herodotus

the customary rites, he went away to Susa; and when he had arrivedthere and had brought the woman into his own house for Dareios, thenhe ceased from attempting the wife of Masistes and changing hisinclination he conceived a desire for the wife of Dareios, who wasdaughter of Masistes, and obtained her: now the name of this woman wasArtaÿnte. 109. However as time went on, this became known in thefollowing manner:--Amestris the wife of Xerxes had woven a mantle,large and of various work and a sight worthy to be seen, and this shegave to Xerxes. He then being greatly pleased put it on and went toArtaÿnte; and being greatly pleased with her too, he bade her ask whatshe would to be given to her in return for the favours which she hadgranted to him, for she should obtain, he said, whatsoever she asked:and she, since it was destined that she should perish miserably withher whole house, said to Xerxes upon this: "Wilt thou give mewhatsoever I ask thee for?" and he, supposing that she would askanything rather than that which she did, promised this and swore toit. Then when he had sworn, she boldly asked for the mantle; andXerxes tried every means of persuasion, not being willing to give itto her, and that for no other reason but only because he fearedAmestris, lest by her, who even before this had some inkling of thetruth, he should thus be discovered in the act; and he offered hercities and gold in any quantity, and an army which no one else shouldcommand except herself. Now this of an army is a thoroughly Persiangift. Since however he did not persuade her, he gave her the mantle;and she being overjoyed by the gift wore it and prided herself uponit. 110. And Amestris was informed that she had it; and having learntthat which was being done, she was not angry with the woman, butsupposing that her mother was the cause and that she was bringing thisabout, she planned destruction for the wife of Masistes. She waitedthen until her husband Xerxes had a royal feast set before him:--thisfeast is served up once in the year on the day on which the king wasborn, and the name of this feast is in Persian /tycta/, which in thetongue of the Hellenes means "complete"; also on this occasion alonethe king washes his head,[114] and he makes gifts then to thePersians:--Amestris, I say, waited for this day and then asked ofXerxes that the wife of Masistes might be given to her. And heconsidered it a strange and untoward thing to deliver over to her hisbrother's wife, especially since she was innocent of this matter; forhe understood why she was making the request. 111. At last however asshe continued to entreat urgently and he was compelled by the rule,namely that it is impossible among them that he who makes request whena royal feast is laid before the king should fail to obtain it, atlast very much against his will consented; and in delivering her up hebade Amestris do as she desired, and meanwhile he sent for his brotherand said these words: "Masistes, thou art the son of Dareios and mybrother, and moreover in addition to this thou art a man of worth. I