Cyropaedia: The Education of Cyrus — Book II - Chapter 4
And so the conversation ended for the time.
But the next day Cyrus was as good as his word.
He had all the regiment to dinner; and the day after he invited them again: and when the other regiments knew of it they fell to doing as they did.
[C.
4] Now it chanced one day as Cyrus was holding a review, a messenger came from Cyaxares to tell him that an embassy from India had just arrived, and to bid him return with all despatch.
"And I bring with me," said the messenger, "a suit of splendid apparel sent from Cyaxares himself: my lord wishes you to appear in all possible splendour, for the Indians will be there to see you."
[2] At that Cyrus commanded the brigadier of the first regiment to draw up to the front with his men behind him on the left in single file, and to pass the order on to the second, and so throughout the army.
Officers and men were quick to obey; so that in a trice the whole force on the field was drawn up, one hundred deep and three hundred abreast, with their officers at the head.
[3] When they were in position Cyrus bade them follow his lead and off they went at a good round pace.
However the road leading to the royal quarters was too narrow to let them pass with so wide a front and Cyrus sent word along the line that the first detachment, one thousand strong, should follow as they were, and then the second, and so on to the last, and as he gave the command he led on without a pause and all the detachments followed in due order, one behind the other.
[4] But to prevent mistakes he sent two gallopers up to the entrance with orders to explain what should be done in case the men were at a loss.
And when they reached the gates, Cyrus told the leading brigadier to draw up his regiment round the palace, twelve deep, the front rank facing the building, and this command he was to pass on to the second, and the second to the third, and so on till the last.
[5] And while they saw to this he went in to Cyaxares himself, wearing his simple Persian dress without a trace of pomp.
Cyaxares was well pleased at his celerity, but troubled by the plainness of his attire, and said to him, "What is the meaning of this, Cyrus?
How could you show yourself in this guise to the Indians?
I wished you to appear in splendour: it would have done me honour for my sister's son to be seen in great magnificence."
[6] But Cyrus made answer: "Should I have done you more honour if I had put on a purple robe, and bracelets for my arms, and a necklace about my neck, and so presented myself at your call after long delay?
Or as now, when to show you respect I obey you with this despatch and bring you so large and fine a force, although I wear no ornament but the dust and sweat of speed, and make no display unless it be to show you these men who are as obedient to you as I am myself."
Such were the words of Cyrus, and Cyaxares felt that they were just, and so sent for the Indian ambassadors forthwith.
[7] And when they entered they gave this message:--The king of the Indians bade them ask what was the cause of strife between the Assyrians and the Medes, "And when we have heard you," they said, "our king bids us betake ourselves to the Assyrian and put the same question to him, and in the end we are to tell you both that the king of the Indians, when he has enquired into the justice of the case, will uphold the cause of him who has been wronged."
[8] To this Cyaxares replied: "Then take from me this answer: we do the Assyrian no wrong nor any injustice whatsoever.
And now go and make inquiry of him, if you are so minded, and see what answer he will give."
Then Cyrus, who was standing by, asked Cyaxares, "May I too say what is in my mind?"
"Say on," answered Cyaxares.
Then Cyrus turned to the ambassadors: "Tell your master," he said, "unless Cyaxares is otherwise minded, that we are ready to do this: if the Assyrian lays any injustice to our charge we choose the king of the Indians himself to be our judge, and he shall decide between us."
[9] With that the embassy departed.
And when they had gone out Cyrus turned to his uncle and began, "Cyaxares, when I came to you I had scant wealth of my own and of the little I brought with me only a fragment is left.
I have spent it all on my soldiers.
You may wonder at this," he added, "when it is you who have supported them, but, believe me, the money has not been wasted: it has all been spent on gifts and rewards to the soldiers who deserved it.
[10] And I am sure," he added, "if we require good workers and good comrades in any task whatever, it is better and pleasanter to encourage them by kind speeches and kindly acts than to drive them by pains and penalties.
And if it is for war that we need such trusty helpers, we can only win the men we want by every charm of word and grace of deed.
For our true ally must be a friend and not a foe, one who can never envy the prosperity of his leader nor betray him in the day of disaster.
[11] Such is my conviction, and such being so, I do not hide from myself the need of money.
But to look to you for everything, when I know that you spend so much already, would be monstrous in my eyes.
I only ask that we should take counsel together so as to prevent the failure of your funds.
I am well aware that if you won great wealth, I should be able to help myself at need, especially if I used it for your own advantage.
[12] Now I think you told me the other day that the king of Armenia has begun to despise you, because he hears we have an enemy, and therefore he will neither send you troops nor pay the tribute which is due."
[13] "Yes," answered Cyaxares, "such are his tricks.
And I cannot decide whether to march on him at once and try to subdue him by force, or let the matter be for the time, for fear of adding to the enemies we have."
Then Cyrus asked, "Are his dwellings strongly fortified, or could they be attacked?"
And Cyaxares answered, "The actual fortifications are not very strong: I took good care of that.
But he has the hill-country to which he can retire, and there for the moment lie secure, knowing that he himself is safely out of reach, with everything that he can convoy thither; unless we are prepared to carry on a siege, as my father actually did."
[14] Thereupon Cyrus said, "Now if you are willing to send me with a moderate force of cavalry--I will not ask for many men--I believe, heaven helping me, I could compel him to send the troops and the tribute.
And I even hope that in the future he may become a firmer friend that he is now."
[15] And Cyaxares said: "I think myself they are more likely to listen to you than to me.
I have been told that his sons were your companions in the chase when you were lads, and possibly old habits will return and they will come over to you.
Once they were in our power, everything could be done as we desire."
"Then," said Cyrus, "this plan of ours had better be kept secret, had it not?"
"No doubt," answered Cyaxares.
"In that way they would be more likely to fall into our hands, and if we attack them they would be taken unprepared."
[16] "Listen then," said Cyrus, "and see what you think of this.
I have often hunted the marches between your country and Armenia with all my men, and sometimes I have taken horsemen with me from our comrades here."
"I see," said Cyaxares, "and if you chose to do the like again it would seem only natural, but if your force was obviously larger than usual, suspicion would arise at once."
[17] "But it is possible," said Cyrus, "to frame a pretext which would find credit with us and with them too, if any rumour reached them.
We might give out that I intend to hold a splendid hunt and I might ask you openly for a troop of horse."
"Admirable!"
said Cyaxares.
"And I shall refuse to give you more than a certain number, my reason being that I wish to visit the outposts on the Syrian side.
And as a matter of fact," he added, "I do wish to see them and put them in as strong a state as possible.
Then, as soon as you have started with your men, and marched, let us say, for a couple of days, I could send you a good round number of horse and foot from my own detachment.
And when you have them at your back, you could advance at once, and I will follow with the rest of my men as near you as I may, close enough to appear in time of need."
[18] Accordingly, Cyaxares proceeded to muster horse and foot for his own march, and sent provision-waggons forward to meet him on the road.
Meanwhile Cyrus offered sacrifice for the success of his expedition and found an opportunity to ask Cyaxares for a troop of his junior cavalry.
But Cyaxares would only spare a few, though many wished to go.
Soon afterwards he started for the outposts himself with all his horse and foot, and then Cyrus found the omens favourable for his enterprise, and led his soldiers out as though he meant to hunt.
[19] He was scarcely on his way when a hare started up at their feet, and an eagle, flying on the right, saw the creature as it fled, swooped down and struck it, bore it aloft in its talons to a cliff hard by, and did its will upon it there.
The omen pleased Cyrus well, and he bowed in worship to Zeus the King, and said to his company, "This shall be a right noble hunt, my friends, if God so will."
[20] When he came to the borders he began the hunt in his usual way, the mass of horse and foot going on ahead in rows like reapers, beating out the game, with picked men posted at intervals to receive the animals and give them chase.
And thus they took great numbers of boars and stags and antelopes and wild-asses: even to this day wild-asses are plentiful in those parts.
[21] But when the chase was over, Cyrus had touched the frontier of the Armenian land, and there he made the evening meal.
The next day he hunted till he reached the mountains which were his goal.
And there he halted again and made the evening meal.
At this point he knew that the army from Cyaxares was advancing, and he sent secretly to them and bade them keep about eight miles off, and take their evening meal where they were, since that would make for secrecy.
And when their meal was over he told them to send their officers to him, and after supper he called his own brigadiers together and addressed them thus: [22] "My friends, in old days the Armenian was a faithful ally and subject of Cyaxares, but now when he sees an enemy against us, he assumes contempt: he neither sends the troops nor pays the tribute.
He is the game we have come to catch, if catch we can.
And this, I think, is the way.
You, Chrysantas," said he, "will sleep for a few hours, and then take half the Persians with you, make for the hill country, and seize the heights which we hear are his places of refuge when alarmed.
I will give you guides.
[23] The hills, they tell us, are covered with trees and scrub, so that we may hope you will escape unseen: still you might send a handful of scouts ahead of you, disguised as a band of robbers.
If they should come across any Armenians they can either make them prisoners and prevent them from spreading the news, or at least scare them out of the way, so that they will not realise the whole of your force, and only take measures against a pack of thieves.
[24] That is your task, Chrysantas, and now for mine.
At break of day I shall take half the foot and all the cavalry and march along the level straight to the king's residence.
If he resists, we must fight, if he retreats along the plain we must run him down, if he makes for the mountains, why then," said Cyrus, "it will be your business to see that none of your visitors escape.
[25] Think of it as a hunt: we down below are the beaters rounding up the game, and you are the men at the nets: only bear in mind that the earths must all be stopped before the game is up, and the men at the traps must be hidden, or they will turn back the flying quarry.
[26] One last word, Chrysantas: you must not behave now as I have known you do in your passion for the chase: you must not sit up the whole night long without a wink of sleep, you must let all your men have the modicum of rest that they cannot do without.
[27] Nor must you--just because you scour the hills in the hunt without a guide, following the lead of the quarry and that alone, checking and changing course wherever it leads you--you must not now plunge into the wildest paths: you must tell your guides to take you by the easiest road unless it is much the longest.
[28] In war, they say, the easiest way is the quickest.
And once more, because you can race up a mountain yourself you are not to lead on your men at the double; suit your pace to the strength of all.
[29] Indeed, it were no bad thing if some of your best and bravest were to fall behind here and there and cheer the laggards on: and it would quicken the pace of all, when the column has gone ahead, to see them racing back to their places past the marching files."
[30] Chrysantas listened, and his heart beat high at the trust reposed in him.
He took the guides, and gave the necessary orders for those who were to march with him, and then he lay down to rest.
And when all his men had had the sleep he thought sufficient he set out for the hills.
[31] Day dawned, and Cyrus sent a messenger to the Armenian with these words: "Cyrus bids you see to it that you bring your tribute and troops without delay."
"And if he asks you where Cyrus is, tell the truth and say I am on the frontier.
And if he asks whether I am advancing myself, tell the truth again and say that you do not know.
And if he enquires how many we are, bid him send some one with you to find out."
[32] Having so charged the messenger he sent him on forthwith, holding this to be more courteous than to attack without warning.
Then he drew up his troops himself in the order best suited for marching, and, if necessary, for fighting, and so set forth.
The soldiers had orders that not a soul was to be wronged, and if they met any Armenians they were to bid them to have no fear, but open a market wherever they wished, and sell meat or drink as they chose.
NOTES
C1.
5. Is this historical, i. e. _quasi_-historical?
Are any of the names real or all invented to give verisimilitude?
C1.
13. Any touch of the sycophancy of the future in it?
As in modern Germany, a touch of that involved in the system of royalty.
C1.
15. The raw material is good, but not worked up.
Important for the conception of Hellenic democracy (cf.
§ 17).
Daring, courage, virtue--there is no monopoly of these things.
C1.
21. (Cf.
below VIII.
C2.
5) Worthy of Adam Smith.
Xenophon has bump of economy strongly developed; he resembles J. P.
[*] in that respect.
The economic methodism, the mosaic interbedding, the architectonic structure of it all, a part and parcel of Xenophon's genius.
Was Alexander's army a highly-organised, spiritually and materially built-up, vitalised machine of this sort?
What light does Arrian, that younger Xenophon, throw upon it?
[* "J.
P."
= John Percival, Bishop of Hereford (the writer of the Introduction to this volume), at the time the notes were written Headmaster of Clifton College.
--F.
M. S.
] C1.
25. Camaraderie encouraged and developed through a sense of equality and fraternity, the life _au grand jour_ in common, producing a common consciousness (cf.
Comte and J. P.
; Epaminondas and the Sacred Band at Thebes).
C2.
Contrast of subject enlivening the style--light concrete as a foil to the last drier abstract detail.
Humorous also, with a dramatising and development of the characters, Shakespeare-wise--Hystaspas, and the rest.
Aglaïtadas, a type of educator we know well (cf.
Eccles.
"Cocker not a child"), grim, dry person with no sense of humour.
Xenophon's own humour shines out.
C2.
12. The term given to the two stories {eis tagathon}.
T.
E.
B.
[*] could do it, or Socrates, without dullness or seeming to preach.
There is a crispness in the voice which is anti-pedantic.
[* "T.
E.
B."
= T.
E.
Brown, the Manx poet, at that time a colleague of Mr. Dakyns at Clifton.
--F.
M. S.
] C2.
19. Cyrus recognises the ideal principle of co-operation and collective ownership.
Xenophon, Economist, ahead of the moderns.
C2.
26. Xenophon's breadth of view: virtue is not confined to citizens, but we have the pick of the whole world.
Cosmopolitan Hellenism.
C3.
4. Xenophon's theory of rule (cf.
Ruskin): a right, inalienable, God-bestowed, of the virtuous; subjection an inevitable consequence on lack of self-discipline.
C3.
5, init.
Is this a carelessness, or what?
Chrysantas has been introduced before, but here he is described as if stepping on the stage for the first time.
The sentence itself suggests the mould for the New Testament narrative.
C3.
7. Pheraulas, and of him we shall hear much.
A sharp contrast to Chrysantas, the Peer, with his pointed plebeian similes.
His speech important again for Xenophon's sympathetic knowledge of children and also of the hard-working poor.
C3.
10. How true to nature this.
Cannot one see the little boy doubling his little fists, a knife in his pocket, possibly a ball of string?
C3.
11. Is there a touch of flunkeyism in this?
Not so; it is the clear-sighted scientific Greek, that is all.
C3.
14. Very Scotch all this.
C3.
21-22. _Locus classicus_ for regimental marching tactics.
Qy.
: Are any of these tactical improvements by Xenophon himself?
C3.
21. The "regiment" of a hundred men was divided into four "companies" of twenty-five, to each of these one company-captain and twenty-four men, viz.
: twenty privates, two captains-of-ten, and two captains-of-five, the two captains of ten having also especial charge over the two remaining squads of five.
A condensed diagram may make the little manoeuvre clear.
An X represents one group of five plus its captain, either a captain-of-five or a captain-of-ten.
A C represents a company-captain.
First position--One long column.
All in single file.
Second position--Four columns.
Single file for each company.
Third position--Eight columns.
Double files.
Fourth position--Sixteen columns.
Quadruple files.
C C C C C C C
X X X -> X X X X -> X X X X X X X X
X -> X X X X X X
X X X
X X X
C X X X X]
C4.
15. Cyaxares means to kidnap them, doesn't he?
That is not quite Cyrus' method.
If so, it contrasts Cyaxares and Cyrus again.
C4.
17. Cyaxares the old fox improves upon the plan.
C4.
30, init.
It is these touches which give the thrilling subjective feeling to the writings of Xenophon, or, rather, thus his nerves tingle, just as the external touches give a sense of objective health (e. g. above, C1.
29).
C4.
32. All this is entirely modern, never yet excelled, I imagine.
