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Gobryas, an elderly Assyrian man, was present with a cavalry escort, and he asked to see Cyrus. He was therefore brought before him and said, "O master, I am an Assyrian by birth, possessing a strong fortress, and I rule a great territory. I also have cavalry numbering a thousand, which I used to provide to the king of the Assyrians, and I was a very close friend to him. But since he is dead, killed by you, and his son, who is my greatest enemy because out of envy he killed my only and beloved son, now holds the rule, I have come to you and I give myself to you as a servant and an ally, and I ask you to be my avenger." And Cyrus answered, "If indeed, O Gobryas, you mean what you say, I accept you as a suppliant and I promise, with the help of the gods, to avenge for you the murder of your son." And he said, "On these terms, speaking the truth, I give you my right hand and take yours." When this was done, he ordered Gobryas to depart, keeping his arms. And so he departed; and the Medes were present, having set aside for Cyrus the most beautiful tent and the Susian woman, who is said to have been the most beautiful woman in Asia, and two of the best female musicians, and for Cyaxares the second best; and the remaining tents they handed over to Cyrus, so that they might be for the Persians. But Cyrus ordered Cyaxares' closest attendants to guard his things, and said, "Whatever is given to me, I gladly accept." And calling Araspas the Mede, who was his companion from boyhood, 1.237 he ordered him to guard the woman and the tent for him. She was the wife of Abradatas, the king of the Susians, who was not present when the camp was captured, having been sent on a mission concerning an alliance by the Assyrian to the king of the Bactrians, being a guest-friend to him. And rising early, they marched toward Gobryas, Cyrus on horseback and the Persian cavalry, numbering about two thousand. On the second day, around evening, they and their allies arrived at the territory of Gobryas. Learning there, therefore, that a force many times larger than the previous one had been prepared by the Assyrians in Babylon, he said, "lead us straight on the way to Babylon." And when, on the fourth day of their march, they came to the borders of Gobryas's country, and were already in enemy territory, he kept the infantry and some of the cavalry with him, but the rest of the cavalry he sent out to forage, ordering them to kill those they met who bore arms, but to bring the others and whatever booty they might take to him. And he ordered the Persians also to join in the foraging. And many of them came back having been thrown from their horses, but many also bringing back the greatest possible amount of booty. Then he advanced toward Babylon as if drawn up for battle. And when the Assyrians did not come out to meet them, Cyrus ordered Gobryas to ride forward and say, if the king wished to come out and fight for his country, he too would fight with him; but if he would not defend his country, that it is necessary to obey the victors. Gobryas indeed rode forward and said these things; but the Assyrian sent a message saying, "Your master, O Gobryas, replies, if you wish to fight, come on the thirtieth day; for now we have no leisure; for we are still preparing." 1.238 And he reported these things to Cyrus; and he led the army away, and asked Gobryas about Gadatas. Now Gadatas was the son of a certain king, a companion of the Assyrian, whom he had seized while drinking with him, castrated, and made a eunuch. He, when his father died, then held the kingdom, being a eunuch. To this man, therefore, he wished Gobryas to go and bring him to himself. And he departed. And having met him and said all that had been commanded by Cyrus, he returned, but Gadatas, pretending to be an ally of the Assyrian, and having seized by deceit a certain fortress of the Assyrian that was a defense for the war, and handing it over to Cyrus, came also himself to Cyrus. And having been greeted with the right hand, he heard, "O Gadatas, the Assyrian has taken from you, as it seems, the power to beget children, but he has not deprived you of the ability to acquire friends." So he said such things. And when the fortress had come under Cyrus's control, more Cadusians and Sacae and Hyrcanians joined his campaign; and in addition to these, Gadatas approaches Cyrus saying that the

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παρῆν Γωβρύας ̓Ασσύριος πρεσβύτης ἀνὴρ σὺν ἱππικῇ θεραπείᾳ, καὶ τὸν Κῦρον ῃτει θεάσασθαι. ηχθη ουν πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ ειπεν "ω δέσποτα, ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ μὲν γένος ̓Ασσύριος, εχων καὶ τεῖχος ὀχυρόν, καὶ χώρας αρχω πολλῆς· εχω δὲ καὶ ιππον εἰς χιλίαν, ην τῷ τῶν ̓Ασσυρίων βασιλεῖ παρειχόμην, καὶ φίλος ην ἐκείνῳ ὡς μάλιστα. ἐπεὶ δ' ὁ μὲν τέθνηκεν ὑφ' ὑμῶν, ὁ δὲ παῖς ἐκείνου τὴν ἀρχὴν εχει, εχθιστος ων ἐμοὶ οτι τὸν μόνον μοι καὶ φίλον παῖδα φθονήσας ἀπέκτεινεν, ηκω πρὸς σὲ καὶ δίδωμί σοι ἐμαυτὸν δοῦλον καὶ σύμμαχον, σὲ δὲ τιμωρὸν αἰτοῦμαι γενέσθαι μοι." Κῦρος δὲ ἀπεκρίνατο "ηνπερ, ω Γωβρύα, οσα φὴς καὶ φρονῇς, δέχομαί τε ἱκέτην σε καὶ τιμωρήσειν σοι τοῦ παιδὸς τὸν φόνον σὺν θεοῖς ὑπισχνοῦμαι." ὁ δέ "ἐπὶ τούτοις" εφη "ἀληθεύων ἐγὼ δίδωμί σοι τὴν ἐμὴν καὶ λαμβάνω τὴν σὴν δεξιάν." ̓Επεὶ δὲ ταῦτα ἐπράχθη, ἀπιέναι κελεύει τὸν Γωβρύαν εχοντα καὶ τὰ οπλα. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀπῄει· οἱ δὲ Μῆδοι παρῆσαν ἐξῃρηκότες Κύρῳ τὴν καλλίστην σκηνὴν καὶ τὴν Σουσίδα γυναῖκα, η καλλίστη λέγεται ἐν τῇ ̓Ασίᾳ γυνὴ γενέσθαι, καὶ μουσουργοὺς δὲ δύο τὰς κρατίστας, καὶ Κυαξάρῃ τὰ δεύτερα· τὰς δὲ περισσὰς σκηνὰς Κύρῳ παρέδοσαν, ὡς τοῖς Πέρσαις γένοιντο. ὁ δὲ Κῦρος τὰ μὲν τοῦ Κυαξάρου φυλάττειν ἐκέλευσε τοὺς ἐκείνου οἰκειοτάτους, καί "οσα ἐμοὶ δίδοται, ἡδέως" εφη "δέχομαι." καλέσας δὲ ̓Αράσπην Μῆδον, ος ην αὐτῷ ἐκ παίδων ἑταῖρος, 1.237 ἐκέλευσε διαφυλάξαι αὐτῷ τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ τὴν σκηνήν. ην δὲ αυτη μὲν γυνὴ ̓Αβραδάτου τοῦ Σούσων βασιλέως, ος ἁλισκομένου τοῦ στρατοπέδου οὐ παρῆν, πεμφθεὶς περὶ συμμαχίας παρὰ τοῦ ̓Ασσυρίου πρὸς τὸν Βακτρίων βασιλέα, ξένος ων ἐκείνῳ. Πρωὶ δὲ ἀναστάντες ἐπορεύοντο πρὸς Γωβρύαν Κῦρος εφιππος καὶ οἱ Περσῶν ἱππεῖς γενόμενοι εἰς δισχιλίους. δευτεραῖοι δὲ ἀμφὶ δείλην γίνονται εἰς τὸ Γωβρύα χωρίον αὐτοὶ καὶ οἱ σύμμαχοι. μαθὼν ουν ἐκεῖ οτι τοῖς ̓Ασσυρίοις ἐν Βαβυλῶνι πολλαπλασία τῆς πρῴην δυνάμεως παρεσκεύασται, "αγε ἡμᾶς εὐθὺ τὴν ἐπὶ Βαβυλῶνος" εφη. ὡς δὲ πορευόμενοι τεταρταῖοι πρὸς τοῖς ὁρίοις τῆς Γωβρύου χώρας ἐγένοντο, καὶ ἐν τῇ πολεμίᾳ ηδη ἐτύγχανον, τοὺς μὲν πεζοὺς καί τινας τῶν ἱππέων κατέσχε πρὸς ἑαυτόν, τοὺς δ' αλλους ἱππεῖς ἀφῆκε καταθεῖν, κελεύσας τοὺς μὲν οπλα εχοντας τῶν ἐντυγχανόντων αὐτοῖς κατακαίνειν, τοὺς δ' αλλους καὶ λείαν οσην αν λάβωσι πρὸς αὐτὸν αγειν. ἐκέλευσε δὲ καὶ τοὺς Πέρσας συγκαταθεῖν. καὶ ηκον πολλοὶ μὲν αὐτῶν κατακεκυλισμένοι ἀπὸ τῶν ιππων, πολλοὶ δὲ λείαν οτι πλείστην αγοντες. ειτα πρὸς Βαβυλῶνα ῃει ωσπερ ἐν μάχῃ παραταξάμενος. ὡς δ' οὐκ ἀντεξῄεσαν οἱ ̓Ασσύριοι, ἐκέλευσεν ὁ Κῦρος τὸν Γωβρύαν προσελάσαντα εἰπεῖν, εἰ βούλεται ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐξιὼν ὑπὲρ τῆς χώρας μάχεσθαι, καὶ αὐτὸς σὺν ἐκείνῳ μάχοιτο αν· εἰ δὲ μὴ ἀμυνεῖ τῇ χώρᾳ, οτι ἀνάγκη τοῖς κρατοῦσι πείθεσθαι. ὁ μὲν δὴ Γωβρύας προσελάσας ταῦτα ειπεν· ὁ δ' ̓Ασσύριος πέμψας ελεγεν "ὁ δεσπότης ὁ σός, ω Γωβρύα, ἀνταποκρίνεται, ἐὰν βούλησθε μάχεσθαι, ηκετε εἰς τριακοστὴν ἡμέραν· νῦν δ' ουπω ἡμῖν σχολή· ετι γὰρ παρασκευαζόμεθα." 1.238 Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀπήγγειλε ταῦτα τῷ Κύρῳ· ὁ δὲ ἀπήγαγε τὸ στράτευμα, καὶ τὸν Γωβρύαν περὶ τοῦ Γαδάτου ἠρώτα. ὁ δὲ Γαδάτας βασιλέως τινὸς ην υἱός, ἑταῖρος τοῦ ̓Ασσυρίου, ον συμπίνοντα αὐτῷ συλλαβὼν ἐξέτεμε καὶ ἐκτομίαν ἐποίησεν· ος τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ τελευτήσαντος τότε τὴν βασιλείαν ειχεν εὐνοῦχος ων. πρὸς τοῦτον ουν ἀπιέναι τὸν Γωβρύαν ηθελε καὶ αγειν πρὸς ἑαυτόν. ὁ δὲ ἀπῆλθε. καὶ ἐντυχὼν καὶ οσα παρὰ Κύρου ἐνετάλθη εἰπὼν ὁ μὲν ἐπανῆλθεν, ὁ δὲ Γαδάτας τῷ ̓Ασσυρίῳ συμμαχεῖν προσποιούμενος, καὶ φρούριόν τι τοῦ ̓Ασσυρίου πρόβολον ον τοῦ πολέμου δόλῳ κατασχών, καὶ τῷ Κύρῳ αὐτὸ παραδούς, ηλθε καὶ αὐτὸς πρὸς Κῦρον. καὶ δεξιωθείς "ω Γαδάτα" ηκουσε, "παῖδας μέν, ὡς εοικε, ποιεῖσθαί σε ἀφείλετο ὁ ̓Ασσύριος, οὐ μέντοι καὶ κτᾶσθαι φίλους ἐστέρησεν." ὁ μὲν ουν τοιαῦτα ειπε. τοῦ δὲ φρουρίου ὑπὸ τὸν Κῦρον γεγενημένου, καὶ Καδούσιοι καὶ Σάκαι καὶ ̔Υρκάνιοι πλείους συνεστρατεύοντο αὐτῷ· καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις προσέρχεται Κύρῳ ὁ Γαδάτας λέγων ὡς ὁ