THALIA. 77
trust. Do you, on the tenth day after my departure,
detach to the gate of Semiramis a thousand men of
your army, whose loss will be of no consequence; at
an interval of seven days more, send to the Ninian
gates other two thousand; again, after twenty days,
let another party, to the number of four thousand, be
ordered to the Chaldean gates, but let none of these
detachments have any weapons but their swords;
after this last-mentioned period, let your whole army
advance, and surround the walls. Be careful that
Persians are stationed at the Belidian and Cissian
gates. I think that the Babylonians, after witness
ing my exploits in the field, will intrust me with the
keys of those gates. Doubt not but the Persians,
with my aid, will then accomplish the rest."
CLVI. After giving these injunctions, he proceeded
towards the gates; and, to be consistent in the char
acter which he assumed, he frequentlyistopped to look
behind him. The sentinels on the watch-towers, ob
serving this, ran down to the gate, which, opening a
little, they inquired who he was, and what he wanted ?
When he told them his name was Zopyrus, and that
he had deserted from the Persians, they conducted
him before their magistrates. He then began a mise
rable tale of the injuries he had suffered from Darius,
for no other reason but that he had advised him to with
draw his army, seeing no likelihood of his taking the
city. "And now," says he, " men of Babylon, I come
a friend to you, but a fatal enemy to Darius and his
army. I am well acquainted with all his designs, and
his treatment of me shall not be unrevenged."
CLVII. When the Babylonians beheld a Persian
of such high rank deprived of his ears and nose, and
covered with wounds and blood, they entertained no
doubts of his sincerity, or of the friendliness of his in
tentions towards them. They were prepared to accede
to all that he desired ; and on his requesting a military
command, they gave it him without hesitation. He
then proceeded to the execution of what he had con
certed with Darius. On the tenth day, at the head
of some Babylonian troops, he, made a sally from the
town, and encountering the Persians who had been