longer any infantry[77] there, the height was filled with cavalry; so that the Greeks could not tell what was doing. They said, that they saw the royal standard, a golden eagle upon a spear,[78] with expanded wings.[79]
13. But as the Greeks were on the point of proceeding thither, the cavalry too left the hill; not indeed in a body, but some in one direction and some in another; and thus the hill was gradually thinned of cavalry, till at last they were all gone. 14. Clearchus, however, did not march up the hill, but, stationing his force at its foot, sent Lycius the Syracusan and another up the hill, and ordered them, after taking a view from the summit, to report to him what was passing on the other side. 15. Lycius accordingly rode thither, and having made his observations, brought word that the enemy were fleeing with precipitation. Just as these things took place, the sun set.
16. Here the Greeks halted, and piling their arms, took some rest; and at the same time they wondered that Cyrus himself nowhere made his appearance, and that no one else came to them from him; for they did not know that he was killed, but conjectured that he was either gone in pursuit of the enemy, or had pushed forward to secure some post. 17. They then deliberated whether they should remain in that spot and fetch their baggage thither, or return to the camp; and it was resolved to return, and they arrived at the tents about supper-time. 18. Such was the conclusion of this day.
They found almost all their baggage, and whatever food and drink was with it, plundered and wasted; the waggons, too, full of barley-meal and wine, which Cyrus had provided, in order that, if ever a great scarcity of provisions should fall upon the army, he might distribute them amongst the Grecian troops, (and the waggons, as was said, were four hundred in number,) these also the king's soldiers had plundered. 19. Most of the Greeks consequently remained supperless; and they had also been without dinner; for before the army had halted for dinner, the king made his appearance. In this state they passed the ensuing night.
[Footnote 73: [Greek: Pros tôn Hellênôn].] 'These words,' says Kühner, 'have wonderfully exercised the abilities of commentators.' The simplest mode of interpretation, he then observes, is to take [Greek: pros] in the sense of versus, 'towards,' comparing iv. 3. 26; ii. 2. 4; but he inclines, on the whole, to make the genitive [Greek: Hellênôn] depend on [Greek: toutous] understood: [Greek: ekpheugei tôn Hellênôn pros (toutous) hoi etychon, k. t. l.], though he acknowledges that this construction is extremely forced, and that he can nowhere find anything similar to it. Brodæus suggested [Greek: pros to tôn Hellênôn], scil. [Greek: stratopedon], and Weiske and Schneider would read [Greek: pros to tôn Hellênôn stratopedon]. Other conjectures it is unnecessary to notice.]
[Footnote 74: [Greek: Anaptyssein].] Literally 'to fold back.' Whether we are to understand that one part of the wing was drawn behind the other, is not very clear. The commentators are not all agreed as to the exact sense that the word ought to bear. Some would interpret it by
[Footnote 75: [Greek: Ek pleonos].] Sc. [Greek: diastêmatos]: they began to flee when the Greeks were at a still greater distance than before.]
[Footnote 76: [Greek: Mechri kômês tinos].] This is generally supposed to have been Cunaxa, where, according to Plutarch, the battle was fought. Ainsworth, p. 244, identifies Cunaxa with
[Footnote 77: The infantry seem to have fled; the cavalry only were left.]
[Footnote 78: [Greek: Epi peltês epi xylou].] So stands the passage in Dindorf's text; but most editors, from Schneider downwards, consider [Greek: epi xylou] to be a mere interpretation of [Greek: epi peltês], that has crept by some accident into the text, and either enclose it in brackets or wholly omit it. [Greek: Peltê] is said by Hesychius and Suidas to be the same as [Greek: dory] or [Greek: lonchê]: and Krüger refers to Philostratus, Icon. ii. 82, [Greek: epi tês peltês aetos]. In Cyrop. vii. 1, 4, the insigne of Cyrus the elder is said to have been a golden eagle, [Greek: epi doratos makrou anatetamenos]. [Greek: Peltê] accordingly being taken in this sense, all is clear, and [Greek: epi xylou] is superfluous. Kühner gives great praise to the conjecture of Hutchinson, [Greek: epi peltês epi xystou], who, taking [Greek: peltê] in the sense of
[Footnote 79: [Greek: Anatetamenon].] This word is generally understood to signify that the eagle's wings were expanded. See Liddell and Scott's Lexicon; and Dr. Smith's Dict. of G. and R. Ant. sub
BOOK II.
CHAPTER I.
The Greeks are surprised to hear of the death of Cyrus. Ariæus
resolves to return to Ionia, contrary to the advice of Clearchus,
who incites him to make an attempt on the throne of Persia.
Artaxerxes sends a message to the Greeks; their reply.
1. How the Grecian force was collected for Cyrus, when he undertook his expedition against his brother Artaxerxes, what occurred in his march up the country, how the battle took place, how Cyrus was killed, and how the Greeks returned to their camp and went to rest, in the belief that they were completely victorious, and that Cyrus was still alive, has been related in the preceding book.
2. When it was day, the generals met together, and expressed their surprise that Cyrus had neither sent any person to give directions how they should act, nor had made his appearance himself. It seemed best to them, therefore, to pack up what baggage they had, and, arming themselves, to march forward till they could effect a junction with Cyrus. 3. But when they were on the point of starting, just as the sun was rising, there came to them Procles, the governor of Teuthrania, (who was descended from Damaratus, the Lacedæmonian,) and with him Glus, the son of Tamos, who told them that Cyrus was dead, and that Ariæus, having fled, was, with the rest of the Barbarians, at the station whence they started the day before; and that he said he would wait for the Greeks that day, if they would come to him; but on the morrow, he said, he should set off for Ionia, from whence he had come.
4. The generals, on hearing this intelligence, and the other Greeks, on learning it from them,[80] were grievously afflicted; and Clearchus spoke thus: 'Would that Cyrus were still alive; but since he is no more, carry back word to Ariæus, that we at least are victorious over the king, and that, as you see, no enemy any longer offers us battle; and if you had not come, we should have marched against the king; and we promise Ariæus that, if he will come hither, we will seat him on the royal throne: for to those who conquer, it belongs also to rule.' 5. Saying this, he dismissed the messengers, and sent with them Cheirisophus the Lacedæmonian, and Menon the Thessalian; for Menon himself desired to go, as he was connected with Ariæus by ties of friendship and hospitality.
6. While they departed on their mission Clearchus waited where he was; and the troops supplied themselves with food, as well as they could, from the carcases of their baggage-cattle, slaughtering their oxen and asses; and, going a little way in front of the line, to the place where the battle was fought, they collected and used as fuel, not only the arrows, which lay in great quantities, and which the Greeks had compelled the deserters from the king to throw down, but also the wicker shields of the Persians, and the wooden ones of the Egyptians; and there were also many other light shields, and waggons emptied of their contents[81] to be taken away; using all which materials to cook the meat, they appeased their hunger for that day.
7. It was now about the middle of the forenoon,[82] when some heralds arrived from the king and Tissaphernes, all of them Barbarians, except one, a Greek named Phalinus, who chanced to be with Tissaphernes, and was highly esteemed by him, for he had pretensions to skill in the arrangement of troops, and in the exercise of heavy arms. 8. These persons having approached, and asked to speak with the commanders of the Greeks, told them, 'that the king, since he had gained the victory and slain Cyrus, required the Greeks to deliver up their arms, and go to the gates of the king,[83] and try to obtain, if they could, some favour from him.' 9. Thus spoke the king's heralds; and the Greeks heard them with no small concern: but Clearchus only said, 'that it was not the part of
