The Good Book

by A. C. Grayling

  3. Thus they were convinced that it was Smerdis the son of Cyrus who had rebelled and now sat on the throne.

  4. For Prexaspes stoutly denied that he had murdered Smerdis, since it was not safe for him to allow that a son of Cyrus had met with death at his hands.

  5. Thus Cambyses died, and the Magus now reigned in security, and passed himself off as Smerdis son of Cyrus.

  6. And so went by the seven months which were wanting to complete the eighth year of Cambyses.

  7. In the eighth month, however, it was discovered who Smerdis the Magian really was, in the following manner.

  8. There was a man called Otanes, the son of Pharnaspes, who for rank and wealth was equal to the greatest of the Persians;

  9. And he was the first to suspect that the Magus was not Smerdis the son of Cyrus, and to surmise who he really was.

  10. He was led to guess the truth by the king never leaving the citadel, and never calling before him any of the Persian noblemen.

  11. As soon, therefore, as his suspicions were aroused, he adopted the following measures.

  12. One of his daughters, who was called Phaedima, had been married to Cambyses, and was taken to wife, together with the rest of Cambyses’ wives, by Smerdis the usurper.

  13. Otanes sent her a message, asking her ‘Who it was whose bed she shared; was it Smerdis the son of Cyrus, or was it some other man?’

  14. Phaedima in reply declared she did not know; Smerdis the son of Cyrus she had never seen, and so she could not tell whose bed she shared.

  15. Upon this Otanes sent a second time, and said, ‘If you do not know Smerdis son of Cyrus yourself, ask queen Atossa about the man whose bed you share; she cannot fail to know her own brother.’

  16. To this the daughter answered, ‘I can neither get speech with Atossa, nor with any of the women who lodge in the palace.

  17. ‘For no sooner did this man obtain the kingdom, than he parted us from one another, and gave us all separate chambers.’

  18. This made the matter seem still more plain to Otanes. Nevertheless he sent a third message to his daughter, saying,

  19. ‘Daughter, you are of noble blood; you will not shrink from the risk which I now ask you to take, even though it could mean your death if discovered.

  20. ‘When next he passes the night with you, wait till he is fast asleep, then feel his ears. For if you find that he has none, you will know that he is not Smerdis son of Cyrus but Smerdis the Magian.’

  21. Now Smerdis the Magian had had his ears cut off in the lifetime of Cyrus, as a punishment for a crime of no slight heinousness.

  22. Otanes’ daughter, therefore, when her turn came, and she was taken to the bed of the Magus (in Persia a man’s wives sleep with him in their turns), waited till he was sound asleep, and then felt for his ears.

  23. She quickly perceived that he had none; and of this, as soon as day dawned, she sent word to her father.

  24. Then Otanes went to two of the chief Persians, Aspathines and Gobryas, men it was safe to trust in such a matter, and told them everything.

  25. Now they had already themselves suspected how matters stood. When Otanes laid his reasons before them they at once came into his views;

  26. And it was agreed that each of the three should take as companion in the work the Persian in whom he placed the greatest confidence.

  27. Otanes chose Intaphernes, Gobryas chose Megabyzus, and Aspathines chose Hydarnes. After the number had thus become six, Darius, the son of Hystaspes, arrived at Susa from the province where his father was governor.

  28. On his coming it seemed good to the six to take him likewise into their counsels.

  29. When they did so Darius said, ‘I thought no one but I knew that Smerdis, the son of Cyrus, was not alive, and that Smerdis the Magian ruled over us;

  30. ‘On this account I hurried back, to raise resistance against the Magian. But as it seems the matter is known to you all, and not to me only, my judgement is that we should act at once, and delay no longer.’

  31. Otanes said, ‘Son of Hystaspes, you are the child of a brave father, and seem likely to show yourself as gallant as he.

  32. ‘Beware, however, of rash haste in this matter; we must not hurry, but proceed with caution. We must add to our number before striking a blow.’

  33. ‘No,’ Darius replied; ‘if we follow the advice of Otanes we will perish most miserably.

  34. ‘Someone will betray our plot to the Magians. You ought to have kept the matter to yourselves, and so made the venture;

  35. ‘But because you have taken others into your secret, including me, we must make the attempt as soon as possible, even today.

  36. ‘We can easily gain entry to the palace; I can say that I have just arrived and have a message for the king from my father. An untruth must be spoken, where need requires.’

  37. Gobryas, agreeing, said, ‘Dear friends, when will a fitter occasion offer for us to recover the kingdom, or, if we are not strong enough, at least die in the attempt?

  38. ‘My vote is that we do as Darius has counselled: march straight to the palace, and immediately set upon the Magian.’ So Gobryas spoke, and the rest agreed.

  Chapter 31

  1. While the seven were thus taking counsel together, it chanced that the Magi had been thinking what they had best do, and had resolved for many reasons to make a friend of Prexaspes.

  2. They knew how cruelly he had been outraged by Cambyses, who slew his son with an arrow;

  3. They were also aware that it was by his hand that Smerdis the son of Cyrus fell, and that he was the only person privy to that prince’s death;

  4. And they further found him to be held in the highest esteem by all the Persians.

  5. So they summoned him, made him their friend, and bound him by a promise to keep silence about the fraud they were practising, and promised him many gifts of every sort.

  6. So Prexaspes agreed, and the Magi, when they found that they had persuaded him so far, went on to another proposal,

  7. And said they would assemble the Persians at the foot of the palace wall, and he should mount one of the towers and address them from it, assuring them that Smerdis the son of Cyrus, and none other, ruled the land.

  8. Prexaspes said he was ready to do their will; so the Magi assembled the people, and placed Prexaspes on the tower, and told him to make his speech.

  9. Prexaspes began by tracing the descent of Cyrus, and all the services that had been rendered by that king to the Persians;

  10. And then, in honour of Cyrus’ memory, and to the dismay and anger of the Magi, he proceeded to declare the truth,

  11. Which he had, he said, until now concealed because it would not have been safe for him to reveal it:

  12. So he told how, forced to the deed by Cambyses, he had himself taken the life of Smerdis, son of Cyrus, so that Persia was now ruled by usurping Magi.

  13. Last of all, with adjurations to the Persians to recover the kingdom and wreak vengeance on the Magi, he threw himself headlong from the tower into the abyss below.

  14. Such was the end of Prexaspes, a man all his life of high repute among the Persians.

  15. And now the seven noble Persians, having resolved to attack the usurpers without more delay, set off for the palace, quite unacquainted with what had been done by Prexaspes.

  16. The news of his doings reached them on their way, when they had gone about half the distance.

  17. Accordingly they turned aside out of the road, and consulted together. Otanes and his party said they must certainly put off the business, and not make the attack when affairs were in such a ferment.

  18. Darius, on the other hand, and his friends, were against any change of plan, and wished to go straight on, and not lose a moment.

  19. So they discussed; and quickly the seven became of one accord with Darius, and hastened on towards the palace.

  20. At the gate they were received as Darius had foretold. The guards, who had no suspicion that they c
ame for any ill purpose, and held the chief Persians in much reverence, let them pass without difficulty.

  21. But when they were in the great court they fell in with certain of the palace eunuchs, who stopped them and asked what they wanted.

  22. The seven sought to press on, but the eunuchs would not let them. Then the seven drew their daggers, and stabbing those who tried to withstand them, rushed towards the apartment of the males.

  23. Both the Magi brothers were at this time within, discussing the matter of Prexaspes’ revelations to the crowd.

  24. When they heard the stir among the eunuchs, and their loud cries, they ran out themselves, to see what was happening.

  25. Perceiving their danger, they both flew to arms; one had just time to seize his bow, the other got hold of his lance, when straightway the fight began.

  26. The one whose weapon was the bow found it of no service at all; the foe was too near, and the combat too close to allow of his using it.

  27. But the other made a stout defence with his lance, wounding two of the seven, Aspathines in the leg, and Intaphernes in the eye.

  28. This wound did not kill Intaphernes, but it cost him the sight of that eye.

  29. The other Magus, when he found his bow of no avail, fled into a chamber which opened out into the apartment of the males, intending to shut the doors.

  30. But two of the seven entered the room with him, Darius and Gobryas.

  31. Gobryas seized the Magus and grappled with him, while Darius stood over them, not knowing what to do; for it was dark, and he was afraid that if he struck a blow he might kill Gobryas.

  32. Then Gobyras, when he perceived that Darius stood doing nothing, asked him why his hand was idle? ‘I fear to injure you,’ he answered.

  33. ‘Fear not,’ said Gobryas; ‘strike, though it be through both.’ Darius did as he desired, drove his dagger home, and killed the Magus.

  34. Thus were the Magi slain; and the seven, cutting off both the heads, went out of the gates with the heads in their hands, shouting and making an uproar.

  35. They called out to all the Persians whom they met, and told them what had happened, showing them the heads of the Magi,

  36. While at the same time they slew every Magus who fell in their way.

  37. Then the Persians, when they knew what the seven had done, and understood the fraud of the Magi, thought it just to follow the example set them,

  38. And, drawing their daggers, they killed the Magi wherever they could find any.

  39. Such was their fury that, unless night had fallen, not a single Magus would have been left alive.

  40. The Persians observe the anniversary of this day with one accord, and keep it more strictly than any other in the whole year.

  41. It is then that they hold the great festival, which they call the Magophonia. No Magus may show himself abroad during the whole time that the feast lasts; all have to remain at home the entire day.

  Chapter 32

  1. When the tumult had settled down the conspirators met together to consult.

  2. Otanes recommended that the management of public affairs should be entrusted to the whole nation.

  3. ‘To me,’ he said, ‘it seems advisable that we should no longer have a single man to rule over us; rule by one is neither good nor pleasant.

  4. ‘Look at the lengths Cambyses went in his tyranny. How is it possible that monarchy should be a well-adjusted thing, when it allows a man to do as he likes without being answerable?

  5. ‘Such licence is enough to corrupt the worthiest of men.

  6. ‘Give a person this power, and straightway his manifold good things puff him up with pride, while envy is so natural to humans that it cannot but arise in him.

  7. ‘Pride and envy together include all wickedness, both of them leading to deeds of violence.

  8. ‘It is true that kings, possessing all that heart can desire, ought to be void of envy; but the contrary is seen in their conduct.

  9. ‘They are jealous of the most virtuous among their subjects, and wish their death; while they take delight in the meanest and basest, being ever ready to listen to the tales of slanderers.

  10. ‘A king, besides, is beyond all other men inconsistent with himself. Pay him court in moderation, and he is angry because you do not show him more respect;

  11. ‘Show him profound respect, and he is offended again, because, he says, you fawn on him.

  12. ‘But the worst of all is, that he sets aside the laws of the land, puts men to death without trial, and subjects women to violence.

  13. ‘The rule of the many, on the other hand, has, in the first place, the fairest of names, to wit, democracy;

  14. ‘And further it is free from all the outrages that kings too often commit. In a democracy places are given by lot, the magistrate is answerable for what he does, and measures rest with the commonalty.

  15. ‘I propose, therefore, that we do away with monarchy, and raise the people to power. For the people are all in all.’

  16. Such were the sentiments of Otanes. Megabyzus spoke next, and advised the setting up of an oligarchy:

  17. ‘In all that Otanes has said to persuade you to put down monarchy,’ he observed, ‘I fully concur;

  18. ‘But his recommendation that we should call the people to power seems to me not the best advice.

  19. ‘For there is nothing so void of understanding, nothing so full of wantonness, as the unwieldy rabble.

  20. ‘It were folly not to be borne, for men, while seeking to escape the wantonness of a tyrant, to give themselves up to the wantonness of a rude unbridled mob.

  21. ‘The tyrant, in all his doings, at least knows what he is about, but a mob is altogether devoid of knowledge;

  22. ‘For how should there be any knowledge in a rabble, untaught, and with no natural sense of what is right and fit?

  23. ‘It rushes wildly into state affairs with all the fury of a stream swollen in the winter, and confuses everything.

  24. ‘Let the enemies of Persia be ruled by democracies; but let us choose out from the citizens a certain number of the worthiest, and put the government into their hands.

  25. ‘For thus both we ourselves shall be among the governors, and power being entrusted to the best men, it is likely that the best counsels will prevail in the state.’

  26. After Megabyzus spoke, Darius came forward and said: ‘All that Megabyzus said against democracy was well said, I think; but about oligarchy he did not speak advisedly;

  27. ‘For take these three forms of government – democracy, oligarchy and monarchy – and let them each be at their best, I maintain that monarchy far surpasses the other two.

  28. ‘What government can possibly be better than that of the very best man in the whole state? The counsels of such a man are like himself, and so he governs the mass of the people to their heart’s content;

  29. ‘While at the same time his measures against evildoers are kept more secret than in other states.

  30. ‘Whereas in oligarchies, in which men vie with each other in the service of the commonwealth, fierce enmities are apt to arise between man and man, each wishing to be leader, and to carry his own measures;

  31. ‘Whence violent quarrels come, leading to open strife, often ending in bloodshed. Then monarchy is sure to follow; and this too shows how far that rule surpasses all others.

  32. ‘Again, in a democracy, it is impossible but that there will be malpractices: which however do not lead to enmities, but to close friendships, which are formed among those engaged in them, who must hold well together to carry out their villainies.

  33. ‘And so things go on until a man stands forth as champion of the commonalty, and puts down the evildoers.

  34. ‘Immediately the author of so great a service is admired by all, and from being admired soon comes to be appointed king; so that here too it is plain that monarchy is the best government.

  35. ‘Lastly, to sum up all in a word, whence, I ask, was it that we
got the freedom which we enjoy? Did democracy give it us, or oligarchy, or a monarch?

  36. ‘As a single man recovered our freedom for us, my argument is that we keep to the rule of one.

  37. ‘Even apart from this, we ought not to change the laws of our forefathers when they work fairly; for to do so is not well.’

  38. Such were the three opinions brought forward at this meeting; the four other Persians voted in favour of the last.

  39. Otanes, who wished to give his countrymen a democracy, when he found the decision against him, rose a second time, and said,

  40. ‘Brother conspirators, it is plain that the king who is to be chosen will be one of ourselves.

  41. ‘Now, as I have neither a mind to rule nor to be ruled, I shall not enter the lists with you in this matter.

  42. ‘I withdraw, however, on one condition: none of you shall claim to exercise rule over me or my seed for ever.’ The six agreed to these terms, and Otanes withdrew and stood aloof from the contest.

  43. And still to this day the family of Otanes continues to be the only free family in Persia;

  44. Those who belong to it submit to the rule of the king only so far as they themselves choose; they are bound, however, to observe the laws of the land like the other Persians.

  Chapter 33

  1. After this the remaining six took counsel together, as to the fairest way of choosing a king:

  2. And first, with respect to Otanes, they resolved that it was to be free to each, whenever he pleased, to enter the palace unannounced, unless the king were in the company of one of his wives;

  3. And the king was to be bound to marry into no family excepting those of the conspirators.

  4. Concerning the appointment of a king, they resolved the following:

  5. They would ride out together next morning into the suburbs of the city, and he whose steed first neighed after the sun was up should have the kingdom.

  6. Now Darius had a groom, a sharp-witted knave called Oebares. After the meeting had ended, Darius sent for him, and told him how the king was to be chosen,

  7. And said, ‘If you have any cleverness, contrive a plan whereby the prize may fall to me.’