Complete Works of Xenophon (Illustrated) (Delphi Ancient Classics)

by Xenophon

  Now, when they were at dinner, it struck Gobryas as not at all surprising that there was a great abundance of everything upon the table of a man who ruled over wide domains; but what did excite his wonder was that Cyrus, who enjoyed so great good fortune, should never consume by himself any delicacy that he might receive, but took pains to ask his guests to share it, and that he often saw him send even to some of his friends who were not there something that he happened to like very much himself. [7] And so when the dinner was over and Cyrus had sent around to others all that was left from the meal — and there was a great deal left — Gobryas could not help remarking: “Well, Cyrus, I used to think that you surpassed all other men in that you were the greatest general; and now, I swear by the gods, you seem actually to excel even more in kindness than in generalship.” [8]

  “Aye, by Zeus,” answered Cyrus; “and what is more, I assure you that I take much more pleasure in showing forth my deeds of kindness than ever I did in my deeds of generalship.”

  “How so?” asked Gobryas.

  “Because,” said he, “in the one field, one must necessarily do harm to men; in the other, only good.” [9]

  Later, when they were drinking after their meal, Hystaspas asked: “Pray, Cyrus, would you be displeased with me, if I were to ask you something that I wish to know from you?”

  “Why, no; by the gods, no,” he answered; “on the contrary, I should be displeased with you if I found that you refrained from asking something that you wished to ask.”

  “Tell me, then,” said the other, “did I ever fail to come when you sent for me?”

  “Hush!” said Cyrus.

  “Or, obeying, did I ever obey reluctantly?”

  “No; nor that.”

  “Or did I ever fail to do your bidding in anything?”

  “I make no such accusation,” answered Cyrus.

  “And is there anything I did that you found me doing otherwise than eagerly or cheerfully?”

  “That, least of all,” answered Cyrus. [10]

  “Then why, in heaven’s name, Cyrus,” he said, “did you put Chrysantas down for a more honourable place than mine?”

  “Am I really to tell you?” asked Cyrus.

  “By all means,” answered Hystaspas.

  “And you, on your part, will not be angry with me when you hear the truth?” [11]

  “Nay rather,” said he, “I shall be more than glad, if I find that I am not being slighted.”

  “Well then,” said Cyrus, “in the first place, Chrysantas here did not wait to be sent for, but presented himself for our service even before he was called; and in the second place, he has always done not only what was ordered but all that he himself saw was better for us to have done. Again, whenever it was necessary to send some communication to the allies, he would give me advice as to what he thought proper for me to say; and whenever he saw that I wished the allies to know about something, but that I felt some hesitation in saying anything about myself, he would always make it known to them, giving it as his own opinion. And so, in these matters at least, what reason is there why he should not be of more use to me even than I am myself? And finally, he always insists that what he has is enough for him, while he is manifestly always on the lookout for some new acquisition that would be of advantage to me, and takes much more pleasure and joy in my good fortune than I do myself.” [12]

  “By Hera,” said Hystaspas in reply, “I am glad at any rate that I asked you this question, Cyrus.”

  “Why so, pray?” asked Cyrus.

  “Because I too shall try to do as he does,” said he. “Only I am not sure about one thing — I do not know how I could show that I rejoice at your good fortune. Am I to clap my hands or laugh or what must I do?”

  “You must dance the Persian dance,” suggested Artabazus.

  At this, of course, there was a laugh. [13] But, as the banquet proceeded, Cyrus put this question to Gobryas: “Tell me, Gobryas,” said he, “would you be more ready to consent now to give your daughter to one of my friends here than you were when first you joined us?”

  “Well,” answered Gobryas, “shall I also tell the truth?”

  “Aye, by Zeus,” answered Cyrus; “surely no question calls for a falsehood.”

  “Well, then,” he replied, “I should consent much more readily now, I assure you.”

  “And would you mind telling us why?” asked Cyrus.

  “Certainly not.”

  “Tell us, then,” [14]

  “Because, while at that time I saw them bear toils and dangers with cheerfulness, now I see them bear their good fortune with self-control. And to me, Cyrus, it seems harder to find a man who can bear good fortune well than one who can bear misfortune well; for it is the former that engenders arrogance in most men; it is the latter that inspires in all men self-control.” [15]

  “Hystaspas, did you hear that saying of Gobryas?” asked Cyrus.

  “Yes, by Zeus,” he answered; “and if he has many such things to say, he will find me a suitor for his daughter’s hand much sooner than he would if he should exhibit to me a great number of goblets.” [16]

  “I promise you,” said Gobryas, “that I have a great number of such saws written down, and I will not begrudge them to you, if you get my daughter to be your wife. But as to the goblets,” said he, “inasmuch as you do not seem to appreciate them, I rather think I shall give them to Chrysantas here, since he also has usurped your place at table.” [17]

  “And what is more, Hystaspas — yes, and you others here,” said Cyrus, “if you will let me know whenever any one of you is proposing to marry, you will discover what manner of assistant I, too, shall be to you.” [18]

  “And if any one has a daughter to give in marriage,” said Gobryas, “to whom is he to apply?”

  “To me,” said Cyrus; “for I am exceedingly skilled in that art.”

  “What art?” asked Chrysantas. [19]

  “In knowing what sort of match would suit each one of you.”

  “Tell me, then, for heaven’s sake,” said Chrysantas, “what sort of wife you think would suit me best.” [20]

  “In the first place,” said he, “she must be small; for you are small yourself; and if you marry a tall woman and wish to kiss her when she is standing up straight, you will have to jump for it, like a puppy.”

  “You are quite right in that provision for me,” said he; “and I should never get my kiss, for I am no jumper at all.” [21]

  “And in the next place,” Cyrus went on, “a snub-nosed woman would suit you admirably.”

  “Why so?”

  “Because,” was the answer, “your own nose is so hooked; and hookedness, I assure you, would be the very proper mate for snubbiness.”

  “Do you mean to say also,” said the other, “that a supperless wife would suit one who has had a good dinner, like me now?”

  “Aye, by Zeus,” answered Cyrus; “for the stomach of one who has eaten heartily bows out, but that of one who has not eaten bows in.” [22]

  “Then, in heaven’s name,” said Chrysantas, “could you tell us what sort of wife would suit a frigid king?”

  At this, of course, Cyrus burst out laughing, as did also all the rest. [23]

  “I envy you for that, Cyrus,” said Hystaspas while they were still laughing, “more than for anything else in your kingdom.”

  “Envy me for what?” asked Cyrus.

  “Why, that, frigid as you are, you can still make us laugh.”

  “Well,” said Cyrus, “and would you not give a great deal to have made these jokes and to have them reported to the lady with whom you wish to have the reputation of being a witty fellow?”

  Thus, then, these pleasantries were exchanged. [24]

  After this he brought out some articles of feminine adornment for Tigranes and bade him give them to his wife, because she had so bravely accompanied her husband throughout the campaigns; to Artabazus he gave a golden goblet and to the Hyrcanian a horse and many other beautiful presents.
“And you, Gobryas,” he said, “I will present with a husband for your daughter.” [25]

  “You will please present him with me, then, will you not,” said Hystaspas, “that so I may get the collection of proverbs?”

  “Ah, but have you property enough to match the girl’s fortune?” asked Cyrus.

  “Yes, by Zeus,” he answered, “and several times over.”

  “And where is this property of yours?” asked Cyrus.

  “Right there,” said he, “in your chair; for you are a friend of mine.”

  “I am satisfied,” said Gobryas; and at once stretching out his right hand he added: “Give him to me, Cyrus; I will accept him.” [26]

  And Cyrus took Hystaspas by the right hand and placed it in the hand of Gobryas, and he received it. And then Cyrus gave Hystaspas many splendid gifts to send to the young lady. But Chrysantas he drew to himself and kissed him. [27]

  “By Zeus, Cyrus,” cried Artabazus, “the cup which you have given me is not of the same gold as the present you have given Chrysantas!”

  “Well,” said he, “I will give you the same gift.”

  “When?” asked the other.

  “Thirty years from now,” was the answer.

  “I shall wait for it, then,” said he, “and not die before I get it; so be getting ready.”

  And thus that banquet came to an end. And as they rose to depart, Cyrus also rose and escorted them to the doors. [28]

  On the following day he dismissed to their several homes all those who had volunteered to be his allies, except such as wished to settle near him. To those who stayed he gave houses and lands which even to this day are in the possession of their descendants; these, moreover, were mostly Medes and Hyrcanians. And to those who went home he gave many presents and sent both officers and privates well contented on their way. [29]

  Next he divided also among his own soldiers the spoil that he had obtained at Sardis. To the generals and to his own aides-de-camp he gave the choicest portions — to each, according to his merit — and then distributed the rest; and in assigning to the generals their proper portions he left it to their discretion to distribute it as he had distributed to them. [30] And they apportioned all the rest, each officer examining into the merits of his subordinate officers; and what was left to the last, the corporals, inquiring into the merits of the private soldiers under their command, gave to each according to his deserts. And so all were in receipt of their fair share. [31]

  And when they had received what was then given them, some spoke concerning Cyrus in this vein: “He must be keeping an abundance himself, one would think, seeing that he has given so much to each one of us.”

  “Abundance, indeed!” some others would say; “Cyrus is not of the sort to make money for himself; he takes more pleasure in giving than in keeping.” [32]

  And when Cyrus heard of these remarks and opinions about himself, he called together his friends and all his staff-officers and addressed them as follows: “My friends, I have in my time seen fellows who wished to have the reputation of possessing more than they had, for they supposed that they would thus be thought fine gentlemen; but to me,” said he, “it seems that such persons bring upon themselves the very reverse of what they wish. For if any man enjoy the reputation of having great wealth and do not appear to help his friends in a manner worthy of his abundance — that, it seems to me at least, fixes upon him the stigma of being a mean sort. [33]

  “On the other hand,” he continued, “there are some who wish to keep it a secret how much they do possess. It seems to me, then, that these also are mean toward their friends. For oftentimes their friends are in need and, because they are ignorant of the truth, they say nothing to their comrades about their difficulties, and really suffer want. [34]

  “To me, however,” he went on, “it seems the most straightforward way for a man to let the extent of his means be known and to strive in proportion to them to show himself a gentleman. And so I wish to show you all that I have, as far as it is possible for you to see, and to give you an account of it, in so far as it is impossible for you to see it.” [35]

  With these words, he showed them many splendid possessions and gave them an account of those that were so stored away as not to be easily viewed. And in conclusion he said: [36] “All this, my friends, you must consider mine no more than your own; for I have been collecting it, not that I might spend it all myself or use it up all alone (for I could not), but that I might on every occasion be able to reward any one of you who does something meritorious, and also that, if any one of you thinks he needs something, he might come to me and get whatever he happens to want.”

  Such was his speech.

  5. When it seemed to him that affairs in Babylon were sufficiently well organized for him to absent himself from the city, he began to make preparations for his journey to Persia and issued instructions to the others accordingly. And as soon as he had got together in sufficient quantity, as he believed, everything that he thought he should need, he started at once. [2]

  We will relate here in how orderly a manner his train packed up, large though it was, and how quickly they reached the place where they were due. For wherever the great king encamps, all his retinue follow him to the field with their tents, whether in summer or in winter. [3]

  At the very beginning Cyrus made this rule, that his tent should be pitched facing the east; and then he determined, first, how far from the royal pavilion the spearmen of his guard should have their tent; next he assigned a place on the right for the bakers, on the left for the cooks, on the right for the horses, and on the left for the rest of the pack-animals And everything else was so organized that every one knew his own place in camp — both its size and its location. [4]

  And when they come to pack up again, every one gets together the things that it is his business to use and others in turn pack them upon the animals, so that the baggage-men all come at the same time to the things they were appointed to transport, and all at the same time pack the things upon their several animals. Thus the amount of time needed for striking a single tent suffices for all. [5]

  The unpacking also is managed in this same manner; and in order to have all the necessaries ready at the right time, each one has assigned to him likewise the part that he is to do. In this way the time required for doing any one part is sufficient for getting all the provisions ready. [6]

  And just as the servants in charge of the provisions had each his proper place, so also his soldiers had when they encamped the places suitable to each sort of troops; they knew their places, too, and so all found them without the slightest friction. [7]

  For Cyrus considered orderliness to be a good thing to practise in the management of a household also; for whenever any one wants a thing, he then knows where he must go to find it; but he believed that orderliness in all the departments of an army was a much better thing, inasmuch as the chances of a successful stroke in war come and go more quickly and the losses occasioned by those who are behindhand in military matters are more serious. He also saw that the advantages gained in war by prompt attention to duty were most important. It was for this reason, therefore, that he took especial pains to secure this sort of orderliness. [8]

  Accordingly, he himself first took up his position in the middle of the camp in the belief that this situation was the most secure. Then came his most trusty followers, just as he was accustomed to have them about him at home, and next to them in a circle he had his horsemen and charioteers; [9] for those troops also, he thought, need a secure position, because when they are in camp they do not have ready at hand any of the arms with which they fight, but need considerable time to arm, if they are to render effective service. [10]

  To the right and left from him and the cavalry was the place for the targeteers; before and behind him and the cavalry, the place for the bowmen. [11] The hoplites and those armed with the large shields he arranged around all the rest like a wall, so that those who could best hold their ground might, by being
in front of them, make it possible for the cavalry to arm in safety, if it should be necessary. [12]

  Moreover, he had the peltasts and the bowmen sleep on their arms, like the hoplites, in order that, if there should be occasion to go into action even at night, they might be ready for it. And just as the hoplites were prepared to do battle if any one came within arm’s reach of them, so these troops also were to be ready to let fly their lances and arrows over the heads of the hoplites, if any one attacked. [13]

  And all the officers had banners over their tents; and just as in the cities well-informed officials know the residences of most of the inhabitants and especially those of the most prominent citizens, so also in camp the aides under Cyrus were acquainted with the location of the various officers and were familiar with the banner of each one; and so if Cyrus wanted one of his officers, they did not have to search for him but would run to him by the shortest way. [14] And as every division was so well distinguished, it was much more easy to see where good order prevailed and where commands were not being executed. Therefore, as things were arranged, he believed that if any enemy were to attack him either by night or by day, the attacking party would fall into his camp as into an ambuscade. [15]

  He believed also that tactics did not consist solely in being able easily to extend one’s line or increase its depth, or to change it from a long column into a phalanx, or without error to change the front by a counter march according as the enemy came up on the right or the left or behind; but he considered it also a part of good tactics to break up one’s army into several divisions whenever occasion demanded, and to place each division, too, where it would do the most good, and to make speed when it was necessary to reach a place before the enemy — all these and other such qualifications were essential, he believed, to a skilful tactician, and he devoted himself to them all alike. [16]