(1) So engaged in a conversation like this, they arrived at the borders of Persia. When an eagle appeared to their right and went ahead of them, they prayed to the gods and heroes who occupy Persia to send them forth favorably and propitiously, and thus they crossed the borders.1 After they crossed, they prayed again to the gods who occupy Media to receive them favorably and propitiously. After they did this and, as was to be expected, embraced each other, his father went back again into Persia, and Cyrus went into Media to Cyaxares.2
(2) When Cyrus reached Cyaxares in Media, first, as was to be expected, they embraced each other, and Cyaxares then asked Cyrus how large an army he was bringing. He said, “Twenty thousand of the sort who used to come to you even before as mercenaries, but others are coming from among the Peers, who have not ever come out [of Persia].”3
“How many?” asked Cyaxares.
(3) “It would not hearten you to hear the number,” said Cyrus, “but keep in mind that, even though they are few, these so-called Peers easily rule the rest of the Persians, who are quite numerous. But is there any need of them, or was your fear unfounded? Is the enemy not coming?”
“By Zeus, they are,” he said, “and in great numbers.”
(4) “What makes this so clear?”
“Because,” he said, “many people have arrived here from over there [in Assyria], and all say the same thing, though some in one way and some in another.”
“Then we must contend against these men.”
“Yes,” he said, “of necessity we must.”
“Then why do you not tell me,” said Cyrus, “how great the advancing power is, if you know, and, next, how great ours is, so that, knowing both, we may deliberate accordingly about how best to contend?”
“Then listen,” said Cyaxares. (5) “Croesus the Lydian is said to be bringing ten thousand knights, and more than forty thousand targeteers and archers. They say that Artacamas, the ruler of the greater Phrygia, is bringing about eight thousand knights and no fewer than forty thousand lancers and targeteers; Aribaeus, the king of the Cappadocians, six thousand knights and no fewer than thirty thousand archers and targeteers; the Arabian Aragdus about ten thousand knights, about one hundred chariots, and a vast mass of slingers. Nothing is yet said clearly, however, as to whether the Greeks who dwell in Asia will come. As for those from Phrygia by the Hellespont, they say that Gabaedus will assemble them on the Castrian plain and has six thousand knights and about ten thousand targeteers. They say the Carians, Cilicians, and Paphlagonians, however, have been summoned but are not coming. The Assyrian himself, who holds Babylon and the rest of Assyria, will bring, I think, no fewer than twenty thousand knights, chariots—I know well—no fewer than two thousand, and, I think, very many infantry soldiers. At least he is accustomed to, whenever he invades here.”
(6) “You say,” said Cyrus, “that the enemy knights are sixty thousand, their targeteers and archers more than two hundred thousand. Come, then, what do you say is the size of your power?”
“Among the Medes,” said Cyaxares, “there are more than ten thousand knights, and perhaps sixty thousand targeteers and archers would come from our country. Of the Armenians who share our borders there will be four thousand knights and twenty thousand foot soldiers.”
“You say,” said Cyrus, “that our cavalry will be less than a third that of the enemies’ cavalry, and our infantry around half.”
(7) “Well then,” said Cyaxares, “do you not believe the Persians you say you are bringing to be rather few?”
“We will deliberate later as to whether or not we need more men,” said Cyrus. “Tell me what is the mode of battle of each.”
“About the same for all,” said Cyaxares, “for both their troops and ours are archers and spearmen.”
“Then we must of necessity,” said Cyrus, “skirmish at a distance, at least with weapons like this.”
(8) “Yes, of necessity,” said Cyaxares.
“In this case, therefore, the victory belongs to the more numerous, for the few would be much more quickly wounded and destroyed by the many than the many by the few.”
“If this is so, Cyrus, then what plan could one find better than to send to Persia and teach them that if anything should happen to the Medes, the danger will extend to Persia, and at the same time ask for a larger army?”
“But be well assured of this,” said Cyrus, “that even if all the Persians should come, we would not exceed our enemies in number.”
(9) “What plan do you see that is better than this one?”
“If I were you,” said Cyrus, “as quickly as possible and for all the Persians who are coming, I would make such arms as those with which our so-called Peers will come. These are a breastplate to cover the chest, a shield for the left hand, and a scimitar or small sword for the right. If you provide arms like this, you will make it safest for us to go to close quarters against our opponents, and preferable for the enemy to flee rather than to stand fast. We will deploy ourselves against those who do stand fast, but we assign to you and your horses whoever among them takes flight, so that they do not have the leisure either to stand fast or to turn back.”
(10) So Cyrus spoke like this. It seemed to Cyaxares that he spoke well, and he no longer mentioned sending off for more troops but turned to providing the arms already discussed. They were nearly ready when the Persian Peers reported with the army from Persia.
(11) At this point Cyrus is said to have drawn them together and spoken as follows: “Men, friends, seeing you armed like this and prepared in your souls to join with the enemy in hand-to-hand fighting, but knowing that the Persians who follow you are armed in such a way as to fight when deployed farthest away, I was afraid that, being few and lacking in allies, you might suffer something when you fall upon our many enemies. But as it is, you have arrived with men whose bodies cannot be faulted, and they will have arms similar to our own, so it is your work to whet their souls, for it belongs to the ruler not only to make himself good, but he must also take care that those he rules will be as good as possible.”4
(12) So he spoke like this. They all were pleased, believing that they would enter the struggle with greater numbers, and one of them also spoke as follows: (13) “Perhaps I will seem to say something to be wondered at, if I advise that Cyrus speak on our behalf when those who are going to become our allies receive their arms. But I know that the arguments of those most competent to do good and evil especially sink into the souls of those who hear them. And if such people give gifts, even if they happen to be lesser than those from equals, the recipients nonetheless esteem them more. Now, then, our Persian comrades will be much more pleased at being called up by Cyrus than by us, and when they are placed in the ranks of the Peers, they will believe that they have attained this position more securely, when it is conferred by our king’s son and our general, than if this same thing were conferred by us. Nor, however, ought our [efforts] be wanting, but in every way we must whet the men’s spirit, for in whatever way they become better, it will be useful to us.”
(14) Cyrus thus put the arms down in the middle and called all the Persian soldiers together and spoke as follows: (15) “Persian men, you were born and raised in the same land as we, and you have bodies no worse than ours, and it is not fitting for you to have souls that are any worse than ours.5 Even though you are such as I say, you did not share equally with us in the fatherland, having been excluded not by us but by the necessity upon you to provide sustenance.6 But it will be my care, with the gods’ [help], that you will now have these; and it will be possible for you, if you wish, to take such weapons as we have, to enter upon the same risk as we, and, if anything noble and good should arise from it, to be held worthy of [rewards] similar to ours. (16) Now in the time up until now, both you and we were archers and spearmen, and if you were at all inferior to us in exercising these [skills], it is not at all to be wondered at, for there was no such leisure for you to practice them as there was for us. Yet in this armament we will have no advantage over you: There will be a breastplate for around the chest, fitted to each; a shield in the left hand, which we have all been accustomed to carry; and a dagger or small sword in the right hand with which we must strike those opposed to us, not even needing to guard against missing as we strike. (17) Now how in these circumstances could one surpass another except by daring, which is no less fitting for you to nurture than for us?7 Why is it more fitting for us than for you to desire victory, which acquires and preserves all that is noble and good? Why is it appropriate that we more than you need strength, which bestows as gifts to the stronger what belongs to the weaker?”8
(18) He said in conclusion, “You have heard all; you see the arms. Let the one who wants take them and be enrolled with the captain into the same order as we. Let whoever is content with a mercenary’s station remain in servile arms.”9
(19) Thus he spoke. The Persians heard him and believed that if, upon being called up to obtain the same [rewards] by sharing in similar labors, they were not willing to do so, then justly would they live in want for all time. Accordingly, all enrolled, and all took the arms.
(20) During the time that the enemy was said to be approaching but had not yet arrived, Cyrus tried to exercise and bring strength to the bodies of his troops, to teach tactics, and to whet their souls for warlike [deeds]. (21) First, he obtained servants from Cyaxares and ordered them to furnish each of the soldiers with a sufficient quantity of all they needed, ready-prepared. Having made this provision, he left them nothing else than to practice what pertains to war, for he thought he had learned that they become best who, being freed from minding many matters, turn to one work. Even among the works of war themselves, he eliminated practice with both the bow and the spear and left them only this, that they fight with sword, shield, and breastplate. Consequently, he quickly equipped them with the judgment that they must go to close quarters or agree that they were worthless allies, for those who know that they are maintained for nothing other than to fight on behalf of those who maintain them, this is difficult to agree to. (22) In addition to these things, reflecting that human beings are much more willing to practice those things in which there are rivalries, he announced contests to them in whatever he knew to be good for soldiers to practice. This is what he announced: for the private soldier to render himself obedient to the rulers, willing to labor, eager for danger but in good order, knowledgeable in what pertains to soldiers, a lover of beauty regarding weapons and a lover of honor in all such matters; for the corporal,10 that he be just like the good private soldier and that, as far as possible, he so render his squad of five; for the sergeant, his squad of ten; for the lieutenant, his platoon; for the captain, that he, being blameless, take care that the rulers who are subordinate to him in turn render their subjects such as to do what they ought. (23) As prizes he announced that for the captains, those thought to render their companies best would become colonels; that those of the lieutenants thought to show that their platoons were best would go up into the places of the captains; that, in turn, the best of the sergeants would be seated in the places of the lieutenants; of the corporals in turn, similarly in those of the sergeants; of the private soldiers, of course, the best in those of the corporals.11 The result for all these rulers was, first, that they were well served by their subjects; and next, other honors followed that were fitting for each. He held out even greater hopes for those who were worthy of praise, if a greater good should turn up in the fast-approaching future.12 (24) He announced victory prizes also for those whole companies and whole platoons, and likewise for those squads of ten and of five, that showed themselves to be most obedient to their rulers and to practice most enthusiastically what was announced. The victory prizes in these contests were such as are appropriate for a multitude. This, then, is what was announced and what the army practiced. (25) He furnished them with tents as numerous as were the captains and large enough to suffice for each company, which was one hundred men. Thus they tented by companies. It seemed to him that in tenting closely together they would be benefited in the upcoming contest, for they would see each other similarly provided for and there would be no complaint of getting less.13 Such complaints have the result that one will allow himself to be worse than another in the face of the enemy. They seemed to him to be greatly benefited also in getting to know each other from tenting together. It seems that shame also occurs more in all people when they know one another, and they who are not known seem somehow more inclined to easy living, just as if they were in the dark. (26) It seemed to him that troops were greatly benefited from tenting together also in keeping their formations precise, for the captains kept the companies under them just as well ordered as when their company went in single file; and similarly the lieutenants their platoons, the sergeants their squads of ten, the corporals their squads of five. (27) Keeping precise formations seemed to him to be exceedingly good both for their not falling into confusion and for their becoming quickly restored [to order] if they should become confused, just as is also the case of stones and pieces of wood that need to be fitted together: even if they happen to be cast down in any way whatsoever, if they have marks so that it is clear from which place each has come, it is possible to fit them together readily. (28) It seemed to him that they were benefited by being fed together also in that they would be less willing to desert each other, because he saw that even animals that are fed together have a terrible yearning if someone separates them from each other.
(29) Cyrus also took care that they would never come to lunch or dinner without sweating, for he made them sweat by taking them on a hunt; or he found out such games as would make them sweat; or if he happened to need to do something, he so conducted the action that they did not return without sweating, for he held this to be good for pleasant eating, for being healthy, and for being able to labor; and he held that these labors were good for their being more gentle to each other, because horses too, when they labor together, stand [in their stalls] more gently with each other. Certainly with regard to facing the enemy, those who are conscious of themselves as having exercised well become more high-minded.
(30) Cyrus provided himself with a tent that was sufficient to hold those he invited to dinner. He usually invited such of the captains as seemed to him opportune to invite, but there were times when he invited also some of the lieutenants, sergeants, or corporals. There were times when he invited even private soldiers, and times when he invited even a whole squad of five, a whole squad of ten, a whole platoon, or a whole company. He used to invite and honor any whom he saw doing the sort of thing he wished them all to do. What was set at table was always equal between himself and those he invited to dinner. (31) He always used to make even the servants of the army share equally in all things, for it seemed to him to be no less worthy to honor the servants in things military than to honor heralds or ambassadors, for he held it necessary that these be loyal, knowledgeable of things military, and intelligent, and, moreover, zealous, swift, unhesitating, and hard to confuse. In addition, Cyrus judged it necessary that servants have the same [qualities] as those believed to be best, and that they practice not rejecting any work, for they should believe that it is fitting for them to do whatever the ruler commands.