The Good Book (41 page)

18. But then he devised a plan. He placed a portion of his army at the point where the river enters the city, and another where it flows out,

19. With orders to march into the town by the bed of the stream, as soon as the water became shallow enough.

20. He then drew himself off with the unwarlike portion of his host, and made for the place where Nitocris had dug the basin for the river, where he did exactly what she had done formerly:

21. He turned the Euphrates by a canal into the basin, which was then a marsh; as a result of which the river sank so low that the bed of the stream became fordable.

22. When this happened the Persian warriors who had been left where the river entered the city, finding that the water now reached only about midway up a man’s thigh, waded into the town.

23. Had the Babylonians known what Cyrus was about, or had they noticed their danger, they would have destroyed the Persians utterly;

24. For they would have made fast all the street-gates giving onto the river, and mounting on the walls along both sides would have had their enemy trapped.

25. But as it was the Persians took them by surprise and captured the city. Owing to the vast size of the place, the inhabitants of the central parts knew nothing of what had chanced until long after the outer portions of the town were taken,

26. But as they were engaged in a festival, they continued dancing and revelling until far too late.

Chapter 20

  1. Such, then, were the circumstances of the first taking of Babylon. With its territory it proved to be the richest and most fruitful of the satrapies of the Persian empire.

  2. It alone provided a third of the empire’s annual food and supplies, all the rest of Asia together providing two-thirds.

  3. When Tritantaechmes, son of Artabazus, held the satrapy of Babylon on behalf of the Persian king, it brought him an artaba of silver every day.

  4. He also had, belonging to his own private stud, besides war horses, eight hundred stallions and sixteen thousand mares, twenty to each stallion.

  5. Besides which he kept so great a number of Indian hounds, that four large villages of the plain were exempted from all other charges on condition of keeping them in food.

  6. Very little rain falls in Assyria, just enough to make the corn sprout, after which the plant is nourished and the ears formed by irrigation from the river.

  7. For the river does not, as in Egypt, overflow the corn-lands of its own accord, but is spread over them by hand or the help of engines.

  8. The whole of Babylonia is, like Egypt, intersected with canals.

  9. The largest of them, which runs towards the winter sun, and is impassable except in boats, is carried from the Euphrates into the Tigris, the river on which the town of Nineveh formerly stood.

10. Of all countries none is so fruitful in grain. It cannot grow the fig, the olive, the vine, or any other tree of the kind; but in grain it is wonderfully fruitful.

11. The blades of the wheat and barley are often four fingers in breadth. As for millet and sesame, what heights they reach! The fruitfulness of Babylonia must seem incredible to those who have never visited the country.

12. The only oil they use is made from the sesame plant. Palm trees grow in great numbers over the whole of the flat country, and their fruit supplies them with bread, wine and honey.

13. Palms are cultivated like fig trees; for example, Babylonians tie the fruit of the male palms to the branches of the date-bearing palm,

14. To let the gallfly enter the dates and ripen them, and to prevent the fruit from falling off.

15. When Cyrus had conquered the Babylonians, he conceived the desire of bringing the Massagetae under his dominion.

16. Now the Massagetae are said to be a great and warlike nation, dwelling eastward beyond the River Araxes, and opposite the Issedonians. Many regarded them as a Scythian race.

17. The Araxes is said by some to be a greater river than the Ister (Danube). It has forty mouths, all but one of which disappear into marshes. The other mouth flows with a clear course into the Caspian Sea.

18. Now, the sea frequented by the Greeks, the Mediterranean; the sea beyond the Pillars of Hercules, called the Atlantic; and the Erythraean Sea into which the Tigris and Euphrates flow, are all the same sea.

19. But the Caspian is a distinct sea, lying by itself, in length fifteen days’ voyage with a rowboat, in breadth, at the broadest part, eight days’ voyage.

20. Many and various are the tribes inhabiting its environs, most living on the wild fruits of the forest.

21. In these forests certain trees grow, from whose leaves, pounded and mixed with water, the inhabitants make a dye, with which they paint pictures of animals on their clothes;

22. And the pictures never wash out, but last as though they had been woven into the cloth.

23. On the west the Caspian Sea is bounded by the Caucasus, the most extensive and loftiest of all mountain ranges.

24. To its east is a vast plain, stretching out interminably before the eye, possessed by those Massagetae whom Cyrus now wished to subdue.

Chapter 21

  1. At this time the Massagetae were ruled by a queen named Tomyris, who at the death of her husband, the late king, had mounted the throne.

  2. To her Cyrus sent ambassadors, with instructions to court her on his part, pretending that he wished to marry her.

  3. Tomyris, however, aware that it was her kingdom, and not herself, that he courted, forbade the men to approach.

  4. Cyrus, therefore, finding that he did not advance his designs by this deceit, marched towards the River Araxes, openly displaying his hostile intentions.

  5. He set to work to construct a bridge, and began building towers on the boats to be used in the passage.

  6. While Cyrus was occupied in these labours, Tomyris sent a herald to him, who said, ‘King, cease to press this enterprise, for you cannot know if what you are doing will be of advantage to you.

  7. ‘Be content to rule your own kingdom in peace, and bear to see us reign over the countries that are ours to govern.

  8. ‘As, however, I know you will not choose to listen to this counsel, since there is nothing you less desire than peace and quietness,

  9. ‘Come now, if you are so desirous of meeting the Massagetae in arms, leave your useless toil of bridge-making;

10. ‘We will retire three days’ march from the river bank, and you can come across with your soldiers;

11. ‘Or, if you prefer to give us battle on your side of the stream, retire an equal distance and we will come over.’

12. Cyrus, on hearing this, called together the Persian chiefs, asking them to advise what he should do.

13. All the votes were in favour of letting Tomyris cross the stream, and giving battle on Persian ground.

14. But Croesus the Lydian, who was present at the meeting, disagreed with this advice; he therefore rose and said,

15. ‘O king! I promised that I would, to the best of my ability, avert impending danger from your house.

16. ‘Alas! my own sufferings, by their very bitterness, have taught me to be keen-sighted of dangers.  

17. ‘My judgement runs counter to that of your other counsellors. If you agree to let the enemy into your country, consider the risk!

18. ‘Lose the battle, and with it your whole kingdom is lost. For assuredly, if the Massagetae win they will not return to their homes, but will push forward against the states of your empire.

19. ‘Or if you win, why, then you gain far less than if you were across the stream, where you might follow up your victory.

20. ‘Rout their army on the other side of the river, and you can push at once into the heart of their country.

21. ‘My counsel, therefore, is that we cross the river, push forward as far as they fall back, then get the better of them by stratagem.

22. ‘I am told they are unacquainted with the good things on which the Persians live, and have never tasted the delights of life.

23. ‘Let us prepare a feast for them in our camp; let sheep be slaughtered, and wine cups be filled, and let all manner of dishes be prepared: then leaving behind us our worst troops, let us fall back towards the river.

24. ‘Unless I much mistake, when they see the good fare set out, they will forget everything else, and feast. Then it will remain for us to do our parts manfully.’

25. Cyrus, preferring the advice Croesus had given, returned answer to Tomyris that she should retire, and he would cross the stream.

26. She did so; and Cyrus, giving Croesus into the care of his son and heir Cambyses, with strict charge to the latter to pay Croesus all respect and treat him well if the expedition failed, crossed the river.

27. After Cyrus had advanced a day’s march from the river, he did as Croesus had advised, and, leaving the worthless portion of his army in the camp, drew off with his good troops towards the river.

28. Soon afterwards, a detachment of the Massagetae, one-third of their entire army, led by Spargapises, son of queen Tomyris, fell upon the troops left behind by Cyrus, and killed them.

29. Then, seeing the banquet prepared, they began to feast. When they had eaten and drunk, and had sunk into sleep, the Persians under Cyrus returned, slaughtered many, and made an even larger number prisoner, Spargapises among them.

30. When Tomyris heard what had happened she sent a herald to Cyrus to say, ‘Bloodthirsty Cyrus, do not pride yourself on this poor success:

31. ‘It was the grape juice which, when one drinks it, makes one mad, and brings to one’s lips such bold words; it was this poison by which you defeated my son, not in fair open fight.

32. ‘Now listen to what I advise. Restore my son and leave my land unharmed. Refuse, and I will give you more than your fill of blood.’

33. Cyrus ignored the herald. As for Spargapises, when he became sober, and saw the extent of his calamity, he requested Cyrus to release him from his bonds; then, when his request was granted, and the fetters were removed, he killed himself.

34. Tomyris collected all the forces of her kingdom and gave battle. Of all the combats in which the barbarians have engaged among themselves, this was the fiercest.

35. The Massagetae prevailed; the greater part of the army of the Persians was destroyed, and Cyrus himself was killed, after reigning twenty-nine years.

36. By order of the queen a search was made among the slain for Cyrus’ body, and when it was found she took a skin, and, filling it full of human blood, she dipped the head of Cyrus in the gore, saying,

37. ‘I live and have conquered you, and yet I am ruined by you, for you took my son with guile; but thus I make good my threat, and give you your fill of blood.’

Chapter 22

  1. On the death of Cyrus, Cambyses his son by Cassandane daughter of Pharnaspes inherited the kingdom, and immediately began a campaign to capture Egypt.

  2. Cassandane had died in the lifetime of Cyrus, who had made a great mourning for her at her death, and had commanded all the subjects of his empire to do likewise.

  3. Cambyses, regarding the Ionian and Aeolian Greeks as vassals of his father, took them with him in his expedition against Egypt among the other nations under his sway.

  4. His war of conquest against Egypt began when Amasis was king of that ancient and wealthy land astride the Nile.

  5. But by the time Cambyses arrived with his army in Egypt, Amasis had died at the end of his forty-four-year reign, to be succeeded by his son Psammenitus.

  6. At the first battle Cambyses defeated the armies of Psammenitus, whose soldiers fled the battlefield and took refuge behind the walls of Memphis.

  7. Cambyses besieged the city for ten days, whereupon it fell; and Psammenitus was taken prisoner and brought to Cambyses’ camp.

  8. The Persian king resolved to test the fortitude of Psammenitus to see what manner of man he was.

  9. He placed him on a seat in the suburb of the vanquished city, his captured nobles with him,

10. And forced him to watch his daughter manhandled along the street, dressed as a slave, and with her the daughters of the Egyptian nobles; and all were subjected to mistreatment.

11. The nobles of Psammenitus wept to see their daughters in this plight, carrying pitchers of water and pushed by soldiers in the dust of the street; but Psammenitus did not weep.

12. Next came Psammenitus’ son, and two thousand young men of the same age as he, with ropes around their necks and bridles in their mouths, being driven like beasts to a place of execution outside the city.

13. While the other Egyptians around him wept and tore their clothes at this sight, Psammenitus still did not weep, but remained silent and still.

14. But then it chanced that an old man who had been a boyhood friend of Psammenitus came into view, hobbling along the ranks of onlookers begging for alms.

15. At this sight the Egyptian king burst into tears, and wept, and called out to the old man by name.