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and countless slingers. When he was in Babylon, he drew up the army, and going up with the rulers of the allies and his friends he viewed the walls. Then he led the army forward and encamped around the city. Seeing the river there flowing into the city and passing through the middle 1.254 of Babylon, he revealed his plan to no one, but he ordered a trench to be dug around the camp, wide and very deep, so that they might perhaps need very few guards in the camp. So those making the trench dug it a moderate distance from the river, and they threw up the earth toward the camp; but the Babylonians laughed at the siege, as they had provisions for more than twenty years. And when the trench had been dug, Cyrus, having waited for a night on which he knew the Babylonians were celebrating a festival all night long, drinking and revelling, on this night, having gathered a crowd, he opened the trenches to the river; this is the Euphrates, as Herodotus relates; and the water flowed into the trenches during the night, and the path of the river through the city became passable for men, the water having been diverted. Then indeed, having sent attendants and foot-soldiers and horsemen down into the dry riverbed, he ordered them to see if it was passable. Meanwhile, having spoken to the leaders of the host and having roused them to the task, he finally said, "Come now, take up your arms, and I shall lead; and you, O Gadatas and Gobryas, show the ways, since you know them. When we are inside, lead the quickest way to the palace." At this, they began to march. And going as quickly as they could, those with Gobryas and Gadatas came to the palace, and they find the gates shut, and fall upon the guards as they are drinking. When a shout and a din arose, those within took notice, and when the king commanded to see what the matter was, they opened the gates, into which the enemy rush and come to the king. And they find him already stand1.255ing and having drawn the short sword which he had. And those with Gadatas and Gobryas overpowered him, and those with him died, some defending themselves, others retreating. And Cyrus sent squadrons of horsemen along the roads, having given orders to kill those whom they caught outside, but for those who knew how to speak Syriac to proclaim to those in the houses to remain inside, and that if anyone were caught outside, he would be killed. Meanwhile Gadatas and Gobryas came, and because they had taken vengeance on the impious king, they first worshipped the gods, then they kissed the hands and feet of Cyrus. Now Xenophon, in his history of Cyrus, does not say the name of the captured king of the Assyrians, but Josephus in the tenth book of the Antiquities relates that this was Belshazzar, to whom also the hand appeared, coming forth from the wall and writing the letters already written before, the meaning of which Daniel interpreted. And when day came, when those holding the citadels perceived that the city had been taken and their king was dead, they also surrendered the citadels. And Cyrus sent commanders and garrisons into them. Then, having called the Magi, since the city was taken by the spear, he commanded that firstfruits be set aside for the gods, and he distributed houses and palaces to those who had shared in his deeds, and he had in mind to prepare for himself a residence befitting a king. And so that he might not become an object of envy to his friends, he wished to do this 1.256 with their consent, and speaking with them, by what he said he persuaded them to ask for this. And from there he enters the palace, and he makes guards for himself, and the attendants for his own person he castrated and made eunuchs, and he chose about ten thousand Persians as spearmen, and he stationed sufficient guards in the city. And having done these things, he trained the more honored men of the army not to live without toil and in luxury; and for other affairs he appointed other managers, I mean receivers of revenues and dispensers of expenditures, and overseers of works and guardians of possessions, and managers of provisions of the

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σφενδονήτας δὲ ἀναρίθμους. ἐπεὶ δ' ἐν Βαβυλῶνι ἐγένετο, περιέστησε μὲν τὴν στρατιάν, αὐτὸς δ' ἐπιὼν σὺν τοῖς αρχουσι τῶν συμμάχων καὶ τοῖς φίλοις κατεθεᾶτο τὰ τείχη. ειτα ἐπήγαγε τὴν στρατιὰν καὶ περὶ τὴν πόλιν ἐστρατοπεδεύσατο. ἰδὼν δὲ τὸν ἐκεῖ ποταμὸν ενδον τῆς πόλεως εἰσρέοντα καὶ μέσην 1.254 διιόντα τὴν Βαβυλῶνα, οὐδενὶ μὲν τὸ βούλευμα ἐξεκάλυψε, τάφρον δ' ἐκέλευσεν ὀρύσσειν περὶ τὸ στρατόπεδον εὐρεῖαν καὶ βαθυτάτην, ιν' ἐλαχίστων τάχα τῶν φυλάκων ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ δέοιντο. οἱ μὲν ουν τὴν τάφρον ποιοῦντες ωρυσσον μέτριόν τι τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἀφιστάμενοι, τὸν δὲ χοῦν ἀνέβαλον πρὸς τὸ στρατόπεδον· οἱ δέ γε Βαβυλώνιοι κατεγέλων τῆς πολιορκίας, ὡς πλέον η ἐτῶν εικοσι τὰ ἐπιτήδεια εχοντες. ηδη δὲ τῆς τάφρου ὀρωρυγμένης, φυλάξας ὁ Κῦρος νύκτα, ἐν ῃ ἑορτὴν εγνω τοὺς Βαβυλωνίους αγειν ολην τὴν νύκτα πίνοντας καὶ κωμάζοντας, ἐν ταύτῃ πλῆθος ἀθροίσας ἀνεστόμωσε τὰς τάφρους πρὸς τὸν ποταμόν· Εὐφράτης ουτός ἐστιν, ὡς ̔Ηρόδοτος ἱστορεῖ· καὶ τὸ υδωρ εἰς τὰς τάφρους ἐχώρει ἐν τῇ νυκτί, ἡ δὲ διὰ τῆς πόλεως τοῦ ποταμοῦ ὁδὸς πορεύσιμος ἀνθρώποις ἐγίνετο μετοχετευθέντος τοῦ υδατος. τότε δὴ καταβιβάσας εἰς τὸ ξηρὸν τοῦ ποταμοῦ ὑπηρέτας καὶ πεζοὺς καὶ ἱππέας ἐκέλευσε σκέψασθαι εἰ πορεύσιμον ειη. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ διαλεχθεὶς τοῖς ἡγεμόσι τοῦ πλήθους καὶ διεγείρας πρὸς τουργον, τέλος εφη "ἀλλ' αγετε, λαμβάνετε οπλα, ἡγήσομαι δ' ἐγώ· ὑμεῖς δ', ω Γαδάτα καὶ Γωβρύα, δεικνύετε τὰς ὁδούς, εἰδότες ταύτας. οταν δ' ἐντὸς γενώμεθα, τὴν ταχίστην αγετε ἐπὶ τὰ βασίλεια." ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐπορεύοντο. καὶ ἰόντες ὡς ἠδύναντο τάχιστα ἐπὶ τοῖς βασιλείοις ἐγένοντο οἱ σὺν τῷ Γωβρύᾳ καὶ τῷ Γαδάτᾳ, καὶ τὰς πύλας κεκλεισμένας εὑρίσκουσι, πίνουσι δὲ τοῖς φύλαξιν ἐπεισπίπτουσιν. ὡς δὲ κραυγὴ καὶ θροῦς ηρθη, αἰσθόμενοι οἱ ενδον, κελεύσαντος τοῦ βασιλέως σκέψασθαι τί ειη τὸ πρᾶγμα, ηνοιξαν τὰς πύλας, εἰς ας εἰσπίπτουσιν οἱ πολέμιοι καὶ ἀφικνοῦνται πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα. καὶ ηδη ἑστη1.255 κότα αὐτὸν καὶ ἐσπασμένον ον ειχεν ἀκινάκην εὑρίσκουσι. καὶ τοῦτον μὲν οἱ σὺν Γαδάτᾳ καὶ Γωβρύᾳ ἐχειροῦντο, οἱ δὲ σὺν αὐτῷ εθνησκον οἱ μὲν ἀμυνόμενοι, οἱ δὲ χάζοντες. ὁ δὲ Κῦρος διέπεμπε τὰς τῶν ἱππέων τάξεις κατὰ τὰς ὁδούς, προειπὼν ους μὲν εξω λαμβάνοιεν κτείνειν, τοὺς δ' ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις κηρύττειν τοὺς συριστὶ ὁμιλεῖν ἐπισταμένους ενδον μένειν, εἰ δέ τις εξω ληφθείη, οτι θανεῖται. ἐν τοσούτῳ δὲ Γαδάτας καὶ Γωβρύας ηκον, καὶ οτι τὸν ἀνόσιον βασιλέα ἐτιμωρήσαντο, πρῶτον μὲν θεοὺς προσεκύνουν, επειτα Κύρου κατεφίλουν χεῖρας καὶ πόδας. ̔Ο μὲν ουν Ξενοφῶν τὰ περὶ τοῦ Κύρου ἱστορῶν τὸ ονομα τοῦ ἁλόντος βασιλέως τῶν ̓Ασσυρίων οὐ λέγει, ὁ δὲ ̓Ιώσηπος ἐν τῷ δεκάτῳ λόγῳ τῆς ̓Αρχαιολογίας τὸν Βαλτάσαρ τοῦτον ειναι ἱστορεῖ, ῳ καὶ ἡ χεὶρ ἐφάνη ἐκ τοῦ τείχους προϊοῦσα καὶ γράφουσα τὰ ηδη προγραφέντα γράμματα, ων τὴν δήλωσιν ἡρμήνευσεν ὁ ∆ανιήλ. ̔Ημέρας δὲ γενομένης ὡς ῃσθοντο οἱ τὰς ακρας εχοντες ἑαλωκυῖαν τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸν βασιλέα σφῶν τεθνηκότα, παραδιδόασι καὶ τὰς ακρας. ὁ δὲ Κῦρος εἰς αὐτὰς φρουράρχους καὶ φρουροὺς επεμπεν. ειτα τοὺς μάγους καλέσας, ὡς δορυαλώτου τῆς πόλεως ουσης ἀκροθίνια τοῖς θεοῖς ἐκέλευσεν ἐξελεῖν, καὶ οἰκίας δὲ διεδίδου καὶ ἀρχεῖα τοῖς κοινωνήσασι τῶν πεπραγμένων αὐτῷ, καὶ ἑαυτῷ δὲ κατασκευάσαι διανενόητο δίαιταν πρέπουσαν βασιλεῖ. ινα δὲ μὴ τοῖς φίλοις ἐπίφθονος γένηται, σὺν γνώμῃ αὐτῶν τοῦτο 1.256 ποιῆσαι ἠθέλησε, καὶ διαλεχθεὶς αὐτοῖς, δι' ων ειπεν επεισεν ἐκείνους τοῦτο αἰτήσασθαι. κἀντεῦθεν εἰς τὰ βασίλεια εισεισι, καὶ φύλακας περὶ ἑαυτὸν ποιεῖται, καὶ τοὺς μὲν περὶ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σῶμα θεραπευτῆρας ἐξέτεμε καὶ εὐνούχους πεποίηκε, δορυφόρους δ' ειλετο Πέρσας περὶ μυρίους, καὶ ἐν τῇ πόλει δὲ φρουροὺς εταξεν ἱκανούς. ταῦτα δὲ ποιήσας τοὺς ἐντιμοτέρους τῆς στρατιᾶς ἐξήσκει μὴ ἀπόνως βιοῦν καὶ καθ' ἡδυπάθειαν· καὶ τῶν μὲν αλλων πραγμάτων αλλους ἐπιμελητὰς κατεστήσατο, προσόδων ἀποδεκτῆράς φημι καὶ δοτῆρας δαπανημάτων, εργων τε ἐπιστάτας καὶ κτήσεων φύλακας, καὶ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἐπιμελητὰς τῶν