herodotus

despotic power, did thus:--whereas the Medes dwelt in separatevillages, he, being even before that time of great repute in his ownvillage, set himself to practise just dealing much more and withgreater zeal than before; and this he did although there was muchlawlessness throughout the whole of Media, and although he knew thatinjustice is ever at feud with justice. And the Medes of the samevillage, seeing his manners, chose him for their judge. So he, sincehe was aiming at power, was upright and just, and doing thus he had nolittle praise from his fellow-citizens, insomuch that those of theother villages learning that Deïokes was a man who more than allothers gave decision rightly, whereas before this they had been wontto suffer from unjust judgments, themselves also when they heard itcame gladly to Deïokes to have their causes determined, and at lastthey trusted the business to no one else. 97. Then, as more and morecontinually kept coming to him, because men learnt that his decisionsproved to be according to the truth, Deïokes perceiving thateverything was referred to himself would no longer sit in the placewhere he used formerly to sit in public to determine causes, and saidthat he would determine causes no more, for it was not profitable forhim to neglect his own affairs and to determine causes for hisneighbours all through the day. So then, since robbery and lawlessnessprevailed even much more in the villages than they did before, theMedes having assembled together in one place considered with oneanother and spoke about the state in which they were: and I supposethe friends of Deïokes spoke much to this effect: "Seeing that we arenot able to dwell in the land under the present order of things, letus set up a king from among ourselves, and thus the land will be wellgoverned and we ourselves shall turn to labour, and shall not beruined by lawlessness." By some such words as these they persuadedthemselves to have a king. 98. And when they straightway proposed thequestion whom they should set up to be king, Deïokes was much putforward and commended by every one, until at last they agreed that heshould be their king. And he bade them build for him a palace worthyof the royal dignity and strengthen him with a guard of spearmen. Andthe Medes did so: for they built him a large and strong palace in thatpart of the land which he told them, and they allowed him to selectspearmen from all the Medes. And when he had obtained the rule overthem, he compelled the Medes to make one fortified city and pay chiefattention to this, having less regard to the other cities. And as theMedes obeyed him in this also, he built large and strong walls, thosewhich are now called Agbatana, standing in circles one within theother. And this wall is so contrived that one circle is higher thanthe next by the height of the battlements alone. And to some extent, Isuppose, the nature of the ground, seeing that it is on a hill,assists towards this end; but much more was it produced by art, sincethe circles are in all seven in number.[111] And within the last