Greece -- History -- To 146 B.C.; History, Ancient
36. When he was doing these things, Croesus the Lydian judged it right
to admonish him in the following words: "O king, do not thou indulge the
heat of thy youth and passion in all things, but retain and hold thyself
back: it is a good thing to be prudent, and forethought is wise. Thou
however are putting to death men who are of thine own people, condemning
them on charges of no moment, and thou art putting to death men's sons
also. If thou do many such things, beware lest the Persians make revolt
from thee. As for me, thy father Cyrus gave me charge, earnestly bidding
me to admonish thee, and suggest to thee that which I should find to
be good." Thus he counselled him, manifesting goodwill towards him; but
Cambyses answered: "Dost thou venture to counsel me, who excellently
well didst rule thine own country, and well didst counsel my father,
bidding him pass over the river Araxes and go against the Massagetai,
when they were willing to pass over into our land, and so didst utterly
ruin thyself by ill government of thine own land, and didst utterly
ruin Cyrus, who followed thy counsel. However thou shalt not escape
punishment now, for know that before this I had very long been desiring
to find some occasion against thee." Thus having said he took his bow
meaning to shoot him, but Croesus started up and ran out: and so since
he could not shoot him, he gave orders to his attendants to take and
slay him. The attendants however, knowing his moods, concealed Croesus,
with the intention that if Cambyses should change his mind and seek
to have Croesus again, they might produce him and receive gifts as the
price of saving his life; but if he did not change his mind nor feel
desire to have him back, then they might kill him. Not long afterwards
Cambyses did in fact desire to have Croesus again, and the attendants
perceiving this reported to him that he was still alive: and Cambyses
said that he rejoiced with Croesus that he was still alive, but that
they who had preserved him should not get off free, but he would put
them to death: and thus he did.
37. Many such acts of madness did he both to Persians and allies,
remaining at Memphis and opening ancient tombs and examining the dead
bodies. Likewise also he entered into the temple of Hephaistos and very
much derided the image of the god: for the image of Hephaistos very
nearly resembles the Phenician Pataicoi, which the Phenicians carry
about on the prows of their triremes; and for him who has not seen
these, I will indicate its nature,—it is the likeness of a dwarfish man.
He entered also into the temple of the Cabeiroi, into which it is not
lawful for any one to enter except the priest only, and the images there
he even set on fire, after much mockery of them. Now these also are like
the images of Hephaistos, and it is said that they are the children of
that god.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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