herodotus

his own family, whether the madness was produced really on account ofApis or from some other cause, as many ills are wont to seize uponmen; for it is said moreover that Cambyses had from his birth acertain grievous malady, that which is called by some the "sacred"disease:[26] and it was certainly nothing strange that when the bodywas suffering from a grievous malady, the mind should not be soundeither. 34. The following also are acts of madness which he did to theother Persians:--To Prexaspes, the man whom he honoured most and whoused to bear his messages[26a] (his son also was cup-bearer toCambyses, and this too was no small honour),--to him it is said thathe spoke as follows: "Prexaspes, what kind of a man do the Persiansesteem me to be, and what speech do they hold concerning me?" and hesaid: "Master, in all other respects thou art greatly commended, butthey say that thou art overmuch given to love of wine." Thus he spokeconcerning the Persians; and upon that Cambyses was roused to anger,and answered thus: "It appears then that the Persians say I am givento wine, and that therefore I am beside myself and not in my rightmind; and their former speech then was not sincere." For before thistime, it seems, when the Persians and Crœsus were sitting with him incouncil, Cambyses asked what kind of a man they thought he was ascompared with his father Cyrus;[27] and they answered that he wasbetter than his father, for he not only possessed all that his fatherhad possessed, but also in addition to this had acquired Egypt and theSea. Thus the Persians spoke; but Crœsus, who was present and was notsatisfied with their judgment, spoke thus to Cambyses: "To me, O sonof Cyrus, thou dost not appear to be equal to thy father, for not yethast thou a son such as he left behind him in you." Hearing thisCambyses was pleased, and commended the judgment of Crœsus. 35. Socalling to mind this, he said in anger to Prexaspes: "Learn then nowfor thyself whether the Persians speak truly, or whether when they saythis they are themselves out of their senses: for if I, shooting atthy son there standing before the entrance of the chamber, hit him inthe very middle of the heart, the Persians will be proved to bespeaking falsely, but if I miss, then thou mayest say that thePersians are speaking the truth and that I am not in my right mind."Having thus said he drew his bow and hit the boy; and when the boy hadfallen down, it is said that he ordered them to cut open his body andexamine the place where he was hit; and as the arrow was found to besticking in the heart, he laughed and was delighted, and said to thefather of the boy: "Prexaspes, it has now been made evident, as thouseest, that I am not mad, but that it is the Persians who are out oftheir senses; and now tell me, whom of all men didst thou ever seebefore this time hit the mark so well in shooting?" Then Prexaspes,seeing that the man was not in his right senses and fearing forhimself, said: "Master, I think that not even God himself could havehit the mark so fairly." Thus he did at that time: and at another time