CYROPAEDIA THE EDUCATION OF CYRUS
by XENOPHON -Part Three.
"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 Syrian 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 cavalry. But Cyaxares would
only spare a few, though many wished to go.
Soon afterwards 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 was scarcely
on his way when a hare started up at their
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 officers 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 faithful 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 they should come
across any 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 Cyrus, "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
has gone ahead, to see them racing back to
their places past the marching files."
[30] Chrysantas listened, 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 had the sleep he thought sufficient
he set out for the hills. [31] Day dawned,
and Cyrus sent a messenger to the Armenian
with these words: "Cyrus bids you see
to it that you bring your tribute and troops
without delay." "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 advancing 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 attack without warning.
Then he drew up his troops himself 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 to have no fear, but open a market
wherever they wished, and sell meat or drink
as they chose.
NOTES
C1.5. Is this historical, i. e. /quasi/-historical?
Are any of the names real or all invented
to give verisimilitude?
C1.13. Any touch of the sycophancy of the
future in it? As in modern Germany, a touch
of that involved in the system of royalty.
C1.15. The raw material is good, but not
worked up. Important for the conception of
Hellenic democracy (cf. § 17). Daring, courage,
virtue-- there is no monopoly of these things.
C1.21. (Cf. below VIII. C2.5) Worthy of Adam
Smith. Xenophon has bump of economy strongly
developed; he resembles J. P.[*] in that
respect. The economic methodism, the mosaic
interbedding, the architectonic structure
of it all, 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,
that younger Xenophon, throw upon it?
[* "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.]
C1.25. Camaraderie encouraged and developed
through a sense of equality and fraternity,
the life /au grand jour/ in common, producing
a common consciousness (cf. Comte and J.
P.; Epaminondas and the Sacred Band at Thebes).
C2. 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. Aglaïtadas, a type of educator
we know well (cf. Eccles. "Cocker not
a child"), grim, dry person with no
sense of humour. Xenophon's own humour shines
out.
C2.12. The term given to the two stories
{eis tagathon}. 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.
[* "T. E. B." = T. E. Brown, the
Manx poet, at that time a colleague of Mr.
Dakyns at Clifton.--F. M. S.]
C2.19. Cyrus recognises the ideal principle
of co-operation and collective ownership.
Xenophon, Economist, ahead of the moderns.
C2.26. Xenophon's breadth of view: virtue
is not confined to citizens, but we have
the pick of the whole world. Cosmopolitan
Hellenism.
C3.4. Xenophon's theory of rule (cf. Ruskin):
a right, inalienable, God-bestowed, of the
virtuous; subjection an inevitable consequence
on lack of self-discipline.
C3.5, 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.
C3.7. 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
sympathetic knowledge of children and also
of the hard-working poor.
C3.10. How true to nature this. Cannot one
see the little boy doubling his little fists,
a knife in his pocket, possibly a ball of
string?
C3.11. Is there a touch of flunkeyism in
this? Not so; it is the clear-sighted scientific
Greek, that is all.
C3.14. Very Scotch all this.
C3.21-22. /Locus classicus/ for regimental
marching tactics. Qy.: Are any of these tactical
improvements by Xenophon himself?
[C3.21. The "regiment" of a hundred
men was divided into four "companies"
of twenty-five, to each of these one company-captain
and twenty-four men, viz.: twenty privates,
two captains-of-ten, and two captains-of-five,
the two captains of ten having also especial
charge over the two remaining squads of five.
A condensed diagram may make the little manœuvre
clear. An X represents one group of five
plus its captain, either a captain-of-five
or a captain-of-ten. A C represents a company-captain.
First position--One long column. All in single
file.
Second position--Four columns. Single file
for each company.
Third position--Eight columns. Double files.
Fourth position--Sixteen columns. Quadruple
files.
C C C C C C C X X X - X X X X - X X X X X
X X X X - X X X X X X X X X X X X C X X X
X]
C4.15. Cyaxares means to kidnap them, doesn't
he? That is not quite Cyrus' method. If so,
it contrasts Cyaxares and Cyrus again.
C4.17. Cyaxares the old fox improves upon
the plan.
C4.30, 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, C1.29).
C4.32. All this is entirely modern, never
yet excelled, I imagine.
BOOK III
[C. 1] Thus Cyrus made his preparations.
But the Armenian, 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 ornaments 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 everywhere,
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 persuaded 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 mountain, 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 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 Cyrus, "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 necessity, 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 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 of man and man.
Moreover," said he, "your own sons,
your daughters, 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 liberty: 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, to 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 I 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 lifted up their voices in wailing
and tore their cheeks, as though their father
was dead already, and they themselves undone.
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 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 and 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 yourself the greatest
harm 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, "if
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."
[17] "I take your meaning," answered
Cyrus; "your 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, outwit 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 Cyrus,
"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
captured cities dream that with the help
of allies they will fight 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."
[26] And Cyrus said, "To-day and at
this time, it may be with him as you say:
but I still 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 benefactor, 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 compulsion
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 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
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 accomplish 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 Armenian
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 because you made
default; and you will lend me another 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 husband
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 company 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, Cyrus,
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 unintentional.'"
[39] And at that Cyrus could not but say:
"Poor soul! I grieve for him."
But the king spoke in his own defence: "Remember
this, Cyrus, 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 my son
and me and steal away his reverence."
[40] "May the gods be merciful to us!"
said Cyrus, "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 reconciliation;
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, they
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 Cyrus twice the sum which he had
named. But Cyrus 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 Cyrus chose, but the
son said, "I will not leave you, Cyrus,
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 can see for herself all that
her husband does." "Then it is
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.
[C. 2] But on the day following Cyrus took
Tigranes and the 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 himself 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, Cyrus 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 favourable;
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
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 Cyrus 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 tribesmen 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 will never stand the charge."
Cyrus 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 his staff looked down and saw below them
the Chaldaean villages with fugitives pouring
from the nearest houses. [11] Soon the rest
of the army came up, and Cyrus ordered them
all to take the morning meal. When 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 while a messenger went off
to the king Cyrus 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 Cyrus 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
at hand, had gathered his workmen together
and took what he thought necessary and came
with all speed. [15] And when he caught sight
of Cyrus, 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
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.
[16] 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
Armenian 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 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 Chaldaeans 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
independent, 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 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 messenger--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: and
you must give such instructions to yours
as you think 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.
[C. 3] But on the next day Cyrus despatched
his messenger 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 command, 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 Armenians had furnished, and
a picked body of Chaldaeans who considered
themselves stronger than all the rest together.
[2] And as he come 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 Cyrus 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 your
son, and send him forth gloriously equipped
for war, and with the residue buy 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
burying, let 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, like 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 an army
and the money to Cyaxares, who was close
at hand, as he had promised to be, while
he himself took his pleasure in hunting 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 dangers confronted in their proper
season."
[9] But presently, when Cyrus saw that his
men were 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 fighting 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.
[11] Therefore Cyrus ordered his whole force
to assemble under arms, and drew them up
into battle-array, using all his skill to
make the display a wonder of beauty and perfection.
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 lines without leaving the troops
unofficered: for the captains-of- twelve
and the captains-of-six stepped into the
gaps, and absolute order was preserved. [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 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 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
our 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 maintain 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 answered:
"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
comrades 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, 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 entrenchment, 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 Assyrians, 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 any 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 disclosure 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 officers,
still kept the troops within their lines.
But Cyrus and Cyaxares drew up their men,
prepared to fight if the enemy advanced.
Ere long it was plain that they would not
venture out that day, and Cyaxares summoned
Cyrus and his staff 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 confidence 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 without 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 convinced. 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."
[33] 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 Cyrus 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 practised
them day by day, and you might well instruct
others. But you may not have noticed one
point, 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 themselves
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.
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 men
in front call on you to follow, answer readily,
and let 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 breakfast, 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 born 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 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 meanwhile 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 marching 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 born, and the bad
and the infamous the most miserable. This
is what our men must feel if they are to
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, javelin-men, and cavalry.
[58] While 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-paean,
and the men took up the hymn devoutly, in
one mighty chorus. For 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 cheery 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,
Cyrus 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?"
At this 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 Assyrian cavalry,
who swerved and broke before them, chased
and slaughtered, horse and rider, by their
conquerors. [66] Meanwhile the Assyrians
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 lamentations,
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 the 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 were all 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
C1.6. Oriental in feeling; situation well
realised. Hellenic = 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.).
C1.8, init. Cf. Joseph and his brethren for
this hardening of his heart.
C1.11. Hellenic political ethics = modern
in this matter, apart from modern theory
of nationalism, i. e. right of nations to
exist free.
C1.12. Quite after the manner of an advocate
in a Greek law-court, but also Oriental (cf.
David and Nathan the seer).
C1.24. Fear of exile; autobiographical touch?
Is anything passing through the mind of Xenophon?
I dare say there is. [Xenophon was banished
from his native city of Athens because of
his friendship with Sparta and with Cyrus
the Younger. See Works, Vol. I. p. xcix.]
C1.33, fin. 3000 talents. Something under
£750,000.
C1.35. Cyrus drives home the conscience of
indebtedness /à la/ Portia v. Shylock. N.
B.--Humorous also and an Oriental tinge.
C1.38. One can't help thinking of Socrates
and the people of Athens here. If so, this
is a quasi-apology for the Athenian /bons
pères de famille/ who condemned Socrates.
Beautiful story of the sophist teacher's
last injunction to Tigranes.
C1.40-41. 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.
C2.12. Archaeologically interesting. N. B.--Humanity
towards wounded, Hellenic. Xenophon's own
strategy in the /Anabasis/ is probably the
prototype.
C2.15. 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.
C2.20. Note how Socratically it is made to
work itself out.
C3. Cyrus, the Archic Man, the "born
ruler," is also the diplomatic man (cf.,
no doubt, Gladstone), a diplomacy based on
organic economic sense and friendly-naturedness.
C3.10. Xenophon's theory of fraternity in
action, all petty jealousies brushed aside.
[C3.11. The "captains-of-twelve"
and the "captains-of-six" are the
same officers as those called elsewhere "captains-of-ten"
and "captains-of-five" (cf. above
Bk. II. C2.21 note). The titles vary because
sometimes the officers themselves are included
in the squads and sometimes not.]
C3.19. Nice touch, quoting his father as
an authority.
C3.40. With garlands, like the Spartans.
Was it conceivably a Persian custom too?
C3.44. Assyrian's speech; not a bad one,
though platitudinous. Xenophon's dramatic
form is shown in the intellectual and emotional
side of his characters, rather than by the
diction in their mouths, is it not?
C3.51-52. 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 Xenophon's best earnest rhetorical style.
C3.57. The march into battle, /vide/ Milton.
A beautiful bit of word- painting.
C3.58. Cf. the Prussian army singing a hymn
[in 1870].
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Evans Experientialism 
