herodotus

him well, if the crossing over to go against the Massagetai should notbe prosperous. Having thus charged him and sent these away to the landof the Persians, he crossed over the river both himself and his army.209. And when he had passed over the Araxes, night having come on hesaw a vision in his sleep in the land of the Massagetai, as follows:--in his sleep it seemed to Cyrus that he saw the eldest of the sons ofHystaspes having upon his shoulders wings, and that with the one ofthese he overshadowed Asia and with the other Europe. Now of Hystaspesthe son of Arsames, who was a man of the Achaimenid clan, the eldestson was Dareios, who was then, I suppose, a youth of about twentyyears of age, and he had been left behind in the land of the Persians,for he was not yet of full age to go out to the wars. So then whenCyrus awoke he considered with himself concerning the vision: and asthe vision seemed to him to be of great import, he called Hystaspes,and having taken him apart by himself he said: "Hystaspes, thy son hasbeen found plotting against me and against my throne: and how I knowthis for certain I will declare to thee:--The gods have a care of meand show me beforehand all the evils that threaten me. So in the nightthat is past while sleeping I saw the eldest of thy sons having uponhis shoulders wings, and with the one of these he overshadowed Asiaand with the other Europe. To judge by this vision then, it cannot bebut that he is plotting against me. Do thou therefore go by thequickest way back to Persia and take care that, when I return thitherafter having subdued these regions, thou set thy son before me to beexamined." 210. Cyrus said thus supposing that Dareios was plottingagainst him; but in fact the divine powers were showing him beforehandthat he was destined to find his end there and that his kingdom wascoming about to Dareios. To this then Hystaspes replied as follows: "Oking, heaven forbid[217] that there should be any man of Persian racewho would plot against thee, and if there be any, I pray that heperish as quickly as may be; seeing that thou didst make the Persiansto be free instead of slaves, and to rule all nations instead of beingruled by others. And if any vision announces to thee that my son isplanning rebellion against thee, I deliver him over to thee to do withhim whatsoever thou wilt. 211. Hystaspes then, having made answer withthese words and having crossed over the Araxes, was going his way tothe Persian land to keep watch over his son Dareios for Cyrus; andCyrus meanwhile went forward and made a march of one day from theAraxes according to the suggestion of Crœsus. After this when Cyrusand the best part of the army[218] of the Persians had marched back tothe Araxes, and those who were unfit for fighting had been leftbehind, then a third part of the army of the Massagetai came to theattack and proceeded to slay, not without resistance,[219] those whowere left behind of the army of Cyrus; and seeing the feast that wasset forth, when they had overcome their enemies they lay down andfeasted, and being satiated with food and wine they went to sleep.