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not to reveal the trick to any of them. And when he agreed to do these things, they brought forward that they would call the multitude together under the wall of the palace, and that he, having gone up on a tower, should cry out within the hearing of all that they were ruled by Smerdis the son of Cyrus, and not by another; for he had spared him, and not killed him as Cambyses had commanded him. And when he agreed to do these things also, the multitude was gathered, and Prexaspes went up on the tower, and he said how many good things the Persians had received from Cyrus, and he added that he himself had killed his son Smerdis, Cambyses having forced him. He informed them that the Magi held the kingdom, and he cursed the Persians if they did not avenge themselves upon them. Having said these things, he threw himself down and died. But the seven men, having learned on the way the things concerning Prexaspes, rushed immediately to the palace and went in, not being hindered by the guards; for they respected the superiority of the men. And having passed into the courtyard, they met the messenger eunuchs, who asked them what they had come for, and tried to prevent them from going further. But they dispatched them there, and they themselves rushed in. And the Magi being inside, 1.267 and having recognized the clamor of the eunuchs, turned to their defense, and the one took up a spear, the other a bow. And one of them struck Aspathines in the thigh with the spear, and Intaphernes in the face, from which he was injured in the eye; but the bows were useless to them using them with their hands at close quarters. And the one holding these things slipped into a chamber, and Darius and Gobryas rushed in with him. And one of them grappled with the Magus, but Darius, being at a loss because of the darkness and fearing that he might strike his companion, stood inactive. And Gobryas asked for what reason he stood idle; and he told him the reason. And he said, "Thrust the sword, even through both of us." And Darius pushed his dagger, and hit the Magus. Having killed the other one also, the rest cut off the heads of both, and they left the two wounded among them in the acropolis, both on account of their wounds and for guarding it, but the rest, carrying the heads of the Magi, ran out and showed them to the Persians and explained what had happened. And they, having learned of the deceit, killed whichever of the Magi they met. And when the uproar had ceased and some days had already passed, they deliberated concerning the administration of affairs. And Otanes advised choosing a democracy, but Megabyzus an aristocracy, and Darius counseled to choose a monarchy again. Therefore the remaining four agreed with his opinion; and it seemed good to them to mount their horses, and that whosoever's horse should neigh at sunrise when they were in the suburb, he should have the king1.268 dom. And Darius explained the plan to his groom. And the man was clever and said, "Take courage, O master, for the kingdom will be yours." So when night came, having taken a mare which Darius' horse loved, and having tied her in the suburb, he led the horse and led him around near the mare, and finally allowed him to mount the mare. And in the morning, when the seven had come to the suburb and were riding through it, when they came to the place where the mare had been tied, Darius' horse, going in memory of her, neighed; and from this the kingdom came to Darius. Some therefore say that Oebares contrived this, for this was the name of Darius' groom, but others say that his contrivance was of another sort. For he touched the genitals of that mare which Darius' horse loved with his hand, and hid his hand in his trousers. And when the sun was already rising, and those seven men were mounting their horses, he brought his hand to the nostrils of Darius' horse, and it, immediately perceiving it, snorted and neighed. Therefore, whether in this way or that, Darius obtained the kingdom. This man, therefore, being a private citizen, vowed to God that, if he became king, he would send all the vessels of God that were still in Babylon to the temple in Jerusalem. And for a long time he had also

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μή τινι αὐτῶν ἐκφῆναι τὸ σόφισμα. καταθεμένου δ' ἐκείνου ποιήσειν ταῦτα, προσεπῆγον συγκαλέσειν τὸ πλῆθος ὑπὸ τὸ τεῖχος τῶν βασιλείων, αὐτὸν δ' ἐπὶ πύργον ἀναβάντα εἰς ἐπήκοον απασιν ἐκβοῆσαι ὡς ὑπὸ Σμέρδου τοῦ Κύρου υἱέος, οὐχ ὑφ' ἑτέρου δὲ βασιλεύονται· φείσασθαι γὰρ αὐτοῦ, καὶ μὴ κτεῖναι αὐτὸν ὡς ὁ Καμβύσης αὐτῷ ἐνετείλατο. συνθεμένου δὲ καὶ ταῦτα ποιήσειν, συνῆκτο μὲν τὸ πλῆθος, Πρηξάσπης δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν πύργον ἀνῄει, καὶ ελεξεν οσα τοῖς Πέρσαις ἀγαθὰ παρὰ Κύρου γεγόνασι, προσετίθει δὲ ὡς τὸν ἐκείνου παῖδα τὸν Σμέρδην αὐτὸς ἀνέλοι, τοῦ Καμβύσου βιάσαντος. τοὺς μάγους δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν εχειν ἐπληροφόρει, καὶ ἐπηρᾶτο Πέρσαις, εἰ μὴ αὐτοὺς τίσαιντο. ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἑαυτὸν κατεκρήμνισε καὶ ἀπέθανεν. Οἱ δὲ ἑπτὰ ανδρες ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ τὰ κατὰ τὸν Πρηξάσπην μαθόντες ωρμησαν εὐθὺς ἐπὶ τὰ βασίλεια καὶ εἰσῄεσαν, παρὰ τῶν φυλάκων μὴ κωλυόμενοι· ᾐδοῦντο γὰρ τὴν ὑπεροχὴν τῶν ἀνδρῶν. παρελθόντες δ' εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν ἐνέτυχον τοῖς ἀγγελιαφόροις εὐνούχοις, οι σφᾶς ἠρώτων οτου χρῄζοντες ηκοιεν, ἐκώλυόν τε προσωτέρω ἰέναι. οἱ δὲ τοὺς μὲν ἐκεῖ διεχειρίσαντο, αὐτοὶ δὲ δρομαίως εἰσῄεσαν. οἱ μάγοι δ' οντες ἐντός, 1.267 καὶ τῶν εὐνούχων γνόντες τὸν θόρυβον, ἐτράποντο πρὸς ἀλκήν, καὶ ὁ μὲν τὴν αἰχμήν, ὁ δὲ τὸ τόξον μετεχειρίσαντο. καὶ θάτερος μὲν τῇ αἰχμῇ ̓Ασπαθίνην παίει κατὰ μηρόν, τὸν δ' ̓Ινταφέρνην κατ' οψιν, οθεν ἐκεῖνος ἐβλάβη τὸν ὀφθαλμόν· τὰ τόξα δ' ην απρακτα χερσὶν ἐγγύθεν αὐτοῖς χρωμένοις. καὶ ὁ ταῦτα κατέχων εἰσέδυ πρὸς θάλαμον, συνεισπίπτουσι δ' αὐτῷ ∆αρεῖός τε καὶ Γωβρύας. καὶ ὁ μὲν συνεπλάκη τῷ μάγῳ, ∆αρεῖος δὲ ἀπορῶν διὰ σκότος καὶ δεδιὼς μὴ τὸν ἑταῖρον πλήξῃ, ιστατο απρακτος. Γωβρύας δὲ ηρετο οτου χάριν ἀργὸς ισταται· ὁ δ' ειπε τὸ αιτιον. καὶ ος "ωθει τὸ ξίφος καὶ δι' ἀμφοῖν" εφησε. καὶ ὁ ∆αρεῖος ωσε τὸ ἐγχειρίδιον, καὶ τοῦ μάγου ἐπέτυχε. κτείναντες ουν καὶ τὸν ετερον οἱ λοιποὶ ετεμον τὰς κεφαλὰς καὶ ἀμφοῖν, καὶ τοὺς μὲν δύο τοὺς τραυματίας αὐτῶν διά τε τὰ τραύματα καὶ τὴν τῆς ἀκροπόλεως φυλακὴν κατέλιπον ἐν αὐτῇ, οἱ λοιποὶ δὲ τὰς κεφαλὰς ἐπιφερόμενοι τῶν μάγων ἐξέθεον καὶ Πέρσαις ταύτας ἐδείκνυον καὶ ἐξηγοῦντο τὸ γεγονός. οἱ δὲ τὴν ἀπάτην μαθόντες εκτεινον ῳ αν τῶν μάγων ἐνέτυχον. ̓Επεὶ δὲ κατέστη ὁ θόρυβος καὶ ηδη τινὲς ἡμέραι παρήλθοσαν, ἐβουλεύοντο περὶ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων οἰκονομίας. καὶ ̓Οτάνης μὲν δημοκρατίαν ἑλέσθαι παρῄνει, ἀριστοκρατίαν δὲ ὁ Μεγάβυζος, ὁ δέ γε ∆αρεῖος βασιλείαν καὶ αυθις αἱρήσεσθαι συνεβούλευε. συνέθεντο ουν τῇ τούτου γνώμῃ καὶ οἱ τέσσαρες οἱ λοιποί· καὶ εδοξεν αὐτοῖς ἐπιβῆναι τῶν ιππων, καὶ οτου αν ὁ ιππος ἡλίου ἀνατείλαντος χρεμετίσῃ ἐν τῷ προαστείῳ γενομένων, τοῦτον εχειν τὴν βασι1.268 λείαν. ∆αρεῖος δὲ τὴν βουλὴν τῷ ἱπποκόμῳ αὐτοῦ ἐξηγήσατο. ην δὲ σοφὸς ὁ ἀνὴρ καί "θάρρει, ω δέσποτα" εφη "ὡς σὴ εσται ἡ βασιλεία." γενομένης ουν νυκτὸς θήλειαν ιππον λαβών, ην ὁ ∆αρείου εστεργεν ιππος, καὶ δήσας εἰς τὸ προάστειον ἐπήγαγε τὸν ιππον καὶ περιῆγεν αὐτὸν ἀγχοῦ τῇ θηλείᾳ, καὶ τέλος ἐφῆκεν ὀχεῦσαι τὴν ιππον. εωθεν δὲ τῶν ἑπτὰ παραγενομένων εἰς τὸ προάστειον καὶ διεξελαυνόντων ἐν αὐτῷ, ὡς ἐκεῖσε γεγόνασιν ενθαπερ ἡ θήλεια ιππος ἐδέδετο, εἰς μνήμην ταύτης ὁ ∆αρείου ιππος ἰὼν ἐχρεμέτισεν· κἀκ τούτου τῷ ∆αρείῳ ἡ βασιλεία προσγέγονεν. οἱ μὲν ουν τοῦτό φασι μηχανήσασθαι τὸν Οἰβάρεα, τοῦτο γὰρ τῷ τοῦ ∆αρείου ἱπποκόμῳ ονομα ην, οἱ δ' ἑτεροῖον ειναί φασι τὸ τούτου μηχάνημα. τῆς γὰρ ιππου ἐκείνης, ην ὁ ∆αρείου ιππος ἐφίλει, τῶν αρθρων ἐπιψαῦσαι τῇ χειρί, καὶ τὴν χεῖρα κρύπτειν ἐν τῇ ἀναξυρίδι. ηδη δὲ τοῦ ἡλίου ἀνίσχοντος, καὶ τοὺς ιππους ἀναβαινόντων τῶν ἑπτὰ ἐκείνων ἀνδρῶν, προσαγαγεῖν αὐτὸν τὴν χεῖρα τοῖς τοῦ ιππου τοῦ ∆αρείου μυκτῆρσι, καὶ τὸν αὐτίκα αἰσθόμενον φριμάξασθαί τε καὶ χρεμετίσαι. ειτ' ουν ουτως ειτ' ἐκείνως ὁ ∆αρεῖος τῆς βασιλείας ἐπέτυχεν. Ουτος ουν ἰδιώτης ων ηυξατο τῷ θεῷ, εἰ γένοιτο βασιλεύς, πάντα τὰ σκεύη τοῦ θεοῦ οσα ην ετι ἐν Βαβυλῶνι πέμψειν εἰς τὸν ἐν ̔Ιεροσολύμοις ναόν. ην δὲ αὐτῷ πάλαι καὶ