wealth, or
do you make him a beggar? " "I take away from him
all that he has." " And if you found him deserting to
your enemies, what would you do ? " "I would kill him,"
he said : " why should 1 perish with a lie on my lips
rather than speak the truth and die? "

13. But at this his son rent his garments and dashed
the tiara from his brows, and the women Ufted up their
voices in wailing and tore their cheeks, as though their
father was dead already, and they themselves undone.

84 The Education of Cyrus

C. I But Cyrus bade them keep silence, and spoke again.
" Son of Armenia, we have heard your own judgment in
this case, and now tell us, what ought we to do? " But
the king sat silent and perplexed, wondering whether he
should bid Cyrus put him to death, or act in the teeth of
the rule that he had laid down for himself. 14. Then his
son Tigranes turned to Cyrus and said, " Tell me, Cyrus,
since my father sits in doubt, may I give counsel in his
place and say what I think best for you? "

Now Cyrus remembered that, in the old hunting days, he
had noticed a certain man of wisdom who went about with
Tigranes and was much admired by him, and he was
curious to know what the youth would say. So he readily
agreed and bade him speak his mind.

15. " In my view, then," said Tigranes, " if you approve
of all that my father has said or done, certainly you ought
to do as he did, but if you think he has done wrong, then
you must not copy him."

" But surely," said Cyrus, " the best way to avoid
copying the wrongdoer is to practise what is right? "

" True enough," answered the prince.

" Then on your own reasoning, I am bound to punish
your father, if it is right to punish wrong."

" But would you wish your vengeance to do you harm
instead of good? "

" Nay," said Cyrus, " for then my vengeance would fall
upon myself."

16. " Even so," said Tigranes, " and you will do your-
self the greatest hama if you put your own subjects to
death just when they are most valuable to you."

" Can they have any value," asked Cyrus, " when they
are detected doing wrong? "

" Yes," answered Tigranes, "af that is when they turn
to good and learn sobriety. For it is my belief, Cyrus,
that without this virtue all others are in vain. What
good will you get from a strong man or a brave if he
lack sobriety, be he never so good a horseman, never so rich,
never so powerful in the state ? But with sobriety every
friend is a friend in need and every servant a blessing."

Book III. Cyrus and Armenia 85

17. " I take your meaning," answered Cyrus; " your C. i
father, you would have me think, has been changed in this
one day from a fool into a wise and sober-minded man ? "

" Exactly," said the prince.

" Then you would call sober-mindedness a condition of
our nature, such as pain, not a matter of reason that can
be learnt ? For certainly, if he who is to be sober-minded
must learn wisdom first, he could not be converted from
folly in a day."

18. " Nay, but, Cyrus," said the prince, " surely you
yourself have known one man at least who out of sheer
folly has set himself to fight a stronger man than he, and
on the day of defeat his senselessness has been cured. And
surely you have known a city ere now that has marshalled
her battalions against a rival state, but with defeat she
changes suddenly and is willing to obey and not resist? "

19. " But what defeat," said Cyrus, " can you find in
your father's case to make you so sure that he has come
to a sober mind? "

" A defeat," answered the young man, " of which he is
well aware in the secret chambers of his soul. He set his
heart on liberty, and he has found himself a slave as never
before : he had designs that needed stealth and speed and
force, and not one of them has he been able to carry through.
With you he knows that design and fulfilment went hand
in hand ; when you wished to outwit him, outwat him you
did, as though he had been blind and deaf and dazed;
when stealth was needed, your stealth was such that the
fortresses he thought his own you turned into traps for
him; and your speed was such that you were upon him
from miles away with all your armament before he found
time to muster the forces at his command."

20. " So you think," said C>tus, " that merely to learn
another is stronger than himself is defeat enough to bring
a man to his senses ? "

" I do," answered Tigranes, " and far more truly than
mere defeat in battle. For he who is conquered by force
may fancy that if he trains he can renew the war, and cap-
tured cities dream that with the help of allies they will fight

86 The Education of Cyrus

I again one day, but if we meet with men who are better
than ourselves and whom we recognise to be so, we are
ready to obey them of our own free will." 21. "You
imagine then," said Cyrus, " that the bully and the tyrant
cannot recognise the man of self-restraint, nor the thief the
honest man, nor the liar the truth-speaker, nor the unjust
man the upright ? Has not your own father lied even now
and broken his word with us, although he knew that we
had faithfully observed every jot and tittle of the compact
Astyages made?" 22. "Ah, but," replied the prince,
" I do not pretend that the bare knowledge alone will
bring a man to his senses, it cannot cure him unless he pays
the penalty as my father pays it to-day." " But,"
answered Cyrus, " your father has suffered nothing at all
so far: although he fears, I know, that the worst suffering
may be his." 23. " Do you suppose then," asked Tigranes,
" that anything can enslave a man more utterly than
fear? Do you not know that even the men who are
beaten with the iron rod of war, the heaviest rod in all the
world, may still be ready to fight again, while the victims
of terror cannot be brought to look their conquerors in
the face, even when they try to comfort them ? " " Then,
you maintain," said Cyrus, " that fear will subdue a man
more than suffering? " 24. " Yes," he answered, " and
you of all men know that what I say is true: you know
the despondency men feel in dread of banishment, or on
the eve of battle facing defeat, or sailing the sea in peril
of shipwreck — they cannot touch their food or take their
rest because of their alarm: while it may often be that
the exiles themselves, the conquered, or the enslaved, can
eat and sleep better than men who have not known
adversity. 25. Think of those panic-stricken creatures
who through fear of capture and death have died before
their day, have hurled themselves from cliffs, hanged
themselves, or set the knife to their throats; so cruelly
can fear, the prince of horrors, bind and subjugate the
souls of men. And what, think you, does my father feel
at this moment? He, whose fears are not for himself
alone, but for us all, for his wife, and for his children,"

Book III. Cyrus and Armenia 87

26. And Cyrus said, " To-day and at this time, it may be C. i
with him as you say: but still I think that the same man
may well be insolent in good fortune and cringing in
defeat: let such an one go free again, and he will return
to his arrogance and trouble us once more." 27. " I do
not deny it, Cyrus," said the prince. " Our offences are
such that you may well mistrust us : but you have it in
your power to set garrisons in our land and hold our strong
places and take what pledges you think best. And even
so," he added, " you will not find that we fret against our
chains, for we shall remember we have only ourselves to
blame. Whereas, if you hand over the government to
some who have not offended, they may either think that
you mistrust them, and thus, although you are their bene-
factor, you cannot be their friend, or else in your anxiety
not to rouse their enmity you may leave no check on their
insolence, and in the end you will need to sober them even
more than us." 28. " Nay, but by all the gods," cried
Cyrus, " little joy should I ever take in those who served
me from necessity alone. Only if I recognise some touch
of friendship or goodwill in the help it is their duty to
render, I could find it easier to forgive them all their faults
than to accept the full discharge of service paid upon com-
pulsion by those who hate me."

Then Tigranes answered, " You speak of friendship, but
can you ever find elsewhere so great a friendship as you
may find with us? " " Surely I can," he answered, " and
with those who have never been my enemies, if I choose
to be their benefactor as you would have me yours."
29. " But to-day and now, can you find another man in
all the world whom you could benefit as you can benefit
my father? Say you let a man live who has never done
you wrong, will he be grateful for the boon ? Say he need
not lose his children and his wife, will he love you for that
more than one who knows he well deserved the loss ? Say
he may not sit upon the throne of Armenia, will he suffer
from that as we shall suffer ? And is it not clear that the
one who feels the pain of forfeiture the most will be the one
most grateful for the granting of the gift ? 30. And if you

88 The Education of Cyrus

C. I have it at all at heart to leave matters settled here, think
for yourself, and see where tranquillity will lie when your
back is turned. Will it be with the new dynasty, or with
the old familiar house ? And if you want as large a force
as possible at your command, where will you find a man
better fitted to test the muster-roll than the general who
has used it time and again ? If you need money, who will
provide the ways and means better than he who knows
and can command all the resources of the country? I
warn you as a friend," he added, " that if you throw us
aside you will do yourself more harm than ever my father
could have done."

31. Such were the pleadings of the prince, and Cyrus,
as he listened, was overjoyed, for he felt he would accom-
plish to the full all he had promised Cyaxares; his own
words came back to him, " I hope to make the Armenian a
better friend than before."

Thereupon he turned to the king and said, " Son of
Armenia, if I were indeed to hearken unto you and yours
in this, tell me, how large an army would you send me and
how much money for the war? "

32. And the king replied, " The simplest answer I can
make and the most straightforward is to tell you what my
power is, and then you may take the men you choose, and
leave the rest to garrison the country. And so with the
money : it is only fair that you should know the whole of
our wealth, and with that knowledge to guide you, you
will take what you like and leave what you like." 33. And
Cyrus said, " Tell me then, and tell me true: how great is
your power and your wealth? " Whereupon the Ar-
menian replied: "Our cavalry is 8000 strong and our
infantry 40,000; and our wealth," said he, " if I include
the treasures which my father left, amounts in silver to
more than 3000 talents."

34. And Cyrus, without more ado, said at once, " Of
your whole armament you shall give me half, not more,
since your neighbours the Chaldaeans are at war with you :
but for the tribute, instead of the fifty talents which you
paid before, you shall hand over twice as much to Cyaxares

Book III. Cyrus and Armenia 89

because you made default; and you will lend me another C. i
hundred for myself, and I hereby promise you, if God be
bountiful, I will requite you for the loan with things of
higher worth, or I will pay the money back in full, if I can ;
and if I cannot, you may blame me for want of ability, but
not for want of will." 35. But the Armenian cried, " By
all the gods, Cyrus, speak not so, or you will put me out of
heart. I beg you to look on all I have as yours, what you
leave behind as well as what you take away."

" So be it then," answered Cyrus, " and to ransom your
wife, how much money would you give? " " All that I
have," said he, " And for your sons ? " " For them too,
all that I have." " Good," answered Cyrus, " but is not
that already twice as much as you possess ? 36. And you,
Tigranes," said he, " at what price would you redeem your
bride? " Now the youth was but newly wedded, and his
wife was beyond all things dear to him. " I would give
my life," said he, " to save her from slavery." 37. " Take
her then," said Cyrus, " she is yours. For I hold that she
has never yet been made a prisoner, seeing that her hus-
band never deserted us. And you, son of Armenia," said
he, turning to the king, " you shall take home your wife
and children, and pay no ransom for them, so that they
shall not feel they come to you from slavery. But now,"
he added, " you shall stay and sup with us, and afterwards
you shall go wherever you wish."

And so the Armenians stayed. 38. But when the com-
pany broke up after the evening meal, Cyrus asked
Tigranes, " Tell me, where is that friend of yours who used
to hunt with us, and whom, as it seemed to me, you
admired so much ? " "Do you not know," he said, " that
my father put him to death? " " And why? " said Cyrus,
"what fault did he find in him?" "He thought he
corrupted me," said the youth; " and yet, I tell you, C}Tus,
he was so gentle and so brave, so beautiful in soul, that
when he came to die, he called me to him and said, ' Do
not be angry with your father, Tigranes, for putting me to
death. What he does is not done from malice but from
ignorance; and the sins of ignorance, I hold, are un-
intentional.' "

90 The Education of Cyrus

C. I 39. And at that C}tus could not but say: " Poor soul!
I grieve for him." But the king spoke in his own defence :
" Remember this^ C}tus, that the man who finds another
with his wife kills him not simply because he believes that
he has turned the woman to folly, but because he has
robbed him of her love. Even so I was jealous of that
man who seemed to put himself between mv son and me
and steal away his reverence." 40. " May the gods be
merciful to us! " said Cj^rus, " you did wrong, but your
fault was human. And you, Tigranes/' said he, turning
to the son, " you must forgive your father."

And so they talked in all friendliness and kindliness, as
befitted that time of reconciUation; and then the father
and son mounted their carriages, with their dear ones
beside them, and drove away rejoicing.

41. But when they were home again, the)^ all spoke of
Cyrus, one praising his wisdom, another his endurance, a
third the gentleness of his nature, and a fourth his stature
and his beauty. Then Tigranes turned to his wife and
asked, " Did Cyrus seem so beautiful in your eyes ? " But
she answered, " Ah, my lord, he was not the man I saw."
"Who was it then?" asked Tigranes. "He," she
answered, " who offered his own life to free me from
slavery."

And so they took their delight together, as lovers will,
after all their sufferings.

42. But on the morrow the king of Armenia sent gifts
of hospitality to Cyrus and all his army, and bade his own
contingent make ready to march on the third day, and
himself brought C)tus twice the sum which he had
named. But Cjtus would take no more than he had
fixed, and gave the rest back to the king, only asking
whether he or his son was to lead the force. And the
father answered that it should be as C}tus chose, but the
son said, " I will not leave you, C}tus, if I must carry the
baggage to follow you." 43. And Cyrus laughed and said,
" What will you take to let us tell your wife that you have
become a baggage-bearer? " "She will not need to be
told/' he answered, " I mean to bring her with me, and she

Book III. Cyrus and Armenia 91

can see for herself all that her husband does.'' " Then it is C.
high time/' said Cyrus, " that you got your own baggage
together now." " We will come," said he, "be sure of
that, in good time, with whatever baggage my father
gives."

So the soldiers were the guests of Armenia for the day,
and rested for that night.

But on the day following Cyrus took Tigranes and the C.
best of the Median cavalry, with chosen followers of his
own, and scoured the whole country to decide where he
should build a fort. He halted on the top of a mountain-
pass and asked Tigranes where the heights lay down which
the Chaldaeans swept when they came to plunder. Tigranes
showed him. Then Cyrus asked him if the mountains
were quite uninhabited. "No, indeed," said the prince,
" there are always men on the look-out, who signal to the
others if they catch sight of anything." " And what do
they do," he asked, " when they see the signal? " " They
rush to the rescue," he said, " as quickly as they can." 2.
Cyrus listened and looked, and he could see that large
tracts lay desolate and untilled because of the war. That
day they came back to camp and took their supper and
slept. 3. But the next morning Tigranes presented him-
self with all his baggage in order and ready for the march,
4000 cavalry at his back, 10,000 bowmen, and as many
targeteers. While they were marching up, C>tus offered
sacrifice, and finding that the victims were favourable, he
called the leaders of the Persians together and the chief
captains of the Medes and spoke to them thus :

4. "My friends, there lie the Chaldaean hills. If we
could seize them and set a garrison to hold the pass, we
should compel them both, Chaldaeans and Armenians alike,
to behave themselves discreetly. The victims are favour-
able ; and to help a man in such a work as this there is no
ally half so good as speed. If we scale the heights before
the enemy have time to gather, we may take the position
out of hand without a blow, and at most we shall only find
a handful of weak and scattered forces to oppose us. 5.
Steady speed is all I ask for, and surely I could ask for

92 The Education of Cyrus

C. I nothing easier or less dangerous. To arms then! The
Medes will march on our left, half the Armenians on our
right, and the rest in the van to lead the way, the cavalry
in our rear, to cheer us on and push us forward and let
none of us give way."

6. With that C}tus led the advance, the army in column
behind him. As soon as the Chaldaeans saw them sweeping
up from the plain, they signalled to their fellows till the
heights re-echoed with answering shouts, and the tribes-
men gathered on every side. Then Cyrus sent word along
his lines, " Soldiers of Persia, they are signalling to us to
make haste. If only we reach the top before them, all
they can do will be in vain."

7. Now the Chaldaeans were said to be the most warlike
of all the tribes in that country, and each of them was
armed with a shield and a brace of javelins. They fight
for pay wherever they are needed, partly because they are
warriors born, but partly through poverty; for their
country is mountainous, and the fertile part of it small.
8. As Cyrus and his force drew near the head of the pass,
Tigranes, who was marching at his side, said:

" Do you know, Cyrus, that before long we shall be in
the thick of the fight ourselves ? Our Armenians mil never
stand the charge." C>tus answered that he was well
aware of that, and immediately sent word that the
Persians should be ready to give chase at once, " as soon
as we see the Armenians decoying the enemy by feigning
flight and drawing them within our reach."

9. Thus they marched up with the Armenians in the
van: and the Chaldaeans who had collected waited till
they were almost on them, and then charged with a
tremendous shout, as their custom was, and the
Armenians, as was ever theirs, turned and ran. 10. But
in the midst of the pursuit the Chaldaeans met new
opponents streaming up the pass, armed with short
swords, and some of them were cut to pieces at once
before they could withdraw, while others were taken
prisoners and the rest fled, and in a few moments the
heights were won. From the top of the pass Cyrus and

Book III. Cyrus and Armenia 93

his staff looked down and saw below them the Chaldaean C.
villages with fugitives pouring from the nearest houses.
II. Soon the rest of the army came up, and Cyrus ordered
them all to take the morning meal. Vv^hen it was over,
and he had ascertained that the look-out was really in a
strong position, and well supplied with water, he set about
fortifying a post without more ado, and he bade Tigranes
send to his father and bid him come at once with all the
carpenters and stonemasons he could fetch, and wliile a
messenger went off to the king C^tus did all he could
with what he had at hand.

12. Meanwhile they brought up the prisoners, all of
them bound in chains and some wounded. But Cjmas
when he saw their plight ordered the chains to be struck
off, and sent for surgeons to dress their wounds, and then
he told them that he came neither to destroy them nor to
war against them, but to make peace between them and
the Armenians. " I know," he said, " before your pass
was taken you did not wish for peace. Your own land
was in safety and you could harry the Armenians: but
you can see for yourselves how things stand to-day.
13. Accordingly I will let you all go back to your homes
in freedom, and I will allow you and your fellows to take
counsel together and choose whether you will have us for
your enemies or your friends. If you decide on war, you
had better not come here again without your weapons,
but if you choose peace, come unarmed and welcome: it
shall be my care to see that all is well with you, if you are
my friends."

14. And when the Chaldaeans heard that, they poured
out praises and thanks, and then they turned homewards
and departed.

Meanwhile the king, receiving the call of Cyrus, and
hearing the business that was in hand, had gathered his
workmen together and took what he thought necessary
and came with all speed. 15. And when he caught sight
of CjTiis, he cried: " Ah, my lord, blind mortals that we
are ! How little can we see of the future, and how much
we take in hand to do ! I set myself to win freedom and I

94 The Education of Cyrus

C. 2 made myself a slave, and now, when we were captured
and said to ourselves that we were utterly undone,
suddenly we find a safety we never had before. Those
who troubled us are taken now, even as I would have
them. i6. Be well assured, Cyrus," he added, " that I
would have paid the sum you had from me over and over
again simply to dislodge the Chaldaeans from these
heights. The things of worth you promised me when you
took the money have been paid in full already, and we
discover that we are not your creditors, but deep in your
debt for many kindnesses; and we shall be ashamed not
to return them, or we should be base indeed, for try as
we may, we shall never be able to requite in full so great
a benefactor."

17. Such thanks the Armenian gave.

Then the Chaldaeans came back, begging Cyrus to make
peace with them. And Cyrus asked them: " Am I right
in thinking that you desire peace to-day because you believe
it will be safer for you than war, now that we hold these
heights? "

And the Chaldaeans said that so it was. 18. " Well
and good," said he. " And what if other benefits
were gained by peace? " " We should be all the better
pleased," said they. " Is there any other reason," he
asked, " for your present poverty, except your lack of
fertile soil?" They said that there was none. "Well
then," Cyrus went on, " would you be willing to pay the
same dues as the Armenians, if you were allowed to
cultivate as much of their land as you desired? " And
the Chaldaeans said they would, if only they could rely
on being fairly treated. 19. "Now," said Cyrus, turning
to the Annenian king, " would you like that land of yours
which is now lying idle to be tilled and made productive,
supposing the workers paid you the customary dues? " " I
would, indeed," said the king, "so much so that I am ready to
pay a large sum for it. It would mean a great increase
to my revenue." 20. " And you Chaldaeans," said
Cyrus, with your splendid mountains, would you let the
Armenians use them for pasture if the graziers paid you

Book III. Cyrus and Armenia 95

what was fair?" "Surely yes/' said the Chaldaeans^
" it would mean much profit and no pains."

" Son of Armenia/' said Cyrus,, " would you take this
land for grazing, if by paying a small sum to the Chal-
daeans you got a far greater return yourself? "

" Right willingly/' said he "if I thought my flocks
could feed in safety."

" And would they not be safe enough/' suggested Cyrus,
" if this pass were held for you? " To which the king
agreed. 21. But the Chaldaeans cried, " Heaven help
us! We could not till our own fields in safety, not to
speak of theirs, if the Armenians held the pass." " True,"
answered Cyrus, " but how would it be if the pass were
held for you? " " Ah, then," said they, " all would be
well enough." " Heaven help us! " cried the Armenian
in his turn, " all might be well enough for them, but it
would be ill for us if these neighbours of ours recovered
the post, especially now that it is fortified." 22. Then
Cyrus said, " See, then, this is what I will do: I will hand
over the pass to neither of you : we Persians will guard it
ourselves, and if either of you injure the other, we will
step in and side with the sufferers."

23. Then both parties applauded the decision, and said
that only thus could they establish a lasting peace, and on
these terms they exchanged pledges, and a covenant was
made that both nations alike were to be free and inde-
pendent, but with common rights of marriage, and tillage,
and pasturage, and help in time of war if either were
attacked. 24. Thus the matter was concluded, and to
this day the treaty holds between the Chaldaeans and
Armenia.

Peace was no sooner made than both parties began
building what they now considered their common fortress,
working side by side and bringing up all that was needed.
25. And when evening fell, Cyrus summoned them all as
fellow-guests to his board, saying that they were friends
already. At the supper as they sat together, one of the
Chaldaeans said to Cyrus that the mass of his nation would
feel they had received all they could desire, " But there are

96 The Education of Cyrus

men among us," he added, " who live as freebooters: they
do not know how to labour in the field, and they could not
learn, accustomed as they are from youth up to get their
livelihood either by plundering for themselves or serving
as mercenaries, often under the king of India, for he is a
man of much wealth, but sometimes under Astyages."
26. Then Cyrus said: " Why should they not take service
with me ? I undertake to give them at least as much as
they ever got elsewhere." The Chaldaeans readily agreed
with him, and prophesied that he would have many
volunteers.

27. So this matter was settled to the mind of all. But
Cyrus, on hearing that the Chaldaeans were in the habit of
going to India, remembered how Indian ambassadors had
come to the Medes to spy out their affairs, and how they
had gone on to their enemies — doubtless to do the same
there — and he felt a wish that they should hear something
of what he had achieved himself. 28. So he said to the
company: " Son of Armenia, and men of the Chaldaeans,
I have something to ask you. Tell me, if I were to send
ambassadors to India, would you send some of your own
folk with them to show them the way, and support them
in gaining for us all that I desire ? I still need more money
if I am to pay all the wages, as I wish, in full, and give
rewards and make presents to such of my soldiers as
deserve them. It is for such things I need all the money
I can get, for I believe them to be essential. It would
be pleasanter for me not to draw on you, because I look
on you already as my friends, but I should be glad to take
from the Indian as much as he will give me. My mes-
senger— the one for whom I ask guides and coadjutors —
will go to the king and say : ' Son of India, my master
has sent me to you, bidding me say that he has need of
more money. He is expecting another army from Persia,'
and indeed I do expect one," Cyrus added. " Then my
messenger will proceed, ' If you can send my master all
that you have at hand he will do his best, if God grant him
success, that you should feel your kindness has not been
ill-advised.' 30. That is what my emissary will say:

Book III. Cyrus and Armenia 97

and you must give such instructions to yours as you think C. 2
fit yourselves. If I get money from the king, I shall have
abundance at my disposal : if I fail, at least we shall owe
him no gratitude, and as far as he is concerned we may
look to our own interests alone."

31. So Cyrus spoke, convinced that the ambassadors
from Armenia and Chaldaea would speak of him as he
desired all men might do. And then, as the hour was
come, they broke up the meeting and took their rest.

But on the next day Cyrus despatched his messenger C. 3
with the instructions, and the Armenians and Chaldaeans
sent their own ambassadors, choosing the men they thought
would help Cyrus most and speak of his exploits in the
most fitting terms. Cyrus put a strong garrison in the
fort and stored it with supplies, and left an officer in com-
mand, a Mede, whose appointment, he thought, would
gratify Cyaxares, and then he turned homewards, taking
with him not only the troops he had brought, but the
force the Annenians had furnished, and a picked body
of Chaldaeans who considered themselves stronger than
all the rest together. 2. And as he came down from the
hills into the cultivated land, not one of the Armenians,
man or woman, stayed indoors : with one accord they all
went out to meet him, rejoicing that peace was made, and
bringing him offerings from their best, driving before
them the animals they valued most. The king himself
was not ill-pleased at this, for he thought that C}t*us
would take delight in the honour the people showed him.
Last of all came the queen herself, with her daughters and
her younger son, bearing many gifts, and among them the
golden treasure that Cyrus had refused before. 3. But
when he saw it he said: " Nay, you must not make me a
mercenary and a benefactor for pay; take this treasure
back and hie you home, but do not give it to your lord
that he may bury it again ; spend it on j'our son, and send
laim forth gloriously equipped for war, and with the
residue buy for yourself and for your husband and your
children such precious things as shall endure, and bring
joy and beauty into all your days. As for bur}dng, let

G

98 The Education of Cyrus

3 us only bury our bodies on the day when each must
die."

4. With that he rode away, the king and all his people
escorting him, Hke a guard of honour, calling him their
saviour, their benefactor, and their hero, and heaping
praises on him until he had left the land. And the king
sent with him a larger army than ever he had sent before,
seeing that now he had peace at home. 5. Thus Cyrus
took his departure, having gained not only the actual
money he took away with him, but a far ampler store of
wealth, won by his own graciousness, on which he could
draw in time of need.

For the first night he encamped on the borders of
Armenia, but the next day he sent the army and the
money to Cyaxares, who was close at hand, as he had
promised to be, while he himself took his pleasure in hunt-
ing wherever he could find the game, in company with
Tigranes and the flower of the Persian force.

6. And when he came back to Media he gave gifts of
money to his chief officers, sufficient for each to reward
their own subordinates, for he held to it that, if every one
made his own division worthy of praise, all would be well
with the army as a whole. He himself secured anything
that he thought of value for the campaign, and divided
it among the most meritorious, convinced that every gain
to the army was an adornment to himself.

7. At every distribution he would take occasion to
address the officers and all whom he chose to honour in
some such words as these: " My friends, the god of mirth
must be with us to-day : we have found a source of plenty,
and we have the wherewithal to honour whom we wish and
as they may deserve. 8. Let us call to mind, all of us,
the only way in which these blessings can be won. We
shall find it is by toil, and watchfulness, and speed, and
the resolve never to yield to our foes. After this pattern
must we prove ourselves to be men, knowing that all high
delights and all great joys are only gained by obedience
and hardihood, and through pains endured and dangei's
confronted in their proper season."

I

Book III. The Invasion of Assyria 99

9. But presently, when Cyrus saw that his men were C. 3
strong enough for all the work of war, and bold enough to
meet their enemies with scorn, expert and skilful in the
use of the weapons each man bore, and all of them perfect
in obedience and discipline, the desire grew in his heart to
be up and doing and achieve something against the foe.
He knew well how often a general has found delay ruin
his fairest armament. 10. He noticed, moreover, that in
the eagerness of rivalry and the strain of competition many
of the soldiers grew jealous of each other; and for this, if
for no other reason, he desired to lead them into the
enemy's country without delay, feeling that common
dangers awaken comradeship among those who are fight-
ing in a common cause, and then all such bickerings cease,
and no man is galled by the splendour of his comrade's
arms, or the passion of his desire for glory: envy is
swallowed up in praise, and each competitor greets his
rivals with delight as fellow-workers for the common
good.

1 1 . Therefore Cyrus ordered his whole force to assemble
under arms, and drew them up in battle-array, using all
his skill to make the display a wonder of beauty and per-
fection. Then he summoned his chief officers, his
generals, his brigadiers, and his company-captains.
These men were not bound to be always in the ranks, and
some were always free to wait on the commander-in-chief
or carry orders along the Unes without leaving the troops
unofficered: for the captains-of-twelve and the captains-
of-six stepped into the gaps, and absolute order was pre-
served. 12. So Cyrus assembled his staff and led them
along the lines, pointing out the merits of the combined
forces and the special strength of each, and thus
he kindled in their hearts the passion for achievement,
and then he bade them return to their regiments and
repeat the lessons he had taught them, trying to implant
in their own men the same desire for action, so that one
and all might sally out in the best of heart; and the next
morning they were to present themselves at Cyaxares'
gates. 13. So the officers went away and did as he

loo The Education of Cyrus

C. 3 commanded, and the next morning at daybreak they
assembled at the trysting-place, and Cyrus met them
and came before Cyaxares and said to him:

" I know well that what I am about to say must often
have been in your own mind, but you have shrunk from
suggesting it yourself lest it might seem that you were
weary of supporting us. 14. Therefore since you must
keep silence, let me speak for both of us. We are all
agreed that since our preparations are complete we should
not wait until the enemy invades your territory before we
give him battle, nor loiter here in a friendly land, but
attack him on his own ground with what speed we may.

15. For while we linger here, we injure your property in
spite of ourselves, but once on the enemy's soil we can
damage his, and that with the best will in the world.

16. As things are, you must maintain us, and the cost is
great; but once launched on foreign service, we can main-
tain ourselves, and at our foe's expense. 17. Possibly,
if it were more dangerous to go forward than to stay here,
the more cautious might seem the wiser plan. But
whether we stay or whether we go, the enemy's numbers
will be the same, and so will ours, whether we receive them
here or join battle with them there. 18. Moreover, the
spirit of our soldiers will be all the higher and all the
bolder if they feel that they are marching against the foe
and not cowering before him ; and his alarm will be all the
greater when he hears that we are not crouching at home
in terror but coming out to meet him as soon as we have
heard of his advance, eager to close at once, not holding
back until our territory suffers, but prompt to seize the
moment and ravage his own land first. 19. Indeed," he
added, " if we do no more than quicken our own courage
and his fears, I would reckon it a substantial gain, and
count it so much the less danger for us and so much the
more for him. My father never tires of telling me what
I have heard you say yourself, and what all the world
admits, that battles are decided more by the character of
the troops than by their bodily strength."

20. He ended, and Cyaxares ansv/ered:

Book III. The Invasion of Assyria loi

" Cyrus, both you and all my Persian friends may feel
sure that I find it no trouble to maintain you; do not
imagine such a thing; but I agree with you that the time
is ripe for an advance on the enemy's land."

" Then," said Cyrus, " since we are all of one mind, let
us make our final preparations, and, if heaven will, let us
set forth without delay."

21. So they bade the soldiers prepare for the start, and
Cyrus offered sacrifices to Zeus the Lord and to the other
gods in due order, and prayed, " Look on us with favour,
and be gracious to us ; guide our army, stand beside us in
the battle, aid us in council, help us in action, be the com-
i-ades of the brave." Also he called upon the Heroes of
Media, who dwell in the land and guard it. 22. Then,
when the signs were favourable and his army was mustered
on the frontier, he felt that the moment had come, and
with all good omens to support him, he invaded the
enemy's land. And so soon as he had crossed the border
he offered libations to the Earth and victims to the gods,
and sought to win the favour of the Heroes who guard
Assyria. And having so done, once more he sacrificed to
Zeus, the god of his fathers, and was careful to reverence
every other god who came before his mind.

23. But when these duties were fulfilled, there was no
further pause. He pushed his infantry on at once, a short
day's march, and then encamped, while the cavalry made
a swift descent and captured much spoil of every kind.
For the future they had only to shift their camp from time
to time, and they found supplies in abundance, and could
ravage the enemy's land at their ease while waiting his
approach. 24. Presently news came of his advance: he
was said to be barely ten days' off, and at that Cyrus went
to Cyaxares and said: " The hour has come, and we must
face the enemy. Let it not seem to friend or foe that we
fear the encounter: let us show them that we enjoy the
fight."

25. Cyaxares agreed, and they moved forward in good
order, marching each day as far as appeared desirable.
They were careful to take their evening meal by daylight,

I02 The Education of Cyrus

C. 3 and at night they lit no fires in the camp : they made them
in front of it, so that in case of attack they might see their
assailants, while they themselves remained unseen. And
often they lit other fires in their rear as well, to deceive
the enemy; so that at times the Assyrian scouts actually
fell in with the advance-guard, having fancied from the
distance of the fires that they were still some way from the
encampment.

26. Meanwhile the Assyrians and their allies, as the two
armies came into touch, halted, and threw up an entrench-
ment, just as all barbarian leaders do to-day, whenever
they encamp, finding no difficulty in the work because of
the vast numbers at their command, and knowing that
cavalry may easily be thrown into confusion and become
unmanageable, especially if they are barbarians. 27. The
horses must be tethered at their stalls, and in case of attack
a dozen difficulties arise : the soldier must loose his steed in
the dark, bridle and saddle him, put on his own armour,
mount, and then gallop through the camp, and this last
it is quite impossible to do. Therefore the Assjrrians,
like all barbarians, throw up entrenchments round their
position, and the mere fact of being inside a fastness
leaves them, they consider, the choice of fighting at anj^
moment they think fit. 28. So the two armies drew nearer
and nearer, and when they were about four miles apart, the
Assyrians proceeded to encamp in the manner described:
their position was completely surrounded by a trench,
but also perfectly visible, while Cyrus took all the cover
he could find, screening himself behind villages and
hillocks, in the conviction that the more sudden the dis-
closure of a hostile force the greater will be the enemy's
alarm.

29. During the first night neither army did more than
post the customary guards before they went to sleep, and
on the next day the king of Assyria, and Croesus, and their
oflJicers, still kept the troops within their lines. But C>tus
and Cyaxares drew up their men, prepared to fight if the
enemy advanced.

Ere long it was plain that they would not venture out

Book III. The Invasion of Assyria 103

that day, and Cyaxares summoned Cyrus and his staff C. 3
and said:

30. " I think, gentlemen, it would be well for us to
march up to the breastworks in our present order, and
show them that we wish to fight. If we do so," he added,
" and they refuse our challenge, it will increase the confi-
dence of our own men, and the mere sight of our boldness
will add to the enemy's alarm."

31. So it seemed to Cyaxares, but Cyrus protested:
" In the name of heaven, Cyaxares, let us do no such thing.
By such an advance we should only reveal our numbers to
them: they would watch us at their ease, conscious that
they are safe from any danger, and when we retire with-
out doing them any harm they will have another look at us
and despise us because of our inferiority in numbers, and
to-morrow they will come out much emboldened. 32. At
present," he added, " they know that we are here, but
they have not seen us, and you may be sure they do not
despise us ; they are asking what all this means, and they
never cease discussing the problem; of that I am con-
vinced. They ought not to see us until they sally out,
and in that moment we ought to come to grips with them,
thankful to have caught them as we have so long desired."

;^;^. So Cyrus spoke, and Cyaxares and the others were
convinced, and waited. In the evening they took their
meal, and posted their pickets and lit watch-fires in front
of their outposts, and so turned to sleep. 34. But early
the next morning C5txis put a garland on his head and
went out to offer sacrifice, and sent word to all the Peers
of Persia to join him, wearing garlands like himself. And
when the rite was over, he called them together and said :
" Gentlemen, the soothsayers tell us, and I agree, that the
gods announce by the signs in the victims that the battle
is at hand, and they assure us of victory, they promise us
salvation. 35. I should be ashamed to admonish you at
such a season, or tell you how to bear yourselves: I do
not forget that we have all been brought up in the same
school, you have learnt the same lessons as I, and prac-
tised them day by day, and you might well instruct others.

I04 The Education of Cyrus

3 But you may not have noticed one pointy and for this I
would ask a hearing. 36. Our new comrades^ the men we
desire to make our peers — it may be well to remind them
of the terms on which Cyaxares has kept us and of
our daily discipline, the goal for which we asked their
help, and the race in which they promised to be our
friendly rivals. 37. Remind them also that this day will
test the worth of every man. With learners late in life,
we cannot wonder if now and then a prompter should be
needed : it is much to be thankful for if they show them-
selves good men and true with the help of a reminder.
38. Moreover, while you help them you will be putting
your own powers to the test. He who can give another
strength at such a crisis may well have confidence in his
own, whereas one who keeps his ideal to himself and is
content with that, ought to remember that he is only half
a man. 39. There is another reason," he added, " why
I do not speak to them myself, but ask you to do so. I
want them to try to please you : you are nearer to them
than I, each of you to the men of his own division: and
be well assured that if you show yourselves stout-hearted
you will be teaching them courage, and others too, by
deeds as well as words."

40. With that Cyrus dismissed them, and bade them
break their fast and make libation, and then take their
places in the ranks, still wearing their garlands on their
heads. And as they went away he summoned the leaders
of the rearguard and gave them his instructions:

41. " Men of Persia, you have been made Peers and
chosen for special duties, because we think you equal to the
best in other matters, and wiser than most in virtue of your
age. The post that you hold is every whit as honourable
as theirs who form the front: from your position in the
rear you can single out the gallant fighters, and your praise
will make them outdo themselves in valour, while if any
man should be tempted to give way, your eyes will be
upon him and you will not suffer it. 42. Victory will
mean even more to you than to the others, because of
your age and the weight of your equipment. If the

Book III. The Invasion of Assyria 105

men in front call on you to follow, answer readily, and let C. 3
them see that you can hold your own with them, shout
back to them, and bid them lead on quicker still. And
now," said he, " go back and take your breakfast, and
then join your ranks with the rest, wearing your garlands
on your heads."

43. Thus Cyrus and his men made their preparations,
and meanwhile the Assyrians on their side took their break-
fast, and then sallied forth boldly and drew up in gallant
order. It was the king himself who marshalled them,
driving past in his chariot and encouraging his troops.

44. " Men of Assyria," he said, " to-day you must show
your valour. To-day you fight for your lives and your
land, the land where you were bom and the homes where
you were bred, and for your wives and your children, and
all the blessings that are yours. If you win, you will
possess them all in safety as before, but if you lose, you
must surrender them into the hands of your enemies. 45.
Abide therefore, and do battle as though you were
enamoured of victory. It would be folly for her lovers to
turn their backs to the foe, sightless, handless, helpless,
and a fool is he who flies because he longs to live, for he
must know that safety comes to those who conquer, but
death to those who flee ; and fools are they whose hearts
are set on riches, but whose spirits are ready to admit
defeat. It is the victor who preserves his own possessions
and wins the property of those whom he overcomes : the
conquered lose themselves and all they call their own."

46. Thus spoke the king of Assyria.

But meanwhile Cyaxares sent to Cyrus saying that the
moment for attack had come. " Although," he added,
" there are as yet but few of them outside the trenches, by
the time we have advanced there will be quite enough.
Let us not wait until they outnumber us, but charge at
once while we are satisfied we can master them easily."

47. But Cyrus answered him, " Unless those we conquer
are more than half their number, they are sure to say that
we attacked when they were few, because we were afraid
of their full force, and in their hearts they will not feel that

io6 The Education of Cyrus

C. 3 they are beaten ; and we shall have to fight another battle,
when perhaps they will make a better plan than they have
made to-day, delivering themselves into our hands one by
one, to fight with as we choose."

48. So the messengers took back his reply, but mean-
while Chrysantas and certain other Peers came to Cyrus
bringing Assyrian deserters with them, and Cyrus, as a
general would, questioned the fugitives about the enemy's
doings, and they told him that the Assyrians were march-
ing out in force and that the king himself had crossed the
trenches and was marshalling his troops, addressing them
in stirring words, as all the listeners said. 49. Then
Chrysantas turned to Cyrus:

" What if you also were to summon our men, while there
is yet time, and inspire them with your words? "

50. But Cyrus answered:

" Do not be disturbed by the thought of the Assyrian's
exhortations; there are no words so fine that they can
turn cowards into brave men on the day of hearing, nor
make good archers out of bad, nor doughty spearmen, nor
skilful riders, no, nor even teach men to use their arms and
legs if they have not learnt before."

51. " But," replied Chrysantas, " could you not make
the brave men braver still, and the good better.? "

"What!" cried Cyrus, "can one solitary speech fill
the hearer's soul on the selfsame day with honour and
uprightness, guard him from all that is base, spur him to
undergo, as he ought, for the sake of glory every toil and
every danger, implant in him the faith that it is better to
die sword in hand than to escape by flight? 52. If such
thoughts are ever to be engraved in the hearts of men and
there abide, we must begin with the laws, and frame them
so that the righteous can count on a life of honour and
liberty, while the bad have to face humiliation, suffering,
and pain, and a life that is no life at all. 53. And then we
ought to have tutors and governors to instruct and teach
and train our citizens until the belief is engendered in their
souls that the righteous and the honourable are the happiest
of all men bom, and the bad and the infamous the most

Book III. The Invasion of Assyria 107

miserable. This is what our men must feel if they are to C.
show that their schooling can triumph over their terror of
the foe. 54. Surely, if in the moment of onset, amid the
clash of arms, at a time when lessons long learnt seem
suddenly wiped away, it were possible for any speaker, by
stringing a few fine sentiments together, to manufacture
warriors out of hand, why, it would be the easiest thing in
all the world to teach men the highest virtue man can
know. 55. For my own part," he added, " I would not
trust our new comrades yonder, whom we have trained
ourselves, to stand firm this day unless they saw you at
their side, to be examples unto them and to remind them
if they forget. As for men who are utterly undisciplined,
I should be astonished if any speech, however splendid,
did one whit more to encourage valour in their hearts than
a song well sung could do to make a musician of a man
who had no music in his soul."

56. But while they were speaking, Cyaxares sent again,
saying that Cyrus did ill to loiter instead of advancing
against the enemy with all speed. And Cyrus sent back
word there and then by the messengers :

" Tell Cyaxares once more, that even now there are not
as many before us as we need. And tell him this so that
all may hear. But add that, if it so please him, I will
advance at once."

57. So saying and with one prayer to the gods, he led his
troops into battle.

Once the advance began he quickened the pace, and his
men followed in perfect order, steadily, swiftly, joyously,
brimful of emulation, hardened by toil, trained by their
long discipline, every man in the front a leader, and all of
them alert. They had laid to heart the lesson of many a
day that it was always safest and easiest to meet enemies
at close quarters, especially archers, javelinmen, and
cavalry. 58. Wliile they were still out of range Cyrus
sent the watchword along the lines, " Zeus our help and
Zeus our leader." And as soon as it was returned to him,
he sounded the first notes of the battle-pjean, and the men
took up the hymn devoutly, in one mighty chorus. For

1 08 The Education of Cyrus

at such times those who fear the gods have less fear of
their fellow-men. 59. And when the chant was over, the
Peers of Persia went forward side by side, radiant, high-
bred, disciplined, a band of gallant comrades ; they looked
into each other's eyes, they called each other by name,
with many a cheer}' cry, " Forward, friends, forward,
gallant gentlemen! " And the rear-ranks heard the call,
and sent back a ringing cheer, bidding the van lead on.
The whole army of Cyrus was brimming with courage and
zeal and strength and hardihood and comradeship and self-
control; more terrible, I imagine, to an opponent than
aught else could be. 60. On the Assyrian side, those in
the van who fought from the chariots, as soon as the
mass of the Persian force drew near, leapt back and drove
to their own main body ; but the archers, javelin-men, and
slingers, let fly long before they were in range. 61. And
as the Persians steadily advanced, stepping over the spent
missiles, C\tiis called to his men :

" Forward now, bravest of the brave! Show us what
your pace can be ! "

They caught the word and passed it on, and in their
eagerness and passion for the fray some of the leaders
broke into a run, and the whole phalanx followed at their
heels. 62. Cyrus himself gave up the regular march and
dashed forward at their head, shouting:

"Brave men to the front! Who follows me? Who
will lay the first Assyrian low? "

And the men behind took up the shout till it rang
through the field like a battle-cry : " Who follows ? Brave
men to the front! " 63. Thus the Persians closed. But
the enemy could not hold their ground ; they turned and
fled to their entrenchments. 64. The Persians swept after
them, many a warrior falling as they crowded in at the
gates or tumbled into the trenches. For in the rout some
of the chariots were carried into the fosse, and the Persians
sprang down after them and slew man and horse where
they fell. 65. Then the Median troopers, seeing how
matters stood, charged the Ass}Tian cavalry, who swerved
and broke before them, chased and slaughtered, horse and

Book III. The Invasion of Assyria 109

rider, by their conquerors. 66. Meanwhile the Assyrians C. 3
within the camp, though they stood upon the breastworks,
had neither wit nor power to draw bow or fling spear
against the destroyers, dazed as they were by their panic
and the horror of the sight. Then came the tidings that
the Persians had cut their way through to the gates, and
at that they fled from the breastworks. 67. The women,
seeing the rout in the camp, fell to wailing and lamenta-
tions, running hither and thither in utter dismay, young
maidens, and mothers with children in their arms, rending
their garments and tearing their cheeks and crying on all
they met, " Leave us not, save us, save your children and
yourselves!" 68. Then the princes gathered their
trustiest men and stood at the gates, fighting on the
breastworks themselves, and urging their troops to make
a stand. 69. Cyrus, seeing this, and fearing that if his
handful of Persians forced their way into the camp they
would be overborne by numbers, gave the order to fall
back out of range. 70. Then was shown the perfect
discipline of the Peers; at once they obeyed the order and
passed it on at once. And when they all were out of range
they halted and reformed their ranks, better than any
chorus could have done, every man of them knowing
exactly where he ought to be.

NOTES
Book III

§6. Oriental in feeling ; situation well realised. Hellenic = c. i
Oriental, also in part perhaps. Also, we know the Oriental
through the medium of Greek to a great extent (cf. Greek
Testament, and earlier still LXX.).

§ 8, init. Cf. Joseph and his brethren for this hardening
of his heart.

§11. Hellenic political ethics = modern in this matter,
apart from modern theory of nationalism, i.e. right of nations
to exist free.

§ 12. Quite after the manner of an advocate in a Greek law-
court, but also Oriental (cf. David and Nathan the seer).

§24. Fear of exile; autobiographic touch? Is anything
passing through the mind of Xenophon ? I dare say there is.
[Xenophon was banished from his native city of Athens

I I o The Education of Cyrus

C. I because of his friendship with Sparta and with Cyrus the
Younger. See Works, Vol. I. p. xcix.]

§ 33, fin. 3000 talents. Something under ;^75o,ooo.

§ 35- Cyrus drives home the conscience of indebtedness a la
Portia V. Shylock. N.B. — Humorous also and an Oriental tinge.

§ 38. One can't help thinking of Socrates and the people of
Athens here. If so, this is a quasi-apology for the Athenian
bons peres de famille who condemned Socrates. Beautiful
story of the sophist teacher's last injunction to Tigranes.

§§40, 41. What smiles after tears! Like a sunny day
succeeding clouds and blackness. A pretty story this, of the
wife of Tigranes. Xenophon s women : this one, Pantheia,
Croesus' wife, the wife of Ischomachus {Economist), the
daughter of Gobryas.
C. 2 § 12. Archaeologically interesting. N.B. — Humanity to-
wards wounded, Hellenic. Xenophon's own strategy in the
A nabasis is probably the prototype.

§ 15. For Hellenic and Xenophontine religiousness. The
incalculableness of human life: God fulfils himself in many
unforeseen ways. N.B. — Irony also of the situation, since
Cyrus doesn't intend the Armenian to triumph over the
Chaldaean in the way he anticipates.

§ 20. Note how Socratically it is made to work itself out.
C. 3 Cyrus, the Archie Man, the " born ruler," is also the
diplomatic man (cf., no doubt, Gladstone), a diplomacy based
on organic economic sense and friendly-naturedness.

§ 10. Xenophon's theory' of fraternity in action, all petty
jealousies brushed aside.

[§ 1 1. The " captains-of-twelve " and the " captains-of-six "
are the same officers £is those called elsewhere " captains-of-
ten " and " captains-of-five " (cf. above Bk. II. c. 2, § 21 note).
The titles vary because sometimes the officers themselves are
counted in the squads and sometimes not.]

§ 19. Nice touch, quoting his father as an authority.

§ 40. With garlands, like the Spartans. Was it conceivably
a Persian custom to ?

§ 44. Assyrian's speech ; not a bad one, though plati-
tudinous. Xenophon's dramatic form is shown in the intel-
lectual and emotional side of his characters, rather than by
the diction in their mouths, is it not ?

§§51, 52. Most important for Xenophon, Educationalist.
Cyrus on the powerlessness of a speech to create valour in the
soul of the untrained: there must be a physical, moral, and
spiritual training there beforehand. The speech is in Xeno-
phon's best earnest rhetorical style.

§ 57. The march into battle, vide Milton. A beautiful bit
of word-painting.

§ 58. Cf. the Prussian army singing a hymn [in 1870].

I

BOOK IV

Cyrus waited; with his troops as they were, long enough to C.
show that he was ready to do battle again if the enemy
would come out; but as they did not stir he drew the
soldiers off as far as he thought well, and there encamped.
He had guards posted and scouts sent forward, and then
he gathered his wamors round him and spoke to them as
follows :

2. " Men of Persia, first and foremost I thank the gods
of heaven with all my soul and strength ; and I know you
render thanks with me, for we have won salvation and
victory, and it is meet and right to thank the gods for all
that comes to us. But in the next place I must praise
you, one and all; it is through you all that this glorious
work has been accomplished, and when I have learnt what
each man's part has been from those whose place it is to
tell me, I will do my best to give each man his due, in
word and deed. 3. But I need none to tell me the exploits
of your brigadier Chrysantas ; he was next to me in the
battle and I could see that he bore himself as I believe you
all have done. Moreover, at the very moment when I
called on him to retire, he had just raised his sword to
strike an Assyrian down, but he heard my voice, and at
once he dropped his hand and did my bidding. He sent
the word along the lines and led his division out of range
before the enemy could see that he meant to withdraw or
could lay one arrow to the string or let one javelin fly.
Thus he brought himself and his men safely out of action,
because he had learnt to obey. 4. But some of you, I see,
are wounded, and when I hear at what moment they re-
ceived their wounds I will pronounce my opinion on their
•deserts. Chrysantas I know already to be a true soldier
and a man of sense, able to command because he is able to
obey, and here and now I put him at the head of a thousand
III

1 1 2 The Education of Cyrus

C. I troops, nor shall I forget him on the day when God may
please to give me other blessings. 5. There is one re-
minder I would make to all. Never let slip the lesson of
this day's encounter, and judge for yourselves whether it
is cowardice or courage that saves a man in war, whether
the fighters or the shirkers have the better chance, and
what the joy is that victory can yield. To-day of all days
you can decide, for you have made the trial and the result
is fresh. 6. With such thoughts as these in your hearts
you will grow braver and better still. And now you may
rest in the consciousness that you are dear to God and have
done your duty bravely and steadily, and so take your
meal and make your libations and sing the psean and be
ready for the watchword."

So saying, Cyrus mounted his horse and galloped on to
Cyaxares, and the two rejoiced together as victors will.
And then, after a glance at matters there and an inquiry if
aught were needed, he rode back to his own detachment.
Then the evening meal was taken and the watches were
posted and Cyrus slept with his men.

8. Meanwhile the Assyrians, finding that their king was
among the slain and almost all his nobles with him, fell
into utter despair, and many of them deserted during the
night. And at this fear crept over Croesus and the allies ;
they saw dangers on every side, and heaviest of all was the
knowledge that the leading nation, the head of the whole
expedition, had received a mortal blow. Nothing re-
mained but to abandon the encampment under cover of
night. 9. Day broke, and the camp was seen to be de-
serted, and Cyrus, without more ado, led his Persians
within the entrenchments, where they found the stores
that the enemy had left: herds of sheep and goats and
kine, and long rows of waggons laden with good things.
Cyaxares and his Medes followed, and all arms took their
breakfast in the camp. 10. But when the meal was over,
Cyrus summoned his brigadiers and said to them:

" Think what blessings we are flinging away now, spum-
ing, as it were, the verj' gifts of heaven ! So at least it seems
to me. The enemy have given us the slip, as you see with

Book IV. Cyrus in Pursuit 1 1 3

your own eyes. Is it likely that men who forsook the C. i
shelter of their own fortress will ever face us in fair field
on level ground? Will those who shrank from us before
they put our prowess to the test ever withstand us now
when we have overthrown and shattered them? They
have lost their best and bravest, and will the cowards dare
to give us battle? "

11. At that one of his officers cried, " Why not pursue
at once, if such triumphs are before us ? "

And Cyrus answered, " Because we have not the horses.
The stoutest of our enemies, those whom we must seize or
slay, are mounted on steeds that could sweep past us like
the wind. God helping us, we can put them to flight, but
we cannot overtake them."

12. " Then," said they, " why not go and lay the matter
before Cyaxares? "

And he answered, " If so, you must all go with me, that
Cyaxares may see it is the wish of all."

So they all went together and spoke as they thought
best. 13. Now Cyaxares felt, no doubt, a certain jealousy
that the Persians should be the first to broach the matter,
but he may also have felt that it was really wiser to run no
further risks for the present; he had, moreover, abandoned
himself to feasting and merrymaking, and he saw that
most of his Medes were in like case. Whatever the reason,
this was the answer he gave:

14. " My good nephew, I have always heard and always
seen that you Persians of all men think it your duty never
to be insatiate in the pursuit of any pleasure ; and I myself
believe that the greater the joy the more important is self-
restraint. Now what greater joy could there be than
the good fortune which waits on us to-day? 15. When
fortune comes to us, if we guard her with discretion, we
may five to grow old in peace, but if we are insatiate, if we
use and abuse our pleasures, chasing first one and then
another, we may well fear lest that fate be ours which, the
proverb tells us, falls on those mariners who cannot forgo
their voyages in the pursuit of wealth, and one day the
deep sea swallows them. Thus has many a warrior

H

114 The Education of Cyrus

C. I achieved one victory only to clutch at another and lose
the first. 1 6, If indeed, our enemies who have fled were
weaker then we, it might be safe enough to pursue them.
But now, bethink you, how small a portion of them we
have fought and conquered ; the mass have had no part in
the battle, and they, if we do not force them to fight, will
take themselves off through sheer cowardice and sloth.
As yet they know nothing of our powers or their own, but
if they learn that to fly is as dangerous as to hold their
ground, we run the risk of driving them to be brave in spite
of themselves. 17. You may be sure they are just as
anxious to save their wives and children as you can be to
capture them. Take a lesson from hunting : the wild sow
when she is sighted will scamper away with her young,
though she be feeding with the herd ; but if you attack her
httle ones she will never fly, even if she is all alone; she
will turn on the hunters. 18. Yesterday the enemy shut
themselves up in a fort, and then handed themselves over
to us to choose how many we cared to fight. But if we
meet them in open country, and they learn how to divide
their forces and take us in front and flank and rear, I
wonder how many pairs of eyes and hands each man of us
would need! Finally," he added, " I have no great wish
myself to disturb my Medes in their enjoyment, and drive
them'out to further dangers."

19. Then Cyrus took him up: " Nay, I would not have
you put pressure on any man; only let those who are
willing follow me, and perhaps we shall come back with
something for all of you to enjoy. The mass of the enemy
we should not think of pursuing; indeed, how could we
overtake them ? But if we cut off any stragglers, we could
clap hands on them and bring them back to you. 20.
Remember," he added, " when you sent for us, we came
a long way to do you service : is it not fair that you should
do us a kindness in return, and let us have something to
take back with us for ourselves, and not stand here agape
at all your treasures? "

21. At that Cyaxares answered, " Ah, if any will follow
you of their own free will, I can but be most grateful."

Book IV. Cyrus in Pursuit 1 1 5

" Send some one with me then," said Cyrus, " from these C. i
trusty men of yours, to carry your commands."

" Take whomever you Hke," he answered, " and be-
gone."

22. Now, as it chanced, among the officers present was
the Mede who had claimed kinship with Cyrus long ago
and won a kiss thereby. Cyrus pointed to him and said,
" That man will do for me." " He shall go with you then,' '
Cyaxares replied. And turning to the officer, " Tell your
fellows," he said, " that he who lists may follow Cyrus."
23. Thus Cyrus chose his man and went forth. And when
they were outside he said, " To-day you can show me if
you spoke truth long ago when you told me that the sight
of me was your joy."

" If you say that," said the Mede, " I will never leave
you."

" And will you not do your best," added Cyrus, " to
bring me others too? " " By the gods in heaven," cried
the Mede, " that will I, until you say in your turn that to
see me is your joy." Thereupon, with the authority of
Cyaxares to support him, the officer went to the Medes and
delivered the message with all diligence, adding that he
for one would never forsake Cyrus, the bravest, noblest,
and best of men, and a hero whose lineage was divine.

While Cyrus was busied with these matters, by some C. 2
strange chance two ambassadors arrived from the H^t-
canians. These people are neighbours of the Assyrians,
and being few in number, they were held in subjection.
But they seemed then, as they seem now, to live on horse-
back. Hence the Assyrians used them as the Lacedae-
monians employ the Skirites, for every toil and ever}'
danger, without sparing them. In fact, at that ven.'
moment they had ordered them to furnish a rear-guard of
a thousand men and more, so as to bear the brunt of any
rear attack. 2. The Hyrcanians, as they were to be the
hindmost, had put their waggons and families in the rear,
for, like most of the tribes in Asia, they take their entire
households with them on the march. 3. But when they
thought of the sorr\' treatment they got from the Assyrians

1 1 6 The Education of Cyrus

C. 2 and when they saw the king fallen, the army worsted and
a prey to panic, the allies disheartened and ready to desert,
they judged it a fine moment to revolt themselves, if only
the Medes and Persians would make common cause with
them. So they sent an embassy to Cyrus, for after the
late battle there was no name like his. 4. They told him
what good cause they had to hate the Ass)Tians, and how
if he was willing to attack them now, they themselves
would be his allies and show him the way. At the same
time they gave a full account of the enemy's doings, being
eager to get C}tiis on the road. 5. " Do you think," said
Cyrus, " we could overtake the Assyrians before they
reach their fortresses? We look on it as a great mis-
fortune," he added, " that they ever slipped through our
fingers and escaped." (This he said, wishing to give his
hearers as high an opinion as possible of himself and his
friends.) 6. " You could certainly catch them," they
answered, " and that to-morrow, ere the day is old, if you
gird up your loins: they move heavily because of their
numbers and their train of waggons, and to-day, since they
did not sleep last night, they have only gone a little way
ahead, and are now encamped for the evening."

7. " Can you give us any guarantee," said Cyrus, " that
what you say is true? "

" We will give you hostages," they said; " we will ride
off at once and bring them back this ver}' night. Only
do you on your side call the gods to witness and give us the
pledge of your own right hand, that we may give our people
the assurance we have received from you ourselves."

8. Thereupon Cyrus gave them his pledge that if they
would make good what they promised he would treat them
as his true friends and faithful followers, of no less account
than the Persians and the Medes. And to this day one
may see Hyrcanians treated with trust and holding office
on an equal footing with Persians and Medes of high
distinction.

9. Now CvTus and his men took their supper and then
while it was still daylight he led his army out, having made
the two Hyrcanians wait so that they might go with them.

Book IV. Cyrus in Pursuit 1 17

The Persians, of course, were with him to a man, and C. 2
Tigranes was there, with his own contingent, and the
Median volunteers, who had joined for various reasons.
10. Some had been friends of Cyrus in boyhood, others
had hunted with him and learnt to admire his character,
others were grateful, feeling he had lifted a load of fear
from them, others were flushed with hope, nothing doubt-
ing that great things were reserved for the man who had
proved so brave and so fortunate already. Others re-
membered the time when he was brought up in Media, and
were glad to return the kindnesses that he had shown
them ; many could recall the favours the boy had won for
them from his grandfather through his sheer goodness of
heart; and many, now that they had seen the Hyrcanians
and heard say they were leading them to untold treasures,
went out from simple love of gain. 11. So they sallied
forth, the entire body of the Persians and all the Medes,
except those who were quartered with Cyaxares: these
stayed behind, and their men with them. But all the rest
went out with radiant faces and eager hearts, not follow-
ing him from constraint, but offering willing service
in their gratitude. 12. So, as soon as they were well
afield, Cyrus went to the Medes and thanked them, praying
that the gods in their mercy might guide them all, and that
he himself might have power given him to reward their
zeal. He ended by saying that the infantry would lead
the van, while they would follow with the cavalry, and
whenever the column halted on the march they were to
send him gallopers to receive his orders. 13. Then he
bade the Hyrcanians lead the way, but they exclaimed,
" What? Are you not going to wait until we bring the
hostages ? Then you could begin the march with pledges
from us in return for yours."

But he answered, as the story says, " If I am not mis-
taken, we hold the pledges now, in our own hearts and our
own right hands. We believe that if you are true to us
we can do you service, and if you play us false, you will
not have us at your mercy ; God willing, we shall hold you
at ours. Nevertheless," he added, " since you tell us your

1 1 8 The Education of Cyrus

C. 2 own folk follow in the Assjn^an rear, point them out to us
as soon as you set eyes on them, that we may spare their
lives."

14. When the Hyrcanians heard this they led the way
as he ordered, marvelling at his strength of soul. Their
own fear of the Assyrians, the Lydians, and their allies,
had altogether gone ; their dread now was lest Cyrus should
regard themselves as mere dust in the balance, and count
it of no importance whether they stayed with him or not.

15. As night closed in on their march, the legend runs
that a strange light shone out, far off in the sky, upon
Cyrus and his host, fiUing them with awe of the heavenly
powers and courage to meet the foe. Marching as they
did, their loins girt and their pace swift, they covered a
long stretch of road in little time, and with the half light
of the morning they were close to the Hyrcanian rear-
guard. 16. As soon as the guides saw it, they told Cyrus
that these were their own men: they knew this, they
added, from the number of their fires, and the fact that
they were in the rear. 17. Thereupon Cyrus sent one of
the guides to them, bidding them come out at once, if
they were friendly, with their right hands raised. And he
sent one of his own men also to say, " According as you
make your approach, so shall we Persians comport our-
selves."

Thus one of the two messengers stayed with Cyrus
while the other rode up to his fellows. 18. Cyrus halted
his army to watch what the tribe would do, and Tigranes
and the Median officers rode along the ranks to ask for
orders. Cyrus explained that the troops nearest to them
were the Hyrcanians, and that one of the ambassadors
had gone, and a Persian with him, to bid them come out
at once, if they were friendly, with their right hands raised.
" If they do so," he added, " you must welcome them as
they come, each of you at your post, and take them by
the hand and encourage them, but if they draw sword or
try to escape, you must make an example of them : not a
man of them must be left."

Such were his orders. 19. However, as soon as the

Book IV. Cyrus in Pursuit 1 1 9

Hyrcanians heard the message, they were overjoyed: C» 2
springing to their steeds they galloped up to Cyrus,
holding out their right hands as he had bidden. Then the
Medes and Persians gave them the right hand of fellow-
ship in return, and bade them be of courage. 20. And
Cyrus spoke :

" Sons of the Hyrcanians, we have shown our trust in
you already, and you must trust us in return. And now
tell me, how far from here do the Assyrian headquarters
lie, and their main body? " " About four miles hence,"
they answered.

21. " Forward then, my men," said Cyrus, " Persians,
Medes, and Hyrcanians. I have learnt already, you see,
to call you friends and comrades. All of you must remem-
ber that the moment has come when, if hand falters or
heart fails, we meet with utter disaster: our enemies
know why we are here. But if we summon our strength
and charge home, you shall see them caught like a pack
of runaway slaves, some on their knees, others in full
flight, and the rest unable to do even so much for them-
selves. They are beaten already, and they will see their
conquerors fall on them before they dream of an approach,
before their ranks are formed or their preparations made,
and the sight will paralyse them. 22. If we wish to sleep
and eat and live in peace and happiness from this time
forth, let us not give them leisure to take counsel or arrange
defence, or so much as see that we are men, and not a
storm of shields and battle-axes and flashing swords,
sweeping on them in one rain of blows. 23. You Hyr-
canians must go in front of us as a screen, that we may lie
hid behind you as long as may be. And as soon as I close
with them, you- must give me, each of you, a squadron of
horse, to use in case of need while I am waiting at the
camp. 24. I would advise the older men among you
and the officers, to ride in close order, so that your ranks
should not be broken, if you come across a compact body
of the foe; let the younger men give chase, and do the
killing: our safest plan to-day is to leave as few of the
enemy alive as possible. 25. And if we conquer," he added,

I20 The Education of Cyrus

C- 2 " we must beware of what has overset the fortune of many
a conqueror ere now, I mean the lust for plunder. The
man who plunders is no longer a man, he is a machine for
porterage, and all who list may treat him as a slave.
26. One thing we must bear in mind: nothing can bring
such gain as victory; at one clutch the victor seizes all,
men and women, and wealth, and territory. Therefore
make it your one object to secure the victory; if he is
conquered, the greatest plunderer is caught. One more
word — remember, even in the heat of pursuit to rejoin
me while it is still daylight, for when darkness has fallen
we will not admit a soul within the lines."

27. With these words he sent them off to their appointed
stations, bidding them repeat his instructions on the way
to their own lieutentants, who were posted in front to
receive the orders, and make each of them pass down the
word to his own file of ten. Thereupon the advance began,
the Hyrcanians leading off, C}tus holding the centre him-
self, marching with his Persians, and the cavalry in the
usual way, drawn up on either flank.

28. As the day broke the enemy saw them for the first
time : some simply stared at what was happening, others
began to reahse the truth, calling and shoutingto each other,
unfastening their horses, getting their goods together, tear-
ing what they needed off the beasts of burden, and others
arming themselves, harnessing their steeds, leaping to horse,
others helping the women into their carriages, or seizing
their valuables, some caught in the act of burying them,
others, and by far the greatest number, in sheer headlong
flight. Many and divers were their shifts, as one may well
conceive, save only that not one man stood at bay: they
perished without a blow. 29. Now Croesus, king of
Lydia, seeing that it was summer-time, had sent his
women on during the night, so that they might travel
more pleasantly in the cool, and he himself had followed
with his cavalry to escort them. 30. The Lord of Helles-
pontine Phrygia, it is said, had done the same. And
these two, when they heard what was happening from
the fugitives who overtook them, fled for their lives with

Book IV. Cyrus in Pursuit 121

the rest. 31. But it was otherwise with the kings of C. ^
Cappadocia and Arabia ; they had not gone far^ and they
stood their ground, but they had not even time to put on
their corslets, and were cut down by the Hyrcanians.
Indeed, the mass of those who fell were Assyrians and
Arabians, for, being in their own country, they had taken
no precautions on the march. 32. The victorious Medes
and the Hyrcanians had their hands full with the chase,
and meanwhile Cyrus made the cavalry who were left with
him ride all round the camp and cut down any man who
left it with weapons in his hands. Then he sent a herald to
those who remained, bidding the horsemen and targeteers
and archers come out on foot, with their weapons tied in
bundles, and deliver them up to him, leaving their horses
in their stalls: he who disobeyed should lose his head, and
a cordon of Persian troops stood round with their swords
drawn. ^;^. At that the weapons were brought out a€
once, and flung down, and Cyrus had the whole pile burnt.

34. Meanwhile he did not forget that his own troops
had come without food or drink, that nothing could be
done without provisions, and that to obtain these in the
quickest way, it was necessary on every campaign to have
some one to see that quarters were prepared and supplies
ready for the men on their return. 35. It occurred to
him it was more than likely that such officers, of all others,
would be left behind in the Assyrian camp, because they
would have been delayed by the packing.

Accordingly, he sent out a proclamation that all the
stewards should present themselves before him, and if there
was no such officer left, the oldest man in every tent must
take his place ; any one failing to obey would suffer the
severest penalties. The stewards, following the example
of their masters, obeyed at once. And when they came
before him he ordered those who had more than two
months' rations in their quarters to sit down on the ground,
and then those who had provisions for one month.
36. Thereupon very few were left standing. 37. Having
thus got the information he needed, he spoke to them as
follows :

1 22 The Education of Cyrus

2 " Gentlemen, if any of you dislike hard blows and desire
gentle treatment at our hands, make it your business to
provide twice as much meat and drink in every tent as
you have been wont to do, with all things that are needed
for a fine repast. The victors, whoever they are, will be
here anon, and will expect an overflowing board. You
may rest assured it will not be against your interests to
give them a welcome they can approve."

38. At that the stewards went off at once and set to work
with all zeal to carry out their instructions. Then Cyrus
summoned his own officers and said to them :

" My friends, it is clear that we have it in our power,
now that our allies' backs are turned, to help ourselves to
breakfast, and take our choice of the most delicate dishes
and the rarest wines. But I scarcely think this would do
us so much good as to show that we study the interest of
our friends: the best of cheer will not give us half the
strength we could draw from the zeal of loyal allies whose
gratitude we had won. 39. If we forget those who are
toiling for us now, pursuing our foes, slaying them, and
fighting wherever they resist, if they see that we sit down
to enjoy ourselves and devour our meal before we know
how it goes with them, I fear we shall cut a sorry figure in
their eyes, and our strength will turn to weakness through
lack of friends. The true banquet for us is to study the
wants of those who have run the risk and done the work,
to see that they have all they need when they come home,
a banquet that will give us richer delight than any gorging
of the belly. 40. And remember, that even if the thought
of them were not enough to shame us from it, in no case is
this a moment for gluttony and drunkenness: the thing
we set our minds to do is not yet done : everything is full
of danger still, and calls for carefulness. We have enemies
in this camp ten times more numerous than ourselves, and
they are all at large : we need both to guard against them
and to guard them, so that we may have servants to
furnish us with supplies. Our cavalry are not yet back,
and we must ask ourselves where they are and whether
they mean to stay with us when they return, 41. There-

Book IV. Cyrus in Pursuit 123

fore, gentlemen, I would say, for the present let us above
all be careful to avoid the food and drink that leads to
slumber and stupefaction. 42. And there is another
matter: this camp contains vast treasures, and I am well
aware we have it in our power to pick and choose as much
as we like for ourselves out of what belongs by right to all
who helped in its capture. But it does not seem to me
that grasping will be so lucrative as proving ourselves just
toward our allies, and so binding them the closer. 43. I
go further: I say that we should leave the distribution of
the spoil to the Medes, the Hyrcanians, and Tigranes, and
count it gain if they allot us the smaller share, for then
• they will be all the more willing to stay with us. 44. Sel-
fishness now could only secure us riches for the moment,
while to let these vanities go in order to obtain the very
fount of wealth, that, I take it, will ensure for us and all
whom we call ours a far more enduring gain. 45. Was it
not," he continued, " for this very reason that we trained
ourselves at home to master the belly and its appetites,
so that, if ever the need arose, we might turn our educa-
tion to account? And where, I ask, shall we find a
nobler opportunity than this, to show what we have
learnt? "

46. Such were his words and Hystaspas the Persian
rose to support him, saying:

" Truly, Cyrus, it would be a monstrous thing if we
could go fasting when we hunt, and keep from food so
often and so long merely to lay some poor beast low,
worth next to nothing, maybe, and yet, when a world
of wealth is our quarry, let ourselves be baulked by one
of those temptations which flee before the noble and rule
the bad. Such conduct, me thinks, would be little worthy
of our race."

47. So Hystaspas spoke, and the rest approved him,
one and all. Then Cyrus said:

" Come now, since we are all of one mind, each of you
give me five of the trustiest fellows in his company, and
let them go the rounds, and see how the supplies are fur-
nished; let them praise the active servants, and where

1 24 The Education of Cyrus

C- 2 they see neglect, chastise them more severely than their
own masters could."
Thus they dealt with these matters.

G. 3 But it was not long before some of the Medes returned :
one set had overtaken the waggons that had gone ahead,
seized them and turned them back, and were now driving
them to the camp, laden with all that an army could re-
quire, and others had captured the covered carriages in
which the women rode, the wives of the Assyrian grandees
or their concubines, whom they had taken with them
because of their beauty. 2. Indeed, to this day the
tribes of Asia never go on a campaign without their most
precious property: they say they can fight better in the
presence of their beloved, feeling they must defend their
treasures, heart and soul. It may be so, but it may also
be that the desire for pleasure is the cause,

3. And when Cyrus saw the feats of arms that the Medes
and the Hyrcanians had performed, he came near reproach-
ing himself and those that were with him ; the others, he
felt, had risen with the time, had shown their strength and
won their prizes, while he and his had stayed behind like
sluggards. Indeed it was a sight to watch the victors
riding home, driving their spoil before them, pointing it
out with some display to Cyrus, and then dashing off again
at once in search of more, according to the instructions
they had received.

But though he ate out his heart with envy Cyrus was
careful to set all their booty apart; and then he summoned
his own officers again, and standing where they could all
hear what he had to propose, he spoke as follows :

4. " My friends, you would all agree, I take it, that if
the spoils displayed to us now were our own to keep, wealth
would be showered on every Persian in the land, and we
ourselves, no doubt, through whom it was won, would
receive the most. But what I do not see is how we are to
get possession of such prizes unless we have cavalry of
our own. 5. Consider the facts," he continued, " we
Persians have weapons with which, we hope, we can rout
an enemy at close quarters; but when we do rout them.

Book IV. Cyrus in Pursuit 125

what sort of horsemen or archers or light-armed troops C. 3
could ever be caught and killed, if we can only pursue
them on foot? Why should they ever be afraid to dash
up and harry us, when they know full well that they run
no greater risk at our hands than if we were stumps in
their orchards? 6. And if this be so, it is plain that the
cavalry now with us consider every gain to be as much
theirs as ours, and possibly even more, God wot! 7, At
present things must be so: there is no help for it. But
suppose we were to provide ourselves with as good a force
as our friends, it must be pretty evident to all of us, I
think, that we could then deal with the enemy by our-
, selves precisely as we do now with their help, and then
perhaps we should find that they would carry their heads
less high. It would be of less importance to us whether
they chose to stay or go, we should be sufficient for our-
selves without them. 8. So far then I expect that no one
will disagree: if we could get a body of Persian cavalry
it would make all the difference to us; but no doubt you
feel the question is, how are we to get it? Well, let us
consider first, suppose we decide to raise the force, exactly
what we have to start with and what we need. 9. We
certainly have hundreds of horses now captured in this
camp, with their bridles and all their gear. Besides these,
we have all the accoutrements for a mounted force, breast-
plates to protect the trunk, and light spears to be flung
or wielded at close quarters. What else do we need? It
is plain we need men. 10. But that is just what we have
already at our own command. For nothing is so much
ours as our own selves. Only, some will say, we have not
the necessary skill. No, of course not, and none of those
who have it now had it either before they learnt to get it.
Ah, you object, but they learnt when they were boys.
II. Maybe; but are boys more capable of learning what
they are taught than grown men ? Which are the better
at heavy physical tasks, boys or men? 12. Besides, we,
of all pupils, have advantages that neither boys nor other
men possess : we have not to be taught the use of the bow
as boys have, we are skilled in that already; nor yet the

126 The Education of Cyrus

3 use of the javelin, we are versed in that; our time has
not been taken up like other men's with toiling on the
land or labouring at some craft or managing household
matters; we have not only had leisure for war, it has
been our life. 13. Moreover, one cannot say of riding
as of so many warlike exercises that it is useful but dis-
agreeable. To ride a-horseback is surely pleasanter than
to trudge a-foot? And as for speed — how pleasant to
join a friend betimes whenever you wish, or come up with
your quarry be it man or beast ! And then, the ease and
satisfaction of it! Whatever weapon the rider carries
his horse must help to bear the load : ' wear arms ' and
' bear arms,' — they are the same thing on horseback.
14. But now, to meet the worst we can apprehend : sup-
pose, before we are adepts, we are called upon to run some
risk, and then find that we are neither infantry nor
thoroughgoing cavalry? This may be a danger, but we
can guard against it. We have it always in our power to
turn into infantry again at a moment's notice. I do not
propose that by learning to ride we should unlearn the
arts of men on foot."

15. Thus spoke Cyrus, and Chrysantas rose to support
him, saying:

" For my part I cannot say I so much desire to be a
horseman as flatter myself that once I can ride I shall be
a sort of flying man. 16. At present when I race I am
quite content if, with a fair start, I can beat one of my
rivals by the head, or when I sight my game I am happy
if, by laying legs to the ground, I can get close enough to
let fly javelin or arrow before he is clean out of range.
But when once I am a horseman I shall be able to over-
haul my man as far as I can see him, or come up with the
beasts I chase and knock them over myself or else spear
them as though they stood stock still, for when hunter
and hunted are both of them racing, if they are only side
by side, it is as good as though neither of them moved.
17. And the creature I have always envied," he continued,
' ' the centaur — if only he had the intelligence and fore-
thought of a man, the adroit skill and the cunning hand.

Book IV. Cyrus in Pursuit 127

with the swiftness and strength of a horse, so as to over- C. 3
take all that fied before him, and overthrow all that
resisted — why, all these powers I shall collect and gather
in my own person when once I am a rider. i8. Fore-
thought I intend to keep with my human wits, my hands
can wield my weapons, and my horse's legs will follow up
the foe, and my horse's rush overthrow him. Only I
shall not be tied and fettered to my steed, flesh of his flesh,
and blood of his blood, like the old centaur. 19. And that
I count a great improvement on the breed, far better than
being united to the animal, body and soul. The old
centaur, I imagine, must have been for ever in difficulties ;
as a horse, he could not use the wonderful inventions
of man, and as a man, he could not enjoy the proper
pleasures of a horse. 20. But I, if I learn to ride, once set
me astride my horse, and I will do all that the centaur
can, and yet, when I dismount, I can dress myself as a
human being, and dine, and sleep in my bed, like the rest
of my kind : in short, I shall be a jointed centaur that can
be taken to pieces and put together again. 21. And I
shall gain another point or so over the original beast : he,
we know, had only two eyes to see with and two ears to
hear with, but I shall watch with four eyes and with four
ears I shall listen. You know, they tell us a horse can
often see quicker than any man, and hear a sound before
his master, and give him warning in some way. Have
the goodness, therefore," he added, " to write my name
down among those who want to ride."

22. " And ours too," they all cried, " ours too, in
heaven's name ! "

Then Cyrus spoke : " Gentlemen, since we are all so well
agreed, suppose we make it a rule that every one who
receives a horse from me shall be considered to disgrace
himself if he is seen trudging afoot, be his journey long or
short? "

23. Thus Cyrus put the question, and one and all
assented ; and hence it is that even to this day the custom
is retained, and no Persian of the gentle class would
willingly be seen anywhere on foot.

I 28 The Education of Cyrus

C 4 In this (Jebate their time was spent, and when it was past
midday the Median cavalry and the Hyrcanians came
galloping home, bringing in men and horses from the
enemy, for they had spared all who surrendered their arms.
2. As they rode up the first inquiry of Cyrus was whether
all of them were safe, and when they answered yes, he
asked what they had achieved. And they told their
exploits in detail, .and how bravely they had borne them-
selves, magnifying it all. 3. Cyrus heard their story
through with a pleasant smile, and praised them for their
work. " I can see for myself," he said, " that you have
done gallant deeds. You seem to have grown taller and
fairer and more terrible to look on than when we saw you
last."

4. Then he made them tell him how far they had gone,
and whether they found the country inhabited. They
said they had ridden a long way, and that the whole
country was inhabited, and full of sheep and goats and
cattle and horses, and rich in corn and every good thing.

5. " Then there are two matters," he said, " to which
we must attend; first we must become masters of those
who own all this, and next we must ensure that they do
not run away. A well-populated country is a rich posses-
sion, but a deserted land will soon become a desert.
6. You have put the defenders to the sword, I know, and
rightly — for that is the only safe road to victory; but
you have brought in as prisoners those who laid down their
arms. Now if we let these men go, I maintain we should
do the very best thing for ourselves. 7. We gain two
points; first, we need neither be on our guard against
them nor mount guard over them nor find them victuals
(and we do not propose to starve them, I presume), and in
the next place, their release means more prisoners to-
morrow. 8. For if we dominate the country all the in-
habitants are ours, and if they see that these men are
still alive and at Jarge they will be more disposed to stay
where they are, and prefer obedience to battle. That is
jny own view, but if any one sees a better course, let him
point it out."

Book IV. Cyrus in Pursuit 129

9. However, all his hearers approved the plan proposed. C. 4
Thus it came to pass that Cyrus summoned the prisoners
and said to them :

10. " Gentlemen, you owe it to your own obedience this
day that your lives are safe; and for the future if you
continue in this conduct, no evil whatsoever shall befall
you; true, you will not have the same ruler as before, but
you will dwell in the same houses, you will cultivate the
same land, you will live with your wives and govern your
children as you do now. Moreover you will not have us
to fight with, nor any one else. 1 1 . On the contrary, if any
wrong is done you, it is we who will fight on your behalf.

-And to prevent any one from ordering you to take the
field, you will bring your arms to us and hand them over.
Those who do this can count on peace and the faithful
fulfilment of all our promises; those who will not, must
expect war, and that at once. 12. Further, if any man
of you comes to us and shows a friendly spirit, giving us
information and helping us in any way, we will treat him,
not as a servant, but as a friend and benefactor. This,"
he added, " we wish you to understand yourselves and
make known among your fellows. 13. And if it should
appear that you yourselves are willing to comply but
others hinder you, lead us against them, and you shall
be their masters, not they yours."

Such were his words; and they made obeisance and
promised to do as he bade.

And when they were gone, Cyrus turned to the Medes C. 5
and the men of Armenia, and said, "It is high time,
gentlemen, that we should dine, one and all of us; food
and drink are prepared for you, the best we had skill to
find. Send us, if you will, the half of the bread that has
been baked ; there is ample, I know, for both of us ; but
do not send any relish with it, nor any drink, we have
quite enough at hand. 2. And do you," he added, turn-
ing to the Hyrcanians, " conduct our friends to their
quarters, the officers to the largest tents — you know where
they are — and the rest where you think best. For your-
selves, you may dine where you like; your quarters are

I

130 The Education of Cyrus

C, 5 intact, and you will find everything there prepared for you
exactly as it iS for the others. 3. All of you alike must
understand that during the night we Persians will guard
the camp outside, but you must keep an eye over what ,
goes on within ; and see that your arms are ready to hand ;
our messmates are not our friends as yet."

4. So the Medes and Tigranes with his men washed away
the stains of battle, and put on the apparel that was laid
out for them, and fell to dinner, and the horses had their
provender too. They sent half the bread to the Persians
but no relish with it and no wine, thinking that Cyrus and
his men possessed a store, because he had said they had
enough and to spare. But Cyrus meant the relish of
hunger, and the draught from the running river. 5. Thus
he regaled his Persians, and when the darkness fell he
sent them out by fives and tens and ordered them to lie
in ambush around the camp, so as to form a double guard,
against attack from without, and absconders from within;
any one attempting to make off with treasures would be
caught in the act. And so it befell; for many tried to
escape, and all of them were seized. 6. As for the
treasures, C3Tn.is allowed the captors to keep them, but he
had the absconders beheaded out of hand, so that for the
future a thief by night was hardly to be found. Thus the
Persians passed their time. 7. But the Medes drank and
feasted and made music and took their fill of good cheer
and all dehghts ; there was plenty to serve their purpose,
and work enough for those who did not sleep.

8, Cyaxares, the king of the Medes, on the very night
when Cyrus set forth, drank himself drunk in company
with the officers in his own quarters to celebrate their
good fortune. Hearing uproar all about him, he thought
that the rest of the Medes must have stayed behind in the
camp, except perhaps a few, but the fact was that their
domestics, finding the masters gone, had fallen to drinking
in fine style and were making a din to their hearts' content,
the more so that they had procured wine and dainties from
the Assyrian camp. 9. But when it was broad day and
no one knocked at the palace gate except the guests of

Book IV. Cyrus and Cyaxares 1 3 1

last night's revel, and when Cyaxares heard that the camp C. 5
was deserted- — the Medes gone, the cavalry gone — and
when he went out and saw for himself that it was so, then
he fumed with indignation against Cyrus and his own men,
to think that they had gone off and left him in the lurch.
It is said that without more ado, savage and mad with
anger as he was, he ordered one of his staff to take his
troopers and ride at once to Cyrus and his men, and there
deliver this message :

10. " I should never have dreamed that Cyrus could
have acted towards me with such scant respect, or, if he
could have thought of it, that the Medes could have borne
to desert me in this way. And now, whether Cyrus will or
no, I command the Medes to present themselves before me
without delay."

11. Such was the message. But he who was to take it
said, " And how shall I find them, my lord? "

" Why," said Cyaxares, " as Cyrus and his men found
those they went to seek,"

" I only asked," continued the messenger, " because I
was told that some Hyrcanians who had revolted from the
enemy came here, and went off with him to act as guides."

12. When Cyaxares heard that, he was the more en-
raged to think that Cyrus had never told him, and the
more urgent to have his Medes removed from him at once,
and he summoned them home under fiercer threats than
ever; threatening the officer as well if he failed to deliver
the message in full force.

13. So the emissary set off with his troopers, about one
hundred strong, fervently regretting that he had not gone
with Cyrus himself. On the way they took a turning
which led them wrong, and they did not reach the Persians
until they had chanced upon some of the Assyrians in
retreat and forced them to be their guides, and so at last
arrived, sighting the watch-fires about midnight. 14. But
though they had got to the camp, the pickets, acting on
the orders of Cyrus, would not let them in till dawn. With
the first faint gleam of morning Cyrus summoned the
Persian Priests, who are called Magians, and bade them

132 The Education of Cyrus

C. 5 choose the offerings due to the gods for the blessings they
had vouchsafed. 15. And while they were about this,
Cyrus called the Peers together and said to them:

" Gentlemen, God has put before us many blessings,
but at present we Persians are a scant company to keep
them. If we fail to guard what we have toiled for, it will
soon fall back into other hands, and if we leave some of
our number to watch our gains, it will soon be seen that
v/e have no strength in us. 16. I propose therefore that
one of you should go home to Persia without loss of time,
and explain what I need and bid them despatch an army
forthwith, if they desire Persia to win the empire of Asia
and the fruits thereof. 17. Do you," said he, turning to
one of the Peers, " do you, who are the eldest, go and
repeat these words, and tell them that it shall be my care
to provide for the soldiers they send me as soon as they
are here. And as to what we have won — you have seen it
yourself — keep nothing back, and ask my father how much
I ought to send home for an offering to the gods, if I wish
to act in honour and according to the law, and ask the
magistrates how much is due to the commonwealth. And
let them send commissioners to watch all that we do and
answer all that we ask. So, sir," he ended, " you will get
your baggage together, and take your company with you
as an escort. Fare you well."

18. With that he turned to the Medes and at the same
moment the messenger from Cyaxares presented himself,
and in the midst of the whole assembly announced the
anger of the king against Cyrus, and his threats against
the Medes, and so bade the latter return home at once,
even if Cyrus wished them to stay. 19. The Medes lis-
tened, but were silent; for they were sore bested; they
could hardly disobey the summons, and yet they were
afraid to go back after his threats, being all too well
acquainted with the savage temper of their lord. 20. But
Cyrus spoke:

" Herald," said he, " and sons of the Medes, I am not
surprised that Cyaxares, who saw the host of the enemy
so lately, and knows so little of what we have done now.

I

Book IV. Cyrus and Cyaxares 133

should tremble for us and himself. But when he learns C. 5
how many have fallen, and that all have been dispersed,
his fears will vanish, and he will recognise that he is not
deserted on this day of all days when his friends are des-
troying his foes. 21. Can we deserve blame for doing
him a service ? And that not even without his own con-
sent? I am acting as I am, only after having gained his
leave to take you out; it is not as though you had come
to me in your own eagerness, and begged me to let you go,
and so were here now ; he himself ordered you out, those
of you who did not find it a burthen. Therefore, I feel
sure, his anger will melt in the sunshine of success, and,
when his fears are gone, it will vanish too. 22. For the
moment then," he added, turning to the messenger, " you
must recruit yourself; you have had a heavy task; and
for ourselves," said he, turning to the Persians, " since
we are waiting for an enemy who will either oSer us battle
or render us submission, we must draw up in our finest
style ; the spectacle, perhaps, will bring us more than we
could dare to hope. And do you," he said, taking the
Hyrcanian chieftain aside, " after you have told your
officers to arm their men, come back and wait with me a
moment,"

23. So the Hyrcanian went and returned. Then Cyrus
said to him, " Son of Hyrcania, it gives me pleasure to see
that you show not only friendliness, but sagacity. It is
clear that our interests are the same; the Assyrians are
my foes as well as yours, only they hate you now even more
bitterly than they hate me. 24. We must consult together
and see that not one of our present allies turns his back on
us, and we must do what we can to acquire more. You
heard the Mede summon the cavalry to return, and if they
go, we shall be left with nothing but infantry. 25. This
is what we must do, you and I ; we must make this mes-
senger, who is sent to recall them, desirous to stay here
himself. You must find him quarters where he will have
a merry time and everything heart can wish, and I will
offer him work which he will like far better than going
back. And do you talk to him yourself, and dilate on all

134 The Education of Cyrus

C. 5 the wonders we expect for our friends if things go well.
And when you have done this, come back again and tell
me."

26. So the chieftain took the Mede away to his own
quarters, and meanwhile the messenger from Persia pre-
sented himself equipped for the journey, and Cyrus bade
him tell the Persians all that had happened, as it has been
set out in this story, and then he gave him a letter to
Cyaxares. " I would like to read you the very words,"
added, " so that what you say yourself may agree with it,
in case you have questions asked you."

27. The letter ran as follows: — " Cyrus to Cyaxares,
greeting. We do not admit that we have deserted you;
for no one is deserted when he is being made the master of
his enemies. Nor do we consider that we put you in jeo-
pardy by our departure ; on the contrary, the greater the
distance between us the greater the security we claim to
have won for you. 28. It is not the friend at a man's
elbow who serves him and puts him out of danger, but
he who drives his enemies farthest and furthest away.
29. And I pray you to remember what I have done for you,
and you for me, before you blame me. I brought you
allies, not limiting myself to those you asked for, but
pressing in every man that I could find ; you allowed me
while we were on friendly soil only to take those whom I
could persuade to follow me, and now that I am in hostile
territory you insist that they must all return; you do not
leave it to their own choice. 30. Yesterday I felt that I
owed both you and them a debt of gratitude, but to-day
you drive me to forget your share, you make me wish to
repay those, and those only, who followed me. 31. Not
that I could bring myself to return you like for like ; even
now I am sending to Persia for more troops, and instruct-
ing all the men who come that, if you need them before we
return, they must hold themselves at your service abso-
lutely, to act not as they wish, but as you may care to use
them. 32. In conclusion, I would advise you, though I
am younger than yourself, not to take back with one hand
what you give with the other, or else you will win hatred

Book IV. Cyrus and Cyaxares 135

instead of gratitude; nor to use threats if you wish men C. 5
to come to you speedily; nor to speak of being deserted
when you threaten an army, unless you would teach them
to despise you. 33. For ourselves, we will do our best to
rejoin you as soon as we have concluded certain matters
which we believe will prove a common blessing to yourself
and us. Farewell."

34. " Dehver this/' said C}Tnjs, " to Cyaxares, and
whatever questions he puts to you, answer in accordance
with it. My injunctions to you about the Persians agree
exactly with what is written here." With that he gave
him the letter and sent him off, bidding him remember

^that speed was of importance.

35. Then he turned to review his troops, who were
already fully armed, Medes, Hyrcanians, the men Tigranes
had brought, and the whole body of the Persians. And
already some of the neighbouring folk were coming up, to
bring in their horses or hand over their arms. 36. The
javelins were then piled in a heap as before and burnt at
his command, after his troops had taken what they
needed for themselves, but he bade the owners stay with
their horses until they received fresh orders. This done,
Cyrus called together the officers of the Hyrcanians and of
the cavalry, and spoke as follows:

37. " My friends and allies, you must not be surprised
that I summon you so often. Our circumstances are so
novel that much still needs adjustment, and we must
expect difficulty until everything has found its place.
38. At present we have a mass of spoil, and prisoners set
to guard it. But we do not ourselves know what belongs
to each of us, nor could the guards sa)^ who the owners
are : and thus it is impossible for them to be exact in their
duties, since scarcely any of them know what these duties
may be. 39. To amend this, you must divide the spoil.
There will be no difficulty where a man has won a tent that
is fully supplied with meat and drink, and servants to
boot, bedding, apparel, and everything to make it a com-
fortable home; he has only to understand that this is
now his private property, and he must look after it himself.

136 The Education of Cyrus

But where the quarters are not furnished so well, there you
must make it your business to supply what is lacking.
40. There will be more than enough for this; of that I am
sure; the enemy had a stock of ever}i;hing quite out of
proportion to our scanty numbers. Moreover, certain
treasurers have come to me, men who were in the service
of the king of Assyria and other potentates, and according
to what they tell me, they have a supply of gold coin, the
produce of certain tributes they can name. 41. You will
send out a proclamation that this deposit must be de-
livered up to you in your quarters; you must terrify
those who fail to execute the order, and then you must
distribute the money; the mounted men should have
two shares apiece to the foot-soldier's one; and you should
keep the surplus, so that in case of need you may have
wherewith to make your purchases. 42. With regard to
the camp-market, proclamation must be made at once,
forbidding any injustice; the hucksters must be allowed
to sell the goods they have brought, and when these are
disposed of they may bring more, so that the camp may
be duly supplied."

43. So the proclamations were issued forthwith. But
the Medes and the Hyrcanians asked Cyrus :

" How are we to distribute the spoil alone, without your
men and yourself? "

44. But Cyrus met question by question: " Do you
really think, gentlemen, that we must all preside over
every detail, each and all of us together? Can I never
act for you, nor you for me? I could scarcely conceive
a surer way of creating trouble, or of reducing results.
See," said he, " I will take a case in point. 45. We Persians
guarded this booty for you, and you believe that we
guarded it well : now it is for you to distribute it, and we
will trust you to be fair. 46. And there is another benefit
that I should be glad to obtain for us all. You see what
a number of horses we have got already, and more are
being brought in. If they are left riderless we shall get
no profit out of them; we shall only have the burden of
looking after them. But if we set riders on them, we shall

1

Book IV. Cyrus and Cyaxares 137

be quit of the trouble and add to our strength. 47. Now C. 5
if you have other men in view, men whom you would
choose before us to share the brunt of danger with you,
by all means give these horses to them. But if you would
rather have us to fight at your side than any others,
bestow them upon us. 48. To-day when you dashed
ahead to meet danger all alone, great was our fear lest you
might come to harm, and bitter our shame to think that
where you were we were not. But if once we have horses,
we can follow at your heels. 49. And if it is clear that
we do more good so mounted, shoulder to shoulder with
yourselves, we shall not fail in zeal; or if it appears better
to support you on foot, why, to dismount is but the work
of a moment, and you will have your infantry marching
by your side at once, and we will find men to hold our
horses for us."

50. To which they answered:

" In truth, Cyrus, we have not men for these horses
ourselves, and even if we had them we should not do
anything against your wish. Take them, we beg you, and
use them as you think best."

51. "I will," said he, " and gladly, and may good
fortune bless us all, you in your division of the spoil and
us in our horsemanship. In the first place," he added,
" you will set apart for the gods whatever our priests
prescribe, and after that you must select for Cyaxares
what you think will please him most."

52. At that they laughed, and said they must choose
him a bevy of fair women. " So let it be," said C}Tnis,
" fair women, and an^i:hing else you please. And when
you have chosen his share, the Hyrcanians must see to it
that our friends among the Medes who followed us of their
own free will shall have no cause to find fault with their
own portion. 53. And the Medes on their side must show
honour to the first allies we have won, and make them
feel their decision was wise when they chose us for their
friends. And be sure to give a share of everything to the
messenger who came from Cyaxares and to his retinue;
persuade him to stay on with us, say that I would like it,

138 The Education of Cyrus

C. 5 and that he could tell Cyaxares all the better how matters
stood. 54. As for my Persians/' he added, " we shall be
quite content with what is left over, after you are all pro-
vided for; we are not used to luxury, we were brought up
in a very simple fashion, and I think you would laugh at us
if you saw us tricked out in grand attire, just as I am sure
you will when you see us seated on our horses, or, rather,
rolling off them."

55. So they dispersed to make the distribution, in
great mirth over the thought of the riding; and then
Cyrus called his own officers and bade them take the
horses and their gear, and the grooms with them, number
them all, and then distribute them by lot in equal shares
for each division. 56. Finally he sent out another pro-
clamation, saying that if there was any slave among the
Syrians, Assyrians, or Arabians who was a Mede, a Persian,
a Bactrian, a Carian, a Cilician, or a Hellene, or a member
of any other nation, and who had been forcibly enrolled,
he was to come forward and declare himself. 57. And
when they heard the herald, many came forward gladly,
and out of their number Cyrus selected the strongest and
fairest, and told them they were now free, and would be
required to bear arms, with which he would furnish them,
and as to necessaries, he would see himself that they were
not stinted. 58. With that he brought them to the
officers and had them enrolled forthwith, saying they were
to be armed with shields and light swords, so as to follow
the troopers, and were to receive supplies exactly as if
they were his own Persians. The Persian officers them-
selves, wearing corslets and carrying lances, were for the
future to appear on horseback, he himself setting the
example, and each one was to appoint another of the
Peers to lead the infantry for him.

C. 6 While they were concerned with these matters, an old
Assyrian prince, Gobryas by name, presented himself
before Cyrus, mounted on horseback and with a mounted
retinue behind him, all of them armed as cavalry.
The Persian officers who were appointed to receive the
weapons bade them hand over their lances and have them

Book IV. The Tale of Gobryas 139

burnt with the rest, but Gobryas said he wished to see C. 6
Cyrus first. At that the adjutants led him in, but they
made his escort stay where they were. 2. When the old
man came before Cyrus, he addressed him at once, saying :
" My lord, I am an Assyrian by birth; I have a strong
fortress in my territory, and I rule over a wide domain; I
have cavalry at my command, two thousand three hundred
of them, all of which I offered to the king of Assyria;
and if ever he had a friend, that friend was I. But he
has fallen at your hands, the gallant heart, and his son,
who is my bitterest foe, reigns in his stead. Therefore I
have come to you, a suppliant at your feet. I am ready
to be your slave and your ally, and I implore you to be my
avenger. You yourself will be as a son to me, for I have
no male children now. 3. He whom I had, my only son,
he was beautiful and brave, my lord, and loved me and
honoured me as a father rejoices to be loved. And this
vile king — his father, my old master, had sent for my son,
meaning to give him his own daughter in marriage; and
I let my boy go, with high hopes and a proud heart, think-
ing that when I saw him again the king's daughter would
be his bride. And the prince, who is now king, invited
him to the chase, and bade him do his best, for he thought
himself far the finer horseman of the two. So they
hunted together, side by side, as though they were friends,
and suddenly a bear appeared, and the two of them gave
chase, and the king's son let fly his javelin, but alas ! he
missed his aim, and then my son threw — oh, that he never
had!^and laid the creature low. 4. The prince was
stung to the quick, though for the moment he kept his
rancour hidden. But, soon after that, they roused a lion,
and then he missed a second time — no unusual thing for
him, I imagine — but my son's spear went home, and he
brought the beast down, and cried, ' See, I have shot but
twice, and killed each time ! ' And at this the monster
could not contain his jealousy; he snatched a spear from
one of his followers and ran my son through the body,
my only son, my darling, and took his life. 5. And I,
unhappy that I am, I, who thought to welcome a bride-

140 The Education of Cyrus

C. 6 groom, carried home a corpse. I, who am old, buried my
boy with the first down on his chin, my brave boy, my
well-beloved. And his assassin acted as though it were
an enemy that he had done to death. He never showed
one sign of remorse, he never paid one tribute of honour
to the dead, in atonement for his cruel deed. Yet his own
father pitied me, and showed that he could share the
burden of my grief. 6. Had he lived, my old master, I
would never have come to you to do him harm; many a
kindness have I received from him, and many a service
have I done him. But now that his kingdom has descended
to my boy's murderer — I could never be loyal to that
man, and he, I know, could never regard me as a friend.
He knows too well how I feel towards him, and how,
after my former splendour, I pass my days in mourning,
growing old in loneliness and grief. 7. If you can receive
me, if you can give me some hope of vengeance for my
dear son, I think I should grow young again, I should not
feel ashamed to live, and when I came to die I should not
die in utter wretchedness."

8. So he spoke, and Cyrus answered:

" Gobryas, if your heart be set towards us as you say,
I receive you as my suppliant, and I promise, God helping
me, to avenge your son. But tell me," he added, " if we
do this for you, and if we suffer you to keep your strong-
hold, your land, your arms, and the power which you had,
how will you serve us in return? "

9. And the old man answered:

" My stronghold shall be yours, to live in as often as
you come to me; the tribute which I used to pay to
Assyria shall be paid to you; and whenever you march
out to war, I will march at your side with the men from
my own land. Moreover, I have a daughter, a well-
beloved maiden, ripe for marriage; once I thought of
bringing her up to be the bride of the man who is now
king; but she besought me herself, with tears, not to give
her to her brother's murderer, and I have no mind to
oppose her. And now I will put her in your hands, to deal
with as I shall deal with vou."

Book IV. The Tale of Gobryas 141

10. So it came to pass that C}t*us said, " On the faith C. 6
that you have spoken truly and with true intent, I take
your hand and I give you mine; let the gods be witness."

And when this was done, C}tus bade the old man depart
in peace, without surrendering his arms, and then he
asked him how far away he lived, " Since," said he, " I
am minded to visit you." And Gobr}-as answered, " If
you set off early to-morrow, the next day you may lodge
with us." II. With that he took his own departure,
lea\'ing a guide for C}tus.

Then the Medes presented themselves; they had set
apart for the gods what the Persian Priests thought right,
and had left it in their hands, and they had chosen for
C}Tus the finest of all the tents, and a lady from Susa, of
whom the story says that in all Asia there was never a
woman half so fair as she, and two singing-girls with her,
the most skilful among the musicians. The second choice
was for Cyaxares, and for themselves they had taken their
fill of all they could need on the campaign, since there was
abundance of everything. 12. The H\Tcanians had all
they wanted too, and they made the messenger from
Cyaxares share and share alike with them. The tents
which were left over they delivered to C\tus for his
Persians; and the coined money they said should be
divided as soon as it was all collected, and divided it was.

NOTES
Book IV

§ 10. Two theories of hedonism : (i) Cyaxares' " Econo- C. i
mise the greatest joy when you have got it," and by contrast
(2) Cyrus' roaming from joy to joy.

§ 22. Xenophon, Artist: tlie " kinsman " of Cyrus again,
and the light by-play to enliven the severe history. The
economic organising genius of Cyrus is also brought out.

§ 25. No looting, an order of the Duke of Wellington, C. 2
Napier, Wolseley.

§ 32. Cf. modern times; humane orders, but strict.

§ 34. The question of commissariat. Would a modern force
storm a camp without taking rations ? I dare say they would.

§ 37. Notice the tone he adopts to these slaves; no bully-

142 The Education of Cyrus

C. 2 ing, but appealing to appetite and lower motives. This is
doubtless Xenophontine and Hellenic.

§ 38. Important as illustrating the stem Spartan self-denial
of the man and his followers. There is a hedonistic test, but
the higher hedonism prevails against the lower: ignoble and
impolitic to sit here feasting while they are fighting, and we
don't even know how it fares with them, our allies. The
style rises and is at times Pauline. St. Paul, of course, is
moving on a higher spiritual plane, but still

§45, fin. The Education of Cyrus, Cyropaedia, Kvpov
iraidela; the name justified.

§ 46. Hystaspas' simple response : important, with other
passages, to show how naturally it came to them {i.e. the
Hellenes and Xenophon) to give a spiritual application to
their rules of bodily and mental training. These things to
them are an allegory. The goal is lofty, if not so sublime
as St. Paul's or Comte's, the Christians or Positivists (there
has been an alteration for the better in the spiritual plane, and
Socrates helped to bring it about, I believe) , but ceteris paribus,
the words of St. Paul are the words of Hystaspas and Xeno-
phon. They for a corruptible crown, and we for an in-
corruptible— and one might find a still happier parable !

§ 46. Fine sentiment, this noblesse oblige (cf. the archangelic
dignity in Milton, Paradise Lost, I think) .

§ 47. The aristocratic theory (cf. modem English " nigger "
theory, Anglo-Indian, etc.).
^•3 § 3. Xenophon's dramatic skill. We are made to feel the
touch of something galling in the manner of these Median and
Hyrcanian troopers.

§ 4. A 'cute beginning rhetorically, because in the most
graceful way possible, and without egotism versus Medes and
Hyrcanians, it postulates the Persian superiority, moral, as
against the accidental inferiority of the moment caused by
want of cavalry and the dependence on others which that
involves. I suppose it's no reflection on Cyrus' military
acumen not to have foreseen this need. It would have been
premature then, now it organically grows; and there's no
great crisis to pass through.

§ 1 1. I should have thought this was a dangerous argument;
obviously boys do learn better than men certain things.

§ 12. Short sharp snap of argumentative style.

§ 19. The antithetic balance and word -jingle, with an ex-
quisite, puristic, precise, and delicate lisp, as of one tasting the
flavour of his words throughout.

§ 23. I think one sees how Xenophon built up his ideal
structure on a basis of actual living facts. The actual diverts
the creator of Cyrus from the ideal at times, as here. It is a

Book IV. Notes 143

slight declension in the character of Cyrus to lay down this C. 3
law, " equestrian once, equestrian always." Xenophon has to
account for the actual Persian horror of pedestrianism : Cyrus
himself can dismount, and so can the Persian nobles with •
Cyrus the Younger, but still the rule is " never be seen walk-
ing; " and without the concluding paragraph the dramatic
narrative that precedes would seem a little bit unfinished and
pointless : with the explanation it floats, and we forgive " the
archie man " his partiality' to equestrianism, as later on we
have to forgive him his Median get-up and artificiality
generally, which again is contrary- to the Xenophontine and
the ideal Spartan spirit.

Xenophon has this theory' of mankind : some are fit to rule, C. 4
the rest to be ruled. It is parallel to the Hellenic slavery
theory. Some moderns, e.g. Carlyle (Ruskin perhaps) inherit
it, and in lieu of Hellenic slaverj' we have a good many caste-
distinction crotchets still left.

§ 13, fin. The first salaam, ominous of the advent of im-
perialism; the sun's rim visible, and a ray shot up to the
zenith.

Here the question forces itself in the midst of all this C. $
" ironic " waiting on the part of the Persians in Spartan
durance for a future apotheosis of splendour and luxuriance, —
what is the moral ? " Hunger now and thirst, for ye shall be
filled " — is that it? Well, anyhow it's parallel to the modern
popular Christianity, reward-in-heaven theory, only on a less
high level, but exactly the same logicality.

§ 6. A point, this reward to the catcher, and this rigid
couvrefeu habit (cf. modem military' law).

§ 8. A dramatic contrast, the Median Cyaxares who follows
Pleasure, and the Persian Cyrus who follows Valour, vide
Heracles' choice [Memorabilia, II. i. 21]. This allegorising
tendency is engrained in Xenophon : it is his view of life ; one
of the best things he got from Socrates, no doubt. Later
(§ 12) the " ironic " suicidal self-assertion of Cyaxares is con-
trasted with the health-giving victorious self-repression of
Cyrus.

§§9, ID. Xenophon can depict character splendidly: this
is the crapulous opyri of the somewhat " hybristic " nature,
seeing how the land lies, siccis liiminibits , the day after the
premature revel. Theophrastus couldn't better have de-
picted the irascible man. These earliest portraits of character
are, according to Xenophon's genius, all sketched in the con-
crete, as it were. The character is not philosophised and then
illustrated by concrete instances after the manner of Theo-
phrastus, but we see the man moving before us and are made
aware of his nature at once.

144 'r^^ Education of Cyrus

C. 5 § 17. KoKus Ka vopilfius, "in all honour, andj accord-
ing to the law," almost a Xenophontine motto, land im-
portant in reference to the " questionable " conduct on his
part in exile — " questionable " from a modern rather than an
" antique " standard. [The chief reference is to Xenophon's
presence on the Spartan side at the battle of Coronea against
his native city of Athens. See Sketch, Works, Vol. I. pp.
cxxiii. flf.]

§ 20. The " archie man " does not recognise the littleness
of soul of the inferior nature, he winks at it, and so disarms at
once and triumphs over savagery, and this not through
cunning and pride, but a kind of godlike imperturbable
r sympathy, as of a fearless man with a savage hound. Still
there is a good dash of diplomacy.

§ 21, fin. Pretty sentence. Xenophon's words: some of
these are prettily-sounding words, some are rare and choice
and exquisite, some are charged with feeling, you can't touch
them with your finger-tips without feeling an " affective "
thrill. That is in part the goeteia, the witchery, of his style.

§§30, 31. A brilliant stroke of diplomacy worthy of the
archie man. This ayx'-vola. of the Hellene is the necessary
sharp shrewdness of a brain, which, however " affectively "
developed, is at bottom highly organised intellectually. H. S.*
has it, all 'cute people and nations have it, the Americans,
e.g. — every proposition must, however else it presents itself,
be apprehended in its logical bearings: the result may be
logically damaging to the supporter of it, but does not neces-
sarily banish an affective sympathetic attitude on the part of
the common-sense antagonist, who is not bound, in other
words, to be a sharp practitioner because he sees clearly.
Affection is the inspirer, intellect the up-and-doing agent of
the soul. The Hellenes and all 'cute people put the agent to
the fore in action, but if besides being 'cute they are affective,
the operations of the agent will be confined within prescribed
limits.

§ 32. This is almost pummelling, but it's fair: it's rather,
" See, I have you now in Chancery, I could pummel if I
-would."

^ Z7. These constant masters' meetings!

§ 38 ff. The mind of Xenophon: guiding principles, rule
-of Health, rule of Forethought. Religious trust in the divine,
and for things beyond man's control ; orderly masterly work-
ing out of problems within his power. Economic, diplomatic,
anchinoetic, archie manhood. Moral theory, higher hedonism.

§ 45. The archie man trusts human nature: this appeal to

[1 " H. S." = Henry Sidgwick, the philosopher, author of Methods
of Ethics, etc., a life-long friend of Mr. Dakyns.]

Book IV. Notes 145

their good faith is irresistible. The archie is also the diplo- C. 5
matic method.

§ 54. N.B. — Rhetorical artifice of winding-up a speech with
a joke. This is the popular orator. Xenophon the prototype
himself perhaps.

§ 3. Is this by chance a situation in Elizabethan or other C. 6
drama? It's tragic enough for anything.

§ 4. Admirable colloquial style: " well done, me! "

§ 6, fin. Beautifully-sounding sentence [in the Greek].
Like harp or viol with its dying mournful note.

§ 8. A new tributary for the archie man, and a foothold in
the enemy's country.

§ 9, fin. As to this daughter, vide infra. Who do you think
will win her ? We like her much already.

§11. The first flutings of this tale. The lady of Susa, quasi-
historic, or wholly imaginative, or mixed ?

BOOK V

Such were the deeds they did and such the words they
spoke. Then Cyrus bade them set a guard over the share
chosen for Cyaxares, selecting those whom he knew were
most attached to their lord, " And what you have given
me/' he added, " I accept with pleasure, but I hold it
at the service of those among you who would enjoy it the
most."

At that one of the Medes who was passionately fond of
music said, " In truth, Cyrus, yesterday evening I listened
to the singing-girls who are yours to-day, and if you could
give me one of them, I would far rather be serving on this
campaign than sitting at home."

And Cyrus said, " Most gladly I will give her; she is
yours. And I believe I am more grateful to you for asking
than you can be to me for giving; I am so thirsty to
gratify you all."

So this suitor carried off his prize. 2. And then Cyrus
called to his side Araspas the Mede, who had been his
comrade in boyhood. It was he to whom Cyrus gave the
Median cloak he was wearing when he went back to
Persia from his grandfather's court. Now he summoned
him, and asked him to take care of the tent and the lady
from Susa. 3. She was the wife of Abradatas, a Susian,
and when the Assyrian camp was captured it happened
that her husband was away: his master had sent him on
an embassy to Bactria to conclude an alliance there, for
he was the friend and host of the Bactrian king. And now
Cyrus asked Araspas to guard the captive lady until her
husband could take her back himself. 4. To that Araspas
repUed, " Have you seen the lady whom you bid me
guard?"

" No, indeed/' said Cyrus, " certainly I have not."

*' But I have/' rejoined the other, " I saw her when we
146

Book V. Araspas and Pantheia 147

chose her for you. When we came into the tent^ we did C. i
not make her out at first, for she was seated on the ground
with all her maidens round her, and she was clad in the
same attire as her slaves, but when we looked at them all
to discover the mistress, we soon saw that one outshone
the others, although she was veiled and kept her eyes on
the ground. 5. And when we bade her rise, all her
women rose with her, and then we saw that she was
marked out from them all by her height, and her noble
bearing, and her grace, and the beauty that shone through
her mean apparel. And, under her veil, we could see the
big tear-drops trickling down her garments to her feet.
6. At that sight the eldest of us said, ' Take comfort, lady,
we know that your husband was beautiful and brave, but
we have chosen you a man to-day who is no whit inferior to
'him in face or form or mind or power; Cyrus, we believe,
is more to be admired than any soul on earth, and you shall
be his from this day forward.' But when the lady
heard that, she rent the veil that covered her head and
gave a pitiful cry, while her maidens lifted up their voice
and wept with their mistress. 7. And thus we could see
her face, and her neck, and her arms, and I tell you, Cyrus,"
he added, " I myself, and all who looked on her, felt that
there never was, and never had been, in broad Asia a
mortal woman half so fair as she. Nay, but you must see
her for yourself."

8. " Say, rather, I must not," answered Cyrus, " if she
be such as you describe."

" And why not.? " asked the young man.

" Because," said he, " if the mere report of her beauty
could persuade me to go and gaze on her to-day, when I
have not a moment to spare, I fear she would win me back
again and perhaps I should neglect all I have to do, and
sit and gaze at her for ever."

9. At that the young man laughed outright and said :

" So you think, Cyrus, that the beauty of any human
creature can compel a man to do wrong against his will ?
Surely if that were the nature of beauty, all men would feel
its force alike. 10. See how fire bums all men equally;

148 The Education of Cyrus

C. I it is the nature of it so to do ; but these flowers of beauty,
one man loves them, and another loves them not, nor does
every man love the same. For love is voluntary, and each
man loves what he chooses to love. The brother is not
enamoured of his own sister, nor the father of his own
daughter; some other man must be the lover. Reverence
and law are strong enough to break the heart of passion.
II. But if a law were passed saying, ' Eat not, and thou
shaltnot starve; Drink not, and thou shalt not thirst; Let
not cold bite thee in winter nor heat inflame thee in
summer,' I say there is no law that could compel us to
obey; for it is our nature to be swayed by these forces.
But love is voluntary ; each man loves to himself alone,
and according as he chooses, just as he chooses his cloak
or his sandals."

12. " Then," said Cyrus, " if love be voluntary, why
cannot a man cease to love when he wishes ? I have seen
men in love," said he, " who have wept for very agony,
who were the very slaves of those they loved, though
before the fever took them they thought slavery the worst
of evils. I have seen them make gifts of what they ill
could spare, I have seen them praying, yes, praying, to be
rid of their passion, as though it were any other malady,
and yet unable to shake it off ; they were bound hand and
foot by a chain of something stronger than iron. There
they stood at the beck and call of their idols, and that
without rhyme or reason ; and yet, poor slaves, they make
no attempt to run away, in spite of all they suffer; on the
contrary, they mount guard over their tyrants, for fear
these should escape."

13. But the young man spoke in answer: " True," he
said, " there are such men, but they are worthless scamps,
and that is why, though they are always praying to die
and be put out of their misery and though ten thousand
avenues lie open by which to escape from life, they never
take one of them. These are the very men who are pre-
pared to steal and purloin the goods of others, and yet you
know yourself, when they do it, you are the first to say
stealing is not done under compulsion, and you blame the

Book V. Araspas and Pantheia 149

thief and the robber; you do not pity him, you punish C. i
him, 14. In the same way, beautiful creatures do not
compel others to love them or pursue them when it is
wrong, but these good-for-nothing scoundrels have no self-
control, and then they lay the blame on love. But the
nobler type of man, the true gentleman, beautiful and
brave, though he desire gold and splendid horses and
lovely women, can still abstain from each and all alike,
and lay no finger on them against the law of honour. 15.
Take my own case," he added, " I have seen this lady
myself, and passing fair I found her, and yet here I stand
before you, and am still your trooper and can still perform
my duty."

16. " I do not deny it," said Cyrus; "probably you
^came away in time. Love takes a little while to seize and

carry off his victim. A man may touch fire for a moment
and not be burnt; a log will not kindle all at once; and
yet for all that, I am not disposed to play with fire or look
on beauty. You yourself, my friend, if you will follow
my advice, will not let your own eyes linger there too long;
burning fuel will only bum those who touch it, but beauty
can fire the beholder from afar, until he is all aflame with
love."

17. "Oh, fear me not, Cyrus," answered he; "if I looked
till the end of time I could not be made to do what ill
befits a man."

" A fair answer," said Cyrus. " Guard her then, as I
bid you, and be careful of her. This lady may be of
service to us all one day."

18. With these words they parted. But afterwards,
after the young man saw from day to day how marvel-
lously fair the woman was, and how noble and gracious in
herself, after he took care of her, and fancied that she was
not insensible to what he did, after she set herself, through
her attendants, to care for his wants and see that all things
were ready for him when he came in, and that he should
lack for nothing if ever he were sick, after all this, love
entered his heart and took possession, and it may be there
was nothing surprising in his fate. So at least it was.

150 The Education of Cyrus

C, I 19. Meanwhile Cyrus, who was anxious that the Medes
and the alHes should stay with him of their own free choice,
called a meeting of their leading men, and when they were
come together he spoke as follows :

20. " Sons of the Medes and gentlemen all, I am well
aware it was not from need of money that you went out
with me, nor yet in order to serve Cyaxares; you came
for my sake. You marched with me by night, you ran
into danger at my side, simply to do me honour. 21.
Unless I were a miscreant, I could not but be grateful for
such kindness. But I must confess that at present I lack
the ability to make a fit requital. This I am not ashamed
to tell you, but I would feel ashamed to add, ' If you will
stay with me, I will be sure to repay you,' for that would
look as though I spoke to bribe you into remaining.
Therefore I will not say that; I will say instead, ' Even if
you listen to Cyaxares and go back to-day, I will still act
so that you shall praise me, I will not forget you in the
day of my good fortune.' 22. For myself, I will never go
back; I cannot, for I must confirm my oath to the Hyr-
canians and the pledge I gave them ; they are my friends
and I shall never be found a traitor to them. Moreover,
I am bound to Gobryas, who has offered us the use of his
castle, his territory, and his power; and I would not have
him repent that he came to me. 23. Last of all, and more
than all, when the great gods have showered such blessings
on us, I fear them and I reverence them too much to turn
my back on all they have given us. This, then, is what I
myself must do ; it is for you to decide as you think best,
and you will acquaint me with your decision."

24. So he spoke, and the first to answer was the Mede
who had claimed kinship with Cyrus in the old days.

" Listen to me," he said, " O king! For king I take
you to be by right of nature ; even as the king of the hive
among the bees, whom all the bees obey and take for their
leader of their own free will ; where he stays they stay also,
not one of them departs, and where he goes, not one of
them fails to follow ; so deep a desire is in them to be ruled
by him. 25. Even thus, I believe, do our men feel towards

Book V. Cyrus and the Allies 1 5 1

you. Do you remember the day you left us to go home to C. i
Persia? Was there one of us, young or old, who did not
follow you until Astyages turned us back? And later,
when you returned to bring us aid, did we not see for
ourselves how your friends poured after you ? And again,
when you had set your heart on this expedition, we know
that the Medes flocked to your standard with one consent.
26. To-day we have learnt to feel that even in an enemy's
country we may be of good heart if you are with us, but,
without you, we should be afraid even to return to our
homes. The rest may speak for themselves, and tell you
how they will act, but for myself, Cyrus, and for those
under me, I say we will stand by you ; we shall not grow
weary of gazing at you, and we will continue to endure
your benefits."

27. Thereupon Tigranes spoke:

" Do not wonder, Cyrus, if I am silent now. The soul
within me is ready, not to offer counsel, but to do your
bidding." 28. And the Hyrcanian chieftain said, " For
my part, if you Medes turn back to-day I shall say it was
the work of some evil genius, who could not brook the
fulfilment of your happiness. For no human heart could
think of retiring when the foe is in flight, refusing to
receive his sword when he surrenders it, rejecting him when
he offers himself and all that he calls his own; above all,
when we have a prince of men for our leader, one who, I
swear it by the holy gods, takes delight to do us service,
not to enrich himself."

29. Thereupon the Medes cried with one consent:

" It was you, Cyrus, who led us out, and it is you who

must lead us home again, when the right moment comes."

And when Cyrus heard that, he prayed aloud :

" 0 most mighty Zeus, I supplicate thee, suffer me to

outdo these friends of mine in courtesy and kindly

dealing."

30. Upon that he gave his orders. The rest of the army
were to place their outposts and see to their own concerns,
while the Persians took the tents allotted them, and
divided them among their cavalry and infantry, to suit

152 The Education of Cyrus

C. I the needs of either arm. Then they arranged for the
stewards to wait on them in future, bring them all they
needed, and keep their horses groomed, so that they them-
selves might be free for the work of war. Thus they
spent that day.

C. 2 But on the morrow they set out for their march to
Gobryas. Cyrus rode on horseback at the head of his
new Persian cavalry, two thousand strong, with as many
more behind them, carrying their shields and swords,
and the rest of the army followed in due order. The
cavalry were told to make their new attendants under-
stand that they would be punished if they were caught
falling behind the rear-guard, or riding in advance of the
column, or straggling on either flank. 2. Towards even-
ing of the second day the army found themselves before
the castle of Gobryas, and they saw that the place was
exceedingly strong and that all preparations had been
made for the stoutest possible defence. They noticed
also that great herds of cattle and endless flocks of sheep
and goats had been driven up under the shelter of the
castle walls. 3. Then Gobryas sent word to Cyrus, bid-
ding him ride round and see where the place was easiest of
approach, and meanwhile send his trustiest Persians to
enter the fortress and bring him word what they found
within. 4. Cyrus, who really wished to see if the citadel ad-
mitted of attack in case Gobryas proved false, rode all
round the walls, and found they were too strong at every
point. Presently the messengers who had gone in brought
back word that there were supplies enough to last a
whole generation and still not fail the garrison. 5. While
Cyrus was wondering what this could mean, Gobyras him-
self came out, and all his men behind him, carrying wine
and com and barley, and driving oxen and goats and
swine, enough to feast the entire host. 6. And his
stewards fell to distributing the stores at once, and serving
up a banquet. Then Gobryas invited Cyrus to enter the
castle now that all the garrison had left it, u^ng every
precaution he might think wise; and Cyrus took him at his
word; and sent in scouts and a strong detachment before

1^ Book V. Cyrus and Gobryas 153

he entered the place himself. Once within, he had the C. 2
gates thrown open and sent for all his own friends and
officers. 7. And when they joined him, Gobryas had
beakers of gold brought out, and pitchers, and goblets,
and costly ornaments, and golden coins without end, and
all manner of beautiful things, and last of all he sent for
his own daughter, tall and fair, a marvel of beauty and
stateliness, still wearing mourning for her brother. And
her father said to Cyrus, " All these riches I bestow on
you for a gift, and I put my daughter in your hands, to
deal with as you think best. We are your suppliants; I
but three days gone for my son, and she this day for her
brother; we beseech you to avenge him."

8. And Cyrus made answer:

" I gave you my promise before that if you kept faith
'with me I would avenge you, so far as in me lay, and to-day
I see the debt is due, and the promise I made to you I
repeat to your daughter; God helping me, I will perform
it. As for these costly gifts," he added, "I accept them, and
I give them for a dowry to your daughter, and to him who
may win her hand in marriage. One gift only I will take
with me when I go, one only, but that is a thing so precious
that if I changed it for all the wealth of Babylon or the
whole world itself I could not go on my way with half so
blithe a heart."

9. And Gobryas wondered what this rare thing could
be, half suspecting it might be his daughter. " What is
it, my lord? " said he. And Cyrus answered, " I will tell
you. A man may hate injustice and impiety and lies, but
if no one offers him vast wealth or unbridled power or
impregnable fortresses or lovely children, he dies before
he can show what manner of man he is. 10. But you
have placed everything in my hands to-day, this mighty
fortress, treasures of every kind, your own power, and a
daughter most worthy to be won. And thus you have
shown all men that I could not sin against my friend and
my host, nor act unrighteously for the sake of wealth, nor
break my plighted word of my own free will. 11. This

is your gift, and, so long as I am a just man and known to

154 The Education of Cyrus

be such, receiving the praise of my fellow-men, I will never
forget it; I will strive to repay you with every honour I
can give. 12. Doubt not," he added, " but that you will
find a husband worthy of your daughter. I have many a
good man and true among my friends, and one of them
will win her hand; but I could not say whether he will
have less wealth, or more, than what you offer me. Only
of one thing you may be certain; there are those among
them who will not admire you one whit the more because
of the splendour of your gifts; they will only envy me
and supphcate the gods that one day it may be given to
them to show that they too are loyal to their friends, that
they too will never yield to their foes while life is in them,
unless some god strike them down; that they too would
never sacrifice virtue and fair renown for all the wealth
you proffer and all the treasure of Syria and Assyria to
boot. Such is the nature, believe me, of some who are
seated here."

13. And Gobryas smiled. " By heaven, I wish you
would point them out to me, and I would beg you to give
me one of them to be my son-in-law." And Cyrus said,
" You will not need to learn their names from me; follow
us, and you will be able to point them out yourself."

14. With these words he rose, clasped the hand of
Gobryas, and went out, all his men behind him. And
though Gobryas pressed him to stay and sup in the citadel,
he would not, but took his supper in the camp and con-
strained Gobryas to take his meal with them. 15. And
there, lying on a couch of leaves, he put this question to
him, " Tell me, Gobryas, who has the largest store of
coverlets, yourself, or each of us? " And the Assyrian
answered, " You, I know, have more than I, more cover-
lets, more couches, and a far larger dwelUng-place, for
your home is earth and heaven, and every nook may be a
couch, and for your coverlets you need not count the
fleeces of your flocks, but the brushwood, and the herbage
of hill and plain."

16. Nevertheless, when the meal began, it must be said
that Gobryas, seeing the poverty of what was set before

Book V. Cyrus and Gobryas 155

him, thought at first that his own men were far more open- C. 2
handed than the Persians. 17. But his mood changed as
he watched the grace and decorum of the company; and
saw that not a single Persian who had been schooled would
ever gape, or snatch at the viands, or let himself be so
absorbed in eating that he could attend to nothing else;
these men prided themselves on showing their good sense
and their intelligence while they took their food, just as a
perfect rider sits his horse with absolute composure, and
can look and listen and talk to some purpose while he puts
him through his paces. To be excited or flustered by
meat and drink was in their eyes something altogether
swinish and bestial. 18. Nor did Gobryas fail to notice
that they only asked questions which were pleasant to
answer, and only jested in a manner to please; all their
mirth was as far from impertinence and malice as it was
from vulgarity and unseemliness. 19. And what struck
him most was their evident feeling that on a campaign,
since the danger was the same for all, no one was entitled
to a larger share than any of his comrades; on the con-
trary, it was thought the perfection of the feast to perfect
the condition of those who were to share the fighting.
20. And thus when he rose to return home, the story runs
that he said:

" I begin to understand, Cyrus, how it is that while we
have more goblets and more gold, more apparel and more
wealth than you, yet we ourselves are not worth as much.
We are always trying to increase what we possess, but
you seem to set your hearts on perfecting your own souls."

21. But Cyrus only answered:

" My friend, be here without fail to-morrow, and bring
all your cavalry in full armour, so that we may see your
power, and then lead us through your country and show
us who are hostile and who are friendly."

22. Thus they parted for the time and each saw to his
own concerns.

But when the day dawned Gobryas appeared with his
cavalry and led the way. And Cyrus, as a bom general
would, not only supervised the march, but watched for

156 The Education of Cyrus

C. 2 any chance to weaken the enemy and add to his own

strength. 23, With this in view, he summoned the Hyr-
canian chief and Gobryas himself; for they were the two
he thought most likely to give him the information that he
needed.

" My friends," said he, " I think I shall not err if I trust
to your fidelity andjconsult you about the campaign. You,
even more than I, are bound to see that the Assyrians do
not overpower us. For myself, if I fail, there may well be
some loophole of escape. But for you, if the king con-
quers, I see nothing but enmity on every side. 24. For,
although he is my enemy, he bears me no malice, he only
feels that it is against his interest for me to be powerful
and therefore he attacks me. But you he hates with a
bitter hatred, believing he is wronged by you."

To this his companions answered that he must finish
what he had to say; they were well aware of the facts, and
had the deepest interest in the turn events might take.

25. Thereupon Cyrus put his questions: "Does the
king suppose that you alone are his enemies, or do you

■ know of others who hate him too? " " Certainly we do,"
replied the Hyrcanian, " the Cadousians are his bitterest
foes, and they are both numerous and warlike. Then there
are the Sakians, our neighbours, who have suffered severely
at his hands, for he tried to subdue them as he subdued us."

26. " Then you think," said Cyrus, " that they would
be glad to attack him in our company? " " Much more
than glad," answered they; " if they could manage to
join us." " And what stands in their way? " asked he.
" The Assyrians themselves," said they, " the very people
among whom you are marching now." 27. At that Cyrus
turned to Gobryas:

" And what of this lad who is now on the throne? Did
you not charge him with unbridled insolence? "

" Even so," replied Gobryas, " and I think he gave me
cause." " Tell me," said Cyrus, " were you the only man
he treated thus, or did others suffer too? "

28. " Many others," said Gobryas, " but some of them
were weak, and why should I weary you with the insults

Book V. Cyrus and Gobryas 1 57

they endured? I will tell you of a young man whose C. 2
father was a much greater personage than I, and who was
himself^ like my own son, a friend and comrade of the
prince. One day at a drinking-bout this monster had
the youth seized and mutilated, and why? Some say
simply because a paramour of his own had praised the
boy's beauty and said his bride was a woman to be envied.
The king himself now asserts it was because he had tried
to seduce his paramour. That young man, eunuch as he
is, is now at the head of his province, for his father is
dead."

29. " Well," rejoined Cyrus, " I take it, you believe he
would welcome us, if he thought we came to help him? "
*' I am more than sure of that," said Gobryas, " but it is
not so easy to set eyes on him." "And why? " asked
"Cyrus. " Because if we are to join him at all, we must
march right past Babylon itself." 30. " And where is the
difficulty in that?" said Cyrus. "Heaven help us!"
cried Gobryas. " The city has only to open her gates,
and she can send out an army ten thousand times as
large as yours. That is why," he added, " the Assyrians
are less prompt than they were at bringing in their
weapons and their horses, because those who have seen
your army think it so very small, and their report has got
about. So that in my opinion it would be better to
advance with the utmost care."

31. Cyrus listened and replied.

" You do well, Gobryas, my friend, in urging as much
care as possible. But I cannot myself see a safer route
for us than the direct advance on Babylon, if Babylon is
the centre of the enemy's strength. .They are numerous,
you say, and if they are in good heart, we shall soon know
it. 32. Now, if they cannot find us and imagine that we
have disappeared from fear of them, you may take it as
certain that they will be quit of the terror we have in-
spired. Courage will spring up in its place, and grow the
greater the longer we lie hid. But if we march straight on
them, we shall find them still mourning for the dead whom
we have slain, still nursing the wounds we have inflicted,

158 The Education of Cyrus

C. 2 Still trembling at the daring of our troops, still mindful of
their own discomfiture and flight. ;^2. Gobryas," he
added, " be assured of this; men in the mass, when aflame
with courage, are irresistible, but when their hearts fail
them, the more numerous they are the worse the panic
that seizes them. 34. It comes upon them magnified by
a thousand Hes, blanched by a thousand pallors, it gathers
head from a thousand terror-stricken looks, until it grows
so great that no orator can allay it by his words, no general
arouse the old courage by a charge, or revive the old con-
fidence by retreat; the more their leader cheers them on,
the worse do the soldiers take their case to be. 35. Now
by all means let us see exactly how things stand with us.
If from henceforward victory must fall to those who can
reckon the largest numbers, your fears for us are justified,
and we are indeed in fearful danger; but if the old rule
still holds, and battles are decided by the qualities of those
who fight, then, I say, take heart and you will never fail.
You will find far more stomach for the fight among our
ranks than theirs. 36. And to hearten you the more, take
note of this : our enemies are far fewer now than when we
worsted them, far weaker than when they fled from us,
while we are stronger because we are conquerors, and
greater because fortune has been ours ; yes, and actually
more numerous because you and yours have joined us, for I
would not have you hold your men too low, now that they
are side by side with us. In the company of conquerors,
Gobryas, the hearts of the followers beat high. 37. Nor
should you forget," he added, " that the enemy is well able
to see us as it is, and the sight of us will certainly not be
more alarming if we wait for him where we are than if we
advance against him. That is my opinion, and now you
must lead us straight for Babylon."

Q , And so the march continued, and on the fourth day
they found themselves at the limit of the territory over
which Gobryas ruled. Since they were now in the enemy's
country C}tus changed the disposition of his men, taking
the infantry immediately under his own command, with
sufficient cavalry to support them, and sending the rest of

Book V. Cyrus and Gobryas 159

the mounted troops to scour the land. Their orders were to C. 3
cut down every one with arms in his hands, and drive in
the rest, with all the cattle they could find. The Persians
were ordered to take part in this raid, and though many
came home with nothing for their trouble but a toss from
their horses, others brought back a goodly store of booty.

2. When the spoil was all brought in, Cyrus summoned
the officers of the Medes and the Hyrcanians, as well as his
own peers, and spoke as follows :

" My friends, Gobryas has entertained us nobly; he has
showered good things upon us. What say you then.-*
After we have set aside the customary portion for the gods
and a fair share for the army, shall we not give all the rest
of the spoil to him ? Would it not be a noble thing, a sign
and symbol at the outset that we desire to outdo in well-
doing those who do good to us ? "

3. At that all his hearers with one consent applauded,
and a certain officer rose and said :

" By all means, Cyrus, let us do so. I myself cannot
but feel that Gobryas must have thought us almost
beggars because we were not laden with coins of gold and
did not drink from golden goblets. But if we do this, he
will understand that men may be free and liberal without
the help of gold."

4. " Come then," said C>tus, " let us pay the priests our
debt to heaven, select what the army requires, and then
summon Gobryas and give the rest to him."

So they took what they needed and gave all the rest to
Gobryas.

5. Forthwith Cyrus pressed on towards Babylon, his
troops in battle order. But as the Assyrians did not come
out to meet them, he bade Gobryas ride forward and
deliver this message :

" If the king will come out to fight for his land, I,
Gobryas, will fight for him, but, if he will not defend his
own country, we must yield to the conquerors."

6. So Gobrj^as rode forward, just far enough to deliver
the message in safety. And the king sent a messenger
to answer him :

1 60 The Education of Cyrus

C. 3 " Thy master says to thee : ' It repents me, Gobryas, not
that I slew thy son but that I stayed my hand from slay-
ing thee. And now if ye will do battle, come again on the
thirtieth day from hence. We have no leisure now, our
preparations are still on foot.' "

7. And Gobryas made answer:

" It repents thee: may that repentance never cease!
I have begun to make thee suffer, since the day repentance
took hold on thee."

8. Then Gobryas brought back the words of the king
to Cyrus, and Cyrus led his army off, and then he sum-
moned Gobryas and said to him :

" Surely you told me that you thought the man who was
made an eunuch by the king would be upon our side ? "
" And I am sure he will," answered Gobryas, " for we
have spoken freely to each other many a time, he and I."

9. " Then," said Cyrus, " you must go to him when you
think the right moment has come : and you must so act at
first that only he and you may know what he intends,
and when you are closeted with him, if you find he really
wishes to be a friend, you must contrive that his friend-
ship remain a secret : for in war a man can scarcely do his
friends more good than by a semblance of hostility, or his
enemies more harm than under the guise of friendship."

10. " Aye," answered Gobryas, " and I know that
Gadatas would pay a great price to punish the king of
Assyria. But it is for us to consider what he can best do."

11. "Tell me now," rejoined Cyrus, "you spoke of an
outpost, built against the Hyrcanians and the Sakians,
which was to protect Assyria in time of war, — could the
eunuch be admitted there by the commandant if he came
with a force at his back? " " Certainly he could," said
Gobryas, " if he were as free from suspicion as he is to-day."

12. " And free he would be," Cyrus went on, " if I were to
attack his strongholds as though in earnest, and he were to
repel me in force. I might capture some of his men, and
he some of my soldiers, or some messengers sent by me
to those you say are the enemies of Assyria, and these
prisoners would let it be known that they were on their

'

/

Book V. Cyrus and Gadatas 1 6 1

way to fetch an army with scaling-ladders to attack this C« 3
fortress^ and the eunuch, hearing their story, would pretend
that he came to warn the commandant in time. 13. " Un-
doubtedly," said Gobr^'as, " if things went thus, the com-
mandant would admit him; he would even beg him^to
stay there until you withdrew."

" And then," Cyrus continued, " once inside the walls,
he could put the place in our hands? " 14. " We may
suppose so," said Gobryas. " He would be there to settle
matters within, and you would be redoubling the pressure
from without."

" Then be off at once," said Cyrus, " and do your best
to teach him his part, and when you have arranged affairs,
come back to me; and as for pledges of good faith, you
could offer him none better than those you received from
•us yourself."

15. Then Gobryas made haste and was gone, and the
eunuch welcomed him gladly; he agreed to everything,
and helped to arrange all that was needed. Presently
Gobryas brought back word that he thought the eunuch
had everything in readiness, and so, without more ado,
Cyrus made his feigned attack on the following day, and
was beaten off. 16. But on the other hand there was a
fortress, indicated by Gadatas himself, that Cyrus took.
The messengers Cyrus had sent out, telling them exactly
where to go, fell into the hands of Gadatas: some were
allowed to escape — their business was to fetch the troops
and carry the scaling-ladders — but the rest were narrowly
examined in the presence of many witnesses, and when
Gadatas heard the object of their journey he got his equip-
ment together and set out in the night at full speed to
take the news. 17. In the end he made his way into the
fortress, trusted and welcomed as a deliverer, and for a
time he helped the commandant to the best of his ability.
But as soon as Cyrus appeared he seized the place, aided
by the Persian prisoners he had taken. 18. This done,
and having set things in order within the fortress, Gadatas
went out to Cyrus, bowed before him according to the
custom of his land, and said, " Cyrus, may joy be yours ! "

L

1 62 The Education of Cyrus

C, 3 19- " Joy is mine already," answered he, " for you,
God helping you, have brought it to me. You must know,"
he added, " that I set great store by this fortress, and
rejoice to leave it in the hands of my allies here. And for
yourself, Gadatas," he added, " if the Assyrian has robbed
you of the ability to beget children, remember he has not
stolen your power to win friends ; you have made us yours,
I tell you, by this deed, and we will stand by you as faith-
fully as sons and grandsons of your own."

20. So Cyrus spoke. And at that instant the Hyrcanian
chief, who had only just learnt what had happened, came
running up to him, and seizing him by the hand cried out :

" 0 C}Tus, you godsend to your friends! How often
you make me thank the gods for bringing me to you ! "

21. "Off with you, then," said Cyrus, "and occupy
this fortress for which you bless me so. Take it and make
the best use of it you can, for your own nation, and for all
our allies, and above all for Gadatas, our friend, who won
it and surrenders it to us."

22. "Then," said the chieftain, "as soon as the
Cadousians arrive and the Sakians and my countrymen,
we must, must we not ? call a council of them all, so that
we may consult together, and see how best to turn it to
account."

23. Cyrus thought the proposal good, and when they
met together it was decided to garrison the post with a
common force, chosen from all who were concerned that it
should remain friendly and be an outer bulwark to over-
awe the Assyrians. 24. This heightened the enthusiasm
of them all, Cadousians, Sakians, and Hyrcanians, and
their levies rose high, until the Cadousians sent in 20,000
light infantry and 4,000 cavalry, and the Sakians 11,000
bowmen, 10,000 on foot and 1,000 mounted, while the
Hyrcanians were free to despatch all their reserves of
infantry and make up their horsemen to a couple of
thousand strong, whereas previously the larger portion
of their cavalry had been left at home to support the
Cadousians and Sakians against Assyria.

25. And while Cyrus was kept in the fortress, organising

Book V. Cyrus and Gadatas 1 63

and arranging everything^ many of the Assyrians from C. 3
the country round brought in their horses and handed
over their arms, being by this time in great dread of their
neighbours.

26. Soon after this Gadatas came to Cyrus and told him
that messengers had come to say that the king of Assyria,
learning what had happened to the fortress, was beside
himself with anger, and was preparing to attack his
territory. " If you, Cyrus," said he, " will let me go now,
I will try to save my fortresses : the rest is of less account."
27. Cyrus said, " If you go now, when will you reach
home ? " And Gadatas answered, " On the third day from
this 1 can sup in my own house." " Do you think, ' asked
Cyrus, " that you will find the Assyrian already there? "
," I am sure of it," he answered, " for he will make haste
while he thinks you are still far off." 28. " And I,"
said Cyrus, "when could I be there with my army.?"
But to this Gadatas made answer, " The army you have
now, my lord, is very large, and you could not reach my
home in less than six days or seven." " Well," Cyrus
replied, " be off yourself: make all speed, and I will follow
as best I can."

29. So Gadatas was gone, and Cyrus called together all
the officers of the allies, and a great and goodly company
they seemed, noble gentlemen, beautiful and brave. And
Cyrus stood up among them all and said :

30. " My allies and my friends, Gadatas has done deeds
that we all feel worthy of high reward, and that too before
ever he had received any benefit from us. The Assyrians, we
hear, have now invaded his territory, to take vengeance for
the monstrous injury they consider he has done them, and
moreover, they doubtless argue that if those who revolt
to us escape scot-free, while those who stand by them are
cut to pieces, ere long they will not have a single supporter
on their side. 31. To-day, gentlemen, we may do a
gallant deed, if we rescue Gadatas, our friend and bene-
factor; and truly it is only just and right thus to repay
gift for gift, and boon for boon. Moreover, as it seems to
me, what we accomplish will be much to our own interest.

1 64 The Education of Cyrus

C. 3 32 . If all men see that we are ready to give blow for blow and
sting for sting, while we outdo our benefactors in generous
deeds, it is only natural that multitudes will long to be our
friends, and no man care to be our foe. 33. Whereas, if
it be thought that we left Gadatas in the lurch, how in
heaven's name shall we persuade another to show us any
kindness? How shall we dare to think well of ourselves
again? How shall one of us look Gadatas in the face,
when all of us, so many and so strong, showed ourselves
less generous than he, one single man and in so sore a
plight?"

34. Thus Cyrus spoke, and all of them assented right
willingly, and said it must be done.

" Come then," concluded Cyrus, " since you are all of
one mind with me, let each of us choose an escort for our
waggons and beasts of burden. 35. Let us leave them
behind us, and put Gobryas at their head. He is ac-
quainted with the roads, and for the rest he is a man of
skill. But we ourselves will push on with our stoutest
men and our strongest horses, taking provision for three
days and no more: the lighter and cheaper our gear the
more gaily shall we break our fast and take our supper
and sleep on the road. 36. And now," said he, " let us
arrange the order of the march. You, Chrysantas, must
lead the van with your cuirassiers, since the road is broad
and smooth, and you must put your brigadiers in the
first line, each regiment marching in file, for if we keep
close order we shall travel all the quicker and be all the
safer. 37. I put the cuirassiers in the front," he added,
" because they are our heaviest troops, and if the heaviest
are leading, the lighter cannot find it hard to follow:
whereas where the swiftest lead and the march is at night,
it is no wonder if the column fall to pieces: the vanguard
is always running away. 38. And behind the cuirassiers,"
he went on, " Artabazas is to follow with the Persian
targeteers and the bowmen, and behind them Andamyas
the Mede with the Median infantry, and then Embas and
the Armenian infantry, and then Artouchas with the
Hyrcanians, and then Thambradas with the Sakian foot,

Book V. Cyrus and Gadatas 165

and finally Datamas with the Cadousians. 39. All these C. 3
officers will put their brigadiers in the first line^ their
targeteers on the right, and their bowmen on the left of
their own squares : this is the order in which they will be
of most use. 40. All the baggage-bearers are to follow
in the rear: and their officers must see that they get
everything together before they sleep, and present them-
selves betimes in the morning, with all their gear, and
always keep good order on the march. 41. In support of
the baggage-train," he added, " there will be, first,
Madatas the Persian with the Persian cavalry, and he
too must put his brigadiers in the front, each regiment
following in single file, as with the infantry. 42. Behind
them Rambacas the Mede and his cavalry, in the same
order, and then you, Tigranes, and yours, and after you
'the other cavalry leaders with the men they brought.
The Sakians will follow you, and last of all will come the
Cadousians, who were the last to join us, and you, Alkeunas,
who are to command them, for the present you will take
complete control of the rear, and allow no one to fall
behind your men. 43. All of you alike, officers, and all
who respect yourselves, must be most careful to march in
silence. At night the ears, and not the eyes, are the
channels of information and the guides for action, and at
night any confusion is a far more serious matter than by
day, and far more difficult to put right. For this reason
silence must be studied and order absolutely maintained.
44. Whenever you mean to rise before daybreak, you
must make the night-watches as short and as numerous
as possible, so that no one may suffer on the march
because of his long vigil before it; and when the hour for
the start arrives the horn must be blown. 45. Gentle-
men, I expect you all to present yourselves on the road
to Babylon with ever^^thing you require, and as each
detachment starts, let them pass down the word for those
in the rear to follow."

46. So the officers went to their quarters, and as they
went they talked of Cyrus, and what a marvellous memory
he had, always naming each officer as he assigned him

1 66 The Education of Cyrus

C, 3 his post. 47. The fact was Cyrus took special pains over
this: it struck him as odd that a mere mechanic could
know the names of all his tools, and a physician the names
of all his instruments, but a general be such a simpleton
that he could not name his own officers, the very tools
he had to depend on each time he wanted to seize a point
or fortify a post or infuse courage or inspire terror. More-
over it seemed to him only courteous to address a man
by name when he wished to honour him. 48. And he
was sure that the man who feels he is personally known
to his commander is more eager to be seen performing
some noble feat of arms, and more careful to refrain from
all that is unseemly and base. 49. Cyrus thought it would
be quite foolish for him to give his orders in the style of
certain householders: " Somebody fetch the water, some
one split the wood." 50. After a command of that kind,
every one looks at every one else, and no one carries it out,
every one is to blame, and no one is ashamed or afraid,
because there are so many beside himself. Therefore
Cyrus always named the officers whenever he gave an
order.

51. That, then, was his view of the matter. The army
now took supper and posted their guards and got their
necessaries together and went to rest. 52. And at mid-
night the horn was blown. Cyrus had told Chrysantas
he would wait for him at a point on the road in advance
of the troops, and therefore he went on in front himself
with his own staff, and waited till Chrysantas appeared
shortly afterwards at the head of his cuirassiers. 53.
Then Cyrus put the guides under his command, and told
him to march on, but to go slowly until he received a
message, for all the troops were not yet on the road. This
done, Cyrus took his stand on the line of march, and as
each division came up, hurried it forward to its place,
sending messengers meanwhile to summon those who
were still behind. 54, When all had started, he despatched
gallopers to Chrysantas to tell him that the whole army
was now under way, and that he might lead on as quick
as he could. 55. Then he galloped to the front himself,

Book V. Cyrus and Gadatas 167

reined up, and quietly watched the ranks defile before C. 3
him. Whenever a division advanced silently and in good
order, he would ride up and ask their names and pay them
compliments ; and if he saw any sign of confusion he would
inquire the reason and restore tranquillity. 56. One
point remains to add in describing his care that night:
he sent forward a small but picked body of infantry,
active fellows all of them, in advance of the whole army.
They were to keep Chrysantas in sight, and he was not to
lose sight of them; they were to use their ears and all
their wits, and report at once to Chrysantas if they thought
there was any need. They had an officer to direct their
movements, announce anything of importance, and not
trouble about trifles.

57. Thus they pressed forward through the night, and
when day broke Cyrus ordered the mass of the cavalry to
the front, the Cadousians alone remaining with their own
infantry, who brought up the rear, and who were as much
in need as others of cavalry support. But the rest of the
horsemen he sent ahead because it was ahead that the
enemy lay, and in case of resistance he was anxious to
oppose them in battle-order, while if they fled he wished
no time to be lost in following up the pursuit. 58. It was
always arranged who were to give chase and who were to
stay with himself: he never allowed the whole army to
be broken up. 59. Thus Cyrus conducted the advance,
but it is not to be thought that he kept to one particular
spot; he was always galloping backwards and forwards,
first at one point and then at another, supervising ever^'-
thing and supplying any defect as it arose. Thus Cyrus
and his men marched forward.

Now there was a certain officer in the cavalry with C. 4
Gadatas, a man of power and influence, who, when he saw
that his master had revolted from Assyria, thought to
himself, " If anything should happen to him, I myself
could get from the king all that he possessed."

Accordingly he sent forward a man he could trust, with
instructions that, if he found the Assyrian army already
in the territory of Gadatas, he was to tell the king that

1 68 The Education of Cyrus

4 he could capture Gadatas and all who were with him, if
he thought fit to make an ambuscade. 2. And the mes-
senger was also to say what force Gadatas had at his
command and to announce that Cyrus was not with him.
Moreover, the officer stated the road by which Gadatas
was coming. Finally, to win the greater confidence, he
sent word to his own dependants and bade them deliver
up to the king of Assyria the castle which he himself
commanded in the province, with all that it contained:
he would come himself, he added, if possible, after he had
slain Gadatas, and, even if he failed in that, he would
always stand by the king.

3. Now the emissary rode as hard as he could and came
before the king and told his errand, and, hearing it, the
king at once took over the castle and formed an am-
buscade, with a large body of horse and many chariots, in
a dense group of villages that lay upon the road. 4.
Gadatas, when he came near the spot, sent scouts ahead
to explore, and the king, as soon as he sighted them,
ordered two or three of his chariots and a handful of horse-
men to dash away as though in flight, giving the impres-
sion that they were few in number and panic-stricken.
At this the scouting party swept after them, signalling to
Gadatas, who also fell into the trap and gave himself up
to the chase.

The Assyrians waited till the quarry was within their
grasp and then sprang out from their ambuscade. 5. The
men, with Gadatas, seeing what had happened, turned
back and fled, as one might expect, with the Assyrians at
their heels, while the officer who had planned it all stabbed
Gadatas himself. He struck him in the shoulder, but the
blow was not mortal. Thereupon the traitor fled to the
pursuers, and when they found out who he was he galloped
on with them, his horse at full stretch, side by side with the
king. 6. Naturally the men with the slower horses were
overtaken by the better mounted, and the fugitives,
already wearied by their long journey, were at the last
extremity when suddenly they caught sight of Cyrus
advancing at the head of his army, and were swept into

Book V. Cyrus and Gadatas 169

safety, as glad 'and thankful, we may well believe, as ship- q, 4
wrecked mariners into port.

7. The first feeling of Cyrus was sheer astonishment,
but he soon saw how matters stood. The whole force of
the Assyrian cavalry was rolling on him, and he met it with
his own army in perfect order, till the enemy, realising
what had happened, turned and fled. Then Cyrus ordered
his pursuing party to charge, while he followed more slowly
at the pace he thought the safest. 8. The enemy were
utterly routed: many of the chariots were taken, some
had lost their charioteers, others were seized in the sudden
change of front, others surrounded by the Persian cavalry.
Right and left the conquerors cut down their foes, and
among them fell the officer who had dealt the blow at
^Gadatas. 9. But of the Assyrian infantry, those who
were besieging the fortress of Gadatas escaped to the
stronghold that had revolted from him, or managed to
reach an important city belonging to the king, where he
himself, his horsemen, and his chariots had taken refuge.

10. After this exploit Cyrus went on to the territory of
Gadatas, and as soon as he had given orders to those who
guarded the prisoners, he went himself to visit the eunuch
and see how it was with him after his wound. Gadatas
came out to meet him, his wound already bandaged. And
Cyrus was gladdened and said, " I came myself to see how
it was with you." 11. " And I," said Gadatas, " heaven
be my witness, I came out to see how a man would look
who had a soul like yours. I cannot tell what need you
had of me, or what promise you ever gave me, to make you
do as you have done. I had shown you no kindness for
your private self: it was because you thought I had been
of some little service to your friends, that you came to
help me thus, and help me you did, from death to life. Left
to myself I was lost. 12. By heaven above, I swear it,
€3^115, if I had been a father as I was born to be, God
knows whether I could have found in the son of my loins
so true a friend as you. I know of sons — this king of ours
is such an one, who has caused his own father ten thou-
sand times more trouble than ever he causes you."

I/O The Education of Cyrus

C< 4 13. And Cyrus made answer:

" You have overlooked a much more wonderful thing,
Gadatas, to turn and wonder at me."

" Nay," said Gadatas, " what could that be? "
" That all these Persians," he answered, " are so zealous
in your behalf, and all these Medes and Hyrcanians, and
every one of our allies, Armenians, Sakians, Cadousians."

14. Then Gadatas prayed aloud:

" 0 Father Zeus, may the gods heap blessings on them
also, but above all on him who has made them what they
are! And now, Cyrus, that I may entertain as they
deserve these men you praise, take the gifts I bring you
as their host, the best I have it in my power to bring."

And with the word he brought out stores of every kind,
enough for all to offer sacrifice who listed ; and the whole
army was entertained in a manner worthy of their feat
and their success.

15. Meanwhile the Cadousians had been always in the
rear, unable to share in the pursuit, and they longed to
achieve some exploit of their own. So their chieftain, with
never a word to Cyrus, led them forth alone, and raided
the country towards Babylon. But, as soon as his
cavalry were scattered the Assyrians came out from their
city of refuge in regular battle-order. 16. When they
saw that the Cadousians were unsupported they attacked
them, killing the leader himself and numbers of his men,
capturing many of their horses and retaking the spoil
they were in the act of driving away. The king pursued
as far as he thought safe, and then turned back, and the
Cadousians at last found safety in their own camp, though
even the vanguard only reached it late in the afternoon.
17. When Cyrus saw what had happened he went out to
meet them, succouring every wounded man and sending
him off to Gadatas at once, to have his wounds dressed,
while he helped to house the others in their quarters, and
saw that they had all they needed, his Peers aiding him,
for at such tim.es noble natures will give help with all their
hearts. 18. Still it was plain to see that he was sorely
vexed, and when the hour for dinner came, and the others

Book V. Cyrus and Gadatas 171

went away, he was still there on the ground with the atten- C. 4
dants and the surgeons ; not a soul would he leave uncared
for if anything could be done : he either saw to it himself
or sent for the proper aid.

19. So for that night they rested. But with daybreak
Cyrus sent out a herald and summoned a gathering of all
the officers and the whole Cadousian army, and spoke as
follows :

" My friends and allies, what has happened is only
natural; for it is human nature to err, and I cannot find
it astonishing. Still we may gain at least one advantage
from what has occurred, if we learn that we must never
cut off from our main body a detachment weaker than the
force of the enemy. 20. I do not say that one is never to
march anywhere, if necessary, with an even smaller frac-
tion than the Cadousians had; but, before doing so you
must communicate with some one able to bring up rein-
forcements, and then, though you may be trapped your-
self, it is at least probable that your friends behind you
may foil the f oilers, and divert them from your own party :
there are fifty ways in which one can embarrass the enemy
and save one's friends. Thus separation need not mean
isolation, and union with the main force may still be kept,
whereas if you sally forth without telling your plan, you
are no better off than if you were alone in the field.
21. However, God willing, we shall take our revenge for
this ere long; indeed, as soon as you have breakfasted,
I will lead you out to the scene of yesterday's skirmish,
and there we will bury those who fell, and show our
enemies that the very field where they thought themselves
victorious is held by those who are stronger than they:
they shall never look again with joy upon the spot where
they slew our comrades. Or else, if they refuse to come
out and meet us, we will burn their villages and harry all
their land, so that in lieu of rejoicing at the sight of what
they did to us, they shall gnash their teeth at the spectacle
of their own disasters. 22. Go now," said he, " the
rest of you, and take your breakfast forthwith, but let the
Cadousians first elect a leader in accordance with their

172 The Education of Cyrus

C 4 own laws, one who will guide them well and wisely, by
the grace of God, and with our human help, if they should
need it. And when you have chosen your leader, and
had your breakfast, send him hither to me."

23. So they did as Cyrus bade them, and when he led
the army out, he stationed their new general close to his
own person, and told him to keep his detachment there,
" So that you and I," said he, " may rekindle the courage
in their souls."

In this order they marched out, and thus they buried
the Cadousian dead and ravaged the country. Which
done, they went back to the province of Gadatas, laden
with supplies taken from the foe.

24. Now Cyrus felt that those who had come over to his
side and who dwelt in the neighbourhood of Babylon would
be sure to suffer unless he were constantly there himself,
and so he bade all the prisoners he set free take a message
to the king, and he himself despatched a herald to say that
he would leave all the tillers of the soil unmolested and
unhurt if the Assyrian would let those who had come
over to him continue their work in peace. 25. " And
remember," he added, " that even if you try to hinder
my friends, it is only a few whom you could stop, whereas
there is a vast territory of yours that I could allow to be
cultivated. As for the crops," he added, " if we have
war, it will be the conqueror, I make no doubt, who will
reap them, but if we have peace, it will be you. If, how-
ever, any of my people take up arms against you, or any
of yours against me, we must, of course, each of us, defend
ourselves as best we can."

26. With this message Cjtus despatched the herald, and
when the Assyrians heard it, they urged the king to accept
the proposal, and so limit the war as much as possible.
27. And he, whether influenced by his own people or
because he desired it himself, consented to the terms. So
an agreement was drawn up, proclaiming peace to the
tillers of the soil and war to all who carried arms.

28. Thus Cyrus arranged matters for the husbandmen,
and he asked his own supporters among the drovers to

i

Book V. Cyrus and Gadatas 173

bring their herds, if they liked, into his dominions and C. 4
leave them there, while he treated the enemy's cattle as
booty wherever he could, so that his allies found attraction
in the campaign. For the risk was no greater if they took
what they needed, while the knowledge that they were
living at the enemy's expense certainly seemed to lighten
the labour of the war.

29. When the time came for Cyrus to go back, and the
final preparations were being made, Gadatas brought him
gifts of every kind, the produce of a vast estate, and among
the cattle a drove of horses, taken from cavalry of his own,
whom he distrusted owing to the late conspiracy. 30. And
when he brought them he said, " Cyrus, this day I give
you these for your own, and I would pray you to make
such use of them as you think best, but I would have you
remember that all else which I call mine is yours as well.
For there is no son of mine, nor can there ever be, sprung
from my own loins, to whom I may leave my wealth:
when I die myself, my house must perish with me, my
family and my name. 31. And I must suffer this, Cyrus,
I swear to you by the great gods above us, who see all
things and hear all things, though never by word or deed
did I commit injustice or foulness of any kind."

But here the words died on his lips; he burst into tears
over his sorrows, and could say no more. 32. Cyrus was
touched with pity at his suffering and said to him :

" Let me accept the horses, for in that I can help you, if
I set loyal riders on them, men of a better mind, methinks,
than those who had them before, and I myself can satisfy
a wish that has long been mine, to bring my Persian
cavalry up to ten thousand men. But take back, I pray
you, all these other riches, and guard them safely against
the time when you may find me able to vie with you in
gifts. If I left you now so hugely in your debt, heaven
help me if I could hold up my head again for very
shame."

$^. Thereto Gadatas made answer, " In all things I
trust you, and will trust you, for I see your heart. But
consider whether I am competent to guard all this myself.

174 The Education of Cyrus

C. 4 34. While I was at peace with the king, the inheritance I
had from my father was, it may be, the fairest in all the
land : it was near that mighty Babylon, and all the good
things that can be gathered from a great city fell into our
laps, and yet from all the trouble of it, the noise and the
bustle, we could be free at once by turning our backs and
coming home here. But now that we are at war, the
moment you have left us we are sure to be attacked, our-
selves and all our wealth, and methinks we shall have a
sorry life of it, our enemies at our elbow and far stronger
than ourselves. 35. I seem to hear some one say, why did
you not think of this before you revolted ? But I answer,
C\Tnis, because the soul within me was stung beyond
endurance by my wrongs; I could not sit and ponder the
safest course, I was always brooding over one idea, always
in travail of one dream, praying for the day of vengeance
on the miscreant, the enemy of God and man, whose
hatred never rested, once aroused, once he suspected a
man, not of doing wrong, but of being better than himself.
36. And because he is a villain, he will always find, I know,
worse villains than himself to aid him, but if one day a
nobler rival should appear — have no concern, Cyrus, you
will never need to do battle with such an one, yonder fiend
would deal with him and never cease to plot against him
until he had dragged him in the dust, only because he was
the better man. And to work me trouble and disaster, he
and his wicked tools will, I fear me, have strength enough
and to spare."

37. Cyrus thought there was much in what he said, and
he answered forthwith:

" Tell me, Gadatas, did we not put a stout garrison in
your fortress, so as to make it safe for you whenever you
needed it, and are you not taking the field with us now, so
that, if the gods be on our side as they are to-day, that
scoundrel may fear you, not you him? Go now, bring
with you all you have that is sweet to look on and to love,
and then join our march: you shall be, I am persuaded, of
the utmost service to me, and I, so far as in me lies, will
give you help for help."

Book V. Cyrus and Gadatas 175

38. When Gadatas heard that^ he breathed again, and C. 4
he said :

" Could I really be in time to make my preparations and
be back before you leave ? I would fain take my mother
with me on the march."

" Assuredly," said C}tus, " you will be in time: for I
will wait until you say that all is ready."

39. So it came to pass that Gadatas went his way, and
with the aid of C>tus put a strong garrison in his fortress,
and got together the wealth of his broad estates. And
moreover he brought with him in his own retinue servants
he could trust and in whom he took delight, as well as
many others in whom he put no trust at all, and these he
compelled to bring their wives with them, and their sisters,
that so they might be bound to his service.

40. Thus Gadatas went with Cyrus, and C\tus kept
him ever at his side, to show him the roads and the places
for water and fodder and food, and lead them where there
was most abundance.

41. At last they came in sight of Babylon once more,
and it seemed to Cyrus that the road they were following
led under the ver^- walls. Therefore he summoned
Gobryas and Gadatas, and asked them if there was not
another way, so that he need not pass so close to the
ramparts. 42. " There are many other ways, my lord,"
answered Gobryas, " but I thought you would certainly
wish to pass as near the city as possible, and display the
size and splendour of your army to the king. I knew that
when your force was weaker you advanced to his walls, and
let him see us, few as we were, and I am persuaded that if
he has made any preparation for battle now, as he said he
would, when he sees the power you have brought with you,
he will think once more that he is unprepared."

43. But Cyrus said:

" Does it seem so strange to you, Gobr\-as, that when I
had a far smaller army I took it right up to the enemy's
walls, and to-day when my force is greater I will not ven-
ture there ? 44. You need not think it strange : to march
up is not the same as to march past. Every leader will

1/6 The Education of Cyrus

C. 4 march up with his troops disposed in the best order for
battle and a wise leader will draw them off so as to secure
safety rather than speed. 45. But in marching past there
is no means of avoiding long straggling lines of waggons,
long strings of baggage-bearers, and all these must be
screened by the fighting-force so as never to leave' the
baggage unprotected. 46. But this must mean a thin
weak order for the fighting-men, and if the enemy choose
to attack at any point with their full force, they can strike
with far more weight than any of the troops available" to
meet them at the moment. 47. Again, the length of line
means a long delay in bringing up relief, whereas the
enemy have only a handsbreadth to cover as they rush
out from the walls or retire. 48. But now, if we leave a
distance between ourselves and them' as wide as our Jine is
long, not only will they realise our numbers'plainly enough,
but our veil of glittering armour will make the whole
multitude more formidable in their eyes. 49. And,S,if
they do attack us anywhere, we shall be able to foresee
their advance a long way ofi and be quite prepared to
give them welcome. But it is far more likely, gentlemen,"
he added, " that they will not make the attempt, with
all that ground to cover from the walls, unless they imagine
that their whole force is superior to the whole of ours:
they know that retreat would be difficult and dangerous."

50. So Cyrus spoke, and his listeners felt that he was
right, and Gobryas led the army by the way that he
advised. And as one detachment after another passed
the city, Cyrus strengthened the protection for the rear
and so withdrew in safety.

51. Marching in this order, he came back at last to his
first starting-point, on the frontier between Assyria and
Media. Here he dealt with three Assyrian fortresses : one,
the weakest, he attacked and took by force, while the
garrisons of the other two, what with the eloquence of
Gadatas and the terror inspired by Cyrus, were persuaded
to surrender.

C. 5 And now that his expedition was completed, Cyrus sent
to Cyaxares and urged him to come to the camp in order

Book V. Cyrus and Cyaxares 177

that they might decide how best to use the forts which C 5
they had taken, and perhaps Cyaxares, after reviewing the
army, would advise him what the next move ought to be,
or, Cyrus added to the messenger, " if he bids me, say I
will come to him and take up my encampment there."
2. So the emissary went off with the message, and mean-
while Cyrus gave orders that the Assyrian tent chosen for
Cyaxares should be furnished as splendidly as possible,
and the woman brought to her apartment there, and the
two singing-girls also, whom they had set aside for him.
3. And while they were busied with these things the
envoy went to Cyaxares and delivered his message, and
Cyaxares listened and decided it was best for Cyrus
and his men to remain on the frontier. The Persians
whom Cyrus had sent for had already arrived, forty
thousand bowmen and targeteers. 4. To watch these
eating up the land was bad enough, and Cyaxares thought
he would rather be quit of one horde before he received
another. On his side the officer in command of the
Persian levy, following the instructions from Cyrus, asked
Cyaxares if he had any need of the men, and Cyaxares said
he had not. Thereupon, and hearing that Cyrus had
arrived, the Persian put himself at the head of his troops
and went off at once to join him. 5. Cyaxares himself
waited till the next day and then set out with the Median
troopers who had stayed behind. And when Cyrus knew
of his approach he took his Persian cavalry, who were now
a large body of men, and all the Medes, Hyrcanians, and
Armenians, and the best-mounted and best-armed among
the rest, and so went out to meet Cyaxares and show the
power he had won. 6. But when Cyaxares saw so large a
following of gallant gentlemen with Cyrus, and with him-
self so small and mean a retinue, it seemed to him an insult,
and mortification filled his heart. And when Cyrus sprang
from his horse and came up to give him the kiss of greet-
ing, Cyaxares, though he dismounted, turned away his
head and gave him no kiss, while the tears came into his
eyes. 7. Whereupon Cyrus told the others to stand aside
and rest, and then he took Cyaxares by the hand and led

M

178 The Education of Cyrus

Ci 5 him apart under a grove of palm-trees, and bade the
attendants spread Median carpets for them, and made
Cyaxares sit down, and then, seating himself beside him,
he said:

8. " Uncle of mine, tell me, in heaven's name, I implore
5'ou, why are you angry with me ? What bitter sight have
you seen to make you feel such bitterness? "

And then Cyaxares answered :

" Listen, Cyrus; I have been reputed royal and of royal
lineage as far back as the memor}' of man can go; my
father was a king and a king I myself was thought to be;
and now 1 see myself riding here, meanly and miserably
attended, while you come before me in splendour and
magnificence, followed by the retinue that once was mine
and all your other forces. 9. That would be bitter enough,
methinks, from the hand of an enemy, but — 0 gods above
us! — how much more bitter at the hands of those from
whom weleast deserve it ! Far ratherwould I be swallowed
in the earth than live to be seen so low, aye, and to see
my own kinsfolk turn against me and make a mock of me.
And well I know," said he, " that not only you but my
own slaves are now stronger and greater than myself:
they come out equipt to do me far more mischief than ever
I could repay."

10. But here he stopped, overcome by a passion of
weeping, so much so that for very pity Cyrus's own eyes
filled with tears. There was silence between them for a
while, and then Cyrus said :

" Nay, Cyaxares, what you say is not true, and what
you think is not right, if you imagine that because I am
here, your Medes have been equipt to do you any harm.
II. I do not wonder that you are pained, and I will not
ask if you have cause or not for your anger against them :
you would ill brook apologies for them from me. Only it
seems to m . a grievous error in a ruler to quarrel with all
his subjects at once. Widespread terror must needs be
followed by widespread hate : anger with all creates unity
among all. 12. It was for this reason, take my word for
it, that I would not send them back to you without myself,

Book V. Cyrus and Cyaxares 179

fearing that your wrath might be the cause of what would C.
injure all of us. Through my presence here and by the
blessing of heaven, all is safe for you : but that you should
regard yourself as wronged by me, — I cannot but feel it
bitter, when I am doing all in my power to help my friends,
to be accused of plotting against them. 13. However,"
he continued, " let us not accuse each other in this useless
way; if possible, let us see exactly in what I have offended.
And as between friend and friend, I will lay down the only
rule that is just and fair: if I can be shown to have done
you harm, I will confess I am to blame, but if it appears
that I have never injured you, not even in thought, will
you not acquit me of all injustice towards you? "
" Needs must I," answered Cyaxares.

14. " And if I can show that I have done you service,
and been zealous in your cause to the utmost of my power,
may I not claim, instead of rebuke, some little meed of
praise? "

" That were only fair," said Cyaxares.

15. " Then," said Cyrus, " let us go through all I have
done, point by point, and see what is good in it and what
is evil. 16. Let us begin from the time when I assumed
my generalship, if that is early enough. I think I am
right in saying that it was because you saw your enemies
gathering together against you, and ready to sweep over
your land and you, that you sent to Persia asking for help,
and to me in private, praying me to come, if I could,
myself, at the head of any forces they might send. Was I
not obedient to your word ? Did I not come myself with
the best and bravest I could bring? "

17. " You did indeed," answered Cyaxares.

" Tell me, then, before we go further, did you see any
wrong in this ? Was it not rather a service and a kindh'
act? " " Certainly," said Cyaxares, " so far as that went,
I sawnothing but kindliness." 18. "Well, after the enemy
had come, and we had to fight the matter out, did you
ever see me shrink from toil or try to escape from
danger? " " That I never did," said Cyaxares, " quite the
contrar)'."

i8o The Education of Cyrus

19. " And afterwards, when, through the help of heaven,
victory was ours, and the enemy retreated, and I implored
you to let us pursue them together, take vengeance on
them together, win together the fruits of any gallant
exploit we might achieve, can you accuse me then of self-
seeking or self-aggrandisement? "

20. But at that Cyaxares was silent. Then Cyrus spoke
again. " If you would rather not reply to that, tell me
if you thought yourself injured because, when you con-
sidered pursuit unsafe, I relieved you of the risk, and only
begged you to lend me some of your cavalry? If my
offence lay in asking for that, when I had already offered
to work with you, side by side, you must prove it to me;
and it will need some eloquence."

21. He paused, but Cyaxares still kept silence. " Nay,"
said Cyrus, " if you will not answer that either, tell me at
least if my offence lay in what followed, when you said
that you did not care to stop your Medes in their merry-
making and drive them out into danger, do you think it
was wrong in me, without waiting to quarrel on that score,
to ask you for what I knew was the lightest boon you could
grant and the lightest command you could lay on your
soldiers? For I only asked that he who wished it might
be allowed to follow me. 22. And thus, when I had won
your permission, I had won nothing, unless I could win
them too. Therefore I went and tried persuasion, and
some listened to me, and with these I set off on my march,
holding my commission from your own self. So that, if
you look on this act as blameworthy, it would seem that
not even the acceptance of your own gifts can be free from
blame. 23. It was thus we started, and after we had gone,
was there, I ask you, a single deed of mine that was not
done in the light of day ? Has not the enemy's camp been
taken? Have not hundreds of your assailants fallen?
And hundreds been deprived of their horses and their
arms? Is not the spoiler spoiled? The cattle and the
goods of those who harried your land are now in the hands
of your friends, they are brought to you, or to your
subjects. 24. And, above all and beyond all, you see

Book V. Cyrus and Cyaxares 1 8 1

your own country growing great and powerful and the
land of your enemy brought low. Strongholds of his are
in your power, and your own that were torn from you in
other days by the Syrian domination are now restored
to you again. I cannot say I should be glad to learn that
any of these things can be bad for you, or short of good,
butlamready tolisten, if soitis. 25. Speak, tell me your
judgment of it all."

Then Cyrus paused, and Cyaxares made answer:
" To call what you have done evil, Cyrus, is impossible.
But your benefits are of such a kind that the more they
multiply upon me, the heavier burden do they bring. 26.
I would far rather," he went on, " have made your country
great by my own power than see mine exalted in this way
by you. These deeds of yours are a crown of glory to
you; but they bring dishonour to me. 27. And for the
wealth, I would rather have made largess of it to yourself
than receive it at your hands in the way you give it now.
Goods so gotten only leave me the poorer. And for my
subjects — I think I would have suffered less if you had
injured them a little than I suffer now when I see how
much they owe you. 28. Perhaps," he added, " you find
it inhuman of me to feel thus, but I would ask you to
forget me and imagine that you are in my place and see
how it would appear to you then. Suppose a friend of
yours were to take care of your dogs, dogs that you bred
up to guard yourself and your house, such care that he
made them fonder of him than of yourself, would you be
pleased with him for his attention? 29. Or take another
instance, if that one seems too slight : suppose a friend of
yours were to do so much for your own followers, men you
kept to guard you and fight for you, that they would rather
serve in his train than yours, would you be grateful to him
for his kindness? 30. Or let me take the tenderest of
human ties: suppose a friend of yours paid court to the
wife of your bosom so that in the end he made her love
him more than yourself, would he rejoice your heart by
his courtesy? Far from it, I trow; he who did this, you
would say, did you the greatest wrong in all the world.

1 82 The Education of Cyrus

C. 5 31. And now, to come nearest my own case, suppose some
one paid such attention to your Persians that they learnt
to follow him instead of you, would you reckon that man
your friend ? No ; but a worse enemy than if he had slain
a thousand. 32. Or again, say you spoke in all friendship
to a friend and bade him take what he wished, and straight-
way he took all he could lay hands on and carried it off,
and so grew rich with your wealth, and you were left in
utter poverty, could you say that friend was altogether
blameless ? ^;^. And I, Cyrus, I feel that you have treated
me, if not in that way, yet in a way exactly like it. What
you say is true enough : I did allow you to take what you
liked and go, and you took the whole of my power and
went, leaving me desolate, and to-day you bring the spoil
you have won with my forces, and lay it so grandly at my
feet — magnificent! And you make my country great
through the help of my own might, while I have no part
or lot in the performance, but must step in at the end,
like a woman, to receive your favours, while in the eyes
of all men, not least my faithful subjects yonder, you are
the man, and I — I am not fit to wear a crown. 34. Are
these, I ask you, Cyrus, are these the deeds of a bene-
factor? Nay, had you been kind as you are kin, above
all else you would have been careful not to rob me of
dignity and honour. What advantage is it to me for my
lands to be made broad if I myself am dishonoured ? When
I ruled the Medes, I ruled them not because I was stronger
than all of them, but because they themselves thought
that our race was in all things better than theirs."

35. But while he was still speaking Cyrus broke in on his
words, crying:

" Uncle of mine, by the heaven above us, if I have ever
shown you any kindness, be kind to me now. Do not find
fault with me any more, wait, and put me to the test, and
learn how I feel towards you, and if you see that what I
have done has really brought you good, then, when I
embrace you, embrace me in return and call me your
benefactor, and if not, you may blame me as you
please."

Book V. Cyrus and Cyaxares 183

36. " Perhaps," answered Cyaxares, " you are right. C* 5
I will do as you wish."

" Then I may kiss you ? " said Cyrus.

" Yes, if it pleases you." " And you will not turn aside
as you did just now?" "No, I will not turn aside."
And he kissed him.

37. And when the Medes saw it and the Persians and all
the allies — for all were watching to see how matters would
shape — joy came into their hearts and gladness lit up their
faces. Then Cyrus and Cyaxares mounted their horses
and rode back, and the Medes fell in behind Cyaxares, at
a nod from Cyrus, and behind Cyrus the Persians, and the
others behind them. 38. 7\jid when they reached the
camp and brought Cyaxares to the splendid tent, those
who were appointed made everything ready for him, and
while he was waiting for the banquet his Medes presented
themselves, some of their own accord, it is true, but most
were sent by Cyrus. 39. And they brought him gifts;
one came with a beautiful cup-bearer, another with an
admirable cook, a third with a baker, a fourth with a
musician, while others brought cups and goblets and
beautiful apparel; almost every one gave something out
of the spoils they had won. 40. So that the mood of
Cyaxares changed, and he seemed to see that Cyrus had
not stolen his subjects from him, and that they made no
less account of him than they used to do.

41. Now when the hour came for the banquet, Cyaxares.
sent to Cyrus and begged him to share it: it was so long,
he said, since they had met. But Cyrus answered, " Bid
me not to the feast, good uncle. Do you not see that all
these soldiers of ours have been raised by us to the pitch of
expectation? And it were ill on my part if I seemed to
neglect them for the sake of my private pleasure. If
soldiers feel themselves neglected even the good become
faint-hearted, and the bad grow insolent. 42. With your-
self it is different, you have come a long journey and you
must fall to without delay, and if your subjects do you
honour, welcome them and give them good cheer, that
there may be confidence between you and them, but I

184 The Education of Cyrus

C. 5 must go and attend to the matters of which I speak. 43.
Early to-morrow morning," he added, " our chief officers
will present themselves at your gate to hear from you
what you think our next step ought to be. You will tell
us whether we ought to pursue the campaign further or
whether the time has now come to disband our army."

44. Thereupon Cyaxares betook himself to the banquet
and C>Tus called a council of his friends, the shrewdest and
best fitted to act with him, and spoke to them as follows :

" My friends, thanks to the gods, our first prayers are
granted. Wherever we set foot now we are the masters
of the country: we see our enemies brought low and our-
selves increasing day by day in numbers and in strength.
45. And if only our present allies would consent to stay
with us a little longer, our achievements could be greater
still, whether force were needed or persuasion. Now
it must be your work as much as mine to make as many
of them as possible willing and anxious to remain. 46.
Kemember that, just as the soldier who overthrows the
■greatest number in the day of battle is held to be the
bravest, so the speaker, when the time has come for per-
suasion, who brings most men to his side will be thought
the most eloquent, the best orator, and the ablest man
of action. 47. Do not, however, prepare your speeches
as though we asked you to give a rhetorical display:
remember that those whom you convince will show it well
■enough by what they do. 48. I leave you then," he
added, " to the careful study of your parts : mine is to see,
so far as in me lies, that our troops are provided with all
they need, before we hold the council of war."

NOTES

Book V.

C. I Cyrus' generosity: he is not cold, not incapable of soft
pleasure, but too pre-occupied with greater things. On the
whole, if a hedonist, this type of man, a hedonist that = a
stoic (cf. Socrates, H. Sidgwick, also J. P.).

§ 4, init. Well told ; we feel the character of Araspas at
once, as soon as he opens his lips.

Book V. Notes 185

§ 4, med. An Ecistern picture. She is one of the Bible C. I
women, as Gadatas and Gobryas are brothers of Barzillai;
she is sister of Ruth or Susanna or Judith or Bathsheba.
Perhaps she is nobler than any of them. She is also the sister
of the Greek tragedy women, Antigone, Alcestis ; especially
Euripidean is she : no doubt she is sister to the great women
of all lands.

§§ 10 ff. Xenophon, Moralist. Ci. Memorabilia ior SLSiTnilar
philosophical difficulty about the will and knowledge. And
for this raising of ethical problems in an artistic setting of
narrative, cf. Lyly. I see a certain resemblance between the
times and the writers' minds. Vide J. A. Symonds on the
predecessors of Shakespeare. Araspas' point is that these
scamps have only themselves to blame, being aKparets, and
then they turn round and accuse love. (We are thrown back
on the origin of dKpaala : vide Memorabilia [e.g. I. ii. v. ; IV. v.]
for such answer as we can get to that question.) Whereas
the KaXol Kdyadol desire strongly but can curb their desires.

§ 13. Shows a confidence in the healthy action of the will.
When Araspas himself is caught later on he develops the
theory of a double self, a higher and a lower (so hgd., and so,
I think, Xenophon and Socrates. Vide Memorabilia).

§ 16, fin. Cyrus || Socrates, his prototype here.

§ 18. Very natural and beautiful. Xenophon sympathetic
with such a beautiful humanity. The woman's nature
brought out by these touches. Xenophon, Dramatist: the
moral problem is subordinate, that is to say, is made to grow
out of the dramatic action and characterisation.

§ 20. Notice the absolutely fair and warrantable diplomatic
advantage given to the archie man : each step he takes opens
up new avenues of progress. Herein is fulfilled " to him who
hath shall be given," but Cyrus plays his part also, he has the
wisdom of serpents with the gentleness of doves.

§21. This is the true rhetoric, the right road to persuasive-
ness, to be absolutely frank.

§ 24. The desire to be ruled by the archie man, which the
archomenoi — i.e. all men — feel, is thus manifest. Notice
again how the Mede's own character is maintained : he speaks
as he felt then.

§8. The bridegroom will be found to be Hystaispas: but C. 2
we have no suspicion as yet, without looking on.

§ 9. In this interview Cyrus' character still further de-
veloped. Ex ore Cyri., Xenophon propounds his theory of the
latent virtue in man, which only needs an opportunity to
burst forth, but, this lacking, remains unrevealed. Now it is
a great godsend to get such a chance. It is thoroughly
Hellenic, or Xenophon-Socratic, this feeling, "Give me a

1 86 The Education of Cyrus

C. 2 chance to show my virtue." (But has Cyrus a touch of super-
human conscious rectitude?)

§ 12. The same thought again: it is full of delicacy and
spiritual discernment : the more one ponders it the more one
feels that.

§12, fin. For Hellenic or Xenophontine or old-world
theory of the misfortunes which befall the virtuous, vide
Homer, vide Book of Job (Satan), vide Tragedians.

§ 15. Cf. the Economist for praise of rural simplicity. It
is Xenophon ipsissimus.

^17. Whose bad manners is Xenophon thinking of?
Thebans' ?

§ 20, fin. A very noble sentence. The man who utters it
and the people whose heart and mind it emanates from must
be of a high order; and in the Memorabilia Socrates has this
highest praise, that he studied to make himself and all others
also as good as possible.

§21. Notice the practical answer of Cyrus to this panegyric
(cf. J. P.).

§ 32. ProlLx, Xenophontic.
C. 3 §§6 ff. Here also I feel the mind of Xenophon shimmering
under various lights. The Cyropaedia is shot with Oriental-
ism, Homeric Epicism — antique Hellenism and modem
Hellenism are both there. Spartan simplicity and Eastern
quaintness both say their say. In this passage the biblical
element seems most audible.

§ 7. This is in the grand style. Oriental, dilatory, ponderous,
savouring of times when battles were affairs of private arrange-
ment between monarchs and hedged about by all the punc-
tilios of an affair of honour.

§ 12. N.B. — The archie man shows a very ready wit and in-
ventiveness in the great art of " grab " in war, though as he
said to his father he was " a late learner " in such matters.
Cf. in modern times the duties of a detective or some such
disagreeable office. G. O.Trevelyan as Irish secretary. Interest-
ing for war ethics in the abstract, and for Xenophon's view,
which is probably Hellenic. Cyrus now has the opportunity
of carrying out the selfish decalogue, the topsy-turvy morality
set forth in I. c. 6, §§ 26 flf.

§ 13. Cf. Old Testament for the sort of subterfuges and
preparations, e.g. the Gibeonites.

§ 15. The archie man has no time. Cyrus ov (7xo\dff«.
Cf. J. P. It comes from energy combined with high gifts of
organisation, economic, architectonic.

§ 19. Nice, I think, this contrasting of spiritual and natural
productiveness.

§ 32. Here is the rule of conduct clearly expressed, nor do I

Book V. Notes 187

see how a military age could frame for itself any other. C. 5
Christianity only emerged sitb pace Romana, which for
fraternal brotherhood was the fullness of time ; and even in the
commercial age the nations tumble back practically into the
old system.

§§ ^6 ff. An army on forced march; are there any
novelties here?

§ 53. These minute details probably not boring at the time,
but interesting rather, perhaps useful.

§ 13. Cyrus resembles Fawcett in his unselfish self-estimate. C. 4
Gadatas is like the British public, or hgd.

§ 16. Here we feel that the Assyrian is not a mere weakling:
he can play his part well enough if he gets a good chance.
It needs an Archie and Strategic Man to overpower him.

§ 17. Ancient and Modern parallelism in treatment of
wounded.

§ 24. Hellenic war ethics : non-combatant tillers of the soil
to be let alone. Is this a novelty? If not, what is the
prototype ? Did the modern rights of non-combatants so
originate ?

§ 27, fin. A touch which gives the impression of real history :
that is the art of it.

§ 34. Almost autobiographical : the advantage of having a
country seat in the neighbourhood of a big town. Here we
feel the Modernism of Xenophon. The passage which
Stevenson chose for the motto to his Silverado Squatters would
suit Xenophon very well (Cicero, De Off. I. xx.), Xenophon ||
Alfred Tennyson. [Mr. Dakyns used the geometric sign || to
indicate parallelism of any sort, see below pp. 249, 251.
The passage from Cicero might be translated thus: " Some
have lived in the country, content with the happiness of home.
These men have enjoyed all that kings could claim, needing
nothing, under the dominion of no man, untrammelled and in
freedom; for the free man lives as he chooses."]

§ 36. The wicked man as conceived in Hellenico-Xeno-
phontine fashion, charged with the spirit of meanness, envy,
and hatred, which cannot brook the existence of another
better than itself.

§ 38. A nice touch: we learn to know Gadatas and Xeno-
phon also, and the Hellenic mind.

§10. Pathos well drawn : t;zc?(? Richard II. and Bolingbroke. C. 5
Euripidean quality.

§ 12. The archie man has got so far he can play the part of
intercessor between Cyaxares and his Medes. The discussion
involves the whole difficulty of supersession {" he must in-
crease, but I must decrease " is one solution, not touched
here) .

1 88 The Education of Cyrus

C. 5 § 34. Perhaps this is the very point which Xenophon,
Philosopher, wishes to bring out, the pseudo-archic man and
the archie man contrasted, but Xenophon, lover of man and
artist, draws the situation admirably and truthfully without
any doctrinal purpose. It is dvOpwirivov human essentially,
this jealousy and humiliation of spirit.

§ 35. Cyrus' tone of voice and manner must have some
compelling charm in them: the dialectic debate is not pur-
sued, but by a word and look the archie man wins his way.

§ 36. Oriental and antique Hellenic, also modern, formali-
ties. I can imagine some of those crowned heads, emperors
of Germany and Austria, going through similar ceremonies,
walking arm-in-arm, kissing on both cheeks fraternally, etc.

§§ 39, 40. This reveals the incorrigible weakness of
Cyaxares. He can never hold his own against the archie
man. As a matter of philosophic " historising," probably
Xenophon conceives the Median element as the corrupting
and sapping one in the Persian empire (vide EpUogue), only
he to some extent justifies and excuses Cyrus in his imitations
of it. That is a difficulty.

§41. The archie man shows self-command again: his
energy somewhat relieves ignobler actors of responsibility
and so far saps their wills. His up-and-doingness a foil to
their indolence.

BOOK VI

So the day ended, and they supped and went to rest. But C.
early the next morning all the allies flocked to Cyaxares'
gates, and while Cyaxares dressed and adorned himself,
hearing that a great multitude were waiting, Cyrus gave
audience to the suitors his own friends had brought. First
came the Cadousians, imploring him to stay, and then the
Hyrcanians, and after them the Sakians, and then some
one presented Gobryas, and Hystaspas brought in
Gadatas the eunuch, whose entreaty was still the same.
3. At that Cyrus, who knew already that for many a day
Gadatas had been half-dead with fear lest the army
should be disbanded, laughed outright and said, " Ah,
Gadatas, you cannot conceal it: you have been bribed
by my friend Hystaspas to take this view."

3. But Gadatas lifted up his hands to heaven and swore
most solemnly that Hystaspas had not influenced him.

" Nay," said he, " it is because I know myself that, if
you depart, I am ruined utterly. And therefore it was
that I took it upon me to speak with Hystaspas myself,
and ask him if he knew what was in your mind about the
disbanding of the army."

4. And Cyrus said, " It would be unjust then, I suppose,
to lay the blame on Hystaspas." " Yes, Cyrus, most
unjust," said Hystaspas, " for I only said to Gadatas that
it would be impossible for you to carry on the campaign,
as your father wanted you home, and had sent for you."

5. " What? " cried Cyrus, " you dared to let that be
known whether I wished it or not? "

" Certainly I did," he answered, " for I can see that you
are mad to be home in Persia, the cynosure of every eye,
telling your father how you wrought this and accomplished
that."

189

1 90 The Education of Cyrus

C. T " Well," said Cynis, ' are you not longing to go home
yourself? "

" No," said the other. " I am not. Nor have I any
intention of going: here I shall stay and be general-in-
chief until I make our friend Gadatas the lord and the
Ass}Tian his slave."

6. Thus half in jest and half in earnest they played with
one another, and meanwhile Cyaxares had finished adorn-
ing himself and came forth in great splendour and solem-
nity, and sat down on a Median throne. And when all
were assembled and silence was proclaimed, Cyaxares
said:

" My friends and allies, perhaps, since I am present and
older than Cyrus, it is suitable that I should address you
first. It appears to me that the moment has come to
discuss one question before all others, the question whether
we ought to go on with the campaign or disband the
army. Be pleased," he added, " to state your opinions on
the matter."

7. Then the leader of the Hyrcanians stood up at once
and said:

'' Friends and allies, I hardly think that words are
needed when facts themselves show us the path to take.
All of us know that while we stand together we give our
enemy more trouble than we get: but when we stood
alone it was they who dealt with us as they liked best
and we liked least."

8. Then the Cadousian followed.

" The less we talk," said he, " about breaking-up and
going home separately the better; separation has done
us anything but good, it seems to me, even on the march.
My men and I, at any rate, very soon paid the penalty
for private excursions; as I dare say you have not
forgotten."

9. Upon that Artabazus rose, the Mede who had
claimed kinship with Cyrus in the old days.

" Cyaxares," said he, " in one respect I differ from
those who have spoken before me: they think we should
stay here in order to go on with the campaign, but I think

Book VI. Cyrus and the Army 191

I was always on the campaign at home. 10. I was for C. i
ever out on some expedition or other, because our people
were being harried, or our fortresses threatened, and a
world of trouble I had, what with fears within and fighting
without, and all too at my own expense. As it is now,
I occupy the enemy's forts, my fear of them is gone, I
make good cheer on their own good things, and I drink
their own good wine. Since home means fighting and
service here means feasting, I am not in favour myself,"
said he, " of breaking up the company."

11. Then Gobryas spoke.

" Friends," said he, " I have trusted C}tus' word and
had no fault to find with him: what he promises that he
performs : but if he leaves the country now, the Assyrian
will be reprieved, he will never be punished for the wrongs
he tried to inflict on you and did inflict on me : I shall be
punished instead, because I have been your friend."

12. At that Cyrus rose at last and said:

" Gentlemen, I am well aware that the disbanding of
our forces must mean the decrease of our own power and
the increase of theirs. If some of them have given up
their weapons, they will soon procure others ; if some have
lost their horses, the loss will soon be made good; if some
have fallen in battle, others, younger and stronger, will
take their place. We need not be surprised if they are
soon in a condition to cause us trouble again. 13. Why,
then, did I ask Cyaxares to put the question to debate?
Because, I answer, I am afraid of the future. I see
opponents against us whom we cannot fight, if we conduct
the campaign as we are doing now. 14. Winter is ad-
vancing against us, and though we may have shelter for
ourselves we have nothing, heaven knows, for our horses
and our servants and the great mass of our soldier}^ with-
out whom we cannot even think of a campaign. As to
provisions, up to the limits of our advance and because
of that advance they have been exhausted; and beyond
that line, owing to the terror we inspire, the inhabitants
will have stowed their supplies away in strong places where
they can enjoy them and we cannot get them. 15. Where

192 The Education of Cyrus

C. I is the warrior, stout of heart and strong of will, who can
wage war with cold and hunger? If our style of soldier-
ing is to be only what it has been, I say we ought to dis-
band at once of our own accord, and not wait to be driven
from the field against our will by sheer lack of means.
If we do wish to go forward, this is what we must do: we
must detach from the enemy all the fortresses we can and
secure all we can for our own: if this is done, the larger
supply will be in the hands of those who can stow away
the larger store, and the weaker will suffer siege. 16. At
present we are like mariners on the ocean : they may sail
on for ever, but the seas they have crossed are no more
theirs than those that are still unsailed. But if we hold
the fortresses, the enemy will find they are living in a
hostile land, while we have halcyon weather. 17. Some
of you may dread the thought of garrison duty far from
home; if so, dispel your doubts. We Persians, who must^
as it is, be exiles for the time, will undertake the positions
that are nearest to the foe, while it will be for you to
occupy the land on the marches between Assyria and your-
selves and put it under tillage. 18. For, if we can hold
his inner line, your peace will not be disturbed in the out-
lying parts : he will scarcely neglect the danger at his door
to attack you out in the distance."

19. At this the whole assembly rose to express their
eagerness and assent, and Cyaxares stood up with them.
And both Gadatas and Gobryas offered to fortify a post
if the allies wished, and thus provide two cities of refuge
to start with.

20. Finally Cyrus, thus assured of the general consent
to his proposals, said, " If we really wish to carry out what
we have set ourselves, we must prepare battering-rams
and siege engines, and get together mechanics and builders
for our own castles." 21. Thereupon Cyaxares at once
undertook to provide an engine at his own expense,
Gadatas and Gobryas made themselves responsible for a
second, Tigranes for a third, and Cyrus himself promised
he would try to furnish two. 22. That done, every one
set to work to find engineers and artisans and to collect

Book VI. Cyrus and the Army 193

material for the machiaes; and superintendents were C.
appointed from those best qualified for the work.

23. Now Cyrus was aware that all this would take some
time, and therefore he encamped his troops in the
healthiest spot he could find and the easiest to supply,
strengthening, wherever necessary, the natural defences
of the place, so that the detachment left in charge for the
time should always be in complete security, even though
he might be absent himself with the main body of his
force. 24. Nor was this all; he questioned those who
knew the country best, and, learning where he would be
rewarded for his pains, he would lead his men out to forage,
and thus procure as large supplies as possible, keep his
soldiers in the best of health and strength, and fix their
drill in their minds.

25. So Cyrus spent his days, and meanwhile the deserters
from Babylon and the prisoners who were captured all
told the same story: they said that the king had gone
off to Lydia, taking with him store of gold and silver, and
riches and treasures of every kind. 26. The mass of the
soldiers were convinced that he was storing his goods
away from fear, but Cyrus knew that he must have gone to
raise, if possible, an opponent who could face them, and
therefore he pushed his preparations forward vigorously,
feeling that another battle must be fought. He filled up
the Persian cavalry to its full complement, getting the
horses partly from the prisoners, partly from his own
friends. There were two gifts he would never refuse,
horses and good weapons. 27. He also procured chariots,
taking them from the enemy or wherever he could find
them. The old Trojan type of charioteering, still in use
to this day among the Cyrenaeans, he abolished; before
his time the Medes, the Syrians, the Arabians, and all
Asiatics generally, used their chariots in the same way as
the Cyrenaeans do now. 28. The fault of the system to
his mind was that the very flower of the army, if the picked
men were in the chariots, could only act at long range and
so contribute little after all to the victory. Three hundred
chariots meant twelve hundred horses and three hundred

1 94 The Education of Cyrus

1 fighting-men^ beside the charioteers^ who would naturally
be men above the common, in whom the warriors could
place confidence : and that meant another three hundred
debarred from injuring the enemy in any kind of way.

29. Such was the system he abolished in favour of the
war-chariot proper, with strong wheels to resist the shock
of coUision, and long axles, on the principle that a broad
base is the firmer, while the driver's seat was changed into
what might be called a turret, stoutly built of timber and
reaching up to the elbow, leaving the driver room to
manage the horses above the rim. The drivers them-
selves were all fully armed, only their eyes uncovered.

30. He had iron scythes about two feet long attached to
the axles on either side, and others, under the tree, pointing
to the ground, for use in a charge. Such was the type of
chariot invented by Cyrus, and it is still in use to-day
among the subjects of the Great King. Beside the chariots
he had a large number of camels, collected from his friends
or captured from the enemy. 31. Moreover, he decided
to send a spy into Lydia to ascertain the movements of
the king, and he thought that the right man for this pur-
pose was Araspas, the officer in charge of the fair lady
from Susa. Matters had gone ill with Araspas: he had
fallen passionately in love with his prisoner, and been led
to entreat her to be his paramour. 32. She had refused,
faithful to her husband who was far away, for she loved
him dearly, but she forbore to accuse Araspas to Cyrus,
beingunwillingtoset friend at strife with friend. ^;^. But
when at length Araspas, thinking it would help him in his
desires, began to threaten her, saying that if she would
not yield he would have his will of her by force, then in
her dread of violence she could keep the matter hid no
longer, and she sent her eunuch to Cyrus with orders to
tell him everything. 34. And when Cyrus heard it he
smiled over the man who had boasted that he was superior
to love, and sent Artabazus back with the eunuch to tell
Araspas that he must use no violence against such a
woman, but if he could persuade her, he might do so.
35. But Artabazus, when he saw Araspas, rebuked him

Book VI. Araspas and Pantheia 195

sternly, saying that the woman was a sacred trust, and C.
his conduct disgraceful, impious, and wicked, till Araspas
burst into tears of misery and shame, and was half dead
at thought of what Cyrus would do. 36. Learning this,
Cyrus sent for him, saw him alone, and said to him face
to face :

' ' Araspas, I know that you are afraid of me and in an
agony of shame. Be comforted; we are told that the
gods themselves are made subject to desire, and I could
tell you what love has forced some men to undergo, men
who seemed most lofty and most wise. Did I not pass
sentence on myself, when I confessed I was too weak to
consort with loveliness and remain unmoved? Indeed
it is I who am most to blame in the matter, for I shut you
up myself with this irresistible power."

37. But Araspas broke in on his words:

' ' Ah, Cyrus, you are ever the same, gentle and com-
passionate to human weaknesses. But all the rest of the
world has no pity on me; they drown me in wretchedness.
As soon as the tattlers got wind of my misfortune, all my
enemies exulted, and my friends came to me, advising me
to make away with myself for fear of you, because my
iniquity was so great."

38. Then Cyrus said, " Now listen: this opinion about
you may be the means by which you can do me a great
kindness and your comrades a great service." " Oh, that
it were possible," said Araspas, " for me ever to be of
service to you!" 39. "Well," said the other, "if you
went to the enemy, feigning that you had fled from me,
I think they would believe you." " I am sure they would,"
said Araspas, " I know even my own friends would think
that of course I ran away." 40. " Then you will come
back to us," Cyrus went on, " with full information about
the enemy's affairs ; for, if I am right in my expectation,
they will trust you and let you see all their plans, so that
you need miss nothing of what we wish to know." " I will
be off this moment," said Araspas; " it will be my best
credential to have it thought I was just in time to escape
punishment from you."

196 The Education of Cyrus

C. I 41. "Then you can really bring yourself to leave the
beautiful Pantheia? "

" Yes, Cyrus," he answered, " I can; for I see now that
we have two souls. This is the lesson of philosophy that
I have learnt from the wicked sophist Love. If we had
but a single soul, how could she be at once evil and good ?
How could she be enamoured at once of nobleness and
baseness, or at once desire and not desire one deed and
the same? No, it is clear that we have two souls, and
when the beautiful soul prevails, all fair things are wrought,
and when the evil soul has the mastery, she lays her hand
to shame and wickedness. But to-day my good soul
conquers, because she has you to help her."

42. " Well," said Cyrus, " if you have decided on going,
it is thus you had better go. Thus you will win their
confidence, and then you must tell them what we are doing,
but in such a way as to hinder their own designs. It
would hinder them, for example, if you said that we were
preparing an attack on their territory at a point not yet
decided ; for this would check the concentration of their
forces, each leader being most concerned for the safety of
his own home. 43. Stay with them," he added, " till the
last moment possible: what they do when they are close
at hand is just what is most important for us to know.
Advise them how to dispose their forces in the way that
really seems the best, for then, after you are gone and
although it may be known that you are aware of their
order, they will be forced to keep to it, they will not dare
to change it, and should they do so at the last moment
they will be thrown into confusion."

44. Thereupon Araspas took his leave, called together
his trustiest attendants, said what he thought necessary
for the occasion, and departed.

45. Now Pantheia, when she heard that Araspas had
fled, sent a messenger to Cyrus, saying:

" Grieve not, Cyrus, that Araspas has gone to join the
foe : I will bring you a far trustier friend than he, if you
will let me send for my husband, and I know he will bring
with him all the power that he has. It is true that the

Book VI. Pantheia and her Husband 197

old king was my husband's friend, but he who reigns now C. i
tried to tear us two asunder, and my husband knows him
for a tyrant and a miscreant, and would gladly be quit of
him and take service with such a man as you."

46. When Cyrus heard that, he bade Pantheia send
word to her husband, and she did so. Now when Abra-
datas saw the tokens from his wife, and learnt how matters
stood, he was full of joy, and set out for Cyrus' camp
immediately, with a thousand horsemen in his train.
And when he came to the Persian outposts he sent to
Cjn-us saying who he was, and Cyrus gave orders that he
should be taken to Pantheia forthwith. 47. So husband
and wife met again after hope had well-nigh vanished,
and were in each other's arms once more. And then
Pantheia spoke of Cyrus, his nobleness, his honour, and
the compassion he had shown her, and Abradatas cried :

" Tell me, tell me, how can I repay him all I owe him in
your name and mine! " And she answered:

" So deal with him, mv husband, as he has dealt with
you."

48. Thus Abradatas went to Cyrus, and took him by
the hand, and said:

" Cyrus, in return for the kindness you have shown us,
I can say no more than this : I give myself to you, I will
be your friend, your servant, and your ally: whatever you
desire, I will help you to win, your fellow-worker always,
so far as in me lies."

49. Then Cyrus answered:

" And I will take your gift: but for the moment you
must leave me, and sup with your wife : another day you
will let me play the host, and give you lodging with your
friends and mine."

50. Afterwards Abradatas perceived how much Cyrus
had at heart the scythe-bearing chariots and the cavalry
and the war-horses with their armour, and he resolved to
equip a hundred chariots for him out of his own cavalry
force. 51. These he proposed to lead himself in a chariot
of his own, four-poled and drawn by eight horses, all the
eight protected by chest- plates of bronze. 52. So Abra-

198 The Education of Cyrus

1 datas set to work, and this four-poled chariot of his gave
Cyrus the idea of making a car with eight poles, drawn
by eight yoke of oxen, to carry the lowest compartment
of the battering engines, which stood, with its wheels,
about twenty-seven feet from the ground. 53. Cyrus
felt that if he had a series of such towers brought into the
field at a fair pace they would be of immense service to
him, and inflict as much damage on the enemy. The
towers were built with galleries and parapets, and each of
them could carry twenty men. 54. When the whole was
put together he tested it and found that the eight yoke
of oxen could draw the whole tower with the men more
easily than one yoke by itself could manage the ordinary
weight of baggage, which came to about five-and-twenty
talents apiece, whereas the tower, built of planks about
as thick as the boards for a stage, weighed less than
fifteen for each yoke. 55. Thus, having satisfied himself
that the attempt was perfectly possible, he arranged to
take the towers into action, believing that in war
selfishness meant salvation, justice, and happiness.

2 About this time ambassadors came to Cyrus from India
with gifts of courtesy and a message from their king,
saying :

" I send you greeting, C)n:us, and I rejoice that you told
me of your needs. I desire to be your friend and I offer
you gifts; and if you have need of anything more, I bid
you say the word, and it shall be yours. I have told my
men to do whatever you command."

2. Then Cyrus answered:

" This, then, is my bidding: the rest of you shall stay
where you have pitched your tents ; you shall guard your
treasures and live as you choose: but three of you shall
go to the enemy and make believe that you have come to
him about an alliance with your king, and thus you shall
learn how matters stand, and all they say and all they do,
and so bring me word again with speed. And if you serve
me well in this, I shall owe you even more than I could
owe you for these gifts. There are some spies who are
no better than slaves, and have no skill to find out any-

Book VI. The Great Attack 199

thing more than is known already, but there are men of C. 2
another sort, men of your stamp, who can discover plans
that are not yet disclosed."

3. The Indians listened gladly, and for the moment
made themselves at home as the guests of Cyrus : but the
next day they got ready and set off on their journey,
promising to find out as much as they could of the enemy's
secrets and bring him word again with all possible
speed.

4. Meanwhile Cyrus continued his preparations for the
war on a magnificent scale, like one who meant to accom-
plish no small achievement. Not only did he carry out
all the resolutions of the allies, but he breathed a spirit of
emulation into his own friends and followers, till each
strove to outshine his fellows in arms and accoutrements,
in horsemanship and spearmanship and archery, in
endurance of toil and danger. 5. Cyrus would lead them
out to the chase, and show especial honour to those who
distinguished themselves in any way: he would whet the
ambition of the officers by praising all who did their best
to improve their men, and by gratifying them in every
way he could. 6. At every sacrifice and festival he
instituted games and contests in all martial exercises, and
lavished prizes on the victors, till the whole army was
filled with enthusiasm and confidence. 7. By this time
Cyrus had almost everything in readiness for the cam-
paign, except the battering -machines. The Persian
cavalry was made up to its full number of ten thousand
men, and the scythed chariots were complete, a hundred
of his own, and a hundred that Abradatas of Susa had
provided. 8. Beside these there were a hundred of the
old Median chariots which Cyrus had persuaded Cyaxares
to remodel on his own type, giving up the Trojan and
Lydian style. The camels were ready also, each animal
carrying a couple of mounted archers.

The bulk of the great army felt almost as though they
had already conquered, and the enemy's power was held
of no account.

9. While matters were thus, the Indians whom Cyrus

200 The Education of Cyrus

C. 2 had sent out returned with their report. Croesus had
been chosen leader and general-in-chief ; a resolution had
been passed, calling on all the allied kings to bring up
their entire forces, raise enormous sums for the war, and
spend them in hiring mercenaries where they could and
making presents where they must. lo. Large numbers
of Thracians, armed with the short sword, had already
been enrolled, and a body of Egyptians were coming by
sea, amounting — so said the Indians — to 120,000 men,
armed with long shields reaching to their feet, huge spears
(such as they carry to this day), and sabres. Beside these,
an army was expected from Cyprus, and there were
already on the spot all the Cilicians, the men of both the
Phrygias, of Lycaonia, Paphlagonia, and Cappadocia, the
Arabians, the Phoenicians, and all the Assyrians under the
king of Babylon. Moreover, the lonians, and Aeolians,
and indeed nearly all the Hellenic colonists on the coast
were compelled to follow in the train of Croesus. 11.
Croesus himself had already sent to Lacedaemon to pro-
pose an alliance with the Spartans. The armament was
mustering on the banks of the Pactolus, and they were
to push forward presently to Thymbrara (the place which
is still the mustering-ground for all the Asiatic subjects of
the Great King west of Syria), and orders had been issued
to open a market there. This report agreed with the
accounts given by the prisoners, for Cyrus was always at
pains to have men captured from whom he could get some
information, and he would also send out spies disguised as
runaway slaves.

12. Such were the tidings, and when the army heard
the nfws there was much anxiety and concern, as one
may well suppose. The men went about their work with
an unusual quietness, their faces clouded over, or gathered
in knots and clusters everywhere, anxiously asking each
other the news and discussing the report. 13. When
Cyrus saw that fear was in the camp, he called a meeting
of his generals, and indeed of all whose dejection might
injure the cause and whose confidence assist it. Moreover,
he sent word that any of the attendants, or any of the

Book VI. The Great Attack 201

rank and file, who wished to hear what he had to say, C.
would be allowed to come and listen. When they met,
he spoke as follows:

14. " My friends and allies, I make no secret of the
reason I have called you here. It was because I saw that
some of you, when the reports of the enemy reached us,
looked like men who were panic-stricken. But I must
say I am astonished that any of you should feel alarm
because the enemy is mustering his forces, and not be
reassured by remembering that our own is far larger than
it was when we conquered him before, and far better
provided, under heaven, with all we need. 15. I ask you
how you would have felt, you who are afraid now, if you
had been told that a force exactly like our own was march-
ing upon us, if you had heard that men who had con-
quered us already were coming now, carrying in their
hearts the victory they had won, if you knew that those
who made short work then of all our bows and javelins
were advancing again, and others with them, ten thousand
times as many? 16. Suppose you heard that the very
men^who had routed our infantry once were coming on now
equipt as before, but this time on horseback, scorning
arms and javelins, each man armed with one stout spear,
ready to charge home? 17. Suppose you heard of
chariots, made on a new pattern, not to be kept motion-
less, standing, as hitherto, with their backs turned to the
foe as if for flight, but with the horses shielded by armour,
and the drivers sheltered by wooden walls and protected by
breastplates and helmets, and the axles fitted with iron
scythes so that they can charge straight into the ranks
of the foe? 18. And suppose you heard that they have
camels to ride on, each one of which would scare a
hundred horses, and that they will bring up towers from
which to help their own friends, and overwhelm us with
volleys of darts so that we cannot fight them on level
ground? 19. If this were what you had heard of the
enemy, I ask you, once again, you who are now so fearful,
what would you have done? You who turn pale when
told that Croesus has been chosen commander-in-chief,

202 The Education of Cyrus

2 Croesus who proved himself so much more cowardly than
the Syrians, that when they were worsted in battle and
fled, instead of helping them, his own allies, he took to his
heels himself. 20. We are told, moreover, that the enemy
himself does not feel equal to facing you alone, he is hiring
others to fight for him better than he could for himself.
I can only say, gentlemen, that if any individual considers
our position as I describe it alarming or unfavourable, he
had better leave us. Let him join our opponents, he will
do us far more service there than here."

21. When Cyrus had ended, Chrysantas the Persian
stood up and said :

" Cyrus, you must not wonder if the faces of some were
clouded when they heard the news. The cloud was a sign
of annoyance, not of fear. Just as if," he went on, " a
company were expecting breakfast immediately, and then
were told there was some business that must be got
through first, I do not suppose any of them would be
particularly pleased. Here we were, saying to ourselves
that our fortunes were made, and now we are informed
there is still something to be done, and of course our
countenances fell, not because we were afraid, but because
we could have wished it all over and done with. 22.
However, since it now appears that Syria is not to be the
only prize — though there is much to be got in Syria,
flocks and herds and corn and palm-trees yielding fruit —
but Lydia as well, Lydia, the land of wine and oil and fig-
trees, Lydia, to whose shores the sea brings more good
things than eyes can feast on, I say that once we realise
this we shall mope no longer, our spirits will rise apace,
and we shall hasten to lay our hands on the Lydian wealth
without delay."

So he spoke, and the allies were well pleased at his
words and gave him loud applause.

23. " Truly, gentlemen," said Cyrus, " as Chrysantas
says, I think we ought to march without delay, if only to
be beforehand with our foes, and reach their magazines
before they do themselves; and besides, the quicker we
are^ the fewer resources we shall find with them. 24. That

Book VI. The Great Attack 203

is how I put the matter, but if any one sees a safer or an C. 2
easier way, let him instruct us."

But many speakers followed, all urging an immediate
march, without one speech in opposition, and so C^tus
took up the word again and said :

25. " My friends and allies, God helping us, our hearts,
our bodies, and our weapons have now been long pre-
pared: all that remains is to get together what we need
for ourselves and our animals on a march of at least twenty
days. I reckon that the journey itself must take more
than fifteen, and not a vestige of food shall we find from
end to end. It has all been made away with, partly by
ourselves, partly by our foes, so far as they could. 26. We
must collect enough com, without which one can neither
fight nor live: and as for wine, every man must carry just
so much as will accustom him to drink water : the greater
part of the country will be absolutely devoid of wine, and
the largest supply we could take with us would not hold
out. 27. But to avoid too sudden a change and the sick-
ness that might follow, this is what we must do. We
must begin by taking water with our food : we can do this
without any great change in our habits . 28. For every one
who eats porridge has the oatmeal mixed with water, and
every one who eats bread has the wheat soaked in water,
and all boiled meat is prepared with water. We shall not
miss the wine if we drink a little after the meal is done.
29. Then we must gradually lessen the amount, until we
find that, without knowing it, we have become water-
drinkers. Gradual change enables every creature to go
through a complete conversion; and this is taught us by
God, who leads us little by little out of winter until we can
bear the blazing heat of summer, and out of heat back
again into the depths of winter. So should we follow
God, and take one step after another until we reach our
goal. 30. What you might spend on heavy rugs and
coverlets spend rather on food : any superfluity there will
not be wasted : and you will not sleep less soundly for lack
of bedclothes; if you do, I give you leave to blame me.
But with clothing the case is different : a man can hardly

204 The Education of Cyrus

have too much of that in sickness or in health. 31. And
for seasoning you should take what is sharp and dry and
salted; for such meats are more appetising and more satis-
fying. And since we may come into districts as yet un-
ravaged where we may find growing corn, we ought to
take handmills for grinding : these are the lightest machines
for the purpose. 32. Nor must we forget to supply
ourselves with medicines — they are small in bulk and, if
need arises, invaluable. And we ought to have a large
supply of straps — I wonder what is not fastened by a
strap to man or horse? But straps wear out and get
broken and then things are at a standstill unless there are
spare ones to be had. 33. Some of you have learnt to
shave spears, so that it would be as well not to forget a
plane, and also to carry a rasp, for the man who sharpens
a spearhead will sharpen his spirit too. He will feel
ashamed to whet the edge and be a coward. And we
must take plenty of timber for chariots and waggons;
there is bound to be many a breakdown on the road.
34. Also we shall need the most necessary tools for
repairs, since smiths and carpenters are not to be found
at every turn, but there are few who cannot patch up a
makeshift for the time. Then there should be a mattock
and a shovel apiece for every waggon, and on every beast
of burden a billhook and an axe, always useful to the
owner and sometimes a boon to all. 35. The provisions
must be seen to by the officers of the fighting-line; they
must inspect the men under their command and see that
nothing is omitted which any man requires ; the omission
would be felt by us all. Those of you who are in command
of the baggage-train will inspect what I have ordered for
the animals and insist upon every man being provided
who is not already supplied. 36. You, gentlemen, who
are in command of the road-makers, you have the lists
of the soldiers I have disqualified from serving as javelin-
men, bowmen, or slingers, and you will make the old
javelin men march with axes for felling timber, the bow-
men with mattocks, and the slingers with shovels. They
will advance by squads in front of the waggons so that if

Book VI. The Great Attack 205

there is any road-making to be done you may set to work C. 2
at once^ and in case of need I may know where to get the
men I want. 37. I mean also to take a corps of smiths,
carpenters^ and cobblers, men of military age, provided
with the proper tools, to supply any possible need. These
men will not be in the fighting-line, but they will have a
place assigned them where they can be hired by any one
who likes. 38. If any huckster wishes to follow the army
with his wares, he may do so, but if caught selling anything
during the fifteen days for which provisions have been
ordered, he will be deprived of all his goods: after the
fifteen days are done he may sell what he likes. Any
merchant who offers us a well-stocked market will receive
recompense and honour from the allies and myself . 39. And
if any one needs an advance of money for trading, he must
send me guarantors who will undertake that he will march
with the army, and then he can draw on our funds. These
are the general orders: and I will ask any of you who
think that anything has been omitted to point it out to
me. 40. You will now go back to your quarters and
make your preparations, and while you do so I will offer
sacrifice for our journey and when the signs are favourable
we will give the signal. At that you must present your-
selves, with everything I have ordered, at the appointed
place, under your own officers. 41. And you, gentlemen,"
said he, turning to the officers, " when your divisions are
all in line, you will come to me in a body to receive your
final orders."

With these instructions the army went to make their C. 3
preparations while Cyrus offered sacrifice.

As soon as the victims were favourable, he set out with
his force.

On the first day they encamped as near by as possible,
so that anything left behind could easily be fetched and
any omission readily supplied. 2. Cyaxares stayed in
Media with a third of the Median troops in order not
to leave their own country undefended. Cyrus himself
pushed forward with all possible speed, keeping his cavalry
in the van and constantly sending explorers and scouts

2o6 The Education of Cyrus

ahead to some look-out. Behind the cavalry came the
baggage^ and on the plains he had long strings of waggons
and beasts of burden, and the main army behind them, so
that if any of the baggage-train fell back, the officers who
caught them up would see that they did not lose their
places in the march. 3. But where the road was narrower
the fighting-men marched on either side with the baggage
in the middle, and in case of any block it was the business
of the soldiers on the spot to attend to the matter. As a
rule, the different regiments would be marching alongside
their own baggage, orders having been given that all
members of the train should advance by regiments unless
absolutely prevented. 4. To help matters the brigadier's
own body-servant led the way with an ensign known to his
men, so that each regiment marched together, the men
doing their best to keep up with their comrades. Thus
there was no need to search for each other, everything
was to hand, there was greater security, and the soldiers
could get what they wanted more quickly.

5. After some days the scouts ahead thought they could
see people in the plain collecting fodder and timber, and
then they made out beasts of burden, some grazing and
others already laden, and as they scanned the distance
they felt sure they could distinguish something that was
either smoke rising or clouds of dust; and from all this
they concluded that the enemy's army was not far ofE.
6. Whereupon their commander despatched a messenger
with the news to Cyrus, who sent back word that the
scouts should stay where they were, on their look-out, and
tell him if they saw anything more, while he ordered a
squadron of cavalry to ride forward, and intercept, if they
could, some of the men on the plain and so discover the
actual state of affairs. 7. While the detachment carried
out this order Cyrus halted the rest of his army to make
such dispositions as he thought necessary before coming
to close quarters. His first order was for the troops to take
their breakfast: after breakfast they were to fall in and
wait for the word of command. 8. When breakfast was over
he sent for all the officers from the cavalry, the infantry,

Book VI. The Great Attack 207

and the chariot brigade, and for the commanders of the C. 3
battering engines and the baggage train, and they came
to him. 9. Meanwhile the troop of horse had dashed into
the plain, cut off some of the men, and now brought them
in captive. The prisoners, on being questioned by
Cyrus, said they belonged to the camp and had gone out to
forage or cut wood and so had passed beyond their own
pickets, for, owing to the size of their army, ever}'-thing
was scarce.

10. " How far is your army from here? " asked C>tus.
"About seven miles," said they. " Was there any talk about
us down there .^ " said he. " We should think there was,"
they answered; "it was all over the camp that you were
coming." " Ah," said Cyrus, " I suppose they were glad
to hear we were coming so soon? " (putting this question
for his officers to hear the answer). " That they
were not," said the prisoners, " they were anything but
glad; they were miserable." 11. " And what are they
doing now ? " asked Cyrus. " Forming their line of battle,"
answered they; " yesterday and the day before they did
the same."

"And their commander?" said Cyrus, "who is he?"
" Croesus himself," said they, " and with him a Greek,
and also another man, a Mede, who is said to be a deserter
from you."

" Ah," cried Cyrus, " is that so? Most mighty Zeus,
may I deal with him as I wish ! "

12. Then he had the prisoners led away and turned to
speak to his officers, but at this moment another scout
appeared, saying that a large force of cavalry was in the
plain. " We think," he added, " that they are trying to
get a sight of our army. For about thirty of them are
riding ahead at a good round pace and they seem to be
coming straight for our little company, perhaps to capture
our look-out if they can, for there are only ten of us there."

13. At that Cyrus sent off a detachment from his own
bodyguard, bidding them gallop up to the place, unseen
by the enemy, and stay there motionless. " Wait," he
said, " until our own ten must leave the spot and then

2o8 The Education of Cyrus

C. 3 dash out on the thirty as they come up the hill. And to I
prevent any injury from the larger body, do you,
Hystaspas," said he, turning to the latter, " ride out with
a thousand horse, and let them see you suddenly, face to
face. But remember not to pursue them out of sight,
come back as soon as you have secured our post. And
if any of your opponents ride up with their right hands
raised, welcome them as friends."

14. Accordingly Hystaspas went off and got under arms,
while the bodyguard galloped to the spot. But before
they reached the scouts, some one met them with his
squires, the man who had been sent out as a spy, the
guardian of the lady from Susa, Araspas himself. 15.
When the news reached Cyrus, he sprang up from his
seat, went to meet him himself, and clasped his hand, but
tlie others, who of course knew nothing, were utterly
dumbfounded, until Cyrus said:

" Gentlemen, the best of our friends has come back to
us. It is high time that all men should know what he
has done. It was not through any baseness, or any weak-
ness, or any fear of me, that he left us ; it was because I
sent him to be my messenger, to learn the enemy's doings
and bring us word. 16. Araspas, I have not forgotten
what I promised you, I will repay you, we will all repay
you. For, gentlemen, it is only just that all of you should
pay him honour. Good and true I call him who risked
himself for our good, and took upon himself a reproach]
that was heavy to bear."

17. At that all crowded round Araspas and took himj
by the hand and made him welcome. Then C}tus spoke
again :

" Enough, my friends, Araspas has news for us, and it is
time to hear it. Tell us your tale, Araspas, keep back
nothing of the truth, and do not make out the power of
the enemy less than it really is. It is far better that we
should find it smaller than we looked for rather than
strong beyond our expectations." 18. " Well," began
Araspas, " in order to learn their numbers, I managed to
be present at the marshalling of their troops." " Then

Book VI. The Great Attack 209

you can tell us," said Cyrus, " not only their numbers but c. 3
their disposition in the field." " That I can," answered
Araspas, " and also how they propose to fight." " Good,"
said Cyrus, " but first let us hear their numbers in brief."
19. " Well," he answered, " they are drawn up thirty
deep, infantry and cavalry alike, all except the Egyptians,
and they cover about five miles; for I was at great
pains," he added, " to find out how much ground they
occupied."

20. " x\nd the Egyptians?" Cyrus asked, "how are
they drawn up ? I noticed you said, ' all except the
Egyptians.' "

" The Egyptians," he answered, " are drawn up in
companies of ten thousand, under their own officers, a
hundred deep, and a hundred broad: that, they insisted,
was their usual formation at home. Croesus, however,
was very loth to let them have their own way in this : he
wished to outflank you as much as possible." " Why? "
Cyrus asked, " what was his object? " " To encircle you,
I imagine, with his wings." " He had better take care,"
said Cyrus, " or his circle may find itself in the centre.
21. But now you have told us what we most needed to
know, and you, gentlemen," said he to the officers, " on
leaving this meeting, you will look to your weapons and
your harness. It often happens that the lack of some
little thing makes man or horse or chariot useless. To-
morrow morning early, while I am offering sacrifice, do
you take your breakfast and give your steeds their pro-
vender, so that when the moment comes to strike you may
not be found wanting. And then you, Araspas, must hold
the right wing in the position it has now, and the rest of
you who command a thousand men must do the same with
your divisions: it is no time to be changing horses when
the race is being run; and you will send word to the
brigadiers and captains under you to draw up the phalanx
with each company two deep." (Now a company con-
sisted of four-and-twenty men.)

22. Then one of the officers, a captain of ten thousand,
said:

2IO The Education of Cyrus

C. 3 " Do you think, Cyrus, that with so shallow a depth
we can stand against their tremendous phalanx? "

" But do you suppose/' rejoined he, " that any phalanx
so deep that the rear-ranks cannot close with the enemy
could do much either for friend or foe? 23. I myself,"
he added, " would rather this heavy infantry of theirs
were drawn up, not a hundred, but ten thousand deep:
we should have all the fewer to fight. Whereas with the
depth that I propose, I believe we shall not waste a man :
every part of our army will work with every other. 24. I
will post the javelin-men behind the cuirassiers, and the
archers behind them: it would be absurd to place in the
van troops who admit that they are not made for hand-to-
hand fighting ; but with the cuirassiers thrown in front of
them they will stand firm enough, and harass the enemy
over the heads of our own men with their arrows and their
darts. And every stroke that falls on the enemy means so
much relief to our friends. 25. In the very rear of all I
will post our reserve. A house is useless without a founda-
tion as well as a roof, and our phalanx will be no use unless
it has a rear-guard and a van, and both of them good.

26. You," he added, " will draw up the ranks to suit
these orders, and you who command the targeteers will
follow with your companies in the same depth, and you
who command the archers will follow the targeteers.

27. Gentlemen of the reserve, you will hold your men in
the rear, and pass the word down to your own subordinates
to watch the men in front, cheer on those who do their
duty, threaten him who plays the coward, and if any man
show signs of treachery, see that he dies the death. It is
for those in the van to hearten those behind them by word
and deed : it is for you, the reserve, to make the cowards
dread you more than the foe. 28. You know your work,
and you will do it. Euphratas," he added, turning to the
officer in command of the artillery, " see that the waggons
with the towers keep as close to the phalanx as possible.
29. And you, Daouchus, bring up the whole of your bag-
gage-train under cover of the towers and make your
squires punish severely any man who breaks the line.

Book VI. The Great Attack 211

30. You, Carouchas, keep the women's carriages close C.
behind the baggage-train. This long line of followers
should give an impression of vast numbers, allow our own
men opportunity for ambuscades, and force the enemy,
if he try to surround us, to widen his circuit, and the wider
he makes it the weaker he will be. 31. That, then, is your
business; and you, gentlemen, Artaozus and Artagersas,
each of you take your thousand foot and guard the bag-
gage. 32. And you, Pharnouchus and Asiadatas, neither
of you must lead your thousand horse into the fighting-
hne, you must get them under arms by themselves behind
the carriages : and then come to me with the other officers
as fully-equipt as if you were to be the first to fight.
2;^. You, sir, who command the camel-corps will take up
your post behind the carriages and look for further orders
to Artagersas. 34. Officers of the war-chariots, you will
draw lots among yourselves, and he on whom the lot falls
will bring his hundred chariots in front of the fighting-
line, while the other two centuries will support our flanks
on the right and left."

35. Such were the dispositions made by Cyrus; but
Abradatas, the lord of Susa, cried:

" Cyrus, let me, I pray you, volunteer for the post in
front."

36. And Cyrus, struck with admiration for the man,
took him by the hand, and turning to the Persians in
command of the other centuries said :

" Perhaps, gentlemen, you will allow this? "
But they answered that it was hard to resign the post of
honour, and so they all drew lots, and the lot fell on
Abradatas, and his post was face to face with the Egyp-
tians. Then the officers left the council and carried out
the orders given, and took their evening meal and posted
the pickets and went to rest.

But early on the morrow C>tus offered sacrifice, and C.
meanwhile the rest of the army took their breakfast, and
after the libation they armed themselves, a greatand goodly
company in bright tunics and splendid breastplates and
shining helmets. All the horses had frontlets and chest-

2 1 2 The Education of Cyrus

C. 4 plates, the chargers had armour on their shoulders, and
the chariot-horses on their flanks ; so that the whole army
flashed with bronze, and shone like a flower with scarlet.
2. The eight-horse chariot of Abradatas was a marvel of
beauty and richness; and just as he was about to put on
the linen corslet of his native land, Pantheia came, bringing
him a golden breastplate and a helmet of gold, and armlets
and broad bracelets for his wrists, and a full flowing purple
tunic, and a hyacinth-coloured helmet-plume. All these
she had made for him in secret, taking the measure of his
armour without his knowledge. 3. And when he saw
them, he gazed in wonder and said:

" Dear wife, and did you destroy your own jewels to
make this armour for me? "

But she said, " No, my lord, at least not the richest of
them all, for you shall be my loveliest jewel, when others
see you as I see you now."

As she spoke, she put the armour on him, but then,
though she tried to hide it, the tears rolled down her
cheeks.

4. And truly, when Abradatas was arrayed in the new
panoply, he, who had been fair enough to look upon
before, was now a sight of splendour, noble and beautiful
and free, as indeed his nature was. 5. He took the reins
from the charioteer, and was about to set foot on the car,
when Pantheia bade the bystanders withdraw, and said
to him, " My own lord, little need to tell you what you
know already, yet this I say, if any woman loved her
husband more than her own soul, I am of her company.
Why should I try to speak? Our lives say more than
any words of mine. 6. And yet, feeling for you what
you know, I swear to you by the love between us that I
would rather go down to the grave beside you after a
hero's death than live on with you in shame. I have
thought you worthy of the highest, and believed myself
worthy to follow you. 7. And I bear in mind the great
gratitude we owe to Cyrus, who, when I was his captive,
chosen for his spoil, was too high-minded to treat me as
a slave, or dishonour me as a free woman; he took me

Book VI. Pantheia and Her Husband 2 1 3

and saved me for yoUj as though I had been his brother's C. 4
wife. 8. And when Araspas, my warder, turned from
him, I promised, if he would let me send for you, I would
bring him a friend in the other's place, far nobler and
more faithful."

9. And as Pantheia spoke, Abradatas listened with
rapture to her words, and when she ended, he laid his
hand upon her head, and looking up to heaven he prayed
aloud :

" 0 most mighty Zeus, make me worthy to be Pantheia's
husband, and the friend of Cyrus who showed us honour!"

10. Then he opened the driver's seat and mounted the
car, and the dri\er shut the door, and Pantheia could not
take him in her arms again, so she bent and kissed the
chariot-box. Then the car rolled forward and she fol-
lowed unseen till Abradatas turned and saw her and cried,
" Be strong, Pantheia. be of a good heart! Farewell, and
hie thee home! "

11. Thereupon her chamberlains and her maidens took
her and brought her back to her own carriage, and laid
her down and drew the awning. But no man, of all who
were there that day, splendid as Abradatas was in his
chariot, had eyes to look on him until Pantheia had gone.

12. Meanwhile Cyrus had found the victims favourable,
and his army was already drawn up in the order he had
fixed. He had scouts posted ahead, one behind the other,
and then he called his officers together for his final words :

13. " Gentlemen, my friends and allies, the sacred signs
from heaven are as they were the day the gods gave us
victory before, and I would call to your minds thoughts
to bring you gladness and confidence for the fight.
14. You are far better trained than your enemies, you
have lived together and worked together far longer than
they, you have won victories together. What they have
shared with one another has been defeat, and those who
have not fought as yet feel they have traitors to right and
left of them, while our recruits know that they enter battle
in company with men who help their allies. 15. Those
who trust each other will stand firm and fight without

2 14 The Education of Cyrus

4 flinching, but when confidence has gone no man thinks
of anything but flight. i6. Forward then, gentlemen,
against the foe; drive our scythed chariots against their
defenceless cars, let our armed cavalry charge their
unprotected horse, and charge them home. 17. The
mass of their infantry you have met before ; and as for the
Egyptians, tHey are armed in much the same way as they
are marshalled ; they carry shields too big to let them stir
or see, they are drawn up a hundred deep, which will pre-
vent all but the merest handful fighting. 18. If they
count on forcing us back by their weight, they must first
withstand our steel and the charge of our cavalry. And if
any of them do hold firm, how can they fight at once
against cavalry, infantry, and turrets of artillery ? For our
men on the towers will be there to help us, they will smite
the enemy till he flies instead of fighting. 19. If you
think there is anything wanting, tell me now; God helping
us, we will lack nothing. And if any man wishes to say
anything, let him speak now; if not, go to the altar and
there pray to the gods to whom we have sacrificed, and
then fall in. 20. Let each man say to his own men what
I have said to him, let him show the men he rules that he
is fit to rule, let them see the fearlessness in his face, his
bearing, and his words."

NOTES

Book VI

C. I §9. Artabazus " the kinsman" named now for the first
time, why?

§ II. Cf. Anglice " his word ": a delicate appeal to a man
of honour. It suits G.'s character.

§§14, 15. Speech full of metaphor: winter stalking on,
with hunger and frost attendant on either side; a stealthy,
but august advance.

§ 16. A happy simile: vide Book of Wisdom [c. 5, 10, "And
as a ship that passeth over the waves of the water," etc.].

§ 38. How a fault may be turned to account: Hellenic
stool of repentance.

§41. Theory of two souls, to account for the yielding to
base desires. It works, but is it not the theory of a man

Book VI. Notes 215

whose will is weak, as we say, or whose sympathetic nature C. i
has been developed at the expense of his self-regulative?
There is another way of putting it in Memorabilia, Bk. I. c. ii.,
§§ 19-28. Xenophon is not more a philosopher than a " phil-
anthropist." He is full of compassion for human weaknesses.

§ 44. Exit Araspas, to be baptised under this cloud of
ignominy into the sunshine of recognised joyous service-
ableness.

§ 45. We grow fonder than ever of Pantheia.

§ 50. Irony : the chariots that are to cost Abradatas his life
hereafter. Is this tale "historic" at all? I mean, did
Xenophon find or hear any such story current ? What is the
relation, if any, to it of Xenophon Ephesius, Antheia, and
Abrocomas ? [Xenophon Ephesius, a late writer of romances.]
Had that writer any echo of the names in his head ? What
language are " Pantheia " and " Abradatas " ?

§ 52. All very well, but the author hasn't told us anything
about the construction of these /j.yjxavai, these battering
engines, before, to prepare us for this. Is that a slip, or how
explainable? I think he is betrayed into the description by
reason of his interest in such strategic matters. The expres-
sion is intelligible enough to any one who knows about engines,
just as we might speak of the butt or the stanchion, or what-
ever it be.

§§ 1-3. The Medians bring back the bread that was cast C. 2
upon the waters. Cyrus turns this gain to new account. He
sacrifices the present natural gain, i.e., the wealth, to the
harder spiritual gain, viz., their positive as opposed to their
merely negative alliance. Cyrus is the archie man.

§ 4. I have a sort of idea or feeling that here the writer
takes up his pen afresh after a certain interval. §§ 4-6 are a
reduplication, not unnatural indeed, but pro tanto tautological.

§ 7. Semi-historical basis. Prototype, when AgesUaus
meditated the advance on Persia, just before his recall. [See
Hellenica. III. iv.. Works, II. p. 29.]

§§13 foil. The archie man can by a word of his mouth
still the flutter and incipient heave of terror-stricken hearts.

§§ 15-18. A review of the improvements amounting to a
complete revolution in arms and attack effected by Cyrus.
This is imagined as an ideal accompaniment to the archie man
and conqueror. Xenophon nowadays on the relative ad-
vantages of the bayonet and the sword, cavalry and infantry,
etc., would have been very interesting. Cf. a writer like
Forbes.

[§19. "Syrians." The word is used loosely, including the
Assyrians and their kindred. See belov/ § 22. "Syria"
= Assyria and the adjacent country.]

2 1 6 The Education of Cyrus

C 2 § 21, fin. Xenophon has more than once witnessed this
clouding of the brow, the scowl or sulk of the less stalwart
moral -fibred men (notably in Hellenica).

§§ 26 £f. How to give up wine: the art in it. Now listen,
all you blue-ribbonists ! Xenophon, Hygienist.

§ 37. One would like to know how the price was regulated.
Does any learned German know? Note the orderliness and
economy of it all. Is it, as far as the army goes, novel in any
respect, do you suppose, or only idealised Hellenic ? Spartan ?
C, 3 § 14. A slight (intentional ?) aposiopesis. Did H. have to
drive back the great cavalry division of the enemy ?

§ 17. How quickly the archie man passes on! Cf. J. P.

§ 1 9. Notice the part given to the Egyptians to play. Why ?
(Agesilaus died on his last campaign in Egypt.)

§ 25. Is it dramatic to make Cyrus speak in this way as if
he were lecturing a class on strategics ?

§ 30. The advantage even of sutlers and women. This
several-times-repeated remark surprises me. But no doubt
the arrangement would give the enemy pause, and waste his
time in out-flanking movements : viola tout, hgd. At Cunaxa,
however, the Persian did get behind the Greek camp. No
prototype there, then. [Xenophon, Anabasis, Bk. I. c. 10.]
C. 4 § 2. We are more and more enamoured of Pantheia.

§ 7. As delicate as any modern in the respect for wedded
womanhood.

§§13 ff. Notice how in this stirring and inspiriting speech
Cyrus by dealing with the Egyptians (the only unknown
quantity) strikes a new note and sets up a new motive, as it
were, preparing us for the tragic struggle which is to come,
which will cost Abradatas and other good men dear, not to
speak of the brave Egyptians themselves (cf . Sudanese Arabs) .
Also note Xenophon's enthusiasm in reference to the new
arming and the odds of encounter between cavalry and
infantry (cf. Napier, Forbes, etc.).

BOOK VII

So they prayed to the gods and went to their places, C. i
and the squires brought food and drink to Cyrus and his
staff as they stood round the sacrifice. And he took his
breakfast where he stood, after making the due offering,
sharing what he had with all who needed it, and he poured
out the libation and prayed, and then drank, and his men
with him.

Then he supplicated Zeus, the god of his fathers, to be
his leader and helper in the fight, and so he mounted his
horse and bade those about him follow. 2. All his squires
were equipped as he was, with scarlet tunics, breastplates
of bronze, and brazen helmets plumed with white, short
swords, and a lance of cornel-wood apiece. Their horses
had frontlets, chest-plates, and armour for their shoulders,
all of bronze, and the shoulder-pieces served as leg-guards
for the riders. In one thing only the arms of Cyrus
differed from the rest: theirs was covered with a golden
varnish and his flashed like a mirror. 3. As he sat on his
steed, gazing into the distance, where he meant to go, a
peal of thunder rang out on the right, and he cried, " We
will follow thee, O Zeus most high! "

So he set forth with Chrysantas on his right at the
head of cavalry and Arsamas on the left with infantry.
4. And the word went down the lines, " Eyes on the stan-
dard and steady marching."

The standard was a golden eagle, with outspread wings,
borne aloft on a long spear-shaft, and to this day such is
the standard of the Persian king.

Before they came in full sight of the Assyrians C>tus
halted the army thrice. 5. And when they had gone
about two miles or more, they began to see the enemy
advancing. As soon as both armies were in full view of
each other, and the Assyrians could see how much they
217

2i8 The Education of Cyrus

outflanked the Persians on either side, Croesus halted, in
order to prepare an encircling movement, and pushed out
a column on the right wing and the left, so that the Persian
forces might be attacked on every side at once.

6. Cyrus saw it, but gave no sign of stopping; he led
straight on as before. Meanwhile he noticed that the
turning-point where the Assyrians had pushed out on
either flank was at an immense distance from their centre,
and he said to Chrysantas :

" Do you see where they have fixed their angle? "
" Yes, I do," answered Chrysantas, " and I am surprised
at it: it seems to me they are drawing their wings too far
away from their centre." " Just so," said Cyrus, " and
from ours too." 7. " Why are they doing that? " asked
the other. " Clearly," said Cyrus, " they are afraid we
shall attack, if their wings are in touch with us while their
centre is still some way off." " But," went on Chrysantas,
" how can they support each other at such a distance? "
" Doubtless," said Cyrus, " as soon as their wings are
opposite our flanks, they will wheel round, and then
advance at once on every side and so set us fighting every-
where at once." 8. " Well," said Chrysantas, " do you
think the movement wise? " " Yes," said Cyrus, " it is
good enough in view of what they can see, but, in view of
what they cannot, it is worse for them than if they had
advanced in a single column. Do you," he said, turning
to Arsamas, " advance with your infantry, slowly, taking
your pace from me, and do you, Chrysantas, march beside
him with your cavalry, step for step. I will make for
their angle myself, where I propose to join battle, first
riding round the army to see how things are with all our
men. 9. When I reach the point, and we are on the verge
of action, I will raise the paean and then you must quicken
your pace. You will know when we have closed with the
enemy, the din will be loud enough. At the same moment
Abradatas will dash upon out them : such will be his orders;
your duty is to follow, keeping as close to the chariots as
possible. Thus we shall fall on the enemy at the height
of his confusion. And, God helping me, I shall be with

Book VII. The Great Battle 219

you alsOj cutting my way through the rout by the quickest C. i
road I can."

10. So he spoke^ and sent the watchword down the
lines, " Zeus our saviour, and Zeus our leader," and went
forward. As he passed between the chariots and the
cuirassiers, he would say to some, " My men, the look on
your faces rejoices my heart," and to others, " You under-
stand, gentlemen, that this battle is not for the victory of
a day, but for all that we have won ere now, and for all
our happiness to come." 11. And to others, " My friends,
we can never reproach the gods again : to-day they have
put all blessings in our hands. 12. Let us show ourselves
good men and true." Or else, " Gentlemen, can we invite
each other to a more glorious feast than this ? This day
all gallant hearts are bidden ; this day they may feast their
friends." 13. Or again, " You know, I think, the prizes
in this game: the victors pursue and smite and slay, and
win wealth and fame and freedom and empire : the cowards
lose them all. He who loves his own soul let him fight
beside me: for I will have no disgrace." 14. But if he
met soldiers who had fought for him before, he only said,
" To you, gentlemen, what need I say ? You know the
brave man's part in battle, and the craven's." 15. And
when he came to Abradatas, he halted, and Abradatas
gave the reins to his charioteer and came up to him, and
others gathered round from the infantr}^ and the chariots,
and Cyrus said :

" God has rewarded you, Abradatas, according to your
prayer, you and yours. You hold the first rank among
our friends. And you will not forget, when the moment
for action comes, that those who watch you will be
Persians, and those who follow you, and they will not let
you bear the brunt alone."

16. And Abradatas answered:

" Even so, Cyrus; and with us here, methinks, all looks
well enough : but the state of our flanks troubles me : the
enemy's wings are strong and stretch far : he has chariots
there, and every kind of arm as well, while we have nothing
else with which to oppose him. So that for myself," said

220 The Education of Cyrus

he, " if I had not won by lot the post I hold, I should feel
ashamed to be here in the safest place of all."

17. " Nay," answered Cyrus, " if it is well with you,
have no concern for the rest. God willing, I mean to
relieve our flanks. But you yourself, I conjure you, do
not attack until you see the rout of those detachments
that you fear."

So much of boasting did Cyrus allow himself on the eve
of action, though he was the last man to boast at other
times.

" When you see them routed," he said, " you may take
it that I am there, and then make your rush, for that is the
moment when you will find the enemy weakest and your
own men strongest. 18. And while there is time, Abra-
datas, be sure to drive along your front and prepare your
men for the charge, kindle their courage by your looks,
Hft up their hearts by your hopes. Breathe a spirit of
emulation into them, to make them prove themselves the
flower of the chariot-force. Be assured if things go well
with us all men will say nothing is so profitable as
valour."

19. Accordingly Abradatas mounted his chariot and
drove along the lines to do as Cyrus bade.

Meanwhile Cyrus v/ent on to the left where Hystaspas
was posted with half the Persian cavalry, and he called
to him and said:

" Hystaspas, here is work to test your pace! If we are
quick enough in cutting off their heads, none of us will be
slaughtered first."

20. And Hystaspas answered with a laugh:

" Leave it to us ! We'll see to the men opposite. But
set some one to deal with the fellows on our flank : it
would be a pity for them to be idle."

And Cyrus answered, " I am going to them myself.
But remember, Hystaspas, to which ever of us God grants
the victory, so long as a single foeman is on the field,
attack we must, again and again, until the last has
yielded."

21. With that he passed on, and as he came to the

Book VII. The Great Battle 221

flank he went up to the officer in command of the chariots C, i
and said to him :

" Goodj I intend to support you myself. And when
you hear me fall on the wing, at that instant do your best
to charge straight through your opponents; you will be
far safer once outside their ranks than if you are caught
half-way."

22. Then he went on to the rear and the carriages, where
the two detachments were stationed, a thousand horse and
a thousand foot, and told Artagersas and Pharnouchus,
their leaders, to keep the men where they v/ere.

" But when," he added, " you see me close with the
enemy on our right, then set upon those in front of you ;
take them in flank, where they are weakest, while j'ou
advance in line, at your full strength. Their lines, as you
see, are closed by cavalry; hurl your camels at these, and
you may be sure, even before the fighting begins, they will
cut a comic figure."

23. Thus, with all his dispositions made, Cyrus rode
round the head of his right. By this time Croesus, believ-
ing that the centre, where he himself was marching, must
be nearer the enemy than the distant wings, had the signal
raised for them to stop their advance, halt, and wheel
round where they were. When they were in position
opposite the Persian force, he signalled for them to charge,
and thus three columns came against C)tus, one facing his
front and one on either flank. 24. A tremor ran through
the whole army; it was completely enclosed, like a little
brick laid within a large, with the forces of the enemy all
round it, on every side except the rear, cavalry and heavy
infantry, targeteers, archers, and chariots. 25. None
the less, the instant Cyrus gave the word they swung round
to confront the foe. There was deep silence through the
ranks as they realised what they had to face, and then
Cyrus, when the moment came, began the battle-hymn
and it thundered through the host, 26. And as it died
away the war-cry rang out unto the God of Battles, and
Cyrus swooped forward at the head of his cavalry, straight
for the enemy's flank, and closed with them then and there,

222 The Education of Cyrus

while the infantry behind him followed, swift and steady,
wave on wave, sweeping out on either side, far out-flank-
ing their opponents, for they attacked in line and the foe
were in column, to the great gain of Cyrus. A short
struggle, and the ranks broke and fled before him headlong.

27. Artagersas, seeing that Cyrus had got to work, made
his own charge on the left, hurling his camels forward as
Cyrus had advised. Even at a distance the horses could
not face the camels: they seemed to go mad with fear,
and galloped ofif in terror, rearing and falling foul of one
another: such is the strange effect of camels upon horses.

28. So that Artagersas, his own troops well in hand, had
easy work with the enemy's bewildered masses. At the
same moment the war-chariots dashed in, right and left,
so that many, flying from the chariots, were cut down by
the troopers, and many, flying from these, were caught by
the chariots. 29. And now Abradatas could wait no
longer. " Follow me, my friends," he shouted, and drove
straight at the enemy, lashing his good steeds forward tUl
their flanks were bloody with the goad, the other
charioteers racing hard behind him. The enemy's chariots
fled before them instantly, some not even waiting to take
up their fighting-men. 30. But Abradatas drove on
through them, straight into the main body of the Egyptians,
his rush shared by his comrades on either hand. And
then, what has often been shown elsewhere was shown
here, namely, that of all strong formations the strongest is
a band of friends. His brothers-in-arms and his mess-
mates charged with him, but the others, when they saw
that the solid ranks of the Egyptians stood firm, swung
round and pursued the flying chariots. 31. Meanwhile
Abradatas and his companions could make no further way:
there was not a gap through the Egyptian lines on either
hand, and they could but charge the single soldiers where
they stood, overthrow them by the sheer weight of horse
and car, and crush them and their arms beneath the hoofs
and wheels. And where the scythes caught them, men
and weapons were cut to shreds. 32. In the midst of
indescribable confusion^ the chariots rocking among the

Book VII. The Great Battle 223

weltering mounds, Abradatas was thrown out and some of C. t
his comrades with him. There they stood, and fought Hke
men, and there they were cut down and died. The
Persians, pouring in after them, dealt slaughter and de-
struction where Abradatas and his men had charged and
shaken the ranks, but elsewhere the Egyptians, who were
still unscathed, and they were many, moved steadily on
to meet them.

T,T,. There followed a desperate struggle with lance and
spear and sword, and still the Egyptians had the ad-
vantage, because of their numbers and their weapons.
Their spears were immensely stout and long, such as they
carry to this day, and the huge shield not only gave more
protection than corslet and buckler, but aided the thrust
of the fighter, slung as it was from the shoulder.

34. Shield locked into shield, they thrust their way for-
ward: and the Persians could not drive them back, with
their light bucklers borne on the forearm only. Step by
step they gave ground, dealing blow for blow, till they
came under cover of their own artillery. Then at last a
second shower of blows fell on the Egyptians, while the
reserves would allow no flight of the archersor the javelin-
men: at the sword's point they made them do their duty.
35. Thick was the slaughter, and loud the din of clashing
weapons and whirring darts, and shouting warriors, cheer-
ing each other and calling on the gods.

36. At this moment Cyrus appeared, cutting his way
through his own opponents. To see the Persians thrust
from their position was misery to him, but he knew he
could check the enemy's advance most quickly by gallop-
ing round to their rear, and thither he dashed, bidding his
troops follow, and there they fell on them and smote them
as they were gazing ahead, and there they mowed them
down.

37. The Egyptians, seeing what had happened, cried out
that the enemy had taken them in the rear, and wheeled
round under a storm of blows. At this the confusion
reached its height, cavalry and infantry struggling all
together. An Egyptian fell under Cyrus' horse, and as the

224 The Education of Cyrus

C. I hoofs struck him he stabbed the creature in the belly.
The charger reared at the blow and Cyrus was thrown.

38. Then was seen what it is for a leader to be loved by his
men. With a terrible cry the men dashed forward, con-
quering thrust with thrust and blow with blow. One of
his squires leapt down and set Cyrus on his own charger.

39. And as Cyrus sprang on the horse he saw the Egyptians
worsted everywhere. For by now Hystaspas^was on the
ground with his cavalry, and Chrysantas also. Still
Cyrus would not allow them to charge the Egyptian
phalanx: the archers and javelin-men were to play on
them from outside. Then he made his way along the lines
to the artillery, and there he mounted one of the towers
to take a survey of the field, and see if any of the foe still
held their ground and kept up the fight. 40. But he saw
the plain one chaos of flying horses and men and chariots,
pursuers and pursued, conquerors and conquered, and
nowhere any who still stood firm, save only the Egyptians.
These, in sore straits as they were, formed themselves into
a circle behind a ring of steel, and sat down under cover of
their enormous shields. They no longer attempted to act,
but they suffered, and suffered heavily. 41. Cyrus, in
admiration and pity, unwilling that men so brave should
be done to death, drew off his soldiers who were fighting
round them, and would not let another man lift sword.

Then he sent them a herald asking if they wished to be
cut to pieces for the sake of those who had betrayed them,
or save their lives and keep their reputation for gallantry?
And they answered, " Is it possible that we can be saved
and yet keep our reputation untarnished?" 42. And
Cyrus said, " Surely yes, for we ourselves have seen that
you alone have held your ground and been ready to fight."
" But even so," said the Egyptians, " how can we act in
honour if we save ourselves? "

" By betraying none of those at whose side you fought,"
answered Cyrus: " only surrender your arms to us, and
become our friends, the friends of men who chose to save
you when they might have destroyed you." 43. " And if
we become your friends," said they, " how will you treat

Book VII. The Great Battle 225

us? " " As you treat us," answered he, " and the treat- C. i
ment shall be good."

" And what will that good treatment be? " they asked
once more. " This," said Cyrus: " better pay than you
have had, so long as the war lasts, and when peace comes,
if you choose to stay with me, lands and cities and women
and servants." 44. Then they asked him if he would
excuse them from one duty, service against Croesus.
Croesus, they said, was the only leader who knew them;
for the rest, they were content to agree. And so they
came to terms, and took and gave pledges of good faith.
45. Thus it came about that their descendants are to this
day faithful subjects of the king, and Cyrus gave them
cities, some in the interior, which are still called the cities
of the Egyptians, beside Larissa and Kyllene and Kyme
on the coast, still held by their descendants.

When this matter was arranged darkness had already-
fallen, and Cyrus drew off his army and encamped at
. Thymbrara.

46. In this engagement the Egyptians alone among the
enemy won themselves renown, and of the troops under
Cyrus the Persian cavalry was held to have done the best,
so much so that to this day they are still armed in the
manner that Cyrus devised. 47. High praise also was
given to the scythe-bearing chariots, and this engine of
war is still emplo3'ed by the reigning king. 48. As for
the camels, all they did was to scare the horses; their
riders could take no part in the slaughter, and were never
touched themselves by the enemy's cavalry. For not a
horse would come near the camels. 49. It was a useful
arm, certainly, but no gallant gentleman would dream of
breeding camels for his own use or learning to fight on
camel-back. And so they returned to their old position
among the baggage-train.

Then Cyrus and his men took their evening meal and C. 2
posted their pickets and went to rest. But Croesus and his
army fled in haste to Sardis, and the other tribes hurried
away homewards under cover of night as fast and as far
as they could. 2. When day broke Cyrus marched

p

226 The Education of Cyrus

C. 2 Straight for Sardis^ and when he came before the citadel
he set up his engines as though for the assault and got
out his ladders. 3. But the following night he sent a
scaling party of Persians and Chaldaeans to climb the
fortifications at the steepest point. The guide was a
Persian who had served as a slave to one of the garrison
in the citadel^ and who knew a way down to the river by
which one could get up. 4. As soon as it became clear
that the heights had been taken^ all the Lydians without
exception fied from the walls and hid wherever they could.
At daybreak C}tus entered the city and gave orders that
not a man was to leave the ranks. 5. Croesus^ who had
shut himself up inside his palace^ cried out on Cyrus, and
Cyrus left a guard round the building while he himself
went to inspect the captured citadel. Here he found the
Persians keeping guard in perfect order, but the Chaldaean
quarters were deserted, for the men had rushed down to
pillage the town. Instantly he summoned their officers,
and bade them leave his army at once. 6. " I could never
endure," he said, " to have undisciplined fellows seizing
the best of everything. You knew well enough," he
added, " all that was in store for you. I meant to make
all who served with me the envy of their fellows; but
now," he said, " you cannot be surprised if you encounter
some one stronger than yourselves on your way home."

7. Fear fell on the Chaldaeans at this, and they in-
treated him to lay aside his anger and vowed they would
give back all the booty they had taken. He answered
that he had no need of it himself. " But if," he added,
" you wish to appease me, you will hand it over to those
who stayed and guarded the citadel. For if my soldiers
see that discipline means reward, all will be well with us."

8. So the Chaldaeans did as he bade them, and the
faithful and obedient received all manner of good things.

Then Cyrus made his troops encamp in the most con-
venient quarter of the town, and told them to stay at their
posts and take their breakfast there. 9. That done, he
gave orders that Croesus should be brought to him, and
when he came into his presence, Croesus cried :

Book VII. Cyrus and Croesus 227

" Hail, Cyrus, my lord and master! Fate has given C. 2
you that title from now henceforward, and thus must I
salute you."

10. " All hail to you likewise," answered Cyrus: " we
are both of us men. And tell me now," he continued,
" would you be willing to advise me as a friend? " " I
should be more than glad," said Croesus, " to do you any
good. It would mean good for myself, I know." 11.
" Listen, then," answered Cyrus: " I see that my soldiers
have endured much toil and encountered many dangers,
and now they are persuaded that they have taken the
wealthiest city in all Asia, after Babylon. I would not
have them cheated of their recompense, seeing that if
they win nothing by their labour, I know not how I can
keep them obedient to me for long. Yet I am unwilling
to give them this city over to plunder. I believe it would
be utterly destroyed, and moreover I know full well that
in plunder the worst villains win the most."

12. To this Croesus answered, " Suffer me then to tell
what Lydians I please that I have won your promise that
the city shall not be sacked, nor their women and children
made away with. 13. I promise you in return that my
men will bring you willingly everything that is costly and
beautiful in Sardis. If I can announce such terms, I am
certain there is not one treasure belonging to man or
woman that will not be yours to-morrow. Further, on
this day year, the city will overflow once more with wealth
and beauty. But if you sack it, you will destroy the
crafts in its ruin, and they, we know, are the well-springs
of all loveliness. 14. Howbeit, you need not decide at
once, wait and see what is brought to you. Send first,"
he added, " to my own treasuries, and let your guards take
some of my own men with them."

To all this Cyrus consented, and then he said:

15. " And now, 0 Croesus, tell me one thing more.
How did matters go between you and the oracle at Delphi ?
It is said that you did much reverence to Apollo and
obeyed him in all things."

16. " I could wish it had been so," said Croesus, " but.

228 The Education of Cyrus

truth to say^ from the beginning I have acted in all things
against him." " How can that be? " said C>tus. " Ex-
plain it to me: for your words seem strange indeed."

17. " Because/' he answered, " in the first place, instead
of asking the god for all I wanted I must needs put him
to the test, to see if he could speak the truth. This," he
added, " no man of honour could endure, let be the god-
head. Those who are doubted cannot love their doubters.

18. And yet he stood the test; for though the things I did
were strange, and I was many leagues from Delphi, he
knew them all. And so I resolved to consult him about
children. 19. At first he would not so much as answer
me, but I sent him many an offering, some of gold and
some of silver, and I propitiated him, as I deemed, by
countless sacrifices, and at last he answered me when I
asked him what I must do that sons might be born to me.
He said they should be born. 20. And so they were; in that
he uttered no lie, but they brought me no joy. One of
them was dumb his whole life long, and the noblest
perished in the flower of his youth. And I, crushed by
these sorrows, sent again to the god and asked him how I
could live in happiness for the rest of my days, and he
answered :

" Know thyself, O Croesus, and happiness shall be thine."

And when I heard the oracle, I was comforted. 21. I
said to myself, the god has laid the lightest of tasks upon
me, and promised me happiness in return. Some of his
neighbours a man may know and others not: but every
one can know himself. 22. So I thought, and in truth so
long as I was at peace I had no fault to find with my lot
after my son's death; but when the Assyrian persuaded
me to march against you I encountered every danger.
Yet I was saved, I came to no harm. Once again, there-
fore, I have no charge to bring against the god : when I
knew myself incapable of warring against you, he came to
my help and saved mine and me. 23. But afterwards,
intoxicated by my wealth, cajoled by those who begged
me to be their leader, tempted by the gifts they showered

Book VII. Cyrus and Croesus 229

on me, flattered by all who said that if I would but lead C. 2
them they would obey me to a man, and that I would be
the greatest ruler in all the world, and that all their kings
had met together and chosen me for their champion in the
war, I undertook the generalship as though I were bom
to be the monarch of the world, for I did not know myself.
24. I thought myself able to fight against you, you who
are sprung from the seed of the gods, bom of a royal line,
trained in valour and virtue from your youth, while I— I
believe that the first of my ancestors to reign won his
freedom and his crown on the self-same day. For this
dull ignorance of mine I see I am justly punished. 25.
But now at last, 0 Cyrus," he cried, " now I know myself.
And tell me, do you think the god will still speak truth?
Do you think that, knowing myself, I can be happy now ?
I ask you, because you of all men have it in your power to
answer best. Happiness is yours to give."

26. Cyrus answered, " Give me time to deliberate,
Croesus. I bear in mind your former happiness and I pity
you. I give you back at once your wife and your
daughters (for they tell me you have daughters), and
your friends and your attendants; they are yours once
more. And yours it is to sit at your own table as you
used to live. But battles and wars I must put out of your
power."

27. " Now by the gods above us," cried Croesus, " you
need take no further thought about your answer: if you
will do for me what you say, I shall live the life that all
men called the happiest of lives, and I knew that they were
right." 28. " And who," said Cyrus, " who was it that
lived that hfe of happiness?" "My own wife," said
Croesus; " she shared all my good things with me, my
luxuries, my softest joys; but in the cares on which those
joys were based, in war and battle and strife, she had no
part or lot. Methinks, you will provide for me as I pro-
vided for her whom I loved beyond all others in the world,
and I must needs send to ApoUo again, and send thank-
offerings."

29. And as Cyrus listened he marvelled at the man's

230 The Education of Cyrus

C. 2 contentedness of soul, and for the future wherever he went
he took Croesus with him, either because he thought he
might be useful or perhaps because he felt it was
safer so.
C. 3 So for that night they rested. But the next day Cyrus
called his friends and his generals together and told some
to make an inventory of the treasures and others to receive
all the wealth that Croesus brought in. First they were
to set aside for the gods all that the Persian priests thought
fit, and then store the rest in coffers, weigh them, and pack
them on waggons, distributing the waggons by lot to take
with them on the march, so that they could receive their
proper share at any convenient time. 2. So they set
about the work.

Then Cyrus called some of his squires and said :

" Tell me, have any of you seen Abradatas? I wonder
that he who used to come to me so often is nowhere to
be found."

3. Then one of the squires made answer, " My lord, he
is dead: he fell in the battle, charging straight into the
Egyptian ranks: the rest, all but his own companions,
swerved before their close array. 4. And now," he added,
" we hear that his wife has found his body and laid it in
her own car, and has brought it here to the banks of the
Pactolus. 5. Her chamberlains and her attendants are
digging a grave for the dead man upon a hill, and she, they
say, has put her fairest raiment on him and her jewels,
and she is seated on the ground with his head upon her
knees."

6. Then Cyrus smote his hand upon his thigh and leapt
up and sprang to horse, galloping to the place of sorrow,
with a thousand troopers at his back. 7. He bade
Gadatas and Gobryas take what jewels they could find to
honour the dear friend and brave warrior who had fallen,
and follow with all speed : and he bade the keepers of the
herds, the cattle, and the horses drive up their flocks
wherever they heard he was, that he might sacrifice on
the grave.

8. But when he saw Pantheia seated on the ground and

Book VII. Pantheia and her Husband 231

the dead man lying there, the tears ran down his cheeks C.
and he cried:

'■ 0 noble and loyal spirit, have you gone from us? "
Then he took the dead man by the hand, but the hand
came away with his own: it had been hacked by an
Egj-ptian blade. 9. And when he saw that^ his sorrow
grew, and Pantheia sobbed aloud and took the hand from
Cyrus and kissed it and laid it in its place, as best she
could, and said :

10. "It is all like that, Cyrus. But why should you
see it? " And presently she said, " All this, I know, he
suffered for my sake, and for yours too, Cyrus, perhaps as
much. I was a fool: I urged him so to bear himself as
became a faithful friend of yours, and he, I know, he never
thought once of his own safety, but only of what he might
do to show his gratitude. Now he has fallen, without a
stain upon his valour: and I, who urged him, I live on to
sit beside his grave."

11. And Cyrus wept silently for a while, and then he
said:

" Lady, his end was the noblest and the fairest that
could be: he died in the hour of victor)'. Take these
gifts that I have brought and adorn him."

For now Gobryas and Gadatas appeared with store of
jewels and rich apparel. " He shall not lack for honour,"
Cyrus said; " many hands will raise his monument: it
shall be a royal one; and we will offer such sacrifice as
befits a hero. 12. And you, lady," he added, " you shall
not be left desolate. I reverence your chastity and your
nobleness, and I will give you a guardian to lead you
whithersoever you choose, if you will but tell me to whom
you wish to go."

13. And Pantheia answered:

■' Be at rest, C}tus, I will not hide from you to whom I
long to go."

14. Therewith Cjtus took his leave of her and went,
pitying from his heart the woman who had lost so brave a
husband, and the dead man in his grave, taken from so
sweet a wife, never to see her more. Then Pantheia bade

232 The Education of Cyrus

C."3 her chamberlains stand aside " until," she said, " I have
wept over him as I would." But she made her nurse stay
with her and she said :

" Nurse, when I am dead, cover us with the same cloak."
And the nurse entreated and besought her, but she could
not move her, and when she saw that she did but vex
her mistress, she sat down and wept in silence. Then
Pantheia took the scimitar, that had been ready for her so
long, and drew it across her throat, and dropped her head
upon her husband's breast and died. And the nurse cried
bitterly, but she covered the two with one cloak as her
mistress had bidden her.

15. And when Cyrus heard what Pantheia had done he
rushed out in horror to see if he could save her. And
when the three chamberlains saw what had happened they
drew their own scimitars and killed themselves, there
where she had bidden them stand. 16, 17. And when
Cyrus came to that place of sorrow, he looked with wonder
and reverence on the woman, and wept for her and went
his way and saw that all due honour was paid to those
who lay there dead, and a mighty sepulchre was raised
above them, mightier, men say, than had been seen in all
the world before.
C. 4 After this the Carians, who were always at^war and
strife with one another, because their dwellings were
fortified, sent to Cyrus and asked for aid. Cyrus himself
was unwilling to leave Sardis, where he was having engines
of artillery made and battering-rams to overthrow the
walls of those who would not listen to him. But he sent
Adousius, a Persian, in his place, a man of sound judgment
and a stout soldier and withal a person of winning presence.
He gave him an army; and the Cilicians and Cypriotes
were very ready to serve under him. 2. That was why
Cyrus never sent a Persian satrap to govern either
Cilicia or Cyprus ; he was always satisfied with the native
kings : only he exacted tribute and levied troops whenever
he needed them.

3. So Adousius took his army and marched into Caria,
where he was met by the men of both parties, ready to

Book VII. A Persian Diplomatist 233

receive him inside their walls to the detriment of their C. 4
opponents. Adousius treated each in exactly the same
way, he told whichever side was pleading that he thought
their case was just, but it was essential that the others
should not realise he was their friend, " for thus, you per-
ceive, I shall take them unprepared whenever I attack."

He insisted they should give him pledges of good faith,
and the Carians had to swear they would receive him
without fraud or gxiile within their walls and for the
welfare of Cyrus and the Persians ; and on his side he was
willing to swear that he would enter without fraud or guile
himself and for the welfare of those who received him.
4. Having imposed these terms on either party without
the knowledge of the other, he fixed on the same night
with both, entered the walls, and had the strongholds of
both parties in his hands. At break of day he took his
place in the midst with his army, and sent for the leading
men on either side. Thus confronted with each other
they were more than a little vexed, and both imagined
they had been cheated. 5. However, Adousius began:

" Gentlemen, I took an oath to you that I would enter
your walls without fraud or guile and for the welfare of
those who received me. Now if I am forced to destroy
either of you, I am persuaded I shall have entered to the
detriment of the Carians. But if I give you peace, so that
you can till your lands in safety, I imagine I shall have
come for your welfare. Therefore from this day forwards
you must meet on friendly terms, cultivate your fields
without fear, give your children to each other, and if
any one offends against these laws, Cyrus and ourselves
will be his enemies."

6. At that the city gates were flung open, the roads
were filled with folk hurrying to one another, the fields
were thronged with labourers. They held high festival
together, and the land was full of peace and joyfulness.

7. Meanwhile messengers came from Cyrus inquiring
whether there was need for more troops or siege-engines,
but Adousius answered, on the contrary- his present force
was at Cyrus' service to employ elsewhere if he v/ished,

2 34 The Education of Cyrus

and so drew off his army, only leaving a garrison in the
citadels. Thereupon the Carians implored him to remain,
and when he would not, they sent to Cyrus begging him
to make Adousius their satrap.

8. Meanwhile Cyrus had sent Hystaspas with an army
into Phrygia on the Hellespont, and when Adousius
came back he bade him follow, for the Phrygians would
be more ready to obey Hystaspas if they heard that
another army was advancing.

9. Now the Hellenes on the seaboard offered many
gifts and bargained not to receive the Asiatics within their
walls, but only to pay tribute and serve wherever Cyrus
commanded. 10. But the king of Phrygia made pre-
parations to hold his fortresses and not yield, and sent out
orders to that effect. However, when his lieutenants
deserted him and he found himself all alone, he had to
put himself in the hands of Hystaspas, and leave his fate
to the judgment of Cyrus. Then Hystaspas stationed
strong Persian garrisons in all the citadels, and departed,
taking with him not only his own troops but many
mounted men and targeteers from Phrygia. 11. And
Cyrus sent word to Adousius to join Hystaspas, put
himself at the head of those who had submitted and allow
them to retain their arms, while those who showed a
disposition to resist were to be deprived of their horses
and their weapons and made to follow the army as
slingers.

12. While his lieutenants were thus employed, Cyrus
set out from Sardis, leaving a large force of infantry to
garrison the place, and taking Croesus with him, and a
long train of waggons laden with riches of every kind.
Croesus presented an accurate inventory of everything in
each waggon, and said, as he delivered the scrolls:

" With these in your possession, Cyrus, you can tell
whether your officers are handing over their freights in
full or not."

13. And Cyrus answered:

" It was kindly done, Croesus, on your part, to take
thought for this: but I have arranged that the freights

Book VII. The Siege of Babylon 235

should be in charge of those who are entitled to them, so C. 4
that if the men steal, they steal their own property."

With these words he handed the documents to his
friends and ofhcers to serve as checks on their own
stewards.

14. Cyrus also took Lydians in his train; allowing
some to carry arms, those, namely, who were at pains to
keep their weapons in good order, and their horses and
chariots, and who did their best to please him, but if
they gave themselves ungracious airs, he took away their
horses and bestowed them on the Persians who had served
him from the beginning of the campaign, burnt their
weapons, and forced them to follow the army as slingers.
15. Indeed, as a rule, he compelled all the subject popu-
lation who had been disarmed to practise the use of the
sling: it was, he considered, a weapon for slaves. No
doubt there are occasions when a body of slingers, working
with other detachments, can do excellent service, but,
taken alone, not all the slingers in the world could face a
mere handful armed with steel.

16. Cyrus was marching to Babylon, but on his way he
subdued the Phrygians of Greater Phrygia and the Cappa-
docians, and reduced the Arabians to subjection. These
successes enabled him to increase his Persian cavalry till
it was not far short of forty thousand men, and he had still
horses left over to distribute among his aUies at large.

At length he came before Babylon with an immense
body of cavalry, archers, and javelin-men, beside slingers
innumerable.

When Cyrus reached the city he surrounded it entirely C. 5
with his forces, and then rode round the walls himself,
attended by his friends and the leading officers of the
allies. 2. Having surveyed the fortifications, he pre-
pared to lead off his troops, and at that moment a deserter
came to inform him that the Assyrians intended to attack
as soon as he began to withdraw, for they had inspected
his forces from the walls and considered them very weak.
This was not surprising, for the circuit of the city was so
enormous that it was impossible to surround it without

236 The Education of Cyrus

5 seriously thinning the Unes. 3. When Cyrus heard of
their intention, he took up his post in the centre of his
troops with his own staff round him and sent orders to the
infantry for the wings to double back on either side,
marching past the stationary centre of the line, until they
met in the rear exactly opposite himself. 4. Thus the
men in front were immediately encouraged by the doubling
of their depth, and those who retired were equally cheered,
for they saw that the others would encounter the enemy
first. The two wings being united, the power of the
whole force was strengthened, those behind being pro-
tected by those in front and those in front supported by
those behind. 5. When the phalanx was thus folded
back on itself, both the front and the rear ranks were
formed of picked men, a disposition that seemed cal-
culated to encourage valour and check flight. On the
flanks, the cavalry and the light infantry were drawn
nearer and nearer to the commander as the line contracted.
6. When the whole phalanx was in close order, they fell
back from the walls, slowly, facing the foe, until they were
out of range ; then they turned, marched a few paces, and
then wheeled round again to the left, and halted, facing the
walls, but the further they got the less often they paused,
until, feeling themselves secure, they quickened their pace
and went ofi in an uninterrupted march until they reached
their quarters.

7. When they were encamped, Cyrus called a council
of his officers and said, " My friends and allies, we have
surveyed the city on every side, and for my part I fail to
see any possibility of taking by assault walls so lofty and
so strong: on the other hand, the greater the population
the more quickly must they )aeld to hunger, unless they
come out to fight. If none of you have any other scheme
to suggest, I propose that we reduce them by blockade."

8. Then Chrysantas spoke:

" Does not the river flow through the middle of the city,
and is it not at least a quarter of a mile in width? "

"To be sure it is," answered Gobryas, " and so deep
that the water would cover two men, one standing on the

Book VII. The Siege of Babylon 237

other's shoulders; in fact the city is even better protected C. 5
by its river than by its walls."

9. At which Cyrus said, " Well, Chrysantas, we must
forego what is beyond our power: but let us measure off
at once the work for each of us, set to, and dig a trench
as wide and as deep as we can, that we may need as few
guards as possible."

10. Thereupon Cyrus took his measurements all round
the city, and, leaving a space on either bank of the river
large enough for a lofty tower, he had a gigantic trench
dug from end to end of the wall, his men heaping up the
earth on their own side. 11. Then he set to work to
build his towers by the river. The foundations were of
palm-trees, a hundred feet long and more — the palm-tree
grows to a greater height than that, and under pressure
it will curve upwards like the spine of an ass beneath a
load. 12. He laid these foundations in order to give the
impression that he meant to besiege the town, and was
taking precautions so that the river, even if it found its
way into his trench, should not carry oS his towers. Then
he had other towers built along the mound, so as to have
as many guard-posts as possible. 13. Thus his army
was employed, but the men within the walls laughed at
his preparations, knowing they had supplies to last them
more than twenty years. When Cyrus heard that, he
divided his army into twelve, each division to keep guard
for one month in the year. 14. At this the Babylonians
laughed louder still, greatly pleased at the idea of being
guarded by Phrygians and Lydians and Arabians and
Cappadocians, all of whom, they thought, would be more
friendly to themselves than to the Persians.

15. However by this time the trenches were dug. And
Cyrus heard that it was a time of high festival in Babylon
when the citizens drink and make merry the whole night
long. As soon as the darkness fell, he set his men to work.
16. The mouths of the trenches were opened, and during
the night the water poured in, so that the river-bed formed
a highway into the heart of the town.

17. When the great stream had taken to its new channel,

238 The Education of Cyrus

C. 5 Cyrus ordered his Persian officers to bring up their
thousands, horse and foot alike, each detachment drawn
up two deep, the alHes to follow in their old order.
18. They lined up immediately, and Cyrus made his own
bodyguard descend into the dry channel first, to see if the
bottom was firm enough for marching. 19. When they
said it was, he called a council of all his generals and spoke
as follows:

20. " My friends, the river has stepped aside for us; he
offers us a passage by his own high-road into Babylon.
We must take heart and enter fearlessly, remembering
that those against whom we are to march this night are the
very men we have conquered before, and that too when
they had their allies to help them, when they were awake,
alert, and sober, armed to the teeth, and in their battle
order. 21. To-night we go against them when some are
asleep and some are drunk, and all are unprepared: and
when they learn that we are within the walls, sheer
astonishment will make them still more helpless than
before. 22. If any of you are troubled by the thought of
volleys from the roofs when the army enters the city, I
bid you lay these fears aside: if our enemies do climb
their roofs we have a god to help us, the god of Fire,
Their porches are easily set aflame, for the doors are made
of palm-wood and varnished with bitumen, the very
food of fire. 23. And we shall come with the pine-torch
to kindle it, and with pitch and tow to feed it. They
will be forced to flee from their homes or be burnt to
death. 24. Come, take your swords in your hand: God
helping me, I will lead you on. Do you," he said, turning
to Gadatas and Gobryas, " show us the streets, you know
them; and once we are inside, lead us straight to the
palace."

25. "So we will," said Gobryas and his men, " and it
would not surprise us to find the palace-gates unbarred, for
this night the whole city is given over to revelry. Still, we
are sure to find a guard, for one is always stationed there."
" Then," said Cyrus, " there is no time for lingering;
we must be off at once and take them unprepared."

Book VII. The Capture of Babylon 239

26. Thereupon they entered: and of those they met C.
some were struck down and slain, and others fled into
their houses, and some raised the hue and cry, but Gobryas
and his friends covered the cry with their shouts, as
though they were revellers themselves. And thus,
making their way by the quickest route, they soon found
themselves before the king's palace. 27. Here the
detachment under Gobrj'as and Gadatas found the gates
closed, but the men appointed to attack the guards
rushed on them as they lay drinking round a blazing fire,
and closed with them then and there. 28. As the din
grew louder and louder, those within became aware of
the tumult, till, the king bidding them see what it meant,
some of them opened the gates and ran out. 29. Gadatas
and his men, seeing the gates swing wide, darted in, hard
on the heels of the others who fled back again, and they
chased them at the sword's point into the presence of the

30. They found him on his feet, with his drawn scimitar
in his hand. By sheer weight of numbers they over-
powered him: and not one of his retinue escaped, they
were all cut down, some flying, others snatching up any-
thing to serve as a shield and defending themselves as
best they could. 31. Cyrus sent squadrons of cavalry
down the different roads with orders to kill all they found
in the street, while those who knew Assyrian were to warn
the inhabitants to stay indoors under pain of death.
32. While they carried out these orders, Gobryas and
Gadatas returned, and first they gave thanks to the gods
and did obeisance because they had been suffered to take
vengeance on their unrighteous king, and then they fell
to kissing the hands and feet of Cyrus, shedding tears of
joy and gratitude. 2^. And when it was day and those
who held the heights knew that the city was taken and
the king slain, they were persuaded to surrender the
citadel themselves. 34. Cyrus took it over forthwith,
and sent in a commandant and a garrison, while he
delivered the bodies of the fallen to their kinsfolk for
burial, and bade his heralds make proclamation that all

240 The Education of Cyrus

C 5. the citizens must deliver up their arms : wherever weapons
were discovered in any house all the inmates would be
put to death. So the arms were surrendered; and Cyrus
had them placed in the citadel for use in case of need.
35. When all was done he summoned the Persian priests
and told them the city was the captive of his spear and
bade them set aside the first-fruits of the booty as an
offering to the gods and mark out land for sacred demesnes.
Then he distributed the houses and the public buildings
to those whom he counted his partners in the exploit;
and the distribution was on the principle accepted, the
best prizes to the bravest men: and if any thought they
had not received their deserts they were invited to come
and tell him. 36. At the same time he issued a pro-
clamation to the Babylonians, bidding them till the soil and
pay the dues and render willing service to those under whose
rule they were placed. As for his partners the Persians, and
such of his allies as elected to remain with him, he gave them
to understand they were to treat as subjects the captives
they received.

37. After this Cyrus felt that the time was come to
assume the style and manner that became a king: and
he wished this to be done with the goodwill and concur-
rence of his friends and in such a way that, without
seeming ungracious, he might appear but seldom in public
and always with a certain majesty. Therefore he devised
the following scheme. At break of day he took his
station at some convenient place, and received all who
desired speech with him and then dismissed them. 38. The
people, when they heard that he gave audience, thronged
to him in multitudes, and in the struggle to gain access
there was much jostling and scheming and no little fighting.
39. His attendants did their best to divide the suitors,
and introduce them in some order, and whenever any of
his personal friends appeared, thrusting their way through
the crowd, Cyrus would stretch out his hand and draw
them to his side and say, " Wait, my friends, until we
have finished with this crowd, and then we can talk at our
ease." So his friends would wait, but the multitude

Book VII. Cyrus the King 241

would pour on. growing greater and greater, until the C. 5
evening would fall before there had been a moment's
leisure for his friends. 40. All that Cyrus could do then
was to say, " Perhaps, gentlemen, it is a little late this
evening and time that we broke up. Be sure to come
early to-morrow. I am very anxious myself to speak
with you." With that his friends v/ere only too glad to
be dismissed, and made off without more ado. They had
done penance enough, fasting and waiting and standing
all day long. 41. So they would get to rest at last, but
the next morning Cyrus was at the same spot and a much
greater concourse of suitors round him than before,
already assembled long before his friends arrived. Ac-
cordingly Cyrus had a cordon of Persian lancers stationed
round him, and gave out that no one except his personal
friends and the generals were to be allowed access, and as
soon as they were admitted he said :

42. " My friends, we cannot exclaim against the gods as
though they had failed to fulfil our prayers. They have
granted all we asked. But if success means that a man
must forfeit his own leisure and the good company of all
his friends, why, to that kind of happiness I would rather
bid farewell. 43. Yesterday," he added, " I make no
doubt you observed yourselves that from early dawn till
late evening I never ceased listening to petitioners, and
to-day you see this crowd before us, larger still than
yesterday's, ready with business for me. 44. If this
must be submitted to, I calculate that what you will get
of me and I of you will be little enough, and what I shall
get of myself will simply be nothing at all. Further,"
he added, " I foresee another absurd consequence. 45. I,
personally, have a feeling towards you which I need not
state, but, of that audience yonder, scarcely one of them
do I know at all, and yet they are all prepared to thrust
themselves in front of you, transact their business, and
get what they want out of me before any of you have a
chance. I should have thought it more suitable myself
that men of that class, if they wanted anything from me,
should pay some court to you, my friends, in the hopes of

Q

242 The Education of Cyrus

C. 5 an introduction. 46. Perhaps you will ask why I did not
so arrange matters from the first, instead of always appear-
ing in public. Because in war it is the first business of a
commander not to be behindhand in knowing what ought
to be done and seeing that it is done, and the general
who is seldom seen is apt to let things slip. 47. But
to-day, when war with its insatiable demands is over, I
feel as if I had some claim myself to rest and refreshment.
I am in some perplexity, however, as to how I can arrange
matters so that all goes well, not only with you and me,
but also with those whom we are bound to care for.
Therefore I seek your advice and counsel, and I would be
glad to learn from any of you the happiest solution."

48. Cyrus paused, and up rose Artabazus the Mede,
who had claimed to be his kinsman, and said :

" You did well, Cyrus, to open this matter. Years ago,
when you were still a boy, from the very first I longed to
be your friend, but I saw you did not need me, and so I
shrank from approaching you. 49. Then came a lucky
moment when you did have need of me to be your good
messenger among the Medes with the order from Cyaxares,
and I said to myself that if I did the work well, if I really
helped you, I might become your comrade, and have the
right to talk with you as often as I wished. 50. Well, the
work was done, and done so as to win your praise. After
that the Hyrcanians joined us, the first friends we made,
when we were hungry and thirsty for allies, and we loved
them so much we almost carried them about with us in
our arms wherever we went. Then the enemy's camp was
taken, and I scarcely think you had the leisure to trouble
your head with me — oh, I quite forgave you. 51. The
next thing was that Gobryas became your friend, and I
had to take my leave, and after him Gadatas, and by that
time it was a real task to get hold of you. Then came the
alliances with the Sakians, and the Cadousians, and no
doubt you had to pay them court; if they danced atten-
dance on you, you must dance attendance on them.
52. So that there I was, back again at my starting-point,
and yet all the while, as I saw you busy with horses and

Book VII. Cyrus the King 243

chariots and artillery, I consoled myself by thinking, C. 5
' when he is done with this he will have a little leisure for
me.' And then came the terrible news that the whole
world was gathering in arms against us; I could not deny
that these were important matters, but still I felt certain,
if all went well, a time would come at last when you need
not grudge me your company, and we should be together
to my heart's content, you and I. 53. Now, the day has
come; we have conquered in the great battle; we have
taken Sardis and Babylon; the world is at our feet, and
yesterday, by Mithras ! unless I had used my fists a hun-
dred times, I swear I could never have got near you at all.
Well, you grasped my hand and gave me greeting, and
bade me wait beside you, and there I waited, the cynosure
of every eye, the envy of every man, standing there all day
long, without a scrap to eat or a drop to drink. 54. So
now, if any way can be found by which we who have
served you longest can get the most of you, well and good :
but, if not, pray send me as your messenger once more,^
and this time I will tell them they can all leave you, except
those who were your friends of old."

55. This appeal set them all laughing, Cyrus with the
rest. Then Chrysantas the Persian stood up and spoke
as follows :

" Formerly, Cyrus, it was natural and right that you
should appear in public, for the reasons you have given us
yourself, and also because we were not the folk you had to
pay your court to. We did not need inviting: we were
with you for our own sakes. It was necessary to win over
the masses by every means, if they were to share our toils
and our dangers willingly. 56. But now you have won
them, and not them alone; you have it in your power to
gain others, and the moment has come when you ought to
have a house to yourself. What would your empire profit
you if you alone were left without hearth or home ? Man
has nothing more sacred than his home, nothing sweeter,
nothing more truly his. And do you not think," he added,
" that we ourselves would be ashamed if we saw you
bearing the hardships of the camp while we sat at home

244 Th^ Education of Cyrus

C. 5 by our own firesides? Should we not feel we had done
you wrong, and taken advantage of you ? "

57. When Chrysantas had spoken thus, many others
followed him, and all to the same effect. And so it came
about that Cyrus entered the palace, and those in charge
brought the treasures from Sardis thither, and handed
them over. And Cyrus when he entered sacrificed to
Hestia, the goddess of the Hearth, and to Zeus the Lord,
and to any other gods named by the Persian priests.

58. ThisMone, he set himself to regulate the matters
that remained. Thinking over his position, and the
attempt he was making to govern an enormous multitude,
preparing at the same time to take up his abode in the
greatest of all famous cities, but yet a city that was as
hostile to him as a city could be, pondering all this, he
concluded that he could not dispense with a bodyguard
for himself. 59. He knew well enough that a man can
most easily be assassinated at his meals, or in his bath, or
in bed, or when he is asleep, and he asked himself who
were most to be trusted of those he had about him. A
man, he believed, can never be loyal or trustworthy who
is likely to love another more than the one who requires
his guardianship. 60. He knew that men with children,
or wives, or favourites in whom they delight, must needs
love them most: while eunuchs, who are deprived of all
such dear ones, would surely make most account of him
who could enrich them, or help them if they were injured,
or crown them with honour. And in the conferring of
such benefits he was disposed to think he could outbid
the world. 61. Moreover the eunuch, being degraded
in the eyes of other men, is driven to seek the assistance
of some lord and master. Without some such protection
there is not a man in the world who would not think he
had the right to over-reach a eunuch: while there was
every reason to suppose that the eunuch would be the
most faithful of all servants. 62. As for the customary
notion that the eunuch must be weak and cowardly, Cyrus
was not disposed to accept it. He studied the indications
to be observed in animals: a vicious horse, if gelded, will

Book VII. Cyrus the King 245

cease to bite and be restive, but he will charge as gallantly C. 5
as ever; a bull that has been cut will become less fierce
and less intractable, but he will not lose his strength,
he will be as good as ever for work; castration may cure
a dog of deserting his master, but it will not ruin him as
a watch-dog or spoil him for the chase. 63. So, too, with
men; when cut off from this passion, they become gentler,
no doubt, but not less quick to obey, not less daring as
horsemen, not less skilful with the javelin, not less eager
for honour. 64. In war and in the chase they show plainly
enough that the fire of ambition is still burning in their
hearts. And they have stood the last test of loyalty in
the downfall of their masters. No men have shown
more faithfulness than eunuchs when ruin has fallen on
their lords. 65. In bodily strength, perhaps, the eunuchs
seem to be lacking, but steel is a great leveller, and makes
the weak man equal to the strong in war. Holding this in
mind, Cyrus resolved that his personal attendants, from
his doorkeepers onward, should be eunuchs one and all.

66. This guard, however, he felt was hardly sufficient
against the multitude of enemies, and he asked himself
whom he could choose among the rest. 67. He remem-
bered how his Persians led the sorriest of lives at home
owing to their poverty, working long and hard on the
niggard soil, and he felt sure they were the men who would
most value the life at his court. 68. Accordingly he
selected ten thousand lancers from among them, to keep
guard round the palace, night and day, whenever he was
at home, and to march beside him whenever he went
abroad. 69. Moreover, he felt that Babylon must always
have an adequate garrison, whether he was in the country
or not, and therefore he stationed a considerable body
of troops in the city; and he bade the Babylonians pro-
vide their pay, his object being to make the citizens help-
less, and therefore humble and submissive. 70. This
royal guard that he established there, and the city guard
for Babylon, survive to this day unaltered.

Lastly, as he pondered how the whole empire was to be
kept together, and possibly another added to it, he felt

246 The Education of Cyrus

convinced that his mercenaries did not make up for the
smalhiess of their numbers by their superiority to the
subject peoples. Therefore he must keep together those
brave warriors, to whom with heaven's help the victory
was due, and he must take all care that they did not lose
their valour, hardihood, and skill. 71. To avoid the
appearance of dictating to them and to bring it about
that they should see for themselves it was best to stay
with him and remember their valour and their training,
he called a council of the Peers and of the leading men
who seemed to him most worthy of sharing their
dangers and their rewards. 72. And when they were
met he began:

" Gentlemen, my friends and allies, we owe the utmost
thanks to the gods because they have given us what we
beheved that we deserved. We are masters to-day of a
great country and a good ; and those who till it will sup-
port us ; we have houses of our own, and all the furniture
that is in them is ours. 73. For you need not think that
what you hold belongs to others. It is an eternal law the
wide world over, that when a city is taken in war, the
citizens, their persons, and all their property fall into the
hands of the conquerors. It is not by injustice, there-
fore, that you hold what you have taken, rather it is
through your own human kindness that the citizens are
allowed to keep whatever they do retain.

74. " Yet I foresee that if we betake ourselves to the
life of indolence and luxury, the life of the degenerate who
think that labour is the worst of evils and freedom from toil
the height of happiness, the day will come, and speedily,
when we shall be unworthy of ourselves, and with the loss
of honour will come the loss of wealth. 75. Once to have
been valiant is not enough; no man can keep his valour
unless he watch over it to the end. As the arts decay
through neglect, as the body, once healthy and alert, will
grow weak through sloth and indolence, even so the
powers of the spirit, temperance, self-control, and courage,
if we grow slack in training, fall back once more to rotten-
ness and death. 76. We must watch ourselves; we must

Book VII. Cyrus the King 247

not surrender to the sweetness of the day. It is a great d
work, methinks, to found an empire, but a far greater to
keep it safe. To seize it may be the fruit of daring and
daring only, but to hold it is impossible without self-
restraint and self-command and endless care. 77. We
must not forget this; we must train ourselves in virtue
from now henceforward with even greater diHgence than
before we won this glory, remembering that the more a
man possesses, the more there are to envy him, to plot
against him, and be his enemies, above all when the wealth
he wins and the service he receives are yielded by re-
luctant hands. But the gods, we need not doubt, will be
upon our side; we have not triumphed through injustice;
we were not the aggressors, it was we who were attacked
and we avenged ourselves. 78. The gods are with us, I
say; but next to that supreme support there is a defence
we must provide out of our own powers alone; and that
is the righteous claim to rule our subjects because we are
better men than they. Needs must that we share with our
slaves in heat and cold and food and drink and toil and
slumber, and we must strive to prove our superiority even
in such things as these, and first in these. 79. But in the
science of war and the art of it we can admit no share ;
those whom we mean to make our labourers and our tribu-
taries can have no part in that; we will set ourselves to
defraud them there; we know that such exercises are the
very tools of freedom and happiness, given by the gods to
mortal men. We have taken their arms away from our
slaves, and we must never lay our own aside, knowing well
that the nearer the sword-hilt the closer the heart's desire.
80. Does any man ask himself what profit he has gained
from the fulfilment of his dreams, if he must still endure,
still undergo hunger and thirst and toil and trouble and
care? Let him learn the lesson that a man's enjoyment
of all good things is in exact proportion to the pains he has
undergone to gain them. Toil is the seasoning of delight;
without desire and longing, no dish, however costly, could
be sweet. 81. Yes, if some spirit were to set before us
what men desire most, and we were left to add for our-

248 The Education of Cyrus

C. 5 selves that final touch of sweetness, I say that we could
only gain above the poorest of the poor in so far as we
could bring hunger for the most delicious foods, and thirst
for the richest wines, and weariness to make us woo the
deepest slumber. 82. Therefore, we must strain every
nerve to win and to keep manhood and nobleness ; so that
we may gain that satisfaction which is the sweetest and
the best, and be saved from the bitterest of sorrows ; since
to fail of good altogether is not so hard as to lose the
good that has once been ours. 83. And let us ask our-
selves what excuse we could offer for being unworthy of
our past. Shall we say it is because we have won an empire ?
Surely it is hardly fatting that the ruler should be baser
than the ruled. Or is it that we seem to be happier to-day
than heretofore? Is cowardice, then, an adjunct of
happiness? Or is it simply because we have slaves and
must punish them if they do wrong? But by what right
can a man, who is bad himself, punish others for badness
or stupidity ? 84. Remember, too, that we have arranged
for the maintenance of a whole multitude, to guard our
persons and our houses, and it would be shameful for us
to depend for safety on the weapons of others and refuse
to carry weapons for ourselves. Surely we ought to
know that there can be no defence so strong as a man's
own gallantry. Courage should be our companion all our
days. For if virtue leave us, nothing else whatever can
go well with us. 85. What, then, would I have you do?
How are we to remember our valour and train our skill?
Gentlemen, I have nothing novel to suggest; at home in
Persia the Peers spend their days at the pubUc buildings
and here we should do the same. Here we are the men
of rank and honour, as we are there, and we should hold
to the same customs. You must keep your eyes on me
and watch whether I am diligent in my duty, and I shall
give heed to you, and honour him who trains himself in
what is beautiful and brave. 86. And here too let us
educate our sons, if sons are bom to us. We cannot but
become better ourselves if we strive to set the best
example we can to our children, and our children could

Book VII. Cyrus the King 249

hardly grow up to be unworthy, even if they wished, C. 5
when they see nothing base before them, and hear nothing
shameful, but Hve in the practice of all that is beautiful
and good."

NOTES
Book VII

Notice the epic tone now adopted, or rattier swum into, or c i.
rather which floats the writer up of its own motion.

§§ 2 ff. On the whole this description of the battle is, for
Xenophon, obscure.

§§5, 6. Xenophon, Artist. This military criticism and
technical discussion juxtaposed to the epic prelude and the
epic sequel is a clever device enough. We are plesised.

§§ 8, 9. Final injunctions somewhat obscure, I think.

§ 24 it. The epic and Homeric vein.

§ 33. The Egyptians have the advantage. This is notice-
able in reference to Cyrus' criticisms of their arms before
battle. That is not a slip, but a dramatic touch on the part
of the author, I think. And Cyrus is speaking of cavalry
there, and anticipates the result.

§ 34, fin. A singular feature this in ancient battles. Is it
simply and solely Oriental, or general, and Hellenic also?
Has it any analogue nowadays anywhere? Probably with
Egyptian troops in the Soudan it has (hgd. 1884).

§§ 6, 7. The archie man through an act of bad discipline c. 2
makes good discipline more acceptable.

§ 13. The civilised method of dealing with a conquered city.
Instead of pillage and rapine, an indemnitj', which will bring
in to the conquerors wealth, and yet not destroy the arts of the
population, which are the fountain-heads of beauty. || Modern.
So the archie man asserts his superiority once more.

§ 24. Is this also Xenophon's view ? If so, it throws light
on his theory of rank and caste.

§ 2. Curious Cyrus should be so littlesuspicious of Abraxiatas' C. 3
death, is it not? Because the victory was not bloodless.
Notice, too, how little is said of the bloodshed; that is
Hellenic as well as Xenophontine, I fancy.

§ 7. Something epic in all this. Cf. Achilles sacrificing at
the tomb of Patroklos.

§§ 8 flf. The pathos of the situation and the Eironeia at its
maximum. " Euripidean " touches throughout.

§ 16. [This is bracketed in most editions, no doubt rightly,
as an interpolation. It was not translated in Mr. Dakyns'
manuscript, but his marginal note is characteristic, and

250 The Education of Cyrus

C 3 evidently he would have translated the section in a footnote.
It may be rendered thus: " It is said that a monument w£is
raised above the eunuchs and is in existence to this day. On
the upper slab the names of the husband and the wife are
written in Syrian letters, and below are three other slabs,
inscribed ' To the chamberlains.' "]

§ 16. Interesting, especially if of later insertion, and perhaps
giving the historical basis of the story in some monument on
the Pactolus, known to Xenophon. I wish a new Schliemann
would find it. hgd.
C. 4 Semi-historical ? The version is to be found, I think, in § 2,
which is the piece justicative. The episode itself is full of
humour, as good as a play: Xenophon has seen these duplici-
ties often. Brer Fox outwitted by Brer Rabbit.

§ 4. Can these rival fastnesses of the Carians be identified ?
All this country is well known to Xenophon {vide Hellenica,
III. c. 4, etc.).

§ 6. Beautiful renewal of the peaceful arts, festivals, and
merry-makings after the internecine party strife.

§ 9. This again is a district Xenophon is well acquainted
with. Has he one eye on the old insurrection against Persia,
tempore Histiaeus, and another on the new arrangements,
tempore Antalcidas ?

§§ 12, 13. Croesus and his bills of lading. Some humour.
It also brings out the archie man in opposition to the shop-
keeper man of the mere business type. But still the bOls of
lading are needed. Croesus only doesn't " twig " the right
persons to check. It's the opposition between Despot and
true Ruler.
C. 5 § 9- Cyrus has an idea, the nature of which we shall
discover later.

§ 15. Belshazzar's feast, vide Daniel, cf. Hdt. Why plural,
" the trenches " ? Is Xenophon obscure? His obscurity is
mostly this: he expects his reader intelligently to follow
him.

§ 32. Jars somewhat on our feelings, perhaps, in its thirst
for revenge: but cf. the feeling against the assassins of Lord
Frederick Cavendish and Mr. Burke. [Written at the time
of the Phoenix Park murders.]

§ 37. Is a turning-point in the rise of the archie man (and
yet hardly yet, but at § 58 we shall come to bodyguards and
eunuchs). At this highest pinnacle of apxn Cyrus desires to
furnish himself as befits a king. Is it an historical difficulty
which Xenophon has to get over or round, or is Xenophon
himself in the same condemnation, so to speak? Does he
also desire his archie man to be got up in a manner befitting
royalty at a certain date ? Consider.

Book VII. Notes 251

§§ 42-47. These sections pose the difficulty well, and it is a C.
difficulty, and no mistake.

§ 42 ff. Xenophon-Hellenic theory of life. The leisure to
invite one's own soul and see one's friends which is needed to
make life worth living, versus negotia, negotia, negotia. How
far are we to be consciously self-regarding? Cyrus versus
Buddha. The Hellenic hero is not equal to absolute non-self-
regarding devotion to mere work. The Buddha might be.

§ 48. Perhaps nothing is cleverer in the neat and skilful
mosaic work of this composition than the fitting-in here of
Artabazus' personal view with the — at last necessary — im-
personal or public theory of leadership. It is pretty also that
Artabazus should at length get his reward, and humorous that
he doesn't, after all, get it in the old form.

§§ 49 ff. He keenly remembers each tantalising moment
of approach and separation. A splendid speech of the
humorous type. Xenophon himself must be credited with
so much fun, and real fun it is.

§§56 ff. Curious on this page (a) Xenophon' s domestic
hearth theory without which dpxv is a tinkling cymbal and
empire no burthen to be borne. His feeling for the sweetness
of home || modern. In this the secret of his happiness, || hgd.
(6) His justificative or raison d'etre explanation of the eunuch
system. Why doesn't he point out its hoUowness also ? Not
from any lack of sympathy with this barren mankind. Cf.
Gadatas. I: think this all logically follows if the apxi-iv is to
rule political enemies as well as friends : to do so evta-Ta/jL^vojs
[" as|an expert "] some strange devices must be resorted to —
what think you, Dakyns ?

§ 58. The need of a bodyguard. The dragon-fly must wing
his flight in armour cased : that is the law of his development.
So Cyrus must be in the end an ideal " tyrannus," the one
spoken of by Simonides the poet to Hiero [vide the dialogue
Hiero, and the notes thereto in Mr. Dakyns' translation,
Vol. III.].

§ 64. The faithfulness of the eunuch has its parallel in that
of the old negro slave.

§ 67. These are the sort of fellows Xenophon would have
chosen himself, I take it. Again the historical basis has to be
taken account of. Xenophon has to explain to himself the
existence of their body and how the archie man came to
invent it. Throughout we must compare the Hiero for Xeno-
phon's own political theory apart from his romantic and philo-
sophical interest in Cyrus.

§ 69. Not a pleasant picture of subject and ruling race.
Cf. the Austrians in Italy.

§ 72. The Hellenic || the modern theory, but more rudely

252 The Education of Cyrus

C. 5 expressed. The conqueror's right to the land he has taken:
and what Cyrus proceeds to say is quite up to the modern
mark.

§ 74. Of course this is precisely what the Persians as they
degenerated did come to, nor did the good example of the
archie man nor his precepts nor his institutions save them.

§§ 77-79- " Military " theory of virtue : almost barbaric
{ex inea sententia, hgd.). But Xenophon is not absolutely =
Cyrus.

§§ 80 ff. This is the Socratico-Xenophontine hedonism-
and-stoicism combined.

§§ 82 ff. A noble sermon on the need of straining every
nerve to virtuous training. Splendidly rhetorical and
forceful.

§ 84. Cyrus {i.e. Xenophon) is aware of the crisis he and
his are going through. If externalism has to be adopted to
hedge royalty, still a further inner change is demanded : there
must be a corresponding spiritual growth.

§ 86. One of the noblest sayings in all Xenophon. The
one somehow which touches me most. The best way to im-
prove ourselves is to see that we set our boys the best
examples.

BOOK VIII

Such were the words of Cyrus; and Chrysantas rose up C. i
after him^ saying, " Gentlemen, this is not the first time
I have had occasion to observe that a good ruler differs in
no respect from a good father. Even as a father takes
thought that blessings may never fail his children, so
Cyrus would commend to us the ways by which we can
preserve our happiness. And yet, on one point, it
seemed to me he had spoken less fully than he might; and
I will try to explain it for the benefit of those who have not
learnt it. 2. I would have you ask yourselves, was ever
a hostile city captured by an undisciplined force? Did
ever an undisciplined garrison save a friendly town?
When discipline was gone, did ever an army conquer?
Is ever disaster nearer than when each soldier thinks about
his private safet)^ only ? Nay, in peace as in war, can any
good be gained if men will not obey their betters ? What
city could be at rest, lawful, and orderly? What house-
hold could be safe ? What ship sail home to her haven ?
3. And we, to what do we owe our triumph, if not to our
obedience? We obeyed; we were ready to follow the
call by night and day; we marched behind our leader,
ranks that nothing could resist; we left nothing half-done
of all we were told to do. If obedience is the one path to
win the highest good, remember it is also the one way to
preserve it. 4. Now in old days, doubtless, many of us
ruled no one else, we were simply ruled. But to-day you
find yourselves rulers, one and all of you, some over many
and some over few. And just as you would wish your
subjects to obey you, so we must obey those who are set
over us. Yet there should be this difference between
ourselves and slaves ; a slave renders unwilling service to
his lord, but we, if we claim to be freemen, must do of our
own free will that which we see to be the best. And you
253

254 The Education of Cyrus

C. I will find/' he added, " that even when no single man is
ruler, that city which is most careful to obey authority is
the last to bow to the will of her enemies. 5. Let us listen
to the words of Cyrus. Let us gather round the public
buildings and train ourselves, so that we may keep our
hold on all we care for, and ofifer Ourselves to Cyrus for his
noble ends. Of one thing we may be sure: Cyrus will
never put us to any service which can make for his own
good and not for ours. Our needs are the same as his,
and our foes the same."

6. When Chrysantas had said his say, many others
followed to support him, Persians and allies ahke, and it
was agreed that the men of rank and honour should be in
attendance continually at the palace gates, ready for
Cyrus to employ, until he gave them their dismissal.
That custom is still in force, and to this day the Asiatics
under the Great King wait at the door of their rulers.

7. And the measures that Cyrus instituted to preserve
his empire, as set forth in this account, are still the law of
the land, maintained by all the kings who followed him.

8. Only as in other matters, so here; with a good ruler,
the government is pure; with a bad one, corrupt. Thus
it came about that the nobles of Cyrus and all his honour-
able men waited at his gates, with their weapons and their
horses, according to the common consent of the gallant
men who had helped to lay the empire at his feet.

9. Then Cyrus turned to other matters, and appointed
various overseers: he had receivers of revenue, con-
trollers of finance, ministers of works, guardians of pro-
perty, superintendents of the household. Moreover, he
chose managers for his horses and his dogs, men who
could be trusted to keep the creatures in the best con-
dition and ready for use at any moment. 10. But when
it came to those who were to be his fellow-guardians for the
commonwealth, he would not leave the care and the
training of these to others; he regarded that as his own
personal task. He knew, if he were ever to fight a battle,
he would have to choose his comrades and supporters,
the men on his right hand and his left, from these and

Book VIII. Cyrus the King 255

these alone; it was from them he must appoint his C. i
officers for horse and foot. 11. If he had to send out
a general alone it would be from them that one must be
sent : he must depend on them for satraps and governors
over cities and nations; he would require them for am-
bassadors, and an embassy was, he knew, the best means
for obtaining what he wanted without war. 12. He
foresaw that nothing could go well if the agents in his
weightiest affairs were not what they ought to be, while,
if they were, everything would prosper. This charge,
therefore, he took on his own shoulders, and he was per-
suaded that the training he demanded in others should
also be undergone by himself. No man could rouse others
to noble deeds if he fell short of what he ought to be him-
self. 13. The more he pondered the matter, the more he
felt the need of leisure, if he were to deal worthily with the
highest matters. It was, he felt, impossible to neglect
the revenues, in view of the enormous funds necessairy
for so vast an empire, yet he foresaw that if he was always
to be occupied with the multitude of his possessions he
would never have time to watch over the safety of the
whole. 14. As he pondered how he could compass both
objects, the prosperity of the finances and the leisure he
required, the old military organisation came into his
mind. He remembered how the captains of ten super-
vised the squads of ten, and were supervised themselves
by the company-captains, and thej^ by the captains of
the thousands, and these by the captains of ten thousand,
and thus even with hundreds of thousands not a man was
left without supervision, and when the general wished to
employ his troops one order to the captains of ten thousand
was enough. 15. On this principle Cyrus arranged his
finances and held the departments together; in this way,
by conferring with a few officers he could keep the whole
system under his control, and actually have more leisure
for himself than the manager of a single household or the
master of a single ship. Finally, having thus ordered his
own affairs, he taught those about him to adopt the same
system.

256 The Education of Cyrus

16. Accordingly, having gained the leisure he needed
for himself and his friends, he could devote himself to his
work of training his partners and colleagues. In the first
place he dealt with those who, enabled as they were to
live on the labour of others, yet failed to present them-
selves at the palace; he would send for them and seek
them out, convinced that attendance would be wholesome
for them ; they would be unwilling to do anything base or
e^dl in the presence of their king and under the eye of their
noblest men ; those who were absent were so through self-
indulgence or wrong-doing or carelessness. 17. And I
will now set forth how he brought them to attend. He
would go to one of his most intimate friends and bid him
lay hands on the property of the offender, asserting that
it was his own. Then of course the truants would appear
at once crying out that they had been robbed. 18. But
somehow for many days Cyrus could never find leisure to
hear their complaints, and when he did listen he took care
to defer judgment for nrnny more. 19. This was one
way he had of teaching them to attend ; another was to
assign the lightest and most profitable tasks to those who
were punctual, and a third to give nothing whatever to
the offenders. 20. But the most effective of all, for those
who paid no heed to gentler measures, was to deprive the
truant of what he possessed and bestow it on him who
would come when he was needed. By this process Cyrus
gave up a useless friend and gained a serviceable one.
To this day the king sends for and seeks out those who
do not present themselves when they should.

21. Such was his method with the truants; with those
who came forward he felt, since he was their rightful
leader, that he could best incite them to noble deeds by
trying to show that he himself had all the virtues that
became a man. 22. He believed that men do grow better
through written laws, and he held that the good ruler is a
living law with eyes that see, inasmuch as he is competent
to guide and also to detect the sinner and chastise him.
23. Thus he took pains to show that he was the more
assiduous in his service to the gods the higher his fortunes

Book VIII. Cyrus the King 257

rose. It was at this time that the Persian priests, the C.
Magians, were first established as an order, and always at
break of day Cyrus chanted a h\Tnn and sacrificed to
such of the gods as they might name. 24. And the ordi-
nances he established survive to this day at the court of
the reigning king. These were the first matters in which
the Persians set themselves to copy their prince; feeling
their own fortune would be the higher if they did reverence
to the gods, following the man who was fortune's favourite
and their own monarch. At the same time, no doubt,
they thought they would please Cyrus by this. 25. On
his side Cyrus looked on the piety of his subjects as a
blessing to himself, reckoning as they do who prefer to
sail in the company of pious men rather than with those
who are suspected of wicked deeds, and he reckoned
further that if all his partners were god-fearing, they
would be the less prone to crime against each other or
against himself, for he knew he was the benefactor of his
fellows. 26. And by showing plainly his own deep desire
never to be unfair to friend or fellow-combatant or ally,
but always to fix his eyes on justice and rectitude, he
believed he could induce others to keep from base actions
and walk in the paths of righteousness. 27. And he
would bring more modesty, he hoped, into the hearts of all
men if it were plain that he himself reverenced all the
world and would never say a shameful word to any man
or woman or do a shameful deed. 28. He looked for
this because he saw that, apart from kings and governors
who may be supposed to inspire fear, men will reverence
the modest and not the shameless, and modesty in women
will inspire modesty in the men who behold them.
29. And his people, he thought, would learn to obey if it
were plain that he honoured frank and prompt obedience
even above virtues that made a grander show and were
harder to attain. 30. Such was his belief, and his
practice went with it to the end. His own temperance
and the knowledge of it made others more temperate.
When they saw moderation and self-control in the man
who above all others had hcence to be insolent, lesser men

R

258 The Education of Cyrus

were the more ready to abjure all insolence of their own.
31. But there was this difference, C}tus held, between
modesty and self-control: the modest man will do nothing
shameful in the light of day, but the man of self-control
nothing base, not even in secret. 32. Self-restraint, he
believed, would best be cultivated if he made men see in
himself one who could not be dragged from the pursuit of
virtue by the pleasure of the moment, one who chose to
toil first for the happy-hearted joys that go hand-in-hand
with beauty and nobleness. 2^. Thus, being the man
he was, he established at his gates a stately company,
where the lower gave place to the higher, and they in their
turn showed reverence to each other, and courtesy, and
perfect harmony. Among them all there was never a cry
of anger to be heard, nor a burst of insolent laughter; to
look at them was to know that they lived for honour and
loveliness.

34. Such was the life at the palace-gates, and to practise
his nobles in martial exercises he would lead them out to
the hunt whenever he thought it well, holding the chase
to be the best training for war and the surest way to
excellence in horsemanship. 35. A man learns to keep
his seat, no matter what the ground may be, as he follows
the flying quarry, learns to hurl and strike on horseback in
his eagerness to bring down the game and win applause.
36. And here, above all, was the field in which to inure his
colleagues to toil and hardship and cold and heat and
hunger and thirst. Thus to this day the Persian monarch
and his court spend their leisure in the chase. 37. From
all that has been said, it is clear Cyrus was convinced that
no one has a right to rule who is not superior to his
subjects, and he held that by imposing such exercises as
these on those about him, he would lead them to self-
control and bring to perfection the art and discipline of
war. 38. Accordingly he would put himself at the head of
the hunting-parties and take them out himself unless he
was bound to stay at home, and, if he was, he would hunt
in his parks among the wild creatures he had reared. He
would never touch the evening meal himself until he had

Book VIII. Cyrus the King 259

sweated for it, nor give his horses their corn until they had C^ I
been exercised, and he would invite his own mace-
bearers to join him in the chase. 39. Therefore he
excelled in all knightly accomplishments, he and those
about him, because of their constant practice. Such was
the example he set before his friends. But he also kept
his eye on others, and would single out those who wor-
shipped noble deeds, and reward them with gifts, and
high commands, and seats at festivals, and every kind of
honour. And thus their hearts were filled with ambition,
and every man longed to outdo his fellows in the eyes of
Cyrus.

40. But we seem to learn also that Cyrus thought it
necessary for the ruler not only to surpass his subjects
by his own native worth, but also to charm them through
deception and artifice. At any rate he adopted the
Median dress, and persuaded his comrades to do likewise;
he thought it concealed any bodily defect, enhancing the
beauty and stature of the wearer. 41. The shoe, for
instance, was so devised that a sole could be added without
notice, and the man would seem taller than he really was.
So also Cyrus encouraged the use of ointments to make
the eyes more brilliant and pigments to make the skin
look fairer. 42. And he trained his courtiers never to
spit or blow the nose in public or turn aside to stare at
anything; they were to keep the stately air of persons
whom nothing can surprise. These were all means to
one end; to make it impossible for the subjects to despise
their rulers.

43. Thus he moulded the men he considered worthy of
command by his own example, by the training he gave
them, and by the dignity of his own leadership. But the
treatment of those he prepared for slavery was widely
different. Not one of them would he incite to any noble
toil, he would not even let them carry arms, and he was
careful that they should never lack food or drink in any
manly sport. 44. When the beaters drove the wild
creatures into the plain he would allow food to be brought
for the servants, but not for the free men; on a march he

26o The Education of Cyrus

would lead the slaves to the water-springs as he led the
beasts of burden. Or when it was the hour of breakfast
he would wait himself till they had taken a snatch of food
and stayed their wolfish hunger; and the end of it was
they called him their father even as the nobles did,
because he cared for them, but the object of his care was
to keep them slaves for ever.

45. Thus he secured the safety of the Persian empire.
He himself, he felt sure, ran no danger from the masses of
the conquered people; he saw they had no courage, no
unity, and no discipline, and, moreover, not one of them
could ever come near him, day or night. 46. But there
were others whom he knew to be true warriors, who
carried arms, and who held by one another, commanders
of horse and foot, many of them men of spirit, confident,
as he could plainly see, of their own power to rule, men
who were in close touch with his own guards, and many of
them in constant intercourse with himself; as indeed was
essential if he was to make any use of them at all. It
was from them that danger was to be feared ; and that in
a thousand ways. 47. How was he to guard against it?
He rejected the idea of disarming them; he thought this
unjust, and that it would lead to the dissolution of the
empire. To refuse them admission into his presence, to
show them his distrust, would be, he considered, a
declaration of war. 48. But there was one method, he
felt, worth all the rest, an honourable method and one
that would secure his safety absolutely; to win their
friendship if he could, and make them more devoted to
himself than to each other. I will now endeavour to set
forth the methods, so far as I conceive them, by which he
gained their love.

In the first place he never lost an opportunity of show-
ing kindliness wherever he could, convinced that just as
it is not easy to love those who hate us, so it is scarcely
possible to feel enmity for those who love us and wish us
well. 2. So long as he had lacked the power to confer
benefits by wealth, all he could do then was to show his
personal care for his comrades and his soldiers, to labour

Book VIII. Cyrus the King 261

in their behalf, manifest his joy in their good fortune and C. 2
his S}Tnpathy in their sorrows, and try to win them in
that way. But when the time came for the gifts of wealth,
he realised that of all the kindnesses between man and
man none come with a more natural grace than the gifts
of meat and drink. 3. Accordingly he arranged that his
table should be spread every day for many guests in
exactly the same way as for himself; and all that was set
before him, after he and his guests had dined, he would
send out to his absent friends, in token of affection and
remembrance. He would include those who had won his
approval by their work on guard, or in attendance on
himself, or in any other service, letting them see that no
desire to please him could ever escape his eyes. 4. He
would show the same honour to any servant he wished
to praise; and he had all the food for them placed at his
own board, believing this would win their fidelity, as it
would a dog's. Or, if he wished some friend of his to be
courted by the people, he would single him out for such
gifts; even to this day the world will pay court to those
who have dishes sent them from the Great King's table,
thinking they must be in high favour at the palace and
can get things done for others. But no doubt there was
another reason for the pleasure in such gifts, and that was
the sheer delicious taste of the royal meats. 5. Nor
should that surprise us; for if we remember to what a
pitch of perfection the other crafts are brought in great
communities, we ought to expect the royal dishes to be
wonders of finished art. In a small city the same man
must make beds and chairs and ploughs and tables, and
often build houses as well; and indeed he will be only too
glad if he can find enough employers in all his trades to
keep him. Now it is impossible that a single man working
at a dozen crafts can do them all well; but in the great
cities, owing to the wide demand for each particular thing,
a single craft will suffice for a means of livelihood, and
often enough even a single department of that; there are
shoe-makers who will only make sandals for men and
others only for women. Or one artisan will get his living

262 The Education of Cyrus

merely by stitching shoes, another by cutting them out, a
third by shaping the upper leathers, and a fourth will do
nothing but fit the parts together. Necessarily the man
who spends all his time and trouble on the smallest task
will do that task the best. 6. The arts of the household
must follow the same law. If one and the same servant
makes the bed, spreads the table, kneads the dough, and
cooks the various dishes, the master must take things as
they come, there is no help for it. But when there is work
enough for one man to boil the pot, and another to roast
the meat, and a third to stew the fish, and a fourth to fry
it, while some one else must bake the bread, and not all
of it either, for the loaves must be of different kinds, and
it will be quite enough if the baker can serve up one kind
to perfection — it is obvious, I think, that in this way a
far higher standard of excellence will be attained in every
branch of the work.

7. Thus it is easy to see how Cyrus could outdo all com-
petitors in the grace of hospitality, and I will now explain
how he came to triumph in all other services. Far as he
excelled mankind in the scale of his revenues, he excelled
them even more in the grandeur of his gifts. It was Cyrus
who set the fashion ; and we are familiar to this day with
the open-handedness of Oriental kings. 8. There is no
one, indeed, in all the world whose friends are seen to be
as wealthy as the friends of the Persian monarch : no one
adorns his followers in such splendour of rich attire, no
gifts are so well known as his, the bracelets, and the neck-
laces, and the chargers with the golden bridles. For in
that country no one can have such treasures unless the
king has given them. 9. And of whom but the Great
ELing could it be said that through the splendour of his
presents he could steal the hearts of men and turn them
to himself, away from brothers, fathers, sons ? Who but
he could stretch out an arm and take vengeance on his
enemies when yet they were months and months away?
Who but Cyrus ever won an empire in war, and when he
died was called father by the people he overcame? — a
title that proclaims the benefactor and not the robber.

Book VIII. Cyrus the King 263

10. Indeed, we are led to think that the offices called *' the C.
king's eyes " and " the king's ears " came into being
through this system of gifts and honours. Cyrus' munifi-
cence toward all who told him what it was well for him to
know set countless people listening with all their ears and
watching with all their eyes for news that might be of
service to him. 11. Thus there sprang up a host of " king's
eyes " and " king's ears/' as they were called, known and
reputed to be such. But it is a mistake to suppose that
the king has one chosen " eye." It is little that one man
can see or one man hear, and to hand over the office to
one single person would be to bid all others go to sleep.
Moreover, his subjects would feel they must be on their
guard before the man they knew was " the king's eye."
The contrary is the case ; the king will listen to any man
who asserts that he has heard or seen anything that needs
attention. 12. Hence the saying that the king has a
thousand eyes and a thousand ears ; and hence the fear of
uttering anything against his interest since " he is sure to
hear," or doing anything that might injure him " since
he may be there to see." So far, therefore, from venturing
to breathe a syllable against Cyrus, every man felt that
he was under the eye and within the hearing of a king who
was always present. For this universal feeling towards
him I can give no other reason than his resolve to be a
benefactor on a most mighty scale.

13. It is not surprising, no doubt, that being the
wealthiest of men, he could outdo the world in the splen-
dour of his gifts. The remarkable thing was to find a
king outstrip his courtiers in courtesy and kindness.
There was nothing, so the story runs, that could ever
shame him more than to be outdone in courtesy. 14. In-
deed, a saying of his is handed down comparing a good
king to a good shepherd — the shepherd must manage
his flock by giving them all they need, and the king must
satisfy the needs of his cities and his subjects if he is to
manage them. We need not wonder, then, that with such
opinions his ambition was to excel mankind in courtesy
and care. 15. There was a noble illustration of his philo-

264 The Education of Cyrus

2 sophy in the answer we are told he gave to Croesus, who
had taken him to task, saying his lavish gifts would bring
him to beggary, although he could lay by more treasures
for himself than any man had ever had before. Cyrus, it
is said, asked him in return, " How much wealth do you
suppose I could have amassed already, had I collected gold,
as you bid me, ever since I came into my empire ? "

16. And Croesus named an enormous sum. Then
Cyrus said, " Listen, Croesus, here is my friend, Hystaspas,
and you must send with him a man that you can trust."
Then, turning to Hystaspas, " Do you," he said, " go
round to my friends and tell them that I need money for
a certain enterprise — and that is true, I do need it. Bid
each of them write down the amount he can give me, seal
the letter, and hand it to the messenger of Croesus, who
will bring it here." 17. Thereupon C}'Tus wrote his
wishes and put his seal on the letter, and gave it to Hystas-
pas to carry round, only he added a request that they
should all welcome Hystaspas as a friend of his. And
when the messengers came back, the officer of Croesus
carrying the answers, Hystaspas cried, " Cyrus, my lord,
you must know I am a rich man now ! I have made my
fortune, thanks to your letter! They have loaded me
with gifts." 18. And C}tus said, " There, Croesus, that
is treasure number one ; and now run through the rest,
and count what sums I have in hand, in case I need them."
And Croesus counted, and found, so the story tells us, that
the sum was far larger than the amount he had said would
have been lying in the treasury if only Cyrus had made a
hoard. 19. At this discovery Cyrus said, so we are told,
" You see, Croesus, I have my treasures too. Only you
advise me to collect them and hide them, and be envied
and hated because of them, and set mercenaries to guard
them, putting my trust in hirelings. But I hold to it that
if I make my friends rich they will be my treasures them-
selves, and far better guards too, for me and all we have,
thaniflsethiredwatchmen over my wealth. 20. Andlhave
somewhat else to say; I tell you, Croesus, there is some-
thing the gods have implanted in our souls, and there they

Book VIII. Cyrus the King 265

have made us all beggars alike, something I can never C,
overcome. 21. I too, like all the rest, am insatiate of
riches, only in one respect I fancy I am different. Most
men when they have more wealth than they require bury
some of it underground, and let some of it rot, and some
they count and measure, and they guard it and they air it,
and give themselves a world of trouble, and yet for all
their wealth they cannot eat more than they have stomach
for — they would burst asunder if they did — nor wear more
clothes than they can carry — they would die of suffocation —
and so their extra wealth means nothing but extra work.
22. For my part, I serve the gods, and I stretch out my
hands for more and more; only when I have got what is
beyond my own requirements I piece out the wants of
my friends, and so, helping my fellows, I purchase their
love and their goodwill, and out of these I garner security
and renown, fruits that can never rot, rich meats that can
work no mischief; for glory, the more it grows, the grander
it becomes, and the fairer, and the lighter to be borne; it
even gives a lighter step to those who bear it. 23. One
thing more, Croesus, I would have j^ou know; the happiest
men, in my judgment, are not the holders of vast riches
and the masters who have the most to guard; else the
sentinels of our citadels would be the happiest of mortals,
seeing they guard the whole wealth of the state. He, I
hold, has won the crown of happiness who has had the skill
to gain wealth by the paths of righteousness and use it for
all that is honourable and fair."

24. That was the doctrine Cyrus preached, and all men
could see that his practice matched his words.

Moreover, he observed that the majority of mankind,
if they live in good health for long, will only lay by such
stores and requisites as may be used by a healthy man, and
hardly care at all to have appliances at hand in case of
sickness. But Cyrus was at the pains to provide these;
he encouraged the ablest physicians of the day by his
liberal payments, and if ever they recommended an instru-
ment or a drug or a special kind of food or drink, he
never failed to procure it and have it stored in the palace.

266 The Education of Cyrus

C. 2 25. And whenever any one fell sick among those who had
peculiar claims on his attention, he would visit them and
bring them all they needed, and he showed especial grati-
tude to the doctors if they cured their patients by the
help of his own stores. 26. These measures, and others
like them, he adopted to win the first place in the hearts of
those whose friendship he desired. Moreover, the contests
he proclaimed and the prizes he offered to awaken ambition
and desire for gallant deeds all redounded to his own glory
as a man who had the pursuit of nobleness at heart, while
they bred strife and bitter rivalry among the champions
themselves. 27. Further, he laid it down that in every
matter needing arbitration, whether it were a suit-at-law or
a trial of skill, the parties should concur in their choice of
a judge. Each would try to secure the most powerful
man he knew and the one most friendly to himself, and if
he lost he envied his successful rival and hated the judge
who had declared against him, while the man who won
claimed to win because his case was just and felt he
owed no gratitude to anybody. 28. Thus all who wished
to be first in the affections of Cyrus, just as others in demo-
cratic states, were full of rancour against each other, in
fact most of them would sooner have seen their rivals
exterminated than join with them for any common good.
Such are some of the devices by which he made the ablest
of his subjects more attached to himself than to one another.

C, 3 I will now describe the first pubHc progress that Cyrus
made. For the very solemnity of the ceremony was one
of the artifices by which he won reverence for his govern-
ment. The day before it he summoned the officers of
state, the Persians and the others, and gave them all the
splendid Median dress. This was the first time the
Persians wore it, and as they received the robes he said
that he wished to drive in his chariot to the sacred pre-
cincts and offer sacrifice with them. 2. " You will pre-
sent yourselves at my gates," he added, " before the sun
rises, attired in these robes, and you will take your places
where Pheraulas the Persian bids you on my behalf. As
soon as I lead the way you will follow in your appointed

Book VIII. The Pageant of the King 267

order. And if any of you should think of some change to C. 3
heighten the beauty and stateHness of our procession, you
will acquaint me with it, I pray, on our return; it is for
us to see that all is done in the manner you feel to be most
beautiful and best."

3. With that Cyrus gave the most splendid robes to his
chief notables, and then he brought out others, for he had
stores of Median garments, purple and scarlet and crimson
and glowing red, and gave a share to each of his generals
and said to them, " Adorn your friends with these, as I
have adorned you." 4. Then one of them asked him,
"And you, 0 Cyrus, when will you adorn yourself.'^"
But he answered, " Is it not adornment enough for me to
have adorned you ? If I can but do good to my friends,
I shall look glorious enough, whatever robe I wear."

5. So his nobles took their leave, and sent for their
friends and put the splendid raiment on them. Mean-
while Cyrus summoned Pheraulas, knowing that, while he
was a man of the people, he was also quick-witted, a
lover of the beautiful, prompt to understand and to obey,
and one who had ever an eye to please his master. It was
he who had supported Cyrus long ago when he proposed
that honour should be given in proportion to desert. And
now Cyrus asked him how he thought the procession might
be made most beautiful in the eyes of friends and most
formidable in the sight of foes. 6. So they took counsel
and were of the same mind, and Cyrus bade Pheraulas see
that all was done on the morrow as they had agreed.

" I have issued orders," he added, " for all to obey you
in the matter, but to make them the more willing, take
these tunics yourself and give them to the captains of the
guard, and these military cloaks for the cavalry officers,
and these tunics for those who command the chariots."

7. So Pheraulas took the raiment and departed, and
when the generals saw him, they met him with shouts and
cries, " A monstrous fine fellow you are, Pheraulas! " said
one: " you are to give us our orders, it seems! "

"Oh, yes," said Pheraulas, " and carry your baggage
too. Here I come with two cloaks as it is, one for you

2 68 The Education of Cyrus

C. 3 and another for somebody else : you must choose which-
ever you like best."

8. At that the officer put out his hand to take the cloak;
he had clean forgotten his jealousy, and fell to asking
Pheraulas which he had better choose. And Pheraulas gave
his advice, adding, " But if you inform against me, and let
out that I gave you the choice, the next time 1 have to
wait upon you you will find me a very different sort of
serving-man."

Thus he distributed the gifts he brought, and then he
saw to the arrangements for the procession so that every-
thing should be as fair as possible.

9. On the morrow all things were ready before day-
break, ranks lining the road on either hand, as they do to
this day when the king is expected to ride abroad — no one
may pass within the lines unless he is a man of mark — and
constables were posted with whips, to use at any sign of
disturbance.

In front of the palace stood the imperial guard of lancers,
four thousand strong, drawn up four deep on either side
of the gates. 10. And all the cavalry were there, the
men standing beside their horses, with their hands wrapped
in their cloaks, as is the custom to this day for every sub-
ject when the king's eye is on him. The Persians stood
on the right, and the allies on the left, and the chariots
were posted in the same way, half on one side and half on
the other. 11. Presently the palace-gates were flung open,
and at the head of the procession were led out the bulls
for sacrifice, beautiful creatures, four and four together.
They were to be offered to Zeus and to any other gods that
the Persian priests might name. For the Persians think
it of more importance to follow the guidance of the learned
in matters pertaining to the gods than in anything else
whatever.

12. After the oxen came horses, an offering to the Sun,
then a white chariot with a golden yoke, hung with gar-
lands and dedicated to Zeus, and after that the white car
of the Sun, wreathed like the one before it, and then a
third chariot, the horses of which were caparisoned with

Book VIII. The Pageant of the King 269

scarlet trappings^ and behind walked men carrying fire C. 3
upon a mighty hearth. 13. And then at last C>tus him-
self was seen, coming forth from the gates in his chariot,
wearing his tiara on his head, and a purple tunic shot with
white, such as none but the king may wear, and trews of
scarlet, and a cloak of purple. Round his tiara he wore
a diadem, and his kinsmen wore the same, even as the
custom is to this day. 14. And the king's hands hung free
outside his cloak. Beside him stood a charioteer — he was
a tall man, but he seemed to be dwarfed by C}tiis ; whether
it was really so, or whether there was some artifice at work,
C\Tus towered above him. At the sight of the king, the
whole company fell on their faces. Perhaps some had
been ordered to do this and so set the fashion, or perhaps
the multitude were really overcome by the splendour of
the pageant and the sight of C}tus himself, stately and
tall and fair. 15. For hitherto none of the Persians
had done obeisance to Cyrus.

And now, as the chariot moved onwards, the four thou-
sand lancers went before it, two thousand on either side,
and close behind came the mace-bearers, mounted on
horseback, with javelins in their hands, three hundred
strong. 16. Then the royal steeds were led past, with
golden bridles and striped housings, two hundred and
more, and then followed two thousand spearmen and after
them the squadron of cavalry first formed, ten thousand
men, a hundred deep and a hundred riding abreast, with
Chrysantas at their head. 17. And behind them the second
body of the Persian horse, ten thousand more, in the same
order, under Hystaspas, and then again ten thousand under
Datamas, and others behind them under Gadatas. 18. And
after them the Median cavalry, and then the Armenians, the
Hyrcanians, the Cadousians, and the Sakians in their order;
and after the cavalry a squadron of war-chariots, drawn up
four deep, with Artabatas the Persian in command.

19. All along the route thousands of men followed, out-
side the barriers, with petitions to Cyrus. Accordingly
he sent his mace-bearers, who rode beside him for the pur-
pose, three on either side of his chariot, bidding them tell

270 The Education of Cyrus

the crowd of suitors^ if they had need of anything, to
acquaint one of the cavalry officers and he would speak
for them. So the petitioners withdrew, and fell to march-
ing along the lines of the cavalry, considering whom they
should address. 20. Cyrus meanwhile would send mes-
sengers to the friends he wished to be courted, saying to
them, " If any man appeals to you and you think nothing
of what he says, pay no heed to him, but if his request
seems just, report it to me, and we will discuss it together
and arrange matters for him." 21. As a rule the officers
so summoned did not loiter, but dashed up at full speed,
glad to enhance the authority of Cyrus and to show their
own allegiance. But there was a certain Daipharnes, a
person of somewhat boorish manners, who fancied that
he would make a show of greater independence if he did
not hurry himself. 22. Cyrus noted this, and quietly,
before the man could reach him, sent another messenger
to say he had no further need of him; and that was the
last time Daipharnes was ever summoned. 23. And when
the next officer rode up, in front of Daipharnes though
sent for after him, Cyrus presented him with a horse
from his train and bade one of the mace-bearers lead it
wherever he wished. The people saw in this a high mark
of honour; and a greater crowd than ever paid their court
to the favoured man.

24. When the procession reached the sacred precincts,
sacrifice was offered to Zeus, a whole burnt-offering of
bulls, and a whole burnt-offering of horses to the Sun; and
then they sacrificed to the Earth, slaying the victims as
the Persian priests prescribed, and then to the heroes who
hold the Syrian land. 25. And when the rites were done,
Cyrus, seeing that the ground was suitable for racing,
marked out a goal, and a course half-a-mile in length, and
bade the cavalrj^ and the chariots match their horses
against each other, tribe by tribe. He himself raced
among his Persians, and won with ease, for he was far the
best horseman there. The winner among the IMedes was
Artabazus, the horse he rode being a gift from Cyrus.
The S>Tian race was won by their chieftain, the Armenian

Book VIII. Persian and Sakian 271

by Tigranes^ the HjTcanian by the general's son, and the C.
Sakian by a pri\'ate soldier who left all his rivals half the
course behind him.

26. C)Tnas, so the story says, asked the young man if
he would take a kingdom for his horse.

" No kingdom for me," answered the soldier, " but I
would take the thanks of a gallant fellow."

27. " Well," said C}tus, " I would like to show you
where you could hardly fail to hit one, even if you shut
your eyes."

"Be so good as to show me now," said the Sakian,
" and I will take aim with this clod," picking up one from
the ground.

28. Then Cyrus pointed to a group of his best friends,
and the other shut his eyes and flung the clod, and it
struck Pheraulas as he galloped by, bearing some message
from Cyrus. But he never so much as turned, flashing
past on his errand. 29. Then the Sakian opened his eyes
and asked whom he had hit.?

" Nobody, I assure you," said Cyrus, " who is here."

" And nobody who is not, of course," said the young
man.

" Oh yes, you did," answered C>tus, " you hit that
officer over there who is riding so swiftly past the chariot-
lines."

30. " And how is it," asked the other, " that he does
not even turn his head? "

" Half-witted, probably," said C}tus.

^Vhereat the young man rode off to see who it was,
and found Pheraulas, with his chin and beard all begrimed
and bloody, gore trickling from his nostrils where the clod
had struck him. 31. The Sakian cried out to know if he
was hit.

" As you see," answered Pheraulas.

" Then," said the other, " let me give you my horse."

" But why? " asked Pheraulas.

And so the Sakian had to tell him all about the matter,
adding, " And after all, you see, I did not miss a gallant
fellow."

272 The Education of Cyrus

C. 3 32, " Ah/' said Pheraulas, " if you had been wise, you
would have chosen a richer one; but I take your gift with
all my thanks. And I pray the gods/' he added, " who
let me be your target, to help me now and see that you
may never regret your gift. For the present, mount my
horse yourself and ride back: I will be with you
shortly."

So they exchanged steeds and parted.

The winner of the Cadousian race was Rathines.

^^. Then followed chariot-races, tribe by tribe as before:
and to all the winners Cyrus gave goblets of price, and
oxen, that they might have the wherewithal for sacrifice
and feasting. He himself took an ox for his own meed,
but he gave all his goblets to Pheraulas to show his
approval of the arrangements for the march. 34. And
the manner of that procession, then first established by
Cyrus, continues to this day, the same in all things, save
that the victims are absent when there is no sacrifice.
And when it was over, the soldiers went back to the city,
and took up their quarters for the night, some in houses
and some with their regiments.

35. Now Pheraulas had invited the Sakian who had
given him the horse, and he entertained him with the best
he had, and set before him a full board, and after they had
dined he filled the goblets Cyrus had given him, and drank to
his guest and offered them all to him. 36. And the Sakian
looked round on the rich and costly rugs, and the beautiful
furniture, and the train of servants, and cried:

" Tell me, Pheraulas, do you belong to wealthy folk at
home? "

37. "Wealthy folk indeed!" cried Pheraulas, "men
who live by their hands, you mean. My father, I can
tell you, had work enough to rear me and get me a boy's
schooling; he had to toil hard and live sparely, and when
I grew to be a lad he could not afford to keep me idle, he
took me to a farm in the country and set me there to work
it. 38. Then it was my turn, and I supported him while
he lived, digging with my own hands and sowing the seed
in a ridiculous little plot of ground, and yet it was not a

Book VIII. Persian and Sakian 273

bad bit of soil either, but as good and as honest earth as C.
ever you saw : whatever seed it got from me^ it paid me
back again, and so prettily and carefully and duly, prin-
cipal and interest both; not that the interest was very
much, I won't say it was, though once or twice, out of pure
generosity, that land gave me twice as much as I put into
it. That's how I used to live at home, in the old days:
to-day it's different, and all that you see here I owe to
Cyrus."

39. Then the Sakian cried:

" O lucky fellow ! Lucky in everything, and most of
all in coming to wealth from beggary ! I know your riches
must taste the sweeter, because you hungered for them
first and now are full."

40. But Pheraulas answered:

" Do you really think, my friend, that my joy in life has
grown with the growth of my wealth ? Do you not know,' '
he went on, " that I neither eat nor drink nor sleep with
any more zest than I did when I was poor? What I get
by all these goods is simply this: I have more to watch
over, more to distribute, and more trouble in looking after
more. 41. I have a host of servants now, one set asking
me for food, another for drink, another for clothing, and
some must have the doctor, and then a herdsman comes,
carrying the carcase of some poor sheep mangled by the
wolves, or perhaps with an ox that has fallen down a
precipice, or maybe he has to tell me that a murrain has
broken out among my flocks. It seems to me," Pheraulas
ended, " that I suffer more to-day through having much
than ever I did before through having nothing."

42. "But — Heaven help us!" cried the Sakian,
" surely, when it is all safe, to see so much of your own
must make you much happier than me? "

" I assure you, my friend," said Pheraulas, " the
possession of riches is nothing like so sweet as the loss of
them is painful. And here is a proof for you: no rich
man lies awake from pure joy at his wealth, but did you
ever know a man who could close his eyes when he was
losing? "

s

274 '^^^ Education of Cyrus

C. 3 43. " No/' said the Sakian, " nor yet one who could
drop asleep when he was winning."

44. " True enough/' answered the other, " and if having
were as sweet as getting, the rich would be a thousand
times more happy than the poor. And remember,
stranger," he added, " a man who has much must spend
much on the gods and his friends and his guests, and if he
takes intense delight in his riches, spending will cause^him
intense annoyance."

45. " Upon my word," said the Sakian, " for myself, I
am not that sort of man at all: to have much and to
spend much is just my idea of perfect happiness."

46. " Heavens! " cried Pheraulas, " what a chance for
us both ! You can win perfect happiness now, this instant,
and make me happy too ! Here, take all these things for
your own, make what use of them you please ; and as for
me, you can keep me as your guest, only much more
cheaply if you like: it will be quite enough for me to
share whatever you have yourself."

" You are jesting," said the Sakian.

47. But Pheraulas swore with all solemnity that he
spoke in earnest.

" Yes, my friend," he added, " and there are other
matters that I can arrange for you with Cyrus: freedom
from military service or attendance at the gates. All you
will have to do will to be stay at home and grow rich: I
will do the rest on your behalf and mine. And if I win
any treasure through my service at court or on the field,
I will bring it home to you, and you will be lord of more;
only," he added, " you must free me from the responsi-
bility of looking after it, for if you give me leisure from
these cares I belie\'e you will be of great use to C}tus
and myself."

48. So the talk ended and they struck a bargain on
these terms, and kept it. And the Sakian thought he
had found happiness because he was the master of much
wealth, and the other felt he was in bliss because he had
got a steward who would leave him leisure to do what he
liked best. 49. For the character of Pheraulas was

Book VIII. Cyrus the Host 275

amiable: he was a loving comrade, and no service seemed C. 3
so sweet to him or so helpful as the service of man. Man,
he believed, was the noblest of the animals and the most
grateful: praise, Pheraulas saw, will reap counter-praise,
kindness will stir kindness in return, and goodwill good-
will; those whom men know to love them they cannot hate,
and, in a way no other animals will, they cherish their
parents in life and in death and requite their care. All
other creatures, in short, compared with man, are lacking
in gratitude and heart.

50. Thus Pheraulas was overjoyed to feel that he could
now be quit of anxiety for his wealth, and devote himself
to his friends, while the Sakian was delighted with all that
he had and all that he could use. The Sakian loved
Pheraulas because he was for ever adding something to
the store, and Pheraulas loved the Sakian because he was
willing to assume the entire burden, and however much the
cares increased he never broke into the other's leisure.
Thus those two lived their lives.

Now Cyrus offered sacrifice and held high festival for his C. 4
victories, and he summoned to the feast those of his friends
who bore him most affection and had shown most desire to
exalt him. With them were bidden Artabazus the Mede,
and Tigranes the Armenian, and the commander of the
Hyrcanian cavalry, and Gobryas. 2. Gadatas was the
chief of the mace-bearers, and the whole household was
arranged as he advised. When there were guests at dinner,
Gadatas would not sit down, but saw to everything, and
when they were alone he sat at meat with Cyrus, who took
delight in his company, and in return for all his services
he was greatly honoured by C\tus and that led to more
honours from others. 3. As the guests entered, Gadatas
would show each man to his seat, and the places were
chosen with care : the friend whom Cyrus honoured most
was placed on his left hand (for that was the side most
open to attack), the second on his right, the third next to
the left-hand guest, and the fourth next to the right, and
so on, whatever the number of the guests might be. 4. Cyrus
thought it well it should be known how much each man

2/6 The Education of Cyrus

4' was honoured, for he saw that where the world believes
merit will win no crown and receive no proclamation,
there the spirit of emulation dies, but if all see that the
best man gains most, then the rivalry grows keen. 5. Thus
it was that Cyrus marked out the men he favoured by the
seat of honour and the order of precedence. Nor did he
assign the honourable place to one friend for all time ; he
made it a law that by good deeds a man might rise into a
higher seat or through sloth descend into a lower; and he
would have felt ashamed if it were not known that the
guest most honoured at his table received most favours at
his hands. These customs that arose in the reign of C>tus
continue to our time, as we can testify.

6. While they were at the feast that day it struck
Gobr}^as that though there was nothing surprising in the
abundance and variety at the table of one who was lord
over so vast an empire, yet it was strange that C}tus, who
has done such mighty deeds, should never keep any dainty
for himself, but must always be at the pains to share it with
the company. More than once also he saw C}'Tus send
off to an absent friend some dish that had chanced to
please him. 7. So that by the time they had finished
their meal all the viands had been given away by Cyrus,
and the board was bare.

Then Gobryas said, " Truly, C>tus, until to-day I used
to think it was in generalship that you outshone other
men the most, but, by heaven! I say now it is not in
generalship at all, it is in generosity."

8. " Maybe," said Cyrus, " at least I take far more
pride in this work than in the other."

" How can that be? " asked Gobr}^as.
" Because," said he, " the one does good to man and
the other injury."

9. Presently as the wine went round and round, Hystas-
pas turned to Cyrus and said :

" Would you be angry, Cjtus, if I asked you something
I long to know? "

" On the contrary," answered C}tus, " I should be
vexed if I saw you silent when you longed to ask."

Book VIII. Cyrus the Host 277

" Tell me then/' said the other, " have you ever called C. 4
me and found I refused to come? "

" What a question ! " said Cyrus, " of course not."

" Well, have I ever been slow in coming? "

" No, never."

" Or failed to do anything you ordered? "

" No," said Cyrus, " I have no fault to find at all."

" Whatever I had to do, I always did it eagerly and with
all my heart, did I not? "

" Most assuredly," answered Cyrus.

10. " Then why, Cyrus, why, in heaven's name, have
you singled out Chrysantas for a more honourable seat
than me? "

" Shall I really tell you? " asked Cyrus in his turn.
" By all means," said the other.

" And you will not be annoyed if I tell you the plain
truth? "

11. "On the contrary, it will comfort me to know I
have not been wronged."

" Well, then, Chrysantas never waited to be called; he
came of his own accord on our behalf, and he made it his
business to do, not merely what he was ordered, but what-
ever he thought would help us. When something had to
be said to the allies, he would not only suggest what was
fitting for me to say myself, he would guess what I wanted
the aUies to know but could not bring myself to utter, since
it was about myself, and he would say it for me as though
it were his own opinion ; in fact, for everything of the kind
he was nothing less to me than a second and a better self.
And now he is always insisting that what he has already
got is quite enough for himself, and always trj^ing to dis-
cover something more for me: he takes a greater pride
and joy in all my triumphs than I do myself."

12. "By Hera,' ' said Hystaspas, ' ' I am right glad I asked
3'ou. Only one thing puzzles me: how am I to show my
joy at your success ? Shall I clap my hands and laugh, or
what shall I do? "

" Dance the Persian dance, of course," said Artabazus.
And all the company laughed.

278 The Education of Cyrus

13. And as the drinking deepened Cyrus put a question
to Gobryas :

" Tell me, Gobryas, would you be better pleased to give
your daughter to one of our company to-day than the day
when you met us first? "

" Well," said Gobryas, " am I also to tell the truth? "
" Certainly," said Cyrus, " no question looks for a lie."
" Then," said Gobryas, " I assure you, I would far
rather give her in marriage to-day."
" Can you tell us why? " said C>tus.
" That I can," said he.

14. " Say on, then."

" At that time, I saw, it is true, the gallant manner in
which your men endured toil and danger, but to-day I see
the modesty with which they bear success. And I believe,
Cyrus, that the man who takes good-fortune well is further
to seek than he who can endure adversity; for success
engenders insolence in many hearts, while suffering teaches
sobriety and fortitude."

15. And Cyrus said, " Hystaspas, did you hear the saying
of Gobryas? "

" I did indeed," he answered, " and if he has many
more as good, he will find me a suitor for his daughter, a
far more eager one than if he had shown me all his goblets."

16. " Well," said Gobryas, " I have many such written
down at home, and you may have them all if you take my
daughter to wife. And as for the goblets," he added,
" since it seems you cannot away with them, perhaps I
might give them to Chrysantas to punish him for having
filched your seat."

17. " Listen to me," said Cyrus, " Hystaspas, and all of
you. If you will but tell me, any of you, when you pro-
pose to marry, you would soon discover what a clever
advocate you had in me."

18. But Gobryas interposed, " And if one of us wants to
give his daughter in marriage, to whom should he apply ? "

" To me also," answered Cyrus; " I assure you, I am
an adept in the art."

" What art is that? " Chrysantas inquired.

Book VIII. Cyrus the Host 279

^19. " The art of discerning the wife to suit each man." C. 4
" Then by all the gods/' said Chrysantas^ " tell me
what sort of wife would do for me? "

20. " In the first place," he answered, " she must be
short, for you are not tall yourself, and if you married a tall
maiden and wanted to give her a kiss when she stood up
straight, you would have to jump to reach her like a little
aog.

"Your advice is straight enough," said Chrysantas;
" and I am but a sorry jumper at the best."

21. " In the next place," Cyrus went on, " a flat nose
would suit you very well."

" A flat nose? " said the other, " why? "

" Because your own is high enough, and flatness, you
may be sure, will go best with height."

" You might as well say," retorted Chrysantas, " that
one who has dined well, like myself, is best matched with
the dinnerless."

" Quite so," answered Cyrus, " a full stomach is high
and an empty paunch is flat."

22. " And now," said Chrysantas, " in heaven's name,
tell us the bride for a flat king? "

But at this Cyrus laughed outright, and all the others
with him. 23. And the laughter still rang loud when
Hystaspas said:

" There is one thing, Cyrus, that I envy in your royal
state more than all the rest."

" And what is that? " said Cyrus.

" That though you are flat, you can raise a laugh."

" Ah," said Cyrus, " what would you give to have as
much said of you ? To have it reported on all sides and
wherever you wished to stand well that vou were a man
of wit? "

Thus they bantered each other and gave jest for
jest.

24. Then Cyrus brought out a woman's attire and
ornaments of price and gave them to Tigranes as a present
for his wife, because she had followed her husband so man-
fully to the war, and he gave a golden goblet to Artabazus,

28o The Education of Cyrus

C. 4 and a horse to the H\Tcanian leader, and many another
splendid gift among the company.

" And to you, Gobryas," said he, " I will give a husband
for your daughter."

25. " Let me be the gift," said Hystaspas, " and then
I shall get those writings."

" But have you a fortune on your side," asked Cyrus,
" to match the bride's? "

" Certainly, I have," he answered, " I may say twenty
times as great."

" And where," asked Cyrus, " may those treasures be ? "

" At the foot of your throne," he answered, " my
gracious lord."

" I ask no more," said Gobryas, and held out his right
hand. "Give him to me, Cyrus," he said; "I accept him."

26. At that Cyrus took the right hand of Hystaspas
and laid it in the hand of Gobryas, and the pledge was
given and received. Then Cyrus gave beautiful gifts to
Hystaspas for his bride, but he drew Chrysantas to his
breast and kissed him. 27. Thereupon Artabazus cried:

" Heaven help us, Cyrus ! The goblet you gave me is
not of the fine gold you have given Chrysantas now! "

" Well," said Cyrus, " you shall have the same one day."

" When? " asked the other.

" Thirty years hence," said Cyrus.

"I will wait," said Artabazus: "I will not die: be
ready for me."

And then the banquet came to an end : the guests rose,
and Cyrus stood up with them and conducted them to the
door.

28. But on the morrow he arranged that all the allies
and all who had volunteered should be sent back to their
homes, all except those who wished to take up their abode
with him. To these he gave grants of land and houses,
still held by their descendants, Medes for the greater part,
and Hyrcanians. And to those who went home he gave
many gifts and sent them away well content, both officers
and men. 29. After this he distributed among his own
soldiers all the wealth he had taken at Sardis, choice gifts

Book VIII. Cyrus the Host 281

for the captains of ten thousand and for his own staff in C.
proportion to their deserts^ and the rest in equal shares,
delivering to every captain one share with orders to divide
it among their subordinates as he had divided the whole
among them. 30. Thereupon each officer gave to the
officers directly under him, judging the worth of each, until
it came to the captains of six, who considered the cases of
the privates in their own squads, and gave each man what
he deserved : and thus every soldier in the army received
an equitable share. 31. But after the distribution of it all
there were some who said :

" How rich Cyrus must be, to have given us all so much ! "

"Rich? " cried others, "what do you mean? C\tus is
no money-maker: he is more glad to give than to get."

32. When Cyrus heard of this talk and the opinions
held about him, he gathered together his friends and the
chief men of the state and spoke as follows :

" Gentlemen and friends of mine, I have known men who
were anxious to have it thought they possessed more than
they really had, thinking this would give them an air of
freedom and nobility. But in my opinion the result was
the very opposite of what they wished. If it is thought
that a man has great riches and does not help his friends
in proportion to his wealth, he cannot but appear ignoble
and niggardly. ^^. There are others," he went on, " who
would have their wealth forgotten, and these I look upon
as traitors to their friends : for it must often happen that
a comrade is in need and yet hesitates to tell them because
he does not know how much they have, and so he is kept
in the dark and left to starve. 34. The straightforward
course, it seems to me, is always to make no secret of our
own resources, but to use them all, whatever they are, in
our efforts to win the crown of honour. Accordingly I
am anxious to show you all my possessions so far as they
can be seen, and to give you a list of the rest."

35. With these words he proceeded to point out his
visible treasures, and he gave an exact account of those
that could not well be shown. He ended by saying:

36. " All these things, gentlemen, you must consider

282 The Education of Cyrus

yours as much as mine. I have collected them^ not that I
might spend them on myself or waste them in my own
use : I could not do that if I tried. I keep them to reward
him who does a noble deed, and to help any of you who
may be in want of anything, so that you may come to me
and take what you require."

Such were the words of Cyrus.

But now that all was well in Babylon and Cyrus felt he
might leave the land, he began to prepare for a march to
Persia, and sent out orders to his men. And when he had
all he needed, the steeds were yoked and he set off.
2. And here we will explain how it was that so vast a host
could unpack and pack again without a break of order,
and take up a position with such speed wherever it was
desired. When the king is on the march his attendants,
of course, are provided with tents and encamp with him^
winter and summer alike. 3. From the first Cyrus made
it a custom to have his tent pitched facing east, and later
on he fixed the space to be left between himself and his
lancers, and then he stationed his bakers on the right and
his cooks on the left, the cavalry on the right again, and the
baggage-train on the left. Everything else was so ar-
ranged that each man knew his own quarters, their posi-
tion and their size. 4. When the army was packing up
after a halt, each man put together the baggage he used
himself, and others placed it on the animals: so that at
one and the same moment all the bearers came to the bag-
gage-train and each man laid his load on his own beasts.
Thus all the tents could be struck in the same time as one.
5. And it was the same when the baggage had to be un-
packed. Again, in order that the necessaries should be
prepared in time, each man was told beforehand what he
had to do: and thus all the divisions could be provided
for as speedily as one. 6. And, just as the serving-men
had their appointed places, so the different regiments had
their own stations, adapted to their special style of fighting,
and each detachment knew their quarters and went to
them without hesitation. 7. Even in a private house,
orderliness, Cyrus knew, was a most excellent thing:

Book VIII. The Visit to Persia 283

every one, if he needed anything, would then know where C.
to get it; but he held it still more desirable for the arrange-
ment of an army, seeing that the moment for action
passes far more quickly in war and the evil from being too
late is far more grave. Therefore he gave more thought
and care to order and arrangement than to anything else.
8. His own position, to begin with, must be at the centre
of the camp, as this was the safest place, and next to him
must come his most faithful followers, as their habit was.
Beyond these, in a ring, lay the cavalry and the charioteers.
9. For Cyrus held to it that these troops also needed a
safe position : their equipment could not be kept at hand
for them, and if they were to be of any use at all they
needed considerable time for arming. 10. The targeteers
were placed to left and right of the cavalry, and the
bowmen in front and rear. 11. Finally, the heavy-
armed troops and those who carried the huge shields
surrounded the whole encampment like a wall; so
that in case of need, if the cavalry had to mount, the
steadiest troops would stand firm in front and let them
arm in safety. 12. He insisted that the targeteers and
archers should, like the soldiers of the line, sleep at their
posts, in case of alarm at night, and be ready at any
moment, while the infantry dealt with the assailant at
close quarters, to hurl darts and javelins at them over
the others' heads. 13. Moreover, all the generals had
standards on their tents ; and just as an intelligent serving-
man in a city will know most of the houses, at any rate of
the most important people, so the squires of Cyrus knew the
ways of the camp and the quarters of the generals and the
standards of each. Thus, if Cyrus needed any one they
had not to search and seek, but could run by the shortest
road and summon him at once. 14. Owing to this clear
arrangement, it was easy to see where good discipline was
kept and where duty was neglected. With these disposi-
tions Cyrus felt that if an attack should be made, by night
or day, the enemy would find not so much a camp as an
ambuscade. 15. Nor was it enough, he considered, for a
real master of tactics to know how to extend his front

284 The Education of Cyrus

C. 5 without confusion, or deepen his ranks, or get from column
into Une, or wheel round quickly when the enem)' appeared
on the right or the left or in the rear: the true tactician
must also be able to break up his troops into small bodies,
whenever necessary, and place each division exactly
where it would be of the greatest use; he must know how
to quicken speed when it was essential to forestall the
enemy; these and a hundred other operations are part
of his science, and Cyrus studied them all with equal care.
16. On the march he varied the order constantly to suit
the needs of the moment, but for the camp, as a rule, he
adopted the plan we have described.

17. And now when the march had brought them into
Media, C\tus turned aside to visit Cyaxares. After they
had met and embraced, Cyrus began by telling Cyaxares
that a palace in Babylon, and an estate, had been set aside
for him so that he might have a residence of his own when-
ever he came there, and then he offered him other gifts,
most rich and beautiful. 18. And C)'axares was glad to
take them from his nephew, and then he sent for his daugh-
ter, and she came, carrying a golden crown, and bracelets,
and a necklace of wrought gold, and a most beautiful
Median robe, as splendid as could be. 19. The maiden
placed the crown upon the head of C>tus, and as she did so
Cyaxares said :

" I will give her to you, Cyrus, my own daughter, to be
your wife. Your father wedded the daughter of my
father, and you are their son; and this is the little maid
whom you carried in your arms when you were with us as
a lad, and whenever she was asked whom she meant to
marr}^, she would always answer ' Cyrus.' And for her
dowry I will give her the whole of Media : since I have no
lawful son."

20. So he spoke, and Cyrus answered:

" Cyaxares, I can but thank you myself for all you offer
me, the kinship and the maiden and the gifts, but I must
lay the matter before my father and my mother before I
accept, and then we will thank you together."

That was what Cyrus said, but none the less he gave the

Book VIII. The Visit to Persia 285

maiden the gifts he thought would please her father. And C. 5
when he had done so, he marched on home to Persia.

21. And when he reached the borders of his fatherland,
he left the mass of his troops on the frontier, and went
forward alone with his friends to the city, leading victims
enough for all the Persians to sacrifice and hold high festi-
val. And he brought special gifts for his father and his
mother and his friends of old, and for the high officers of
state, the elders, and all the Persian Peers; and he gave
every Persian man and every Persian woman such boun-
ties as the king confers to-day whenever he visits Persia.
22. After this Cambyses gathered together the elders of
the land and the chief officers, who have authority in the
highest matters, and spoke as follows :

' ' Men of Persia, and Cyrus, my son, both of you are
dear to me and must needs be dear; I am the king of my
people and the father of my son ; therefore I am bound to
lay before you openly all that I believe to be for the good
of both. 23. In the past the nation has done great things
for Cyrus by giving him an army and appointing him the
leader, and Cyrus, God helping him, has made my Persians
famous in all the world by his leadership, and crowned
you with glory in Asia. Of those who served with him
he has made the bravest wealthy for life, and given sus-
tenance and full pay to numbers. By founding the cavalry
he has won the plains for Persia. 24. If your hearts are
still the same in future, all of you will bless each other: but
if you, my son, should be puffed up by your present for-
tune and attempt to rule the Persians for your own advan-
tage as you rule the rest of the world, or if you, my people,
should envy this man's power and try to drive him from
his throne, I tell you, you will cut each other ofi from many
precious things. 25. Therefore, that this should never
be, and only good be yours, I counsel you to offer sacrifice
together, and call the gods to witness and make a cove-
nant. You, Cyrus, shall vow to resist with all your
strength any man who attacks our land of Persia or tries
to overthrow our laws; and you, my people, must promise
that if rebels attempt to depose Cyrus or if his subjects

286 The Education of Cyrus

C. 5 revolt, you will render aid to him and to yourselves in
whatever way he wishes. 26. Now, so long as I live, the
kingdom of Persia is and continues mine, but when I die
it passes to C}TTas if he is still alive, and whenever he
visits Persia it should be a holy custom for him to offer
sacrifice on your behalf, even as I do now ; and when he is
abroad, it will be well for you, I think, if the member of
our family whom you count the noblest fulfils the sacred
rites."

27. Cambyses ended, and Cyrus and the officers of
Persia agreed to all he said. They made the covenant
and called the gods to witness, and to this day they keep it
still, the Persians and the Great Kling. And when it was
done, Cyrus took his leave and came back to Media.
28. There, with the full consent of his father and his mother,
he wedded the daughter of Cyaxares, the fame of whose
beauty has lasted to this day. And after the marriage
his steeds were yoked and they set out for Babylon.

C. 6 When he was in Babylon once more, he thought it
would be well to appoint satraps and set them over the
conquered tribes. Yet he did not wish the commandants
in the citadels and the captains in charge of the garrisons
throughout the country to be under any authority but his
own. Herein he showed his foresight, realising that if
any satrap became insolent and rebellious, relying on his
own wealth and the numbers at his back, he would at once
find a power to oppose him within his own district. 2. In
order to carry out this plan, Cyrus resolved to summon
a council of the leading men and explain the terms on
which the satraps who went would go. In this way, he
thought, they would not feel aggrieved, whereas, if a man
found himself appointed and then learnt the restrictions
for the first time, he might well take it iU, fancying it a
sign of personal mistrust. 3. So it was that Cyrus called
a council and spoke as follows:

" Gentlemen and friends of mine, you are aware that we
have garrisons and commandants in the cities we con-
quered, stationed there at the time. I left them with
orders simply to guard the fortifications and not meddle

Book VIII. Cyrus in Babylon 287

with anything else. Now I do not wish to remove them ^' "
from their commands, for they have done their duty
nobly, but I propose to send others, satraps, who will
govern the inhabitants, receive the tribute, give the
garrisons their pay, and discharge all necessary dues.
4. Further, I think it right that certain of you who live
here and yet on whom I may lay the task of travelling to
these nations and working for me among them, should
possess houses there and estates, where tribute may be
brought them, and where they may find a place of their
own to lodge in."

5. With these words he assigned houses and districts
to many of his friends among the lands he had subdued:
and to this day their descendants possess the estates,
although they reside at court themselves. 6. " Now,"
he added, " we must choose for the satraps who are to go
abroad persons who will not forget to send us anything of
value in their districts, so that we who are at home may
share in all the wealth of the world. For if any danger
comes, it is we who must ward it off."

7. With that he ended for the time, but later on when
he came to know what friends of his were ready and
willing to go on the terms prescribed, he selected those he
thought best qualified for the work, and sent Magabazus
to Arabia, Artabatas to Cappadocia, Artacamas to
Greater Phrygia, Chrysantas to Lydia and Susia,
Adousius, whom the Carians had asked for themselves,
to Caria, and Pharnouchus to Aeolia and Phrygia by the
Hellespont.

8. But to Cilicia, Cyprus, and Paphlagonia, Cyrus sent
no satraps, because they had shown their willingness to
march against Babylon; tribute, however, was imposed on
them as on the others. 9. In accordance with the rules
then laid down by Cyrus, the citadel garrisons and the
captains-of-the-guard are to this day appointed directly
by the king, and have their names on the royal list.
10. All satraps whom C>tus sent out were ordered to do as
they saw him doing: each was to raise a body of cavalry
and a chariot-force from the Persians and the allies who

288 The Education of Cyrus

went out with him; and all who received grants of land
and official residences were to present themselves at the
palace-gates, study temperance and self-control, and hold
themselves in readiness for the service of their satrap.
Their boys were to be educated at the gates, as with Cyrus,
and the satrap was to lead his nobles out to hunt, and
train himself and his followers in the art of war.
II. "Whichever of you," Cyrus added, "can show the
greatest number of chariots in proportion to his power, and
the largest and finest body of cavalry, I will honour him
as my best ally and most faithful fellow-guardian of the
Persian empire. Let the best men always have the pre-
ference at your courts as they have at mine, give them
seats of honour as I do, and let your table be spread, as
mine is, not only for your own household, but for your
friends also, and for the honour of him who may accom-
plish any noble deed. 12. You must lay out parks and
breed game, and never touch food until you have toiled
for it, nor give your horses fodder until they have been
exercised. I am but a single man, with only human
strength and only human virtue, and I could not by myself
preserve the good things that are yours: I must have
good comrades to help me in goodness, and only thus can
I be your defender; and you likewise, if you are to help
me, must be good yourselves and have good men at your
side. 13. Remember that I have not spoken unto you as
unto slaves: what I say you ought to do I strive to do
myself. And even as I bid you follow me, so I would have
you teach those in authority under you to follow you."

14. Such were the principles then laid down by Cyrus,
and to this day all the royal garrisons are appointed in
the same manner, the gates of all the governors are
thronged in the same way, the houses, great and small,
are managed in the same fashion, everywhere the most
distinguished guests are given seats of honour, every
province is visited on the same system, and everywhere
the threads of numberless affairs are gathered into the
hands of a few superiors. 15. Having given these in-
structions, Cyrus assigned a body of troops to each of his

Book VIII. Cyrus in Babylon 289

satraps, and sent them out to their provinces, bidding C. 6
them to be ready for a campaign in the new year and for
a review of their soldiers, their weapons, their horses, and
their chariots. 16. And here I may notice another
custom, also instituted by Cyrus, it is said, and still in
force to-day : every year a progress of inspection is made
by an officer at the head of an army, to help any satrap
who may require aid, or bring the insolent to their senses;
and, if there has been negligence in the delivery of tribute,
or the protection of the inhabitants, or the cultivation of
the soil, or indeed any omission of duty whatsoever, the
officer is there to put the matter right, or if he cannot do
so himself, to report it to the king, who decides what is
to be done about the offender. The announcements so
often made, such as " the king's son is coming down," or
" the king's brother," or " the king's eye," refer to these
inspectors, but sometimes no one appears, for at any
moment the officer may be turned back at the king's
command. 17. We hear of another arrangement, devised
to meet the huge size of the empire and enable the king
to learn with great celerity the state of affairs at any
distance. Cyrus first ascertained how far a horse could
travel in one day without being over-ridden, and then he
had a series of posting-stations built, one day's ride apart,
with relays of horses, and grooms to take care of them, and
a proper man in charge of each station to receive the
despatches and hand them on, take over the jaded horses
and men, and furnish fresh ones. 18. Sometimes, we
are told, this post does not even halt at night : the night-
messenger relieves the day-messenger and rides on.
Some say that, when this is done, the post travels more
quickly than the crane can fly, and, whether that is true
or not, there is no doubt it is the quickest way in which
a human being can travel on land. To learn of events
so rapidly and be able to deal with them at once is of
course a great advantage.

19. After a year had passed, Cyrus collected all his
troops at Babylon, amounting, it is said, to one hundred
and twenty thousand horse, two thousand scythe-bearing

290 The Education of Cyrus

C. 6 chariots, and six hundred thousand foot. 20. Then,
seeing that all was got together, he set out for that com-
paign of his, on which, the story says, he subdued the
nations from the borders of Syria as far as the Red Sea.
After that there followed, we are told, the expedition
against Egypt and its conquest. 21. From that time
forward his empire was bounded on the east by the Red Sea,
on the north by the Euxine, on the west by Cyprus and
Eg^-pt, and towards the south by Ethiopia. Of these
outlying districts, some were scarcely habitable, owing to
heat or cold, drought or excessive rain. 22. But Cyrus
himself always lived at the centre of his dominions, seven
months in Babylon during the winter season, where the
land is warm and sunny, three months at Susa in the
spring, and during the height of summer in Ecbatana, so
that for him it was springtime all the year. 23. Towards
him the disposition of all men was such that ever}^ nation
felt they had failed unless they could send Cyrus the
treasures of their land, plants, or animals, or works of
art. And every city felt the same, and every private
person counted himself on the road to riches if he could
do C5TUS some special service, for Cyrus took only such
things as they had in abundance, and gave them in return
what he saw they lacked.

Ci 7 Thus the years passed on, and Cyrus was now in a ripe
old age, and he journeyed to Persia for the seventh time
in his reign. His father and mother were long since dead
in the course of nature, and Cyrus offered sacrifice accord-
ing to the law, and led the sacred dance for his Persians
after the manner of his forefathers, and gave gifts to every
man according to his wont.

2. But one night, as he lay asleep in the royal palace, he
dreamt a dream. It seemed to him that some one met him,
greater than a man, and said to him, " Set your house in
order, Cyrus: the time has come, and you are going to
the gods."

With that Cyrus awoke out of sleep, and he all but
seemed to know that the end of his life was at hand.
3. Straightway he took victims and offered sacrifice to

Book VIII. The Death of Cyrus 291

Zeus, the god of his fathers, and to the Sun, and all the C. 7
other gods, on the high places where the Persians sacrifice,
and then he made this prayer:

" Zeus, god of my fathers, and thou, 0 Sun, and all ye
gods, accept this sacrifice, my offering for many a noble
enterprise, and suffer me to thank you for the grace ye
have shown me, telling me all my life, by victims and by
signs from heaven, by birds and by the voices of men,
what things I ought to do and what I ought to refrain from
doing. Deep is my thankfulness that I was able to
recognise your care, and never lifted up my heart too high
even in my prosperity. I beseech you now to bless my
children also, and my wife, and my friends, and my
fatherland ; and for myself, may my death be as my life
has been."

4. Then Cyrus went home again and lay down on his
bed, for he longed to rest. And when the hour was come,
his attendants came to him and bade him take his bath.
But he said he would rather rest. And others came
afterwards, at the usual time, to set the meal before him ;
but he could not bring himself to take food : he seemed
only to thirst, and drank readily. 5. It was the same
the second day, and the third, and then he called his sons
to his side — it chanced they had followed him to Persia —
and he summoned his friends also and the chief magistrates
of the land, and when they were all met, he began:

6. " My sons, and friends of mine, the end of my life
is at hand: I know it by many signs. And when I am
dead, you must show by word and deed that you think
of me as happy. When I was a child, I had all the joys
and triumphs of a child, and I reaped the treasures of
youth as I grew up, and all the glories of a man when I
came to man'e estate. And as the years passed, I seemed
to find my powers grow with them, so that I never felt
my old age weaker than my youth, nor can I think
of anything I attempted or desired wherein I failed. 7.
Moreover, I have seen my friends made happy by my
means, and my enemies crushed beneath my hand. This
my fatherland, which was once of no account in Asia, I

T 2

292 The Education of Cyrus

C. 7 leave at the height of power, and of all that I won I think
I have lost nothing. Throughout my whole life I have
fared as I prayed to fare, and the dread that was ever with
me lest in days to come I might see or hear or suffer evil,
this dread would never let me think too highly of myself,
or rejoice as a fool rejoices. 8. And if I die now, I leave
my sons behind me, the sons the gods have given me;
and I leave my fatherland in happiness, and my friends.
Surely I may hope that men will count me blessed and
cherish my memor}'. 9. And now I must leave instruc-
tions about my kingdom, that there may be no dispute
among you after my death. Sons of mine, I love you
both alike, but I choose the elder-bom, the one whose
experience of life is the greater, to be the leader in council
and the guide in action. 10. Thus was I trained myself,
in the fatherland that is yours and mine, to yield to my
elders, my brothers or my fellow-citizens, in the street, or
in the place of meeting, or in the assembly for debate.
And thus have I trained both of you, to honour your
elders and be honoured by those who are younger than
yourselves. These are the principles that I leave with
you, sanctioned by time, ingrained in our customs,
embodied in our laws. 11. The sovereignty is yours,
Cambyses; the gods have given it to you, and I also, as
far as in me lies; and to you, Tanaoxares, I give the
satrapy over the Medes and the Armenians and the
Cadousians, these three; and though I leave your elder
brother a larger empire and the name of king, your
inheritance will bring you, I believe, more perfect happi-
ness than his. 12. I ask myself what human joy will be
lacking to you: all things which gladden the hearts of
men will be yours — but the craving for what is out of reach,
the load of cares, the restless passion to rival my achieve-
ments, the plots and counterplots, they will follow him
who wears the crown, and they are things, be well assured,
that leave little leisure for happiness. 13. And you,
Cambyses, you know of yourself, without words from me,
that your kingdom is not guarded by this golden sceptre,
but by faithful friends; their loyalty is your true staff, a

Book VIII. The Death of Cyrus 293

sceptre which shall not fail. But never think that loyal C 7
hearts grow up by nature as the grass grows in the field ;
if that were so, the same men would be loyal to all alike,
even as all natural objects are the same to all mankind.
No, ever}'^ leader must win his own followers for himself,
and the way to win them is not by violence but by loving-
kindness. 14. And if you would seek for friends to stand
by you and guard your throne, who so fit to be the first
of them as he who is sprung from the self-same loins?
Our fellow-citizens are nearer to us than foreigners, and
our mess-mates dearer than strangers, and what of those
who are sprung from the same seed, suckled at the same
breast, reared in the same home, loved by the same
parents, the same mother, the same father? Must they
not be the nearest and dearest of all ? 15. What the gods
have given to be the seal of brotherhood do not make of
none effect yourselves. But build upon it: make it the
foundation for other loving deeds, and thus the love be-
tween you shall never be overcome. The man who takes
thought for his brother cares for his own self. For who
but a brother can win glory from a brother's greatness?
Who can be honoured as a brother can through a brother's
power? Or who so safe from injury as the brother of the
great? 16. Let no one, Tanaoxares, be more eager than
yourself to obey your brother and support him: to no
one can his triumph or his danger come so near. Ask
yourself from whom you could win a richer reward for any
kindness. Who could give you stouter help in return for
your own support? And where is coldness so ugly as
between brothers? Or where is reverence so beautiful?
And remember, Cambyses, only the brother who holds
pre-eminence in a brother's heart can be safe from the
jealousy of the world. 17. I implore you both, my sons,
by the gods of our fathers, hold each other in honour, if
yovL care at all to do me pleasure : and none of you can say
you know that I shall cease to be when I cease to live
this life of ours. With your bodily eyes you have never
seen my soul, and yet you have discerned its presence
through its working. 18. And have you never marked

294 The Education of Cyrus

C. 7 the terrors which the spirits of those who have suffered
wrong can send into the hearts of their murderers, and the
avenging furies they let loose upon the wicked? Think
you the honours of the dead would still abide, if the souls
of the departed were altogether powerless? 19. Never
yet, my sons, could I be persuaded that the soul only lives
so long as she dwells within this mortal body, and falls
dead so soon as she is quit of that. Nay, I see for myself
that it is the soul which lends life to it, while she inhabits
there. 20. I cannot believe that she must lose all sense
on her separation from the senseless body, but rather that
she will reach her highest wisdom when she is set free,
pure and untrammelled at last. And when this body
crumbles in dissolution, we see the several parts thereof
return to their kindred elements, but we do not see the
soul, whether she stays or whether she departs. 21. Con-
sider," he went on, " how these two resemble one another,
Death and his twin-brother Sleep, and it is in sleep that
the soul of a man shows her nature most divine, and is
able to catch a glimpse of what is about to be, for it is
then, perhaps, that she is nearest to her freedom.
22. Therefore, if these things are as I believe, and the
spirit leaves the body behind and is set free, reverence
my soul, 0 sons of mine, and do as I desire. And even if
it be not so, if the spirit must stay with the body and
perish, yet the everlasting gods abide, who behold all
things, with whom is all power, who uphold the order of
this universe, unmarred, unaging, unerring, unfathom-
able in beauty and in splendour. Fear them, my sons, and
never yield to sin or wickedness, in thought or word or
deed. 23. And after the gods, I would have you reverence
the whole race of man, as it renews itself for ever; for the
gods have not hidden you in the darkness, but your deeds
will be manifest in the eyes of all mankind, and if they be
righteous deeds and pure from iniquity, they will blazon
forth your power: but if you meditate evil against each
other, you will forfeit the confidence of every man. For
no man can trust you, even though he should desire it, if
he sees you wrong him whom above all you are bound to

Book VIII. The Death of Cyrus 295

love. 24. Therefore, if my words are strong enough to C. 7
teach you your duty to each other, it is well. But, if not,
let history teach you, and there is no better teacher. For
the most part, parents have sho%vn kindness to their
children and brothers to their brothers, but it has been
otherwise with some. Look, then, and see which conduct
has brought success, choose to follow that, and your
choice will be wise. 25. And now maybe I have said
enough of this. As for my body, when I am dead, I
would not have you lay it up in gold or silver or any
coffin whatsoever, but give it back to the earth with all
speed. \Vhat could be more blessed than to lie in the lap
of Earth, the mother of all things beautiful, the nurse of
all things good? I have been a lover of men all my life,
and methinks I would fain become part of that which does
good to man. 26. And now," he added, " now it seems
to me that my life begins to ebb; I feel my spirit slipping
away from those parts she leaves the first. If you
would take my hand once more, or look into my eyes
while life is there, draw near me now; but when I have
covered my face, let no man look on me again, not even
you, my sons. 27. But you shall bid the Persians come,
and all our allies, to my sepulchre; and you shall rejoice
with me and congratulate me that I am safe at last, free
from suffering or sorrow, whether I am with God or
whether I have ceased to be. Give all who come the
entertainment that is fitting in honour of a man whose life
on earth was happy, and so send them away. 28. Re-
member my last saying: show kindness to your friends,
and then shall you have it in your power to chastise your
enemies. Good-bye, my dear sons, bid your mother
good-bye for me. And all my friends, who are here or
far away, good-bye."

And with these words he gave his hand to them, and
then he covered his face and died.

296 The Education of Cyrus

EPILOGUE

C. 8 Of all the powers in Asia, the kingdom of Cyrus showed
itself to be the greatest and most glorious. On the east
it was bounded by the Red Sea, on the north by the
Euxine, on the west by Cyprus and Egypt, and on the
south by Ethiopia. And yet the whole of this enormous
empire was governed by the mind and will of a single man,
Cyrus : his subjects he cared for and cherished as a father
might care for his children, and they who came beneath
his rule reverenced him like a father.

2. But no sooner was he dead than his sons were at
strife, cities and nations revolted, and all things began
to decay. I can show that what I say is true, and first I
will speak of their impiety. In the early days, I am aware,
the king and those beneath him never failed to keep the
oaths they had sworn and fulfil the promises they had
given, even to the worst of criminals. 3. In fact, if such
had not been their character and such their reputation,
none of the Hellenic generals who marched, up with the
younger Cyrus could have felt the confidence they did:
they would not have trusted a Persian any more than one
trusts them to-day, now that their perfidy is known. As
it was, they relied on their old reputation and put them-
selves in their power, and they were taken up to the king
and there beheaded. And many of the Asiatics who
served in the same war perished as they did, deluded by
one promise or another.

4. In other ways also the Persians have degenerated.
Noble achievement in the old days was the avenue to
fame: the man was honoured who risked his life for the
king, or brought a city or nation beneath his sway. But now,
if some Mitlu-idates has betrayed his father Ariobarzanes,
if some Reomithres has left his wife and children and the
sons of his friend as hostages at the court of Egypt, and
then has broken the most solemn of all pledges — it is they

Book VIII, Epilogue 297

and their like who are loaded with the highest honours, if C.
only they are thought to have gained some advantage for
the king. 5. With such examples before them, all the
Asiatics have turned to injustice and impiety. For what
the leaders are, that, as a rule, will the men below them
be. Thus has lawlessness increased and grown among
them. 6. And injustice has grown, and thieving. Not
only criminals, but men who are absolutely innocent are
arrested and forced to pay fines for no reason whatsoever:
to be known to have wealth is more dangerous than guilt,
so that the rich do not care to have any dealings with the
powerful, and dare not even risk appearing at the muster
of the royal troops. 7. Therefore, when any man makes
war on Persia, whoever he may be, he can roam up and
down the country to his heart's content without striking
a blow, because they have forgotten the gods and are
unjust to their fellow-men. In every way their hearts
and minds are lower than in days gone by.

8. Nor do they care for their bodies as they did of old.
It was always their custom neither to spit nor blow the nose,
only it is clear this was instituted not from concern for
the humours of the body, but in order to strengthen
themselves by toil and sweat. But nowadays, though this
habit is still in vogue, to harden the body by exercise
has quite gone out of fashion. 9. Again, from the first
it was their rule only to take a single meal in the day,
which left them free to give their time to business and
exercise. The single meal is still the rule, but it com-
mences at the earliest hour ever chosen for breakfast, and
the eating and drinking goes on till the last moment which
the latest reveller would choose for bed. 10. It was
always forbidden to bring chamber-pots into the banquet-
hall, but the reason lay in their belief that the right way
to keep body and brain from weakness was to avoid
drinking in excess. But to-day, though as in the old
time no such vessels may be carried in, they drink so deep
that they themselves are carried out, too weak to stand
on their own legs. 11. It was a national custom from the
first not to eat and drink on the march nor be seen satis-

298 The Education of Cyrus

Cf 8 fying the wants of nature, but nowadays, though they still
abstain, they make each march so short that no man need
wonder at their abstinence.

12. In the old time they went out to hunt so often that
the chase gave enough exercise and training for man and
horse alike. But when the day came that Artaxerxes
and all his court were the worse for wine, the old custom
of the king leading the hunt in person began to pass
away. And if any eager spirits hunted with their own
followers it was easy to see the jealousy, and even the
hatred, aroused by such superiority.

13. It is still the habit to bring up the boys at the palace-
gates, but fine horsemanship has disappeared, for there is no
place where the lads can win applause by their skill. The
old belief that the children of Persia would learn justice
by hearing the judges decide the cases has been
turned upside down: the children have only to use their
eyes and they see that the verdict goes to the man with
the longest purse. 14. Children in former times were
taught the properties of plants in order to use the whole-
some and avoid the harmful; but now they seem to learn
it for the mere sake of doing harm : at any rate, there is
no country where deaths from poison are so common.
15. And the Persian of to-day is far more luxurious than
he was in the time of Cyrus. Then they still clung to the
Persian style of education and the Persian self-restraint,
merely adopting the Median dress and a certain grace of
life. But now the old Persian hardihood may perish for
all they care, if only they preserve the softness of the
Mede. 16. I might give instances of their luxury. They
are not content with soft sheets and rugs for their beds,
they must have carpets laid under the bed-posts to prevent
any jarring from the floor. They have given up none of
the cooked dishes invented in former days ; on the contrary,
they are always devising new ones, and condiments to
boot: in fact, they keep men for the very purpose.
17, In the winter it is not enough to have the body
covered, and the head and the feet, they must have warm
sleeves as well and gloves for the hands : and in the sum-

Book VIII. Epilogue 299

mer they are not content with the shade from the trees or C. 8
the rocks, they must have servants standing beside them
with artificial screens. 18. To have an endless array of
cups and goblets is their special pride: and if these are
come by unjustly, and all the world knows it, why, there is
nothing to blush for in that: injustice has grown too com-
mon among them, and ill-gotten gain. 19. Formerly no
Persian was ever to be seen on foot, but the sole object of
the custom was to make them perfect horsemen. Now
they lay more rugs on their horses' backs than on their
own beds; it is not a firm seat they care for, but a soft
saddle.

20. As soldiers we may imagine how they have sunk
below the ancient standard ; in past times it was a national
institution that the land-owner should furnish troopers
from his own estate, and men were bound to go on active
service, while the garrison troops in the country received
regular pay; but now the Persian grandees have manu-
factured a new type of cavalry, who earn their pay as
butlers and cooks and confectioners and cupbearers and
bathmen and flunkeys to serve at table or remove the
dishes, and serving-men to put their lords to bed and help
them to rise, and perfumers to anoint them and rub them
and make them beautiful. 21. In numbers they make a
very splendid show, but they are no use for fighting; as
may be seen by what actually takes place : an enemy can
move about their country more freely than the inhabi-
tants themselves. 22. It will be remembered that Cyrus
put a stop to the old style of fighting at long range, and
by arming men and horses with breastplates and giving
each trooper a single short spear he taught them to fight
at close quarters. But nowadays they will fight in neither
one style nor the other. 23. The infantry still csLtry the
large shields, the battle-axes, and the swords, as if they
meant to do battle as they did in Cyrus' day. 24. But
they will never close with the enemy. Nor do they use
the sc>'the-bearing chariots as Cyrus intended. By the
honours he gave he raised the dignity and improved the
quality of his charioteers till he had a body of men who

300 The Education of Cyrus

8 would charge right into the enemy's ranks; but the
generals of to-day, though they do not even know the
charioteers by sight, flatter themselves that untrained
men will serve their purpose quite as well as trained.
25. So the chariots will dash off, but before they reach the
enemy half the men have fallen from their boxes, and the
others will jump out of their own accord, and the teams,
left without their drivers, will do more harm to their
friends than to their foes. 26. And since in their hearts
the Persians of to-day are well aware what their fighting
condition really is, they always give up the struggle, and
now none of them wiU take the field at all without Hellenes
to help them, whether they are fighting among themselves
or whether Hellenes are in arms against them : even then
it is a settled thing that they must have the aid of other
Hellenes to face them.

27. I venture to think T have shown the truth of the
statement that I made. I asserted that the Persians of
to-day and their allies are less religious than they were of
old, less dutiful to their kindred, less just and righteous
towards other men, and less valiant in war. And if any
man doubts me, let him examine their actions for himself,
and he will find full confirmation of all I say. "*

NOTES

Book VIII

Xenophon puts into the mouth of Chrysantas his favourite
theory of monarchism, the relationship strongly cemented by
obedience and trust between subjects and king.

§ 4, med. On willing service. This again is one of the best
utterances in all Xenophon. It has a deep spiritual import.

§ 4, fin. He is thinking of Athens perhaps. It is a choice:
obey the ruler or knock under to foreign foes.

§ 8. Surely a remark of the author. It is an old inveterate
thought of his: " the Master's eye." I feel the old man at
times.

§§ 9, 10. This side of the Persian state-machine strongly
impressed the mind and imagination of Xenophon. Hence
hejworks it into the treatise on economy as well as here. In

Book VIII. Notes 301

fact his expansion of the Socratic recollections into the C. I
Economist has to do, I believe, with these reflections on state
economy.

§ 13. Hellenic aristocratic theor\' of existence. Leisure for
the errand duties which devolve on the lords of mankind. It
doesn't seem to strike Xenophon that this rigid system of
self-absorption in the higher selfhood of the social system
might be destructive of indi^-idual life. Of course he would
say, " No. It enlcirges the indi\-idual life."

§§ 17-20. Seems to me to show Xenophon struggling with
the hard parts of the later Persian system. The theory of
Persian feudalism is too high-strung for these grand satraps,
rulers of pro\-inces as big as ordinary kingdoms. It tends to
snap, and from the beginning did. The archie man has no
charm to compel his followers to archie virtue. It is a nega-
tive eTLTTTjUTj after all. Does Xenophon realise this, or is
hgd. %\Tong?

§ 21. Cf. headmasters with prepostors in a pubUc school,
based on the same sj'-stem of high aims and duties corre-
sponding to rights.

§ 23, init. Cf. Louis Xapoleon in Browning's poem [Prince
Hohenstiel-Sch'iVangau],

§ 23. med. The Magians, the Persian order of priests.
Yet we have heard of them throughout.

§ zj. A ver\- true sa%-ing and ven.- nice the feeling it gives
us towards Xenophon. We think of him v.-ith his wife and
his little sons and his friends and their friends.

§ 28. How true of women I

% Z3- -^ reduplication of the description in Bk. I., and also
a summing-up of Xenophon's ov^ti earthlyjparadise — quite
Tennysonian.

§ 37. An important point or principle in Xenophon's
political theon,- — indeed the key and tone of it: no one has
a right to com.mand except by \-irtue of personal superiority.

§§ 40 foil. " How cLTt thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,
son of the morning I" The section, if, as I think it is, bv
Xenophon, throws light on the nature and composition of the
book. The author isn't so disengaged from " histor}' " that
he can set aside ob\-ioush- integral parts of the Persian system
traceable to C}-rus, or at any rate probably original, and their
false-seeming and bamboozling mode of keeping up dignitv
has to be taken account of. It has its analog},' in the ad-
mission of thaumaturgy on the part of religious teachers, and
no doubt a good deal can be said for it. The archie man in
low spirits, if he ever is so, has some need of bamboozling
himself. Tides do give some moral support even nowadaj-s
to certain kinds of minds.

302 The Education of Cyrus

§§ 46-48. The archie man's dealings by those of his subjects
who are apt to rule, the men of high thoughts and ambitions,
with whom he must come into constant personal contact.
With them the spiritual dominance alone will do. They shall
be made to love him rather than themselves. (The only thing
j ust here that j ars is a sort of Machiavellian self-consciousness,
resented in the archie man.)

§ 46. A cumbrous disjointed sentence, but the thought of
it is clear enough. Even Xenophon's style breaks down
when he tries to say in a breath more than he naturally can.
Is it a sign of senility, or half-thought-out ideas, or what ?

§ 2, fin. Does Xenophon feel the bathos of this, or is hgd.
wrong and there is no bathos ? It may be said that the
sacramental and spiritual side is not in abeyance. Xenophon
has to account for the " common board " and he has the
Spartan Lycurgan " common board " to encourage him, so
that imaginatively he provides this royal being with a sumptu-
ous table at which thousands will share alike.

§3. Howfarwas this a custom among Hellenes? It reveals
a curious state of society, real or imaginary; but I suppose
that at Rome in imperial days (ef. panem et circenses) the
theory of meat and drink largesses being the best would hold.

§ 4, fin. The last remark is so silly ( ?) I am almost disposed
to follow Lincke and admit interpolation. Yet on the whole
I think it is the voice of the old man explaining in his Vicar-
of-Wakefield style, to his admiring auditors, wife, children,
and grandsons, I fancy, and slaves, the raison d'etre of Persian
dinner-largesse customs.

§ 6. Qy. : What was Xenophon's manner of composing ?
The style here is loose, like that of a man talking. Perhaps
he lectured and the amanuensis took down what he said.

§ 8. Ineptitudes. One does somewhat sniff an editor here,
I think, but I am not sure. There's a similar touch of in-
eptitude (senility, perhaps) in the Memorabilia, ad fin. On
the other hand I can imagine Xenophon purring over this side
of Orientalism quite naturally.

§ 12. This slipshod style, how accounted for? The most
puzzling thing of all is the sort of mental confusion between
Cyrus and the king in general.

§§15, 16. Thoroughly Xenophontine and Ruskinian and
eternal.

§ 24. Here is the germ of benefit societies and clubs and
insurances and hospitals. Xenophon probably learns it all
from Ctesias, and others of the sort. Cyrus provides doctors
and instruments and medicines and diet, in fact, all the
requisites of a hospital, in his palace. Nor does he forget to
be grateful to the doctors who cured the sick. [Ctesicis, the

Book VIII. Notes 303

Greek physician to the Persian king. See Anabasis, I. viii. C. 2
Works. Vol. I. p. 1 08.]

§§26 fif. Xenophon's Machiavellianism. Does it work?

§§ 27, 28. It seems to me that all this is too elaborate for
an interpolator: it smacks of Xenophon in his arm-chair,
theorising and half-dreaming over his political philosophy.

§ 2. Prototype, a procession to Eleusis or elsewhere: the C. 3
Panathenaic, possibly. Xenophon's sumptuous taste and
love of bright colours.

§ 3, fin., § 4. What a curious prototypic sound ! Truly
this is the very modus of the evangelist's type of sentence.
His narrative must run in this mould.

§ 4, fin. This is the old Cyrus. It comes in touchingly
here, this refrain of the old song, now an echo of the old life.

§ 14. Xenophon delights somewhat in this sort of scene.
It is a turning-point, a veritable moral peripety, though the
decisive step was taken long ago. What is Xenophon's in-
tention with regard to it? Has he any parti pris, for or
against ? Does he wish us to draw conclusions ? Or does it
correspond to a moral meeting of the waters in his own mind ?
Here love of Spartan simplicity, and there of splendour and
regality and monarchism ? He does not give a hint that the
sapping of the system begins here, when the archie man ceases
to depend on his own spiritual archie qualities and begins to
eke out his dignity by artificial means and external shows of
reverence.

§ 20. Is this worthy of the archie man ? It is a method, no
doubt, of apxn, but has it any spiritual " last " in it? The
incident of Daiphemes somewhat diverts our attention from
the justice of the system in reference to the suitors. On the
whole, I think Xenophon can't get further. He is blinded and
befogged by two things: (i) his [i.e. their) aristoeraticism, and
again (2) his satisfaction in splendour and get-up, provided it
is attached to moral greatness. We are in the same maze, I
fancy. Jesus was not, nor is Walt WTiitman.

§ 23. Cyrus is made to behave rather like the autocratic
father of a goody story-book.

§ 25. Realistic and vivid detailing : our curiosity is satisfied.
"Who has won? " we ask. " Oh, so-and-so. Smith." Well,
it's something to know that Smith has won. Xenophon, the
artist, 'cutely introduces the Sakian to us. One scene takes
up another, just as in real life. Quite soon we know a great
deal more about this young man, a mere Sakian private soldier,
who wins the race so easily on his splendid horse. Cyrus and
good fortune introduce him to the very man he is suited to:
viz. Pheraulas.

§ 2i7- Pheraulas' boyhood has already been sketched by

304 The Education of C3^rus

5 himself (II. c. 3, § 7), the active sturdy little youngster,
snatching at a knife, and hacking away con amore. We know
him well : Xenophon's modernism comes out in these things.
Here we have the old father, a heart of oak, like the old
Acharnian in Aristophanes. One of the prettiest morsels in
all Xenophon. Xenophon's own father, is he there?

§ 47. The desire for " leisure " is as strong in Xenophon as
in hgd. or S. T. I., I think. [S. T. Irwin, also a master at
Clifton.]
\. § I . Why is the Hyrcanian never named ? Is it conceivable
that Xenophon shrinks from using a proper name except when
he has some feeling for the sound of the language? (Sic.
Sakians, Cadousians, Indians, etc.)

§ 4. The " mark " system again which Xenophon believes
in, but hgd. not. Shows how he tried to foster competitive-
ness. It's after all a belief in the central sun, a species of
monarch-worship, logical and consistent enough.

§ 8. Xenophon reveals himself and the Hellenic feeling with
regard to war and its use. The pax Romana is anticipated in
their minds.

§ 9. Hystaspas is rather like the sons of Zebedee or the
elder brother of the Prodigal.

§ 12, fin. Looks rather like a Greek joke. But what is the
joke?

§§ 13-23. Broad type of joke, but not unhealthy or prurient.
Prototype probably Agesilaus and the younger Cyrus at the
supper-table, with just this touch of coarseness.

§§ 32-36. This is = to the Comtist theory of the duties of
capitalists, and is one of the noblest disquisitions in all
Xenophon, (bs 7' ind doKei. CjTus' theory is based on
fraternal feelings among the elite of the world, and that is the
sole difference, a large one doubtless, and measures the gap
between Xenophon and A. C. and our advance in Democracy.
§17. How far is this historical, i.e. semi-historical? I
can't help supposing that the commoner notion of a conquest
of Media by Persia was current and familiar to Xenophon
apart from any other account, which for his present purpose
he chose to go upon and possibly believed in.

§§ 18-20. Will Cyrus take her to wife, his old playmate?
All this shows once more Xenophon's love of children.

§§ 23-25. The Persian Magna Charta, parallel to that
between the Spartan king and the Ephorate.

§§ 1-3. (a) Satraps ; to be counterpoised bj^ (/3) military
governors in the citadels, and (7) visitors living at court, but
possessed of lands in the provinces. The object is, no doubt,
to create a common interest between the nobles and the king
which will keep the satrap in counterpoise.

Book VIII. Notes 305

§11. The Oriental feeling again. C. 6

§ 12, fin. One of the nicest (monarchical) remarks ever
uttered.

§ 13. Marked Greek Testament parallel S. Joan. 13, 13.
Surely the evangelist had read this at school: I mean, the
Greek scribe who Hellenised the evangel.

§ 23. Free trade or favoured-nation principle and com-
mercial treaty.

§ 10. Prototype: Socrates and his sons. Perhaps also C. 7
Xenophon and his. One seems to hear his own voice address-
ing Gryllus.

§ 14. A very noble passage.

§27. That' s also nice : "Summonthe Persians to rej oice with
me at my joyous release; " a refined form of funeral festival —
" nothing is here for tears " — nor have we, perhaps, arrived
beyond it.

§ 28. His last remark is Xenophon-Hellenic, but less edify-
ing; fortunately it is only the penultimate, for there is the
final xa^pfTf [good-bye] and message to his wife. Why was
she not present ? I suppose she was at home in Babylon.

[It has been doubted whether c. 8. is by Xenophon at all. Q^ g
§ 3, with its reference to the Anabasis, certainly looks as
though it might have been written after his death. Some
scholars have also thought the style unlike Xenophon's, but
it is clear from his marginal notes that Mr. Dakyns did not
lean towards this view. To stress the degeneracy of the
Persians is, no doubt, to make a curious comment on the
institutions of " the born ruler," but on the other hand the
preceding chapter (c. 7) is full of grave warnings, and,
throughout, Xenophon has been at pains to insist that every-
thing depends on the continuous and united effort of the
ruling classes towards virtue and self-control. Again, as Mr.
Dakyns pointed out (in his Sketch of Xenophon's Life, Works,
Vol. I. p. cxxvii.), the epilogue bears a marked analogy to the
account of Spartan degeneracy in c. xiv. of the Laconian
Polity {see Vol. II. p. 322), a chapter he took to be genuine.
On the whole, therefore, we may conclude that he would have
considered this epilogue to be genuine also. — F. M. S.]

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