Cyropaedia: The Education of Cyrus — Book V - Chapter 5

[C.

5] And now that his expedition was completed, Cyrus sent to Cyaxares and urged him to come to the camp in order that they might decide best how to use the forts which they had taken, and perhaps Cyaxares, after reviewing the army, would advise him what the next move ought to be, or, Cyrus added to the messenger, "if he bids me, say I will come to him and take up my encampment there."

[2] So the emissary went off with the message, and meanwhile Cyrus gave orders that the Assyrian tent chosen for Cyaxares should be furnished as splendidly as possible, and the woman brought to her apartment there, and the two singing-girls also, whom they had set aside for him.

[3] And while they were busied with these things the envoy went to Cyaxares and delivered his message, and Cyaxares listened and decided it was best for Cyrus and his men to stay on the frontier.

The Persians whom Cyrus had sent for had already arrived, forty thousand bowmen and targeteers.

[4] To watch these eating up the land was bad enough, and Cyaxares thought he would rather be quit of one horde before he received another.

On his side the officer in command of the Persian levy, following the instructions from Cyrus, asked Cyaxares if he had any need of the men, and Cyaxares said he had not.

Thereupon, and hearing that Cyrus had arrived, the Persian put himself at the head of his troops and went off at once to join him.

[5] Cyaxares himself waited till the next day and then set out with the Median troopers who had stayed behind.

And when Cyrus knew of his approach he took his Persian cavalry, who were now a large body of men, and all the Medes, Hyrcanians, and Armenians, and the best-mounted and best-armed among the rest, and so went out to meet Cyaxares and show the power he had won.

[6] But when Cyaxares saw so large a following of gallant gentlemen with Cyrus, and with himself so small and mean a retinue, it seemed to him an insult, and mortification filled his heart.

And when Cyrus sprang from his horse and came up to give him the kiss of greeting, Cyaxares, though he dismounted, turned away his head and gave him no kiss, while the tears came into his eyes.

[7] Whereupon Cyrus told the others to stand aside and rest, and then he took Cyaxares by the hand and led him apart under a grove of palm-trees, and bade the attendants spread Median carpets for them, and made Cyaxares sit down, and then, seating himself beside him, he said: [8] "Uncle of mine, tell me, in heaven's name, I implore you, why are you angry with me?

What bitter sight have you seen to make you feel such bitterness?"

And then Cyaxares answered: "Listen, Cyrus; I have been reputed royal and of royal lineage as far back as the memory of man can go; my father was a king and a king I myself was thought to be; and now I see myself riding here, meanly and miserably attended, while you come before me in splendour and magnificence, followed by the retinue that once was mine and all your other forces.

[9] That would be bitter enough, methinks, from the hand of an enemy, but--O gods above us!

--how much more bitter at the hands of those from whom we least deserve it!

Far rather would I be swallowed in the earth than live to be seen so low, aye, and to see my own kinsfolk turn against me and make a mock of me.

And well I know," said he, "that not only you but my own slaves are now stronger and greater than myself: they come out equipt to do me far more mischief than ever I could repay."

[10] But here he stopped, overcome by a passion of weeping, so much so that for very pity Cyrus' own eyes filled with tears.

There was silence between them for a while, and then Cyrus said: "Nay, Cyaxares, what you say is not true, and what you think is not right, if you imagine that because I am here, your Medes have been equipt to do you any harm.

[11] I do not wonder that you are pained, and I will not ask if you have cause or not for your anger against them: you will ill brook apologies for them from me.

Only it seems to me a grievous error in a ruler to quarrel with all his subjects at once.

Widespread terror must needs be followed by widespread hate: anger with all creates unity among all.

[12] It was for this reason, take my word for it, that I would not send them back to you without myself, fearing that your wrath might be the cause of what would injure all of us.

Through my presence here and by the blessing of heaven, all is safe for you: but that you should regard yourself as wronged by me,--I cannot but feel it bitter, when I am doing all in my power to help my friends, to be accused of plotting against them.

[13] However," he continued, "let us not accuse each other in this useless way; if possible, let us see exactly in what I have offended.

And as between friend and friend, I will lay down the only rule that is just and fair: if I can be shown to have done you harm, I will confess I am to blame, but if it appears that I have never injured you, not even in thought, will you not acquit me of all injustice towards you?"

"Needs must I," answered Cyaxares.

[14] "And if I can show that I have done you service, and been zealous in your cause to the utmost of my power, may I not claim, instead of rebuke, some little meed of praise?"

"That were only fair," said Cyaxares.

[15] "Then," said Cyrus, "let us go through all I have done, point by point, and see what is good in it and what is evil.

[16] Let us begin from the time when I assumed my generalship, if that is early enough.

I think I am right in saying that it was because you saw your enemies gathering together against you, and ready to sweep over your land and you, that you sent to Persia asking for help, and to me in private, praying me to come, if I could, myself, at the head of any forces they might send.

Was I not obedient to your word?

Did I not come myself with the best and bravest I could bring?"

[17] "You did indeed," answered Cyaxares.

"Tell me, then, before we go further, did you see any wrong in this?

Was it not rather a service and a kindly act?"

"Certainly," said Cyaxares, "so far as that went, I saw nothing but kindliness."

[18] "Well, after the enemy had come, and we had to fight the matter out, did you ever see me shrink from toil or try to escape from danger?"

"That I never did," said Cyaxares, "quite the contrary."

[19] "And afterwards, when, through the help of heaven, victory was ours, and the enemy retreated, and I implored you to let us pursue them together, take vengeance on them together, win together the fruits of any gallant exploit we might achieve, can you accuse me then of self-seeking or self-aggrandisement?"

[20] But at that Cyaxares was silent.

Then Cyrus spoke again.

"If you would rather not reply to that, tell me if you thought yourself injured because, when you considered pursuit unsafe, I relieved you of the risk, and only begged you to lend me some of your cavalry?

If my offence lay in asking for that, when I had already offered to work with you, side by side, you must prove it to me; and it will need some eloquence."

[21] He paused, but Cyaxares still kept silence.

"Nay," said Cyrus, "if you will not answer that either, tell me at least if my offence lay in what followed, when you said that you did not care to stop your Medes in their merry-making and drive them out into danger, do you think it was wrong in me, without waiting to quarrel on that score, to ask you for what I knew was the lightest boon you could grant and the lightest command you could lay on your soldiers?

For I only asked that he who wished it might be allowed to follow me.

[22] And thus, when I had won your permission, I had won nothing, unless I could win them too.

Therefore I went and tried persuasion, and some listened to me, and with these I set off on my march, holding my commission from your own self.

So that, if you look on this act as blameworthy, it would seem that not even the acceptance of your own gifts can be free from blame.

[23] It was thus we started, and after we had gone, was there, I ask you, a single deed of mine that was not done in the light of day?

Has not the enemy's camp been taken?

Have not hundreds of your assailants fallen?

And hundreds been deprived of their horses and their arms?

Is not the spoiler spoiled?

The cattle and the goods of those who harried your land are now in the hands of your friends, they are brought to you, or to your subjects.

[24] And, above all and beyond all, you see your own country growing great and powerful and the land of your enemy brought low.

Strongholds of his are in your power, and your own that were torn from you in other days by the Syrian domination are now restored to you again.

I cannot say I should be glad to learn that any of these things can be bad for you, or short of good, but I am ready to listen, if so it is.

[25] Speak, tell me your judgment of it all."

Then Cyrus paused, and Cyaxares made answer: "To call what you have done evil, Cyrus, is impossible.

But your benefits are of such a kind that the more they multiply upon me, the heavier burden do they bring.

[26] I would far rather," he went on, "have made your country great by own power than see mine exalted in this way by you.

These deeds of yours are a crown of glory to you; but they bring dishonour to me.

[27] And for the wealth, I would rather have made largess of it to yourself than receive it at your hands in the way you give it now.

Goods so gotten only leave me the poorer.

And for my subjects--I think I would have suffered less if you had injured them a little than I suffer now when I see how much they owe you.

[28] Perhaps," he added, "you find it inhuman of me to feel thus, but I would ask you to forget me and imagine that you are in my place and see how it would appear to you then.

Suppose a friend of yours were to take care of your dogs, dogs that you bred up to guard yourself and your house, such care that he made them fonder of him than of yourself, would you be pleased with him for his attention?

[29] Or take another instance, if that one seems too slight: suppose a friend of yours were to do so much for your own followers, men you kept to guard you and to fight for you, that they would rather serve in his train than yours, would you be grateful to him for his kindness?

[30] Or let me take the tenderest of human ties: suppose a friend of yours paid court to the wife of your bosom so that in the end he made her love him more than yourself, would he rejoice your heart by his courtesy?

Far from it, I trow; he who did this, you would say, did you the greatest wrong in all the world.

[31] And now, to come nearest to my own case, suppose some one paid such attention to your Persians that they learnt to follow him instead of you, would you reckon that man your friend?

No; but a worse enemy than if he had slain a thousand.

[32] Or again, say you spoke in all friendship to a friend and bade him take what he wished, and straightway he took all he could lay hands on and carried it off, and so grew rich with your wealth, and you were left in utter poverty, could you say that friend was altogether blameless?

[33] And I, Cyrus, I feel that you have treated me, if not in that way, yet in a way exactly like it.

What you say is true enough: I did allow you to take what you liked and go, and you took the whole of my power and went, leaving me desolate, and to-day you bring the spoil you have won with my forces, and lay it so grandly at my feet--magnificent!

And you make my country great through the help of my own might, while I have no part or lot in the performance, but must step in at the end, like a woman, to receive your favours, while in the eyes of all men, not least my faithful subjects yonder, you are the man, and I--I am not fit to wear a crown.

[34] Are these, I ask you, Cyrus, are these the deeds of a benefactor?

Nay, had you been kind as you are kin, above all else you would have been careful not to rob me of my dignity and honour.

What advantage is it to me for my lands to be made broad if I myself am dishonoured?

When I ruled the Medes, I ruled them not because I was stronger than all of them, but because they themselves thought that our race was in all things better than theirs."

[35] But while he was still speaking Cyrus broke in on his words, crying: "Uncle of mine, by the heaven above us, if I have ever shown you any kindness, be kind to me now.

Do not find fault with me any more, wait, and put me to the test, and learn how I feel towards you, and if you see that what I have done has really brought you good, then, when I embrace you, embrace me in return and call me your benefactor, and if not, you may blame me as you please."

[36] "Perhaps," answered Cyaxares, "you are right.

I will do as you wish."

"Then I may kiss you?"

said Cyrus.

"Yes, if it pleases you.

"And you will not turn aside as you did just now?"

"No, I will not turn aside."

And he kissed him.

[37] And when the Medes saw it and the Persians and all the allies--for all were watching to see how matters would shape--joy came into their hearts and gladness lit up their faces.

Then Cyrus and Cyaxares mounted their horses and rode back, and the Medes fell in behind Cyaxares, at a nod from Cyrus, and behind Cyrus the Persians, and the others behind them.

[38] And when they reached the camp and brought Cyaxares to the splendid tent, those who were appointed made everything ready for him, and while he was waiting for the banquet his Medes presented themselves, some of their own accord, it is true, but most were sent by Cyrus.

[39] And they brought him gifts; one came with a beautiful cup-bearer, another with an admirable cook, a third with a baker, a fourth with a musician, while others brought cups and goblets and beautiful apparel;

almost every one gave something out of the spoils they had won.

[40] So that the mood of Cyaxares changed, and he seemed to see that Cyrus had not stolen his subjects from him, and that they made no less account of him than they used to do.

[41] Now when the hour came for the banquet, Cyaxares sent to Cyrus and begged him to share it: it was so long, he said, since they had met.

But Cyrus answered, "Bid me not to the feast, good uncle.

Do you not see that all these soldiers of ours have been raised by us to the pitch of expectation?

And it were ill on my part if I seemed to neglect them for the sake of my private pleasure.

If soldiers feel themselves neglected even the good become faint-hearted, and the bad grow insolent.

[42] With yourself it is different, you have come a long journey and you must fall to without delay, and if your subjects do you honour, welcome them and give them good cheer, that there may be confidence between you and them, but I must go and attend to the matters of which I speak.

[43] Early to-morrow morning," he added, "our chief officers will present themselves at your gate to hear from you what you think our next step ought to be.

You will tell us whether we ought to pursue the campaign further or whether the time has now come to disband our army."

[44] Thereupon Cyaxares betook himself to the banquet and Cyrus called a council of his friends, the shrewdest and the best fitted to act with him, and spoke to them as follows: "My friends, thanks to the gods, our first prayers are granted.

Wherever we set foot now we are the masters of the country: we see our enemies brought low and ourselves increasing day by day in numbers and in strength.

[45] And if only our present allies would consent to stay with us a little longer, our achievements could be greater still, whether force were needed or persuasion.

Now it must be your work as much as mine to make as many of them as possible willing and anxious to remain.

[46] Remember that, just as the soldier who overthrows the greatest number in the day of battle is held to be the bravest, so the speaker, when the time has come for persuasion, who brings most men to his side will be thought the most eloquent, the best orator and the ablest man of action.

[47] Do not, however, prepare your speeches as though we asked you to give a rhetorical display: remember that those whom you convince will show it well enough by what they do.

[48] I leave you then," he added, "to the careful study of your parts: mine is to see, so far as in me lies, that our troops are provided with all they need, before we hold the council of war."

NOTES

C.

1. Cyrus' generosity: he is not cold, not incapable of soft pleasure, but too pre-occupied with greater things.

On the whole, if a hedonist, this type of man, a hedonist that = a stoic (cf.

Socrates, H. Sidgwick, also J. P.

).

C1.

4, init.

Well told: we feel the character of Araspas at once, as soon as he opens his lips.

C1.

4, med.

An Eastern picture.

She is one of the Bible women, as Gadatas and Gobryas are brothers of Barzillai; she is sister of Ruth or Susanna or Judith or Bathsheba.

Perhaps she is nobler than any of them.

She is also the sister of the Greek tragedy women, Antigone, Alcestis;

especially Euripidean is she: no doubt she is sister to the great women of all lands.

C1.

10 ff.

Xenophon, Moralist.

Cf.

_Memorabilia_ for a similar philosophical difficulty about the will and knowledge.

And for this raising of ethical problems in an artistic setting of narrative, cf.

Lyly.

I see a certain resemblance between the times and the writers' minds.

_Vide_ J. A.

Symonds on the predecessors of Shakespeare.

Araspas' point is that these scamps have only themselves to blame, being {akrateis}, and then they turn round and accuse love.

(We are thrown back on the origin of {akrasia}: _vide Memorabilia_ [e. g. I.

ii.

v. ; IV.

v.

] for such answer as we can get to that question.

) Whereas the {kaloi kagathoi} desire strongly but can curb their desires.

C1.

13. Shows a confidence in the healthy action of the will.

When Araspas himself is caught later on he develops the theory of a double self, a higher and a lower (so hgd.

, and so, I think, Xenophon and Socrates.

_Vide Memorabilia_).

C1.

16, fin.

Cyrus || Socrates, his prototype here.

C1.

18. Very natural and beautiful.

Xenophon sympathetic with such a beautiful humanity.

The woman's nature brought out by these touches.

Xenophon, Dramatist: the moral problem is subordinate, that is to say, is made to grow out of the dramatic action and characterisation.

C1.

20. Notice the absolutely fair and warrantable diplomatic advantage given to the archic man: each step he takes opens up new avenues of progress.

Herein is fulfilled "to him who hath shall be given," but Cyrus plays his part also, he has the wisdom of serpents with the gentleness of doves.

C1.

21. This is the true rhetoric, the right road to persuasiveness, to be absolutely frank.

C1.

24. The desire to be ruled by the archic man, which the archomenoi--i. e. all men--feel, is thus manifest.

Notice again how the Mede's own character is maintained: he speaks as he felt then.

C2.

8. The bridegroom will be found to be Hystaspas; but we have no suspicion as yet, without looking on.

C2.

9. In this interview Cyrus' character still further developed.

_Ex ore Cyri.

_, Xenophon propounds his theory of the latent virtue in man, which only needs an opportunity to burst forth, but, this lacking, remains unrevealed.

Now it is a great godsend to get such a chance.

It is thoroughly Hellenic, or Xenophon-Socratic, this feeling, "Give me a chance to show my virtue."

(But has Cyrus a touch of superhuman conscious rectitude?

) C2.

12. The same thought again: it is full of delicacy and spiritual discernment: the more one ponders it the more one feels that.

C2.

12, fin.

For Hellenic or Xenophontine or old-world theory of the misfortunes which befall the virtuous, _vide_ Homer, _vide_ Book of Job (Satan), _vide_ Tragedians.

C2.

15. Cf.

the _Economist_ for praise of rural simplicity.

It is Xenophon _ipsissimus_.

C2.

17. Whose bad manners is Xenophon thinking of?

Thebans'?

C2.

20, fin.

A very noble sentence.

The man who utters it and the people whose heart and mind it emanates from must be of a high order; and in the _Memorabilia_ Socrates has this highest praise, that he studied to make himself and _all others also_ as good as possible.

C2.

21. Notice the practical answer of Cyrus to this panegyric (cf.

J.

P.

).

C2.

32. Prolix, Xenophontic.

C3.

6 ff.

Here also I feel the mind of Xenophon shimmering under various lights.

The _Cyropaedia_ is shot with Orientalism.

Homeric Epicism--antique Hellenism and modern Hellenism are both there.

Spartan simplicity and Eastern quaintness both say their say.

In this passage the biblical element seems almost audible.

C3.

7. This is in the grand style, Oriental, dilatory, ponderous, savouring of times when battles were affairs of private arrangement between monarchs and hedged about by all the punctilios of an affair of honour.

C3.

12. N.

B.

--The archic man shows a very ready wit and inventiveness in the great art of "grab" in war, though as he said to his father he was "a late learner" in such matters.

Cf.

in modern times the duties of a detective or some such disagreeable office.

G.

O.

Trevelyan as Irish secretary.

Interesting for _war ethics_ in the abstract, and for Xenophon's view, which is probably Hellenic.

Cyrus now has the opportunity of carrying out the selfish decalogue, the topsy-turvy morality set forth in I. C. 6, C.

26 ff.

C3.

13. Cf.

Old Testament for the sort of subterfuges and preparations, e. g. the Gibeonites.

C3.

15. The archic man has no time.

Cyrus {ou skholazei}.

Cf.

J.

P.

It comes from energy combined with high gifts of organisation, economic, architectonic.

C3.

19. Nice, I think, this contrasting of spiritual and natural productiveness.

C3.

32. Here is the rule of conduct clearly expressed, nor do I see how a military age could frame for itself any other.

Christianity only emerged _sub pace Romana_, which for fraternal brotherhood was the fullness of time; and even in the commercial age the nations tumble back practically into the old system.

C3.

36 ff.

An army on forced march: are there any novelties here?

C3.

53. These minute details probably not boring at the time, but interesting rather, perhaps useful.

C4.

13. Cyrus resembles Fawcett in his unselfish self-estimate.

Gadatas is like the British public, or hgd.

C4.

16. Here we feel that the Assyrian is not a mere weakling: he can play his part well enough if he gets a good chance.

It needs an Archic and Strategic Man to overpower him.

C4.

17. ANCIENT and MODERN parallelism in treatment of wounded.

C4.

24. Hellenic war ethics: non-combatant tillers of the soil to be let alone.

Is this a novelty?

If not, what is the prototype?

Did the modern rights of non-combatants so originate?

C4.

27, fin.

A touch which gives the impression of real history: that is the art of it.

C4.

34. Almost autobiographical: the advantage of having a country seat in the neighbourhood of a big town.

Here we feel the MODERNISM of XENOPHON.

The passage which Stevenson chose for the motto to his _Silverado Squatters_ would suit Xenophon very well (Cicero, De Off.

I.

xx.

).

Xenophon || Alfred Tennyson.

[Mr. Dakyns used the geometric sign || to indicate parallelism of any sort.

The passage from Cicero might be translated thus: "Some have lived in the country, content with the happiness of home.

These men have enjoyed all that kings could claim, needing nothing, under the dominion of no man, untrammelled and in freedom; for the free man lives as he chooses."

] C4.

36. The wicked man as conceived in Hellenico-Xenophontine fashion, charged with the spirit of meanness, envy, and hatred, which cannot brook the existence of another better than itself.

C4.

38. A nice touch: we learn to know Gadatas and Xenophon also, and the Hellenic mind.

C5.

10. Pathos well drawn: _vide_ Richard II.

and Bolingbroke.

Euripidean quality.

C5.

12. The archic man has got so far he can play the part of intercessor between Cyaxares and his Medes.

The discussion involves the whole difficulty of suppression ("he must increase, but I must decrease" is one solution, not touched here).

C5.

34. Perhaps this is the very point which Xenophon, Philosopher, wishes to bring out, the pseudo-archic man and the archic man contrasted, but Xenophon, lover of man and artist, draws the situation admirably and truthfully without any doctrinal purpose.

It is {anthropinon} human essentially, this jealousy and humiliation of spirit.

C5.

35. Cyrus' tone of voice and manner must have some compelling charm in them: the dialectic debate is not pursued, but by a word and look the archic man wins his way.

C5.

36. Oriental and antique Hellenic, also _modern_, formalities.

I can imagine some of those crowned heads, emperors of Germany and Austria, going through similar ceremonies, walking arm-in-arm, kissing on both cheeks fraternally, etc. C5.

39-40. This reveals the incorrigible weakness of Cyaxares.

He can never hold his own against the archic man.

As a matter of philosophic "historising," probably Xenophon conceives the Median element as the corrupting and sapping one in the Persian empire (_vide_ Epilogue), only he to some extent justifies and excuses Cyrus in his imitations of it.

That is a difficulty.

C5.

41. The archic man shows self-command again: his energy somewhat relieves ignobler actors of responsibility and so far saps their wills.

His up-and-doingness a foil to their indolence.