The Good Book (44 page)

14. The third is the town hall, the largest of all the halls known to us, whereof Rhoecus, son of Phileus, a Samian, was first architect.

15. Because of these works one likes to dwell on the affairs of Samos; the works of ingenuity and practicality are greater than the works of war, and the expertise of mankind is greater than the example of tyranny.

Chapter 29

  1. While Cambyses, son of Cyrus, still lingered in Egypt, two brothers of the Magus tribe revolted against him.

  2. One of them, Patizeithes, had been left in Persia by Cambyses as comptroller of his household; it was he who began the revolt.

  3. Aware that Smerdis was dead, and that his death was hidden and known to few Persians, while most believed that he was still alive, Patizeithes laid his plan, and made a bold stroke for the crown.

  4. His brother happened greatly to resemble Smerdis, and not only was this brother like Smerdis in appearance, but he was also called Smerdis.

  5. Patizeithes, having persuaded his brother to the plan, sat him on the royal throne, and then sent heralds through the land,

  6. To Egypt and elsewhere, to make proclamation to the troops that henceforth they were to obey Smerdis the son of Cyrus, and not Cambyses.

  7. The heralds made proclamation as they were ordered, and likewise the herald who was sent to Egypt.

  8. When the herald reached Ecbatana in Syria, finding Cambyses and his army there, he went straight into the middle of the host, and standing before them made the proclamation which Patizeithes the Magus had commanded.

  9. Cambyses no sooner heard him, than believing that what the herald said was true, and imagining that he had been betrayed,

10. He turned his eyes on Prexaspes, and said, ‘Is this the way, Prexaspes, that you did my errand?’

11. ‘O! my liege,’ answered the other, ‘there is no truth in the tidings that Smerdis your brother has revolted against you,

12. ‘Nor have you to fear any quarrel, great or small, with that man. With my own hands I killed him, and with my own hands I buried him.

13. ‘If the dead could leave their graves, expect Astyages the Mede to rise and fight against you; but if the course of nature be the same as always, then no ill can come from this quarter.

14. ‘Call that herald, and strictly question him who it was that charged him to bid us obey King Smerdis.’

15. Cambyses approved Prexaspes’ words, and the herald was brought before the king.

16. Prexaspes said to him, ‘Sirrah, you say that your message is from Smerdis, son of Cyrus. Now answer truly, and you will be allowed to go unharmed.

17. ‘Did Smerdis have you in his presence to give you your orders, or did you have them from one of his officers?’

18. The herald answered, ‘Truly I have not set eyes on Smerdis son of Cyrus, since the day when King Cambyses led the Persians into Egypt.

19. ‘The man who gave me my orders was the Magus that Cambyses left in charge of the household; but he said that Smerdis son of Cyrus sent you the message.’

20. Then Cambyses said to Prexaspes, ‘You are free from all blame, Prexaspes, since you did not fail to do what I commanded.

21. ‘But tell me, which of the Persians can have taken the name of Smerdis, and revolted against me?’

22. ‘I think, my liege,’ he answered, ‘that I understand the whole business. The men who have risen in revolt are Patizeithes, who was left comptroller of your household, and his brother, named Smerdis.’

23. Cambyses no sooner heard this than, smarting with vexation at his troubles, he sprang hastily onto his horse, meaning to march his army quickly to Susa against the rebels.

24. But as he did so, the button of his sword-sheath fell off, and the bared point pierced his thigh, wounding him sorely.

25. Then Cambyses, feeling that he had got his death-wound, called to his presence all the chief Persians who were with the army, and addressed them as follows:

26. ‘Persians, I must tell you now what I have hitherto striven with the greatest care to keep secret.

27. ‘I, in my folly, sent Prexaspes to Susa to put my brother to death, because I feared that he would revolt against me, and seize the crown.

28. ‘When this great crime was accomplished I lived without fear, never imagining that, after Smerdis was dead, I need fear revolt from any other.

29. ‘But I was mistaken, and slew my brother needlessly, for even so I have lost my crown.

30. ‘For it is two of the Magi tribe who have rebelled against me and taken the royal power: Patizeithes, whom I left at Susa to overlook my household, and Smerdis his brother.

31. ‘I charge you all, and specially such of you as are Achaemenids, that you do not lamely allow the kingdom to go back to the Medes.

32. ‘Recover it one way or another, by force or fraud; by fraud, if it is by fraud that they have seized on it; by force, if force has helped them in their enterprise.

33. ‘Do this, and then may your land bring you forth fruit abundantly, and your wives bear children, and your herds increase, and freedom be your portion for ever.’

Chapter 30

  1. But the Persians who heard his words put no faith in anything that he said concerning the Magi having the royal power;

  2. Instead they believed that he spoke out of hatred towards his brother Smerdis, and had invented the tale of his death to cause the whole Persian race to rise up in arms against him.

  3. Thus they were convinced that it was Smerdis the son of Cyrus who had rebelled and now sat on the throne.

  4. For Prexaspes stoutly denied that he had murdered Smerdis, since it was not safe for him to allow that a son of Cyrus had met with death at his hands.

  5. Thus Cambyses died, and the Magus now reigned in security, and passed himself off as Smerdis son of Cyrus.

  6. And so went by the seven months which were wanting to complete the eighth year of Cambyses.

  7. In the eighth month, however, it was discovered who Smerdis the Magian really was, in the following manner.

  8. There was a man called Otanes, the son of Pharnaspes, who for rank and wealth was equal to the greatest of the Persians;

  9. And he was the first to suspect that the Magus was not Smerdis the son of Cyrus, and to surmise who he really was.

10. He was led to guess the truth by the king never leaving the citadel, and never calling before him any of the Persian noblemen.

11. As soon, therefore, as his suspicions were aroused, he adopted the following measures.

12. One of his daughters, who was called Phaedima, had been married to Cambyses, and was taken to wife, together with the rest of Cambyses’ wives, by Smerdis the usurper.

13. Otanes sent her a message, asking her ‘Who it was whose bed she shared; was it Smerdis the son of Cyrus, or was it some other man?’

14. Phaedima in reply declared she did not know; Smerdis the son of Cyrus she had never seen, and so she could not tell whose bed she shared.

15. Upon this Otanes sent a second time, and said, ‘If you do not know Smerdis son of Cyrus yourself, ask queen Atossa about the man whose bed you share; she cannot fail to know her own brother.’

16. To this the daughter answered, ‘I can neither get speech with Atossa, nor with any of the women who lodge in the palace.

17. ‘For no sooner did this man obtain the kingdom, than he parted us from one another, and gave us all separate chambers.’

18. This made the matter seem still more plain to Otanes. Nevertheless he sent a third message to his daughter, saying,

19. ‘Daughter, you are of noble blood; you will not shrink from the risk which I now ask you to take, even though it could mean your death if discovered.

20. ‘When next he passes the night with you, wait till he is fast asleep, then feel his ears. For if you find that he has none, you will know that he is not Smerdis son of Cyrus but Smerdis the Magian.’

21. Now Smerdis the Magian had had his ears cut off in the lifetime of Cyrus, as a punishment for a crime of no slight heinousness.

22. Otanes’ daughter, therefore, when her turn came, and she was taken to the bed of the Magus (in Persia a man’s wives sleep with him in their turns), waited till he was sound asleep, and then felt for his ears.

23. She quickly perceived that he had none; and of this, as soon as day dawned, she sent word to her father.

24. Then Otanes went to two of the chief Persians, Aspathines and Gobryas, men it was safe to trust in such a matter, and told them everything.

25. Now they had already themselves suspected how matters stood. When Otanes laid his reasons before them they at once came into his views;

26. And it was agreed that each of the three should take as companion in the work the Persian in whom he placed the greatest confidence.

27. Otanes chose Intaphernes, Gobryas chose Megabyzus, and Aspathines chose Hydarnes. After the number had thus become six, Darius, the son of Hystaspes, arrived at Susa from the province where his father was governor.

28. On his coming it seemed good to the six to take him likewise into their counsels.

29. When they did so Darius said, ‘I thought no one but I knew that Smerdis, the son of Cyrus, was not alive, and that Smerdis the Magian ruled over us;

30. ‘On this account I hurried back, to raise resistance against the Magian. But as it seems the matter is known to you all, and not to me only, my judgement is that we should act at once, and delay no longer.’

31. Otanes said, ‘Son of Hystaspes, you are the child of a brave father, and seem likely to show yourself as gallant as he.

32. ‘Beware, however, of rash haste in this matter; we must not hurry, but proceed with caution. We must add to our number before striking a blow.’

33. ‘No,’ Darius replied; ‘if we follow the advice of Otanes we will perish most miserably.

34. ‘Someone will betray our plot to the Magians. You ought to have kept the matter to yourselves, and so made the venture;

35. ‘But because you have taken others into your secret, including me, we must make the attempt as soon as possible, even today.

36. ‘We can easily gain entry to the palace; I can say that I have just arrived and have a message for the king from my father. An untruth must be spoken, where need requires.’

37.   Gobryas, agreeing, said, ‘Dear friends, when will a fitter occasion offer for us to recover the kingdom, or, if we are not strong enough, at least die in the attempt?

38. ‘My vote is that we do as Darius has counselled: march straight to the palace, and immediately set upon the Magian.’ So Gobryas spoke, and the rest agreed.

Chapter 31

  1. While the seven were thus taking counsel together, it chanced that the Magi had been thinking what they had best do, and had resolved for many reasons to make a friend of Prexaspes.

  2. They knew how cruelly he had been outraged by Cambyses, who slew his son with an arrow;

  3. They were also aware that it was by his hand that Smerdis the son of Cyrus fell, and that he was the only person privy to that prince’s death;

  4. And they further found him to be held in the highest esteem by all the Persians.

  5. So they summoned him, made him their friend, and bound him by a promise to keep silence about the fraud they were practising, and promised him many gifts of every sort.

  6. So Prexaspes agreed, and the Magi, when they found that they had persuaded him so far, went on to another proposal,

  7. And said they would assemble the Persians at the foot of the palace wall, and he should mount one of the towers and address them from it, assuring them that Smerdis the son of Cyrus, and none other, ruled the land.

  8. Prexaspes said he was ready to do their will; so the Magi assembled the people, and placed Prexaspes on the tower, and told him to make his speech.

  9. Prexaspes began by tracing the descent of Cyrus, and all the services that had been rendered by that king to the Persians;

10. And then, in honour of Cyrus’ memory, and to the dismay and anger of the Magi, he proceeded to declare the truth,

11. Which he had, he said, until now concealed because it would not have been safe for him to reveal it:

12. So he told how, forced to the deed by Cambyses, he had himself taken the life of Smerdis, son of Cyrus, so that Persia was now ruled by usurping Magi.

13. Last of all, with adjurations to the Persians to recover the kingdom and wreak vengeance on the Magi, he threw himself headlong from the tower into the abyss below.

14. Such was the end of Prexaspes, a man all his life of high repute among the Persians.

15. And now the seven noble Persians, having resolved to attack the usurpers without more delay, set off for the palace, quite unacquainted with what had been done by Prexaspes.

16. The news of his doings reached them on their way, when they had gone about half the distance.

17. Accordingly they turned aside out of the road, and consulted together. Otanes and his party said they must certainly put off the business, and not make the attack when affairs were in such a ferment.