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he prepared himself and sent to the Persians, both to their commonwealth and to their king Cambyses, asking for an alliance and requesting that Cyrus his nephew come as commander of the allies; for he was already numbered among the men of military age. So when the Persians agreed to an alliance, the elders elected Cyrus commander of the army going to the Medes, and they gave him thirty thousand peltasts and archers and slingers. So when he was chosen, after taking leave of his father, he went off to the Medes with the army. When he arrived, but the Assyrian was not yet present, he ordered his men to practice the arts of war. In the meantime, a messenger came from Cyaxares saying that an embassy from the Indians was present, and "it is necessary for you to be present also. I am bringing you also the finest robe; 1.229 for he wants to present you most splendidly attired, so that you may be seen thus by the Indians." But when he arrived at the gates of Cyaxares with his army, and dressed in Persian style went in to him, the other was displeased at the simplicity of the attire. And when the Indians were called in, they said they had been sent by their king to ask what the cause of the war was for both the Medes and the Assyrian, and to learn the same from him, and to tell both that the king of the Indians, after considering what is just, will side with the one who has been wronged. To this Cyaxares said, "We are in no way wronging the Assyrian, but learn from him what he says." But Cyrus said, "If the Assyrian says he is wronged by us, O Indians, we choose your king himself as judge." So they, having heard these things, departed; but Cyrus, not wanting his army to sit idle, said to Cyaxares, "I remember hearing you say recently that the Armenian neither sends you an army nor pays the tribute, having broken the treaty. If you wish, then, send me, having added a moderate number of cavalry for me; and I think with the gods' help he will both send the army and pay the tribute." When Cyaxares consented, promising that when he approached the borders of Armenia he would send him the cavalry, Cyrus went away as if going out for a hunt; for he was accustomed to hunt between the borders of both, I mean those of the Medes and the Armenians. And having gone away he hunted and entered the mountains of Armenia, proceeding forward slowly. When Cyaxares heard this, he sent him the horsemen. And when they had come, he called together the commanders and revealed the secret plan, and said that he had come on account of the Armenian having behaved ungratefully toward Cyaxares. And 1.230 he ordered Chrysantas to take half of the Persians and go to the mountains of the Armenians, and to take care not to be recognized as an army being in those parts, but to send some men ahead who resembled bandits both in number and in dress, so that if any should perhaps meet them, they would think them to be robbers. And Chrysantas with the Persians proceeded to the mountains, while Cyrus, sending to the Armenian, ordered him to bring both the tribute and the army as quickly as possible, and he himself went in battle order. When the Armenian heard this, he was terrified, and sent men to gather his army, and also sent his wives and his younger son and his possessions into the mountains; for his residence was not surrounded by a wall. But when those sent to the mountains fell in with those lying in wait there, and the wives and son and daughters of the Armenian were captured, he himself, being at a loss, also surrendered himself to Cyrus. In the meantime, the elder son of the Armenian, Tigranes, who was away from home, was approaching, who had once been a hunting-companion of Cyrus, and learning what had happened, he immediately went to Cyrus just as he was; and seeing his father and mother and sisters and his own wife as captives, he wept. But Cyrus said, "You have come at the right time." And after conversing at length with the Armenian and proving him to be in the wrong, he finally said, "Tell me how great your force is, and how much money." And when he said that his cavalry was eight thousand, and his infantry four myriads, and his money, reckoned in silver, was more than three thousand talents, Cyrus said, "Of the army, 1.231 send half with me, and of the money, instead of the fifty talents of the annual

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παρεσκευάζετο καὶ εἰς Πέρσας ἀπέστειλε πρός τε τὸ κοινὸν καὶ πρὸς τὸν σφῶν βασιλέα Καμβύσην, συμμαχίαν αἰτῶν καὶ τὸν Κῦρον τὸν ἀδελφιδοῦν αρχοντα τῶν συμμάχων ἐλεύσεσθαι ἀξιῶν· ηδη γὰρ ἐν τοῖς τελείοις ἠρίθμητο. συμμαχήσειν ουν τῶν Περσῶν καταθεμένων οἱ γεραίτεροι αρχοντα τὸν Κῦρον αἱροῦνται τῆς εἰς Μήδους στρατιᾶς, καὶ τρισμυρίους αὐτῷ εδοσαν πελταστὰς καὶ τοξότας καὶ σφενδονήτας. ὡς ουν ᾑρέθη, τῷ πατρὶ συνταξάμενος ἀπῄει πρὸς Μήδους σὺν τῷ στρατεύματι. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀφίκετο, ουπω δὲ παρῆν ὁ ̓Ασσύριος, ἀσκεῖν ἐπέταττε τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ τὰ πολέμια. ἐν τούτοις δὲ παρὰ Κυαξάρου ηκεν αγγελος λέγων οτι ̓Ινδῶν παρείη πρεσβεία, καί "δεῖ παρεῖναι καὶ σέ. φέρω δέ σοι καὶ στολὴν τὴν καλλίστην· βούλεται 1.229 γάρ σε προσάγειν ἐστολισμένον λαμπρότατα, ιν' ουτω τοῖς ̓Ινδοῖς ὀφθείης." ὡς δ' ἀφίκετο ἐπὶ τὰς Κυαξάρου θύρας μετὰ τῆς στρατιᾶς, καὶ περσικῶς ἐσταλμένος εἰσῄει πρὸς αὐτόν, ἠχθέσθη ἐκεῖνος τῇ λιτότητι τῆς στολῆς. κληθέντες δὲ οἱ ̓Ινδοὶ ειπον ἐστάλθαι παρὰ τοῦ σφετέρου βασιλέως ἐρωτῶντος ἐξ ου ὁ πόλεμος ειη Μήδοις τε καὶ τῷ ̓Ασσυρίῳ, τὰ αὐτὰ δὲ πυθέσθαι κἀκείνου, καὶ ἀμφοτέροις εἰπεῖν οτι ὁ ̓Ινδῶν βασιλεὺς τὸ δίκαιον σκεψάμενος μετὰ τοῦ ἠδικημένου εσται. πρὸς ταῦτα ὁ Κυαξάρης εφη "ἡμεῖς μὲν ἀδικοῦμεν οὐδὲν τὸν ̓Ασσύριον, ἐκείνου δὲ ο,τι λέγει πυνθάνεσθε." ὁ δὲ Κῦρος ειπεν "εἰ παρ' ἡμῶν ἀδικεῖσθαί φησιν ὁ ̓Ασσύριος, ω ̓Ινδοί, αὐτὸν αἱρούμεθα δικαστὴν τὸν βασιλέα ὑμῶν." Οἱ μὲν δὴ ταῦτα ἀκούσαντες ῳχοντο· ὁ δὲ Κῦρος μὴ θέλων απρακτον καθῆσθαι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ στρατιάν, τῷ Κυαξάρῃ φησίν "εναγχος μέμνημαί σου ἀκούσας ὡς ὁ ̓Αρμένιος ουτε στράτευμα πέμπει σοι ουτε τὸν δασμὸν δίδωσι, τὰς συνθήκας ἠθετηκώς. εἰ ουν βούλει, πέμψον ἐμέ, ἱππέας μοι μετρίους προσθέμενος· καὶ οιμαι σὺν τοῖς θεοῖς ὡς καὶ τὸ στράτευμα πέμψει καὶ ἀποδοίη καὶ τὸν δασμόν." ὡς δὲ ἐφῆκεν ὁ Κυαξάρης, ὑποσχόμενος, οτε τοῖς οροις πλησιάσει τῆς ̓Αρμενίας, πέμψειν αὐτῷ τοὺς ἱππέας, ἀπῄει ὁ Κῦρος ὡς πρὸς θήραν ἐξιών· καὶ γὰρ εἰώθει θηρᾶν μέσον τῶν ὁρίων ἀμφοῖν, τῶν τε Μήδων φημὶ καὶ τῶν ̓Αρμενίων. καὶ ἀπελθὼν ἐθήρα καὶ ἐπέβαινε τῶν ὀρῶν τῆς ̓Αρμενίας ἐπὶ τὸ πρόσω χωρῶν ἠρέμα. ὡς δ' ῃσθετο ταῦτα ὁ Κυαξάρης, ἀπέστειλεν αὐτῷ τοὺς ἱππεῖς. ἐλθόντων δ' ἐκείνων συγκαλέσας τοὺς ταξιάρχας ἐξέφηνε τὸ ἀπόρρητον, καὶ ηκειν εφη διὰ τὸν ̓Αρμένιον ἀγνωμονήσαντα πρὸς τὸν Κυαξάρην. καὶ 1.230 τῷ μὲν Χρυσάντᾳ ἐνετέλλετο τοὺς ἡμίσεις λαβεῖν τῶν Περσῶν καὶ εἰς τὰ ορη τῶν ̓Αρμενίων γενέσθαι, φυλάττεσθαί τε μὴ γνωρισθῆναι οτι στράτευμα ειη ἐν τούτοις, ἀλλά τινας προπέμπειν λῃσταῖς ἐοικότας καὶ τὸ πλῆθος καὶ τὰς στολάς, ωστε ει τινες ισως τούτοις ἐντύχοιεν, κλῶπας νομίζειν ειναι. καὶ ὁ μὲν Χρυσάντας μετὰ τῶν Περσῶν ἐπὶ τὰ ορη ἐχώρει, ὁ δὲ Κῦρος πέμψας πρὸς τὸν ̓Αρμένιον ἐκέλευεν ὡς τάχιστα οισειν καὶ τὸν δασμὸν καὶ τὸ στράτευμα, καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπῄει συντεταγμένος. ὡς δ' ηκουσε ταῦτα ὁ ̓Αρμένιος, ἐξεπλάγη, καὶ επεμπε μὲν ἀθροίζων τὴν ἑαυτοῦ στρατιάν, επεμπε δὲ καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας τόν τε νεώτερον υἱὸν καὶ τὰ χρήματα εἰς τὰ ορη· οὐ γὰρ τεῖχος τῇ σφῶν κατοικίᾳ περιεβέβλητο. ἐπεὶ δὲ οἱ πρὸς τὰ ορη πεμφθέντες ἐνέπεσον τοῖς ἐκεῖ ἐφεδρεύουσι, καὶ αι τε γυναῖκες καὶ ὁ υἱὸς καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες τοῦ ̓Αρμενίου ἑάλωσαν, ἀπορῶν αὐτὸς καὶ ἑαυτὸν τῷ Κύρῳ παρέδωκεν. ̓Εν τούτοις δὲ ὁ πρεσβύτερος τοῦ ̓Αρμενίου παῖς Τιγράνης ἀπόδημος ων προσῄει, ος ποτε σύνθηρος τῷ Κύρῳ ἐγένετο, καὶ γνοὺς τὰ συμβάντα εὐθὺς ὡς ειχε πρὸς τὸν Κῦρον ἀπῄει· καὶ ἰδὼν τόν τε πατέρα καὶ τὴν μητέρα καὶ τὰς ἀδελφὰς καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα αἰχμαλώτους, ἐδάκρυσεν. ὁ δὲ Κῦρος "εἰς καιρὸν ηκεις" εφη. καὶ πολλὰ τῷ ̓Αρμενίῳ διαλεχθεὶς καὶ ἀδικοῦντα ἐλέγξας, τέλος εφη "λέγε μοι πόση σοι δύναμίς ἐστι, πόσα δὲ χρήματα." τοῦ δὲ εἰπόντος ἱππεῖς μὲν ὀκτακισχιλίους ειναι, πεζῶν δὲ μυριάδας τέσσαρας, χρήματα δὲ εἰς ἀργύριον λογισθέντα πλείω τρισχιλίων ταλάντων, ὁ Κῦρος "τῆς μὲν στρατιᾶς" 1.231 εφη "τοὺς ἡμίσεις μοι σύμπεμψον, τῶν δὲ χρημάτων ἀντὶ μὲν τῶν πεντήκοντα ταλάντων τοῦ ἐτησίου