Panthea thanked him for his kindness. She had a friend, she said, whom she wished to join, and she would let him know in due time who it was. In the mean time, she wished that Cyrus would leave her alone, for a while, with her servants, and her waiting-maid, and the dead body of her husband. Cyrus accordingly withdrew. As soon as he had gone, Panthea sent away the servants also, retaining the waiting-maid alone. The waiting-maid began to be anxious and concerned at witnessing these mysterious arrangements, as if they portended some new calamity. She wondered what her mistress was going to do. Her doubts were dispelled by seeing Panthea produce a sword, which she had kept concealed hitherto beneath her robe. Her maid begged her, with much earnestness and many tears, not to destroy herself; but Panthea was immovable. She said she could not live any longer. She directed the maid to envelop her body, as soon as she was dead, in the same mantle with her husband, and to have them both deposited together in the same grave; and before her stupefied attendant could do any thing to save her, she sat down by the side of her husband's body, laid her head upon his breast, and in that position gave herself the fatal wound. In a few minutes she ceased to breathe. * * * * * Cyrus expressed his respect for the memory of Abradates and Panthea by erecting a lofty monument over their common grave. CHAPTER XI. CONVERSATIONS. General character of Xenophon's history.--Dialogues and conversations.--Ancient mode of discussion.--Cyrus's games.--Grand procession.--The races.--The Sacian.--His success.--Mode of finding a worthy man.--Pheraulas wounded.--Pheraulas pursues his course.--He receives the Sacian's horse.--Sumptuous entertainment.--Pheraulas and the Sacian.--Riches a source of disquiet and care.--Argument of Pheraulas.--Remark of the Sacian.--Reply of Pheraulas.--Singular proposal of Pheraulas.--The Sacian accepts it.--The plan carried into effect.--The happy result.--Cyrus's dinner party.--Conversation about soldiers.--The discontented soldier.--His repeated misfortunes.--Amusement of the party.--The awkward squad.--Merriment of the company.--The file-leader and the letters.--Remark of Cyrus.--Animadversion version of Aglaitadas.--Aglaitadas's argument for melancholy.--Defense of the officers.--General character of Xenophon's Cyropaedia. We have given the story of Panthea, as contained in the preceding chapter, in our own language, it is true, but without any intentional addition or embellishment whatever. Each reader will judge for himself whether such a narrative, written for the entertainment of vast assemblies at public games and celebrations, is most properly to be regarded as an invention of romance, or as a simple record of veritable history.