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for his way of life, and caretakers of horses and dogs; but those whom he thought ought to be guardians of his good fortune, he commanded to have charge of them himself. And when it fell to him to do good with money also, he knew that there is no benefaction more pleasing to men than the sharing of food and drink; for which reason he also ordered that many things similar to what he himself ate be set before him, and enough to be for a great many, and what was set before him, except for what he and his dinner-companions might use, he would distribute. And he became the most generous of men. But that being the wealthiest man he should surpass in the size of his gifts is not surprising, but that while being king he should excel in the service and care of his friends, this is more worthy of mention. And a saying of his is also remembered, that the works of a good shepherd and of a king are very similar; for he said that the shepherd ought to make his flocks well-fed and then use them, and the king likewise to make cities and men prosperous and then use them. And it is said that Croesus, having once said to 1.257 him that by giving many things he would become poor, was asked by Cyrus, "How much money do you think I would have now, if I had collected gold as you advise since I have been in power?" And Croesus named a very large number. And Cyrus said, "Come now, Croesus, send a man with this Hystaspes. And you, Hystaspes, go around to my friends and tell them that I need gold for some enterprise, and command them to provide me with as much money as each can, and having written it down and sealed it, to give the letters to Croesus' servant." And having written and sealed these instructions for Hystaspes, he gave them to him to carry to his friends. And he wrote to all of them to receive Hystaspes as his friend. And when he had gone around and Croesus' servant brought the letters, Hystaspes said, "O King Cyrus, treat me now as a rich man; for I have come with a great many gifts because of your letters." And Cyrus said, "This, then, Croesus, is one of our treasures; look at the others, and calculate how much money is ready for me, if I should need to use any." It is said, indeed, that Croesus, upon calculating, found many times more than he said would have been in Cyrus' treasuries, if he had collected it, and upon this Cyrus said, "Do you see, Croesus, that I too have treasures?" And when it seemed good to him to make a procession to the sacred precincts set apart for the gods, having called the rulers of the Persians and of the others, he distributed to them Median robes; and then for the first time the Persians put on the Median robe. And when he had distributed the best robes to the best men, he brought out other Median robes also, for he had prepared a great many, sparing neither purple 1.258 nor dark nor crimson nor nut-brown garments, and having assigned a portion of them to each of the leaders, he ordered them to adorn those under them with these. And one of those present asked him, "But you, Cyrus, when will you adorn yourself?" And he said, "Do I not now seem to you to be adorning myself by adorning you? For if I am able to benefit my friends, whatever robe I may have, in it I will appear beautiful." And having made the procession and sacrificed to the gods, he dined with his friends, seating those whom he honored most on his left hand, as this was more open to attack than the right, and the others on the right. And after the dinner, he sent home those who had willingly allied with him, except for those who wished to remain with him; and to these he gave both land and houses. And to those who were departing, both soldiers and commanders, he gave many gifts. Then also to the soldiers and leaders around him he distributed whatever money he had taken from Sardis, to each according to his worth. And when they had received what was given, they said concerning Cyrus, "Surely he himself has much, since he has given so much to each of us." But others said, "It is not Cyrus' way to make money, but he takes pleasure in giving rather than in acquiring." And Cyrus, perceiving this, gathered his friends and all the principal men and said, "of the most simple

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πρὸς δίαιταν, καὶ ιππων καὶ κυνῶν φροντιστάς· ους δ' ῳετο χρῆναι φύλακας τῆς εὐδαιμονίας εχειν, ἑαυτῷ τὴν τούτων προσέταττεν ἐπιμέλειαν. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ χρήμασιν εὐεργετεῖν αὐτῷ προσεγένετο, εγνω ὡς οὐδέν ἐστιν εὐεργέτημα ἀνθρώποις εὐχαριτώτερον η σίτων καὶ ποτῶν μετάδοσις· διὸ καὶ ἐπέταξε πολλὰ αὐτῷ παρατίθεσθαι ομοια οις αὐτὸς σιτοῖτο καὶ ἱκανὰ παμπόλλοις ἐσόμενα, καὶ τὰ παρατιθέμενα, πλὴν οις αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ σύνδειπνοι χρήσαιντο, διεδίδου. καὶ φιλοδωρότατος ἀνθρώπων ἐγένετο. ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν μεγέθει δώρων ὑπερβάλλειν πλουσιώτατον οντα οὐ θαυμαστόν, τὸ δὲ τῇ θεραπείᾳ καὶ τῇ ἐπιμελείᾳ τῶν φίλων βασιλεύοντα περιγίνεσθαι, τοῦτο ἀξιολογώτερον. καὶ λόγος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀπομνημονεύεται, παραπλήσια εργα ειναι νομέως ἀγαθοῦ καὶ βασιλέως· τόν τε γὰρ νομέα ελεγε χρῆναι εὐτραφῆ τὰ κτήνη ποιοῦντα χρῆσθαι αὐτοῖς ηδη, τόν τε βασιλέα ὡσαύτως εὐδαίμονας πόλεις καὶ ἀνθρώπους ποιοῦντα χρῆσθαι αὐτοῖς. Λέγεται δὲ καὶ τὸν Κροῖσον εἰπόντα ποτὲ πρὸς 1.257 αὐτὸν ὡς διὰ τὸ πολλὰ διδόναι πένης εσοιτο, ἐρωτηθῆναι παρὰ Κύρου "πόσα αν ηδη μοι χρήματα οιει ειναι, εἰ χρυσίον ὡς σὺ κελεύεις συνέλεγον ἐξ οτου ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ εἰμι;" καὶ τὸν Κροῖσον εἰπεῖν πολύν τινα ἀριθμόν. τὸν δὲ Κῦρον φάναι "αγε δή, ω Κροῖσε, σύμπεμψον ανδρα σὺν ̔Υστάσπᾳ τούτῳ. σὺ δέ, ̔Υστάσπα, περιελθὼν τοὺς φίλους λέγε αὐτοῖς οτι δέομαι χρυσίου πρὸς πρᾶξίν τινα, καὶ κέλευε αὐτοὺς ὁπόσα αν εκαστος δύναιτο πορίσαι μοι χρήματα, καὶ γράψαντας καὶ κατασημηναμένους δοῦναι τὰς ἐπιστολὰς τῷ Κροίσου θεράποντι." ταῦτα δὲ οσα ἐνετέλλετο τῷ ̔Υστάσπᾳ γράψας καὶ σημηνάμενος δέδωκεν αὐτῷ φέρειν πρὸς τοὺς φίλους. εγραψε δὲ πρὸς πάντας καὶ ̔Υστάσπαν ὡς φίλον αὐτοῦ δέχεσθαι. ἐπεὶ δὲ περιῆλθε καὶ ηνεγκεν ὁ Κροίσου θεράπων τὰς ἐπιστολάς, ὁ ̔Υστάσπας ειπεν "ω Κῦρε βασιλεῦ, καὶ ἐμοὶ ηδη ὡς πλουσίῳ χρῶ· πάμπολλα γὰρ εχων πάρειμι δῶρα διὰ τὰ σὰ γράμματα." καὶ ὁ Κῦρος "εις μὲν τοίνυν, ω Κροῖσε, καὶ ουτος ἡμῖν θησαυρός" ειπε, "τοὺς δ' αλλους καταθεῶ, καὶ λόγισαι πόσα μοί ἐστιν ετοιμα χρήματα, ην τι δέωμαι χρῆσθαι." λέγεται δὴ λογιζόμενος ὁ Κροῖσος πολλαπλάσια εὑρεῖν η εφη Κύρῳ αν ειναι ἐν τοῖς θησαυροῖς, εἰ συνέλεγεν, ἐπὶ τούτοις δὲ τὸν Κῦρον εἰπεῖν "ὁρᾷς, ω Κροῖσε, ὡς εἰσὶ καὶ ἐμοὶ θησαυροί;" ∆όξαν δὲ αὐτῷ εἰς τὰ τοῖς θεοῖς ἐξῃρημένα τεμένη ποιήσασθαι προπομπήν, καλέσας τοὺς τὰς ἀρχὰς εχοντας Περσῶν τε καὶ τῶν αλλων, διέδωκεν αὐτοῖς στολὰς Μηδικάς· καὶ τότε πρῶτον Πέρσαι Μηδικὴν στολὴν ἐνεδύσαντο. ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῖς κρατίστοις διέδωκε τὰς κρατίστας στολάς, ἐξέφερε καὶ αλλας Μηδικὰς στολάς, παμπόλλας γὰρ παρεσκευάσατο, ουτε πορφυ1.258 ρίδων φειδόμενος ουτε ὀρφνίνων ουτε φοινικίδων ουτε καρυκίνων ἱματίων, νείμας δ' ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἡγεμόνων μέρος αὐτῶν ἐκέλευσε τούτοις τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτοὺς κοσμεῖν. καί τις τῶν παρόντων ἐπήρετο αὐτόν "σὺ δέ, ω Κῦρε, πότε κοσμήσῃ;" ὁ δέ "οὐ γὰρ νῦν" εφη "δοκῶ ὑμῖν αὐτὸς κοσμεῖσθαι ὑμᾶς κοσμῶν; ην γὰρ δύνωμαι τοὺς φίλους ποιεῖν ευ, ὁποίαν αν εχω στολὴν ἐγώ, ἐν ταύτῃ καλὸς φανοῦμαι." ποιήσας δὲ τὴν προπομπὴν καὶ θύσας τοῖς θεοῖς μετὰ τῶν φίλων ἐδείπνει, ους μὲν μάλιστα ἐτίμα παρὰ τὴν ἀριστερὰν χεῖρα καθίσας, ὡς εὐεπιβουλευτοτέρας ταύτης ουσης η τῆς δεξιᾶς, τοὺς δ' αλλους παρὰ τὴν δεξιάν. μετὰ δέ γε τὸ δεῖπνον τοὺς ἐθελουσίους αὐτῷ συμμαχήσαντας ἀπέπεμψεν οικαδε πλὴν τῶν βουληθέντων παρ' αὐτῷ καταμεῖναι· τούτοις δὲ καὶ χώραν καὶ οικους εδωκε. τοῖς δ' ἀπιοῦσι καὶ στρατιώταις καὶ αρχουσι πολλὰ ἐδωρήσατο. ειτα καὶ τοῖς περὶ αὐτὸν στρατιώταις καὶ ἡγεμόσι διένειμεν οσα ἐκ Σάρδεων ελαβε χρήματα πρὸς τὴν ἀξίαν ἑκάστῳ. ὡς δὲ εἰλήφεσαν τὰ δοθέντα, ελεγον περὶ τοῦ Κύρου "ηπου αὐτός γε πολλὰ εχει, οτι καὶ ἡμῶν ἑκάστῳ τοσαῦτα δέδωκεν." οἱ δ' ελεγον "οὐχ ὁ Κύρου τρόπος τοιοῦτος ὡς χρηματίζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ διδοὺς μᾶλλον η κτώμενος ηδεται." αἰσθόμενος δὲ ταῦτα ὁ Κῦρος συνέλεξε τοὺς φίλους καὶ τοὺς ἐπικαιρίους απαντας καὶ ειπεν "ἁπλουστάτου