herodotus

he condemned twelve of the Persians, men equal to the best, on acharge of no moment, and buried them alive with the head downwards.36. When he was doing these things, Crœsus the Lydian judged it rightto admonish him in the following words: "O king, do not thou indulgethe heat of thy youth and passion in all things, but retain and holdthyself back: it is a good thing to be prudent, and forethought iswise. Thou however are putting to death men who are of thine ownpeople, condemning them on charges of no moment, and thou art puttingto death men's sons also. If thou do many such things, beware lest thePersians make revolt from thee. As for me, thy father Cyrus gave mecharge, earnestly bidding me to admonish thee, and suggest to theethat 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 owncountry, and well didst counsel my father, bidding him pass over theriver Araxes and go against the Massagetai, when they were willing topass over into our land, and so didst utterly ruin thyself by illgovernment of thine own land, and didst utterly ruin Cyrus, whofollowed thy counsel. However thou shalt not escape punishment now,for know that before this I had very long been desiring to find someoccasion against thee." Thus having said he took his bow meaning toshoot him, but Crœsus started up and ran out: and so since he couldnot shoot him, he gave orders to his attendants to take and slay him.The attendants however, knowing his moods, concealed Crœsus, with theintention that if Cambyses should change his mind and seek to haveCrœsus again, they might produce him and receive gifts as the price ofsaving his life; but if he did not change his mind nor feel desire tohave him back, then they might kill him. Not long afterwards Cambysesdid in fact desire to have Crœsus again, and the attendants perceivingthis reported to him that he was still alive: and Cambyses said thathe rejoiced with Crœsus that he was still alive, but that they who hadpreserved 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 deadbodies. Likewise also he entered into the temple of Hephaistos andvery much derided the image of the god: for the image of Hephaistosvery nearly resembles the Phenician /Pataicoi/, which the Phenicianscarry about on the prows of their triremes; and for him who has notseen these, I will indicate its nature,--it is the likeness of adwarfish man. He entered also into the temple of the Cabeiroi, intowhich 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