his son, the brother of Cyrus' mother, took the kingdom in his stead.
By this time the king of Assyria had subdued all the tribes of Syria,
subjugated the king of Arabia, brought the Hyrcanians under his rule,
and was holding the Bactrians in siege. Therefore he came to think
that, if he could but weaken the power of the Medes, it would be easy
for him to extend his empire over all the nations round him, since the
Medes were, without doubt, the strongest of them all. [3] Accordingly
he sent his messengers to every part of his dominions: to Croesus,
king of Lydia, to the king of Cappadocia, to both the Phrygias, to the
Paphlagonians and the Indians, to the Carians and the Cilicians. And
he bade them spread slanders abroad against the Persians and the
Medes, and say moreover that these were great and mighty kingdoms
which had come together and made alliance by marriage with one
another, and unless a man should be beforehand with them and bring
down their power it could not be but that they would fall on each of
their neighbours in turn and subdue them one by one. So the nations
listened to the messengers and made alliance with the king of Assyria:
some were persuaded by what he said and others were won over by gifts
and gold, for the riches of the Assyrian were great. [4] Now Cyaxares,
the son of Astyages, was aware of these plots and preparations, and he
made ready on his side, so far as in him lay, sending word to the
Persian state and to Cambyses the king, who had his sister to wife.
And he sent to Cyrus also, begging him to come with all speed at the
head of any force that might be furnished, if so be the Council of
Persia would give him men-at-arms. For by this time Cyrus had
accomplished his ten years among the youths and was now enrolled with
the grown men. [5] He was right willing to go, and the Council of
Elders appointed him to command the force for Media. They bade him
choose two hundred men among the Peers, each of them to choose four
others from their fellows. Thus was formed a body of a thousand Peers: