herodotus

assuredly that he was speaking the truth and had come to be theirhelper, were ready to put in his power that for which he asked them,and he asked them that he might command a certain force. Then when hehad obtained this from them, he did that which he had agreed withDareios that he would do; for he led out on the tenth day the army ofthe Babylonians, and having surrounded the thousand men whom he hadenjoined Dareios first to set there, he slew them. The Babyloniansaccordingly, perceiving that the deeds which he displayed were inaccordance with his words, were very greatly rejoiced and were readyto serve him in all things: and after the lapse of the days which hadbeen agreed upon, he again chose men of the Babylonians and led themout and slew the two thousand men of the troops of Dareios. Seeingthis deed also, the Babylonians all had the name of Zopyros upon theirtongues, and were loud in his praise. He then again, after the lapseof the days which had been agreed upon, led them out to the placeappointed, and surrounded the four thousand and slew them. When thisalso had been done, Zopyros was everything among the Babylonians, andhe was appointed both commander of their army and guardian of theirwalls. 158. But when Dareios made an attack according to the agreementon every side of the wall, then Zopyros discovered all his craft: forwhile the Babylonians, having gone up on the wall, were defendingthemselves against the attacks of the army of Dareios, Zopyros openedthe gates called the gates of Kissia and of Belos, and let in thePersians within the wall. And of the Babylonians those who saw thatwhich was done fled to the temple of Zeus Belos, but those who did notsee remained each in his own appointed place, until at last they alsolearnt that they had been betrayed.159. Thus was Babylon conquered for the second time: and Dareios whenhe had overcome the Babylonians, first took away the wall from roundtheir city and pulled down all the gates; for when Cyrus took Babylonbefore him, he did neither of these things: and secondly Dareiosimpaled the leading men to the number of about three thousand, but tothe rest of the Babylonians he gave back their city to dwell in: andto provide that the Babylonians should have wives, in order that theirrace might be propagated, Dareios did as follows (for their own wives,as has been declared at the beginning, the Babylonians had suffocated,in provident care for their store of food):--he ordered the nationswho dwelt round to bring women to Babylon, fixing a certain number foreach nation, so that the sum total of fifty thousand women was broughttogether, and from these women the present Babylonians are descended.160. As for Zopyros, in the judgment of Dareios no one of the Persianssurpassed him in good service, either of those who came after or ofthose who had gone before, excepting Cyrus alone; for to Cyrus no manof the Persians ever yet ventured to compare himself: and Dareios is