Cyropaedia

In such conversation they arrived at the Persian[*](Cyrus arrives in Media) frontier. And when an eagle appeared upon their right and flew on ahead of them, they prayed to the gods and heroes who watch over the land of Persia to conduct them on with grace and favour, and then proceeded to cross the frontier. And when they had crossed, they prayed again to the tutelary gods of the Median land to receive them with grace and favour; and when they had finished their devotions, they embraced one another, as was natural, and the father went back again to Persia, while Cyrus went on to Cyaxares in Media.

And when he arrived there, first they embraced[*](Cyrus and Cyaxares discuss the situation) one another, as was natural, and then Cyaxares asked Cyrus how large the army was that he was bringing. Thirty thousand, he answered, of such as have come to you before as mercenaries; but others also, of the peers, who have never before left their country, are coming. About how many? asked Cyaxares.

The number, said Cyrus, would give you no pleasure, if you were to hear it; but bear this in mind, that though the so-called peers are few, they easily rule the rest of the Persians, many though they be. But, he added, are you in any need of them, or was it a false alarm, and are the enemy not coming? Yes, by Zeus, said he, they are coming and in great numbers, too.

How is this so certain?Because said he, many have come from there, and though one tells the story one way and another another, they all say the same thing. We shall have to fight those men, then? Aye said he; we must of necessity. Well then, said Cyrus, won’t you please tell me, if you know, how great the forces are that are coming against us; and tell me of our own as well, so that with full information about both we may lay our plans accordingly, how best to enter the conflict.Listen then, said Cyaxares.

Croesus, the[*](The probable number of the opposing forces) king of Lydia, is said to be coming at the head of 10,000 horsemen and more than 40,000 peltasts and bowmen. And they say that Artacamas, the king of Greater Phrygia, is coming at the head of 8000 horse and not fewer than 40,000 lancers and peltasts; and Aribaeus, the king of Cappadocia, has 6000 horse and not fewer than 30,000 bowmen and peltasts; while the Arabian, Aragdus, has about 10,000 horsemen, about 100 chariots of war, and a great host of slingers. As for the Greeks who dwell in Asia, however, no definite information is as yet received whether they are in the coalition or not. But the contingent from Phrygia on the Hellespont, under Gabaedus, has arrived at Caÿstru-Pedium, it is said, to the number of 6000 horse and 10,000 peltasts. The Carians, however, and Cilicians and Paphlagonians, they say, have not joined the expedition, although they have been invited to do so. But the Assyrians, both those from Babylon and those from the rest of Assyria, will bring, I think, not fewer than 20,000 horse and not fewer, I am sure, than 200 war-chariots, and a vast number of infantry, I suppose; at any rate, they used to have as many as that whenever they invaded our country.

You mean to say, said Cyrus, that the enemy have 60,000 horse and more than 200,000 peltasts and bowmen. And at how many, pray, do you estimate the number of your own forces? There are, said he, of the Medes more than 10,000 horse; and the peltasts and bowmen might be, from a country like ours, some 60,000; while from our neighbours, the Armenians, we shall get 4000 horse and 20,000 foot. That is to say, said Cyrus, we have less than one-fourth as many horsemen as the enemy and about half as many foot-soldiers.