Then it is of course
necessary,
Socrates,
to take care that these paradises in which the king
spends his time shall contain a fine stock of trees
and all other beautiful things that the soil
produces.
And some say, Critobulus,
that when the king makes gifts, he first invites
those who have distinguished themselves in war,
because it is useless to have broad acres under
tillage unless there are men to defend them; and
next to them, those who stock and cultivate the land
best, saying that even stout-hearted warriors cannot
live without the aid of workers.
There is a story that
Cyrus,
lately the most illustrious of princes, once said to
the company invited to receive his gifts, I myself
deserve to receive the gifts awarded in both
classes; for I am the best at stocking land and the
best at protecting the stock.
Well, if
Cyrus said
that,
Socrates,
he took as much pride in cultivating and stocking
land as in being a warrior.
Yes, and, upon my word,
if Cyrus had
only lived, it seems that he would have proved an
excellent ruler. One of the many proofs that he has
given of this is the fact that, when he was on his
way to fight his brother for the throne, it is said
that not a man deserted from
Cyrus to
the king, whereas tens of thousands deserted from
the king to
Cyrus.
I think you have one clear proof of a ruler’s excellence,
when men obey him willinglyMem III. iii.
9. and choose to stand by him in moments of
danger. Now his friends all fought at his side and
fell at his side to a man, fighting round his body,
with the one exception of Ariaeus, whose place in
the battle was, in point of fact, on the left
wing.Anabasis, I. ix. 31. Ariaeus fled
when he saw that
Cyrus had
fallen.
Further, the story goes
that when
Lysander
came to him bringing the gifts form the allies, this
Cyrus
showed him various marks of friendliness, as
Lysander
himself related once to a stranger at Megara, adding
besides that
Cyrus
personally showed him round his paradise at
Sardis.
Now Lysander
admired the beauty of the trees in it, the accuracy
of the spacing, the straightness of the rows, the
regularity of the angles and the multitude of the
sweet scents that clung round them as they walked;
and for wonder of these things he cried,
Cyrus, I
really do admire all these lovely things, but I am
far more impressed with your agent’s skill in
measuring and arranging everything so exactly.
Cyrus was delighted to hear this and said: Well,
Lysander,
the whole of the measurement and arrangement is my
own work, and I did some of the planting myself.
What, Cyrus?
exclaimed Lysander, looking at him, and marking the
beauty and perfume of his robes, and the splendour
of the necklaces and bangles and other jewels that
he was wearing; did you really plant part of this
with your own hands?
Does that surprise you, Lysander? asked Cyrus in reply.
I swear by the Sun-god that I never yet sat down to
dinner when in sound health, without first working
hard at some task of war or agriculture, or exerting
myself somehow.
Lysander himself
declared, I should add, that on hearing this, he
congratulated him in these words: I think you
deserve your happiness, Cyrus, for you earn it by
your virtues.