3« THALIA.

Egypt, I beheld in my sleep a vision, which I could
wish had never appeared to me. A messenger seemed
to arrive from home, informing me that Smerdis, sit­
ting on the royal throne, touched the heavens with his
head. It is not in the power of men to counteract
destiny; but fearing that my brother would deprive
me of my kingdom, I yielded to passion rather than
to prudence. Infatuated as I was, I despatched Prex-
aspes to Susa to put Smerdis to death. After this
great crime, I lived with more confidence, believing
that, Smerdis being dead, no one else would rise up
against me. But my ideas of the future were falla­
cious ; I have murdered my brother, a crime equally
unnecessary and atrocious, and am nevertheless de­
prived of my power. It was Smerdis the magus,
whom the divinity pointed out to me in my dream,
and who has now taken arms against me. Things
being thus circumstanced, it becomes you to remem­
ber that Smerdis, the son of Cyrus, is actually dead,
and that the two magi, one with whom I left the care
of my household, and Smerdis his brother, are the
men who now claim your obedience. He, whose
office it would have been to have revenged on these
magi any injuries done to me, has unjustly perished
by those who were nearest to him : but since he is no
more, I must now tell you, O Persians! what I would
have you do when I am dead.—I entreat you all, by
those gods who watch over kings, and chiefly you who
are of the race of the Acha?menides, that you will
never permit this empire to revert to the Medes. If
by any stratagem they shall have seized it, by strata­
gem do you recover it. If they have by force obtained
it, do you by force wrest it from them. If you shall
obey my advice, may the earth give you its fruits in
abundance! may you ever be free, and your wives and
your flocks prolific! If you do not obey me, if you
neither recover, nor attempt to recover the empire,
may the reverse of my wishes befall you, and may
every Persian meet a fate like mine !"

LXVI. Cambyses, having thus spoken, bewailed
his misfortunes. When the Persians saw the king
thus involved in sorrow, they tore their garments,