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60, seizing tyrannical power, he came and slew him, and took his kingdom. And after the reign of Darius, other kings of the Assyrians reigned until Astyages. and then Astyages reigned over the Persians, who campaigned against the Lydians, going up with a great force. at which time the sun was eclipsed for many hours of the day, Thales the philosopher having foretold the eclipse of the sun. in those same times Peisistratus, waging war, acts as a demagogue, the Lydians not having been defeated in the war, but Astyages having withdrawn on his own accord. then the Pisans, knowing this, celebrated a second festival of Pythian games, giving thanks to the Sun, entrusting themselves to the Lydians and to the might of his power. And then in the times after these, the same Pisans invented a third festival of games 153, the Isthmian games for Pluto. And a fourth festival of games the same Pisans invented, and they celebrated the Nemean games for Dionysus. And after the reign of Ardys, eight kings of the Lydians reigned until Croesus the arrogant; and the same Croesus reigned for 15 years. Therefore the kingdom of the Lydians held all things for 232 years. And in the times of his reign, the same Croesus subdued all the provinces, that is kingdoms, those near him and those far off, taking tribute from those who obeyed him, but from those who resisted him, both them and their kingdoms. and he was greatly feared, as one fortunate and victorious; and he grew arrogant. in which times Solon was a philosopher. And after the reign of Astyages, king of the Persians, Cyrus the Persian became king; who loved Bardane, the wife of the king before him, Darius, and took her. but in the fourteenth year of the reign of Cyrus, Croesus, the king of the Lydians, having been informed by his senators of the former warlike presence of Astyages, king of the Persians, against Lydia, became indignant. and he declared to Cyrus, the king of the Persians, to yield his kingdom to him and to withdraw, or to receive the presence of his most fortunate kingdom waging war. But Cyrus, king of the Persians, having received the 154 sent ambassadors, and having read what was written by him, said to the ambassadors, For what wrong has Croesus suffered from me, being so great a land distant from me and my kingdoms? or how, after so much time has passed, does he seek retribution for an injury to his country? and being distressed, he wished to flee to the land of India. But his wife, seeing him despondent, and having questioned and learned the matter from him, says to him that In the time of Darius, my first husband, there was a certain Hebrew man, a prophet, having the wisdom of God, whose name was Daniel, from the captivity of the sons of Israel, whom King Darius held in great honor, and without him he did nothing in his wars. and when he consulted him when he had a war, he would conquer his enemies; who after his death, being rich and old, lives privately in the land of Marabitis. But Cyrus, hearing these things, sent his nobles to him, so that they might bring him with honor. But those sent from Croesus to Cyrus returned to the land of the Lydians and brought back to their own king the response given to them by Cyrus. But Croesus, king of the Lydians, choosing certain faithful men from among his own people, and giving them humble gifts and other royal gifts, sends them to Delphi to the oracle, having said to them that 'Change your appearance and wear Egyptian attire, and going up to the oracle, give 155 the humble gifts to the priest, saying to him that 'We are Egyptians, and we have come to consult the Pythia, and from the length of the journey we have forgotten why we came to inquire or to ask; but pray and ask the goddess why we came.' and if she tells you why you came, give also the

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ξʹ, τυραννήσας ἐπῆλθε καὶ ἔσφαξεν αὐτόν, καὶ ἔλαβε τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν ∆αρείου ἐβασίλευσαν ἕτεροι βασιλεῖς Ἀσσυρίων ἕως Ἀστυάγους. καὶ λοιπὸν ὁ Ἀστυάγης ἐβασίλευσε Περσῶν, ὃς ἐπεστράτευσε κατὰ τῶν Λυδῶν, ἀνελθὼν μετὰ δυνάμεως πολλῆς. ἐν ᾧ χρόνῳ ὁ ἥλιος ἐξέλειψεν ἐπὶ πολλὰς ὥρας τῆς ἡμέρας, προειπόντος Θαλοῦ τοῦ φιλοσόφου τὴν ἔκλειψιν τοῦ ἡλίου. ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς χρόνοις Πεισίστρατος πολεμῶν δημαγωγεῖ, τῶν Λυδῶν μὴ ἡττηθέντων τῷ πολέμῳ, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Ἀστυάγους ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ἀναχωρήσαντος. τότε τοῦτο γνόντες οἱ Πισαῖοι δευτέραν ἑορτὴν ἐπετέλεσαν ἀγῶνος Πυθίων, εὐχαριστοῦντες τῷ Ἡλίῳ, παρατιθέμενοι ἑαυτοὺς Λυδοῖς καὶ τῷ κράτει τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ. Καὶ λοιπὸν ἐν τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα ἐφηῦρον ἑορτὴν ἀγῶνος τρί 153 του οἱ αὐτοὶ Πισαῖοι, τὰ Ἴσθμια τῷ Πλούτωνι. τετάρτην δὲ ἑορτὴν ἐφηῦρον ἀγῶνος οἱ αὐτοὶ Πισαῖοι, καὶ ἐπετέλεσαν τὰ Νέμεια τῷ ∆ιονύσῳ. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Ἀρδέως ἐβασίλευσαν Λυδῶν ὀκτὼ ἕως Κροίσου τοῦ ὑπερηφάνου· ἐβασίλευσε δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς Κροῖσος ἔτη ιεʹ. κατέσχεν οὖν ἡ βασιλεία Λυδῶν τὰ πάντα ἔτη σλβʹ. Ἐν δὲ τοῖς χρόνοις τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ ὁ αὐτὸς Κροῖσος ὑπέταξε πάσας τὰς ἐπαρχίας, ἤτοι βασιλείας, τὰς πλησίον αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰς πόῤῥωθεν, λαμβάνων ἀπὸ μὲν τῶν πειθομένων αὐτῷ φόρους, ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ἀνθισταμένων αὐτῷ αὐτοὺς καὶ τὰς βασιλείας αὐτῶν. καὶ εἶχε φόβον πολύν, ὡς εὐτυχὴς καὶ νικητής· καὶ ὑπτιώθη. ἐν οἷς χρόνοις Σόλων ἐφιλοσόφει. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν Ἀστυάγους, βασιλέως Περσῶν, ἐγένετο βασιλεὺς Κῦρος ὁ Πέρσης· ὅστις ἐφίλησε τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πρὸ αὐτοῦ βασιλέως ∆αρείου Βαρδάνην, καὶ ἔλαβεν αὐτήν. τῷ δὲ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῳ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας Κύρου Κροῖσος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Λυδῶν διδαχθεὶς ἀπὸ τῶν συγκλητικῶν αὐτοῦ τὴν πρῴην τοῦ Ἀστυάγους, βασιλέως Περσῶν, ἐπὶ τὴν Λυδίαν πολεμικὴν παρουσίαν, ἠγανάκτησε. καὶ δηλοῖ Κύρῳ, τῷ βασιλεῖ Περσῶν, παραχωρῆσαι αὐτῷ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀναχωρῆσαι, ἢ δέξασθαι τὴν παρουσίαν τῆς εὐτυχεστάτης αὐτοῦ βασιλείας πολεμοῦσαν. ὁ δὲ Κῦρος, βασιλεὺς Περσῶν, δεξάμενος τοὺς 154 σταλέντας πρέσβεις, καὶ ἀναγνοὺς τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ γραφέντα, εἶπε τοῖς πρεσβευταῖς, Τί γὰρ ἠδίκηται παρ' ἐμοῦ Κροῖσος, τοσαύτην γῆν ἀφεστηκὼς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐμῶν βασιλείων; ἢ πῶς τοσούτων διαδραμόντων χρόνων βλάβην χώρας διεκδικεῖ; καὶ ἀδημονῶν ἠβούλετο φυγεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰνδικὴν χώραν. ἰδοῦσα δὲ αὐτὸν ἀθυμοῦντα ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπερωτήσασα καὶ μαθοῦσα παρ' αὐτοῦ τὸ πρᾶγμα, λέγει αὐτῷ ὅτι Ἐπὶ ∆αρείου, τοῦ πρώτου μου ἀνδρός, ἦν ἀνήρ τις Ἑβραῖος, προφήτης, σοφίαν ἔχων θεοῦ, ᾧ ὄνομα ∆ανιήλ, ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ, ὅντινα ἐν πολλῇ τιμῇ εἶχεν ὁ βασιλεὺς ∆αρεῖος, καὶ δίχα αὐτοῦ οὐδὲν ἔπραττεν ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις. καὶ ἐπερωτῶν αὐτὸν ἡνίκα εἶχε πόλεμον, κατεπολέμει τοὺς ἐναντίους· ὅστις μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν ἐκείνου, πλούσιος ὢν καὶ γεγηρακώς, ἰδιάζει εἰς τὴν Μαραβίτιδα χώραν. ὁ δὲ Κῦρος ἀκούσας ταῦτα, ἔπεμψε πρὸς αὐτὸν τοὺς μεγιστᾶνας αὐτοῦ, ὅπως μετὰ τιμῆς ἀγάγωσιν αὐτόν. οἱ δὲ ἀποσταλέντες ἀπὸ Κροίσου πρὸς Κῦρον ὑποστρέψαντες εἰς τὴν Λυδῶν χώραν τὴν ἀπόκρισιν τὴν δοθεῖσαν αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ Κύρου τῷ ἰδίῳ βασιλεῖ ἀπήγαγον. Ὁ δὲ Κροῖσος, βασιλεὺς Λυδῶν, ἐπιλεξάμενός τινας ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων αὐτοῦ ἀνθρώπων πιστούς, καὶ δοὺς αὐτοῖς δῶρα εὐτελῆ καὶ ἕτερα δῶρα βασιλικά, ἀποστέλλει εἰς ∆ελφοὺς εἰς τὸ μαντεῖον, εἰρηκὼς αὐτοῖς ὅτι Ἀλλάξατε τὸ σχῆμα ὑμῶν καὶ φορέσατε Αἰγύπτιον σχῆμα, καὶ ἀνελθόντες εἰς τὸ μαντεῖον ἐπίδοτε 155 τὰ εὐτελῆ δῶρα τῷ ἱερεῖ, λέγοντες αὐτῷ ὅτι Αἰγύπτιοί ἐσμεν, καὶ ἤλθομεν ἐπερωτῆσαι τὴν Πυθίαν, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ μήκους τῆς ὁδοῦ ἐληθαργήσαμεν διὰ τί ἤλθομεν ἐπερωτῆσαι ἢ αἰτῆσαι· ἀλλ' εὖξαι καὶ ἐπερώτησον τὴν θεὰν διὰ τί ἤλθομεν. καὶ εἰ μὲν εἴπῃ ὑμῖν διὰ τί ἤλθετε, δότε καὶ τὰ