The Good Book_ A Secular Bible - A. C. Grayling [101]
22. Alas it seemed that the fire had taken too strong a hold, and the Persians were unable to put it out, so that the fate of Croesus appeared to be sealed.
23. But just then it began to rain; and between the efforts of the Persian soldiers and the rain the fire was extinguished,
24. And Croesus and the distinguished Lydians with him were released, to be made more the guests than the captives of Cyrus.
25. And as they then sat at meat together, Cyrus asked the once-great king Croesus why he had attacked Persia, thus bringing ruin to himself;
26. And Croesus told him that he had been encouraged to it by the Greeks, whom he had consulted on the best way to limit the growing power of Persia.
27. Thus was sown the seed of the first enmity between East and West, between Persia and Greece, which shaped the course of civilisations to come in after time.
Chapter 6
1. As Cyrus and Croesus sat at meat together this first time, the latter gestured towards his hapless former capital city of Sardis, where the Persian troops were looting and pillaging,
2. And he asked Cyrus, ‘Oh king, what are your soldiers doing?’
3. And Cyrus replied, ‘They are plundering the riches of your city, of course!’
4. To which Croesus replied, ‘Not my city, and not my riches; it is your city and your riches they are plundering.’
5. Struck by this remark, Cyrus told his courtiers to withdraw, and asked Croesus what he thought should be done about the plundering.
6. Croesus said, ‘Now that I am your captive and your slave, it behoves me to do what I can to serve you, O king, and show you anything that might be to your advantage.
7. ‘Your Persians have proud hearts, but they are a poor people, and much less civilised than those they have just conquered.
8. ‘If you let them pillage and take great wealth, I can tell you what to expect at their hands.
9. ‘The man who gets the most, expect him to rebel against you sooner rather than later, for he will have acquired a taste for riches and the power they bring.
10. ‘If you are wise, you will place your bodyguards as sentinels at each of the city gates, to take the booty from the plunderers as they leave,
11. ‘Telling them that the tenth part is owed to the crown for the good of all collectively.
12. ‘They will see that this is just and will part with some of their booty willingly, and it will affirm their allegiance to you.’
13. Cyrus was beyond measure pleased with this advice, so excellent did it seem to him. He praised Croesus highly,
14. And gave orders to his bodyguard to do as advised. Turning to Croesus he said, ‘O Croesus, I see that you are resolved both in speech and action to show yourself a virtuous prince;
15. ‘What can I do to show you my gratitude and friendship towards you?’
16. To which Croesus said, ‘Let me send these fetters to the Greeks who advised me to make war on you, to show them what their advice has led to.’
17. To this Cyrus agreed, and Croesus was permitted to send some of his Lydians to Greece with the fetters he had worn on what was to have been his funeral pyre,
18. With the message: that they were the first fruits of their advice.
19. Thus it was that Lydia was brought under the Persian yoke, and that the Persians became lords of all Asia.
Chapter 7
1. The journey of the Persians to this conquest had been long. Before them it was the Assyrians who held the empire of Upper Asia,
2. And did so for five hundred and twenty years before the Medes set the example of revolt,
3. Shaking off their servitude and becoming a free people. Their example inspired other nations to do the same.
4. Thus the nations of Asia obtained the blessings of self-government, but only at first,
5. For they fell again under the sway of kings, in the following manner:
6. A certain Mede named Deioces, son of Phraortes, a man of great intelligence, conceived the desire of obtaining the sovereign power.
7. He saw that the Medes dwelt in scattered villages without central authority, and in consequence lawlessness prevailed throughout the land.
8.