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to the child, but also of his appearance. Of these, Cambyses possessed the one as the steward of his own affairs. While he was lingering in Egypt, Patizeithes, knowing of the murder of Smerdis the son of Cyrus, and that his death was known to few, planned to seize the kingdom; and his brother 1.264 who had the same name as Smerdis and bore a great resemblance to him he set on the royal throne, not as his own kinsman, but as the son of Cyrus and the brother of Cambyses; and he sent out heralds everywhere proclaiming Smerdis, son of Cyrus, as king. When Cambyses learned these things, he questioned Prexaspes for not having carried out his command. But he affirmed that his brother had not risen up against him. "For I," he said, "as you commanded, both killed and buried him." Cambyses therefore ordered the arrest of the one in the army who was proclaiming Smerdis, son of Cyrus, to be king of the Persians. And having been arrested, he was asked if he himself had seen Smerdis, and if that man had commanded him to say what he was saying; but he answered that he had not seen Smerdis, but had been ordered to say these things by the magus who was steward of the palace. When Cambyses learned the truth from this, he mourned for having killed his brother in vain, and immediately set out to march against the magi. But as he was leaping onto his horse, the chape of his sword's scabbard fell off, and the bared sword struck his thigh a fatal blow. He therefore asked what the city was called, and when he learned it was Ecbatana, he said, "Here it is fated for me to die." For an oracle had been given to him that he was to die in Ecbatana; and he had formerly thought that his end would overtake him at the Ecbatana in Media, but the oracle did not mean that one, but the Ecbatana in Syria. So after some days he died childless, having reigned for seven years and five months, but the magus, 1.265 after Cambyses died, reigned without fear, calling himself Smerdis the son of Cyrus. And sending to every nation which he ruled, he proclaimed for all an exemption from taxes for three years. But when he had already ruled for seven months, who he was became known; and it was discovered in this way. Otanes was, in birth and wealth, a rival to the first of the Persians. Cambyses had his daughter, who was called Phaedymia. The magus also made use of her, just as with the other women whom he found in the palace. So her father sent and asked her secretly whether she was sleeping with Smerdis the son of Cyrus or with someone else. But she answered that she had neither seen Smerdis the son of Cyrus nor knew with whom she was sleeping. But he sent to her again, commanding her to risk danger, if it were necessary, in order to fulfill her father's command, and instructing her that when she slept with the king and knew he was sleeping, to touch his ears, and if she found that he had ears, to know that she was with Smerdis son of Cyrus; but if he had none, to consider him to be Smerdis the magus. Phaedymia obeyed her father, and finding that the one sleeping with her had no ears, she signaled to her father. He had no ears because Cyrus had once cut them off for some offense. So Otanes shared the secret with Aspathines and Gobryas, who were chief among the Persians and dear to him. And they, having been suspicious of the matter before, immediately accepted his words. It therefore seemed good to them to take on others as associates. And Otanes brought in Intaphernes, Gobryas brought Megabyzus, and Aspathines brought Hydarnes;and they also shared the secret with Darius the son of Hystaspes, who had just come from Persis to Susa. And he accepted the plan, and advised them to proceed to the deed at once, or else if the present day 1.266 passed by in vain, he said he himself would be the one to inform the magus of the plot. The rest were persuaded by the counsel of Darius, and they set to the task. But something else also happened which urged them on to hasten the attempt. For the magi, knowing that Prexaspes had carried out the murder of Smerdis the son of Cyrus, and that because of this he was also under suspicion by the Persians, summoning him, they both made him a friend and bound him with oaths and brilliant promises

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παιδί, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ ειδους. τούτων τὸν ετερον φροντιστὴν τῶν ἑαυτοῦ πραγμάτων ὁ Καμβύσης ἐκέκτητο. χρονίζοντος δ' ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ αὐτοῦ, γνοὺς τὸν φόνον τοῦ Σμέρδου τοῦ τοῦ Κύρου παιδὸς ὁ Κατιζίθης, καὶ ὡς ὀλίγοις ὁ ἐκείνου θάνατος εγνωσται, ἐπιθέσθαι τῇ βασιλείᾳ ἐσκέψατο· καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν 1.264 ὁμωνυμοῦντα τῷ Σμέρδῃ καὶ πολλὴν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἐμφέρειαν εχοντα εἰς τὸν θρόνον ἐκάθισε τὸν βασίλειον, οὐχ ὡς οἰκεῖον ὁμαίμονα, ἀλλ' ὡς τοῦ Κύρου υἱὸν καὶ τοῦ Καμβύσου ὁμόγνιον· καὶ κήρυκας διέπεμψε πανταχοῦ βασιλέα τὸν Κύρου Σμέρδην ἀγγέλλοντας. μαθὼν ουν ταῦτα καὶ ὁ Καμβύσης τὸν Πρηξάσπην ἀνέκρινεν ὡς μὴ πληρώσαντά οἱ τὸ κελευσθέν. ὁ δὲ διεβεβαίου μὴ τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἐπαναστῆναι αὐτῷ. "ἐκεῖνον γὰρ ἐγώ" ελεγεν, "ὡς σὺ ἐνετείλω, εκτανόν τε καὶ εθαψα." συλληφθῆναι τοίνυν κελεύει Καμβύσης τὸν ἐν τῷ στρατῷ κηρύσσοντα τὸν τοῦ Κύρου Σμέρδην βασιλεῦσαι Περσῶν. καὶ συλληφθεὶς ἠρωτᾶτο εἰ αὐτὸς τὸν Σμέρδην ἑώρακε, καὶ εἰ ἐκεῖνος αὐτῷ ἐνετείλατο λέγειν απερ φησίν· ὁ δὲ μὴ θεάσασθαι τὸν Σμέρδην ἀνταπεκρίνατο, παρὰ δὲ τοῦ μάγου τοῦ τῶν βασιλείων ἐπιτροπεύοντος ταῦτα λέγειν ἐπιταχθῆναι. γνοὺς ουν ἐντεῦθεν ὁ Καμβύσης τὸ ἀληθὲς ἐθρήνησε μὲν ὡς μάτην κτείνας τὸν ἀδελφόν, ωρμησε δ' αὐτίκα κατὰ τῶν μάγων στρατεύεσθαι. ἀναθρώσκοντι δέ οἱ ἐπὶ τὸν ιππον τοῦ κουλεοῦ τοῦ ξίφους ὁ μύκης ἐξέπεσε, καὶ γυμνωθὲν τὸ ξίφος παίει αὐτοῦ τὸν μηρὸν καιρίως. ηρετο ουν οπως ἡ πόλις καλοῖτο, καὶ μαθὼν ὡς ̓Εκβάτανα, ειπεν ὡς "ἐνταῦθά μοι πέπρωται τελευτᾶν." ἐκέχρηστο γὰρ αὐτῷ ἐν ̓Εκβατάνοις μέλλειν θανεῖν· καὶ ὁ μὲν παρὰ τοῖς ἐν Μηδίᾳ ̓Εκβατάνοις ἐδόκει πρῴην τὸ τέλος αὐτὸν καταλήψεσθαι, ὁ δὲ χρησμὸς οὐκ ἐκεῖνα ἐδήλου, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐν Συρίᾳ ̓Εκβάτανα. ̔Ο μὲν ουν μεθ' ἡμέρας τινὰς τελευτᾷ απαις, βασιλεύσας ἐπ' ετη ἑπτὰ ἐπὶ πέντε μησίν, ὁ δὲ μάγος 1.265 τοῦ Καμβύσου θανόντος ἀδεῶς ἐβασίλευσεν, ἑαυτῷ τὸν τοῦ Κύρου Σμέρδην ἐπιγραφόμενος. καὶ πέμψας εἰς πᾶν εθνος ων ηρχεν ἀτέλειαν πᾶσιν ἐπ' ετη τρία ἐκήρυξεν. ηδη δὲ μῆνας αρξας ἑπτὰ οστις ην ἐγνώσθη· ἐγνώσθη δ' ουτως. ̓Οτάνης ην γένει καὶ πλούτῳ Περσῶν τοῖς πρώτοις ἐνάμιλλος. τούτου θυγατέρα Καμβύσης εσχεν, η Φαιδυμίη ἐκέκλητο. ταύτῃ καὶ ὁ μάγος ἐκέχρητο ωσπερ καὶ ταῖς λοιπαῖς ας ευρεν εἰς τὰ βασίλεια. πέμψας ουν ὁ πατὴρ ἠρώτα λάθρᾳ αὐτὴν εἰ τῷ τοῦ Κύρου Σμέρδῃ ειθ' ἑτέρῳ τινὶ συνευνάζοιτο. ἡ δὲ μήτ' ἰδέσθαι τὸν Κύρου Σμέρδην ἀνταπεκρίνατο μήτ' εἰδέναι ῳτινι συγκοιτάζοιτο. ὁ δὲ καὶ πάλιν στέλλει παρ' αὐτήν, κινδυνεύειν αὐτῇ ἐντελλόμενος, εἰ δεήσειεν, ινα πληρώσῃ πατρικὴν ἐντολήν, καὶ ὑποτιθείς, ὁπηνίκα συγκοιμῷτο τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ ὑπνώττοντα αὐτὸν γνῷ, ψαῦσαι τῶν ωτων αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἰ μὲν εχοντα ωτα γνοίη, εἰδέναι ὡς τῷ Κύρου Σμέρδῃ συγγίνεται· εἰ δὲ μὴ εχοι, τὸν μάγον Σμέρδην αὐτὸν νομίζειν. πείθεται τῷ πατρὶ ἡ Φαιδυμίη, καὶ γνοῦσα τὸν αὐτῇ συγγινόμενον ωτα μὴ εχοντα, ἐσήμηνε τῷ πατρί. οὐκ ειχε δ' ωτα οτι ὁ Κῦρός ποτε ταῦτα δι' ἁμάρτημά τι ἀπέτεμεν. ὁ δὲ ̓Οτάνης ̓Ασπαθίνῃ καὶ Γωβρύᾳ πρωτεύουσι τῶν Περσῶν καὶ αὐτῷ φιλουμένοις κοινοῦται δὴ τὸ ἀπόρρητον. οἱ δὲ καὶ πρῴην ἐν ὑποψίᾳ οντες τοῦ πράγματος εὐθὺς τοὺς λόγους ἐδέξαντο. εδοξεν ουν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἑτέρους προσεταιρίσασθαι. καὶ ̓Οτάνης μὲν ἐπάγεται ̓Ινταφέρνην, Γωβρύας δὲ Μεγάβυζον, ̔Υδάρνην δὲ ̓Ασπαθίνης·καὶ ∆αρείῳ δὲ τῷ ̔Υστάσπου υἱῷ αρτι πρὸς Σοῦσα ἐκ Περσίδος ἐλθόντι τὸ ἀπόρρητον ἐκοινώσαντο. ὁ δὲ καὶ ἐδέξατο τὸν λόγον, καὶ πρὸς τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτίκα ὁρμᾶν συνεβούλευεν, η τῆς παρούσης ἡμέρας διακε1.266 νῆς παρερχομένης αὐτὸς ελεγε γενέσθαι τῷ μάγῳ μηνυτὴς τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς. ἐπείσθησαν τῇ συμβουλῇ τοῦ ∆αρείου καὶ οἱ λοιποί, καὶ τοῦ εργου ειχοντο. Συνέβη δέ τι καὶ ετερον ο ἐπισπεῦσαι αὐτοὺς ἠρέθισε τὴν ἐγχείρησιν. εἰδότες γὰρ οἱ μάγοι οτι Πρηξάσπης ἐχειρούργησε τοῦ Σμέρδου τὸν φόνον τοῦ Κύρου παιδός, καὶ οτι διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐν αἰτίᾳ τοῖς Πέρσαις ἐστίν, προσκαλεσάμενοι αὐτὸν φίλον τε ἐποιοῦντο καὶ ορκοις προκατελάμβανον καὶ λαμπραῖς ὑποσχέσεσι