herodotus

whatsoever he desired; and he asked him saying: "What is the businessthat this great multitude of men is doing with so much eagerness?" andhe said: "They are plundering thy city and carrying away thy wealth."And Crœsus answered: "Neither is it my city that they are plunderingnor my wealth which they are carrying away; for I have no longer anyproperty in these things: but it is thy wealth that they are carryingand driving away." 89. And Cyrus was concerned by that which Crœsushad said, and he caused all the rest to withdraw and asked Crœsus whathe discerned for his advantage as regards that which was being done;and he said: "Since the gods gave me to thee as a slave, I think itright if I discern anything more than others to signify it to thee.The Persians, who are by nature unruly,[100] are without wealth: iftherefore thou shalt suffer them to carry off in plunder great wealthand to take possession of it, then it is to be looked for that thouwilt experience this result, thou must expect namely that whosoevergets possession of the largest share will make insurrection againstthee. Now therefore, if that which I say is pleasing to thee, do this:--set spearmen of thy guard to watch at all the gates, and let thesetake away the things, and say to the men who were bearing them out ofthe city that they must first be tithed for Zeus: and thus thou on theone hand wilt not be hated by them for taking away the things byforce, and they on the other will willingly let the things go,[101]acknowledging within themselves that thou art doing that which isjust." 90. Hearing this, Cyrus was above measure pleased, because hethought that Crœsus advised well; and he commended him much andenjoined the spearmen of his guard to perform that which Crœsus hadadvised: and after that he spoke to Crœsus thus: "Crœsus, since thouart prepared, like a king as thou art, to do good deeds and speak goodwords, therefore ask me for a gift, whatsoever thou desirest to begiven thee forthwith." And he said: "Master, thou wilt most do me apleasure if thou wilt permit me to send to the god of the Hellenes,whom I honoured most of all gods, these fetters, and to ask himwhether it is accounted by him right to deceive those who do well tohim." Then Cyrus asked him what accusation he made against the god,that he thus requested; and Crœsus repeated to him all that had beenin his mind, and the answers of the Oracles, and especially the votiveofferings, and how he had been incited by the prophecy to march uponthe Persians: and thus speaking he came back again to the request thatit might be permitted to him to make this reproach[102] against thegod. And Cyrus laughed and said: "Not this only shalt thou obtain fromme, Crœsus, but also whatsoever thou mayst desire of me at any time."Hearing this Crœsus sent certain of the Lydians to Delphi, enjoiningthem to lay the fetters upon the threshold of the temple and to askthe god whether he felt no shame that he had incited Crœsus by hisprophecies to march upon the Persians, persuading him that he shouldbring to an end the empire of Cyrus, seeing that these were the first-