The Good Book_ A Secular Bible - A. C. Grayling [136]
14. After this second exploit, his praise was in all mouths. Once more, however, he waited till the interval appointed had gone by,
15. And then leading the troops to the place where the four thousand were, he put them also to the sword.
16. This last victory gave the finishing stroke to his power; the rejoicing Babylonians committed to him the command of their whole army, and put the keys of their city into his hands.
17. Darius now, still keeping to the plan agreed upon, attacked the walls on every side, whereupon Zopyrus played out the remainder of his stratagem.
18. While the Babylonians, crowding to the walls, did their best to resist the Persian assault, he threw open the Cissian and the Belian gates, and admitted the Persian troops.
19. Such of the Babylonians as witnessed the treachery, took refuge in the citadel; the rest, who did not see it, kept at their posts, till at last they too learnt that they were betrayed.
20. Thus was Babylon taken for the second time. Darius tore down the wall and all the gates; for Cyrus had done neither when he took Babylon.
21. He then chose three thousand of the leading citizens, and caused them to be crucified, while he allowed the remainder still to inhabit the city.
22. Further, wishing to prevent the race of the Babylonians from becoming extinct, he provided wives for them in the room of those whom they had strangled to save their stores.
23. These he levied from the nations bordering Babylonia, who were each required to send a number to Babylon, that in all there were collected no fewer than fifty thousand women.
24. It is from these women that the Babylonians of later times are sprung.
25. As for Zopyrus, he was considered by Darius to have surpassed, in the greatness of his achievements, all other Persians, whether of former or later times,
26. Except only Cyrus, with whom no Persian ever yet dared to compare. Darius, as the story goes, would often say that he had rather Zopyrus were unmaimed, than be master of twenty more Babylons.
27. And he honoured Zopyrus greatly; every year he presented him with all the gifts held in most esteem among Persians;
28. He gave him likewise the government of Babylon for life, free from tribute, and many other favours.
Chapter 40
1. Now Darius turned his attention to war against the Scythians, which was his first step in carrying his ambition of conquest towards Europe.
2. He dispatched messengers across his empire summoning troops, ships and supplies, and ordering the building of a bridge across the Bosphorus, to connect Asia to Europe.
3. While he was doing so his brother Artabanus came to entreat him not to undertake this expedition, because of the great difficulty of attacking Scythia.
4. But Darius was determined to proceed, and when preparations were complete he marched with his army from Susa.
5. A certain Persian named Oeobazus, the father of three sons, all of whom were to accompany the army,
6. Came and begged the king that he would allow one of his sons to remain with him.
7. Darius answered, as if he regarded him in the light of a friend who had urged a moderate request, that he would allow them all to remain.
8. Oeobazus was overjoyed, expecting that all his children would be excused from service; the king, however, ordered his attendants to take all three sons of Oeobazus and put them to death.
9. Thus they were all left behind, as the king had promised.
10. When Darius reached the territory of Chalcedon on the shores of the Bosphorus, where the bridge had been made, he took ship and sailed to the Cyanean islands.
11. He took his seat on a high point and surveyed the Pontus, which is indeed well worthy of consideration.
12. There is no other sea so wonderful: it extends in length eleven thousand one hundred furlongs, and its breadth, at the widest part, is three thousand three hundred furlongs.
13. The mouth is only four furlongs wide; and this strait, called the Bosphorus, and across which the bridge of Darius had been thrown, is a hundred and twenty furlongs in length, reaching from