Histories

Otanes then took aside two Persians of the highest rank whom he thought worthiest of trust, Aspathines and Gobryas, and told them the whole story. These, it would seem, had themselves suspected that it was so; and now they readily believed what Otanes revealed to them.

They resolved that each should take into his confidence that Persian whom he most trusted; Otanes brought in Intaphrenes, Gobryas brought Megabyzus, and Aspathines Hydarnes.[*](The names in the +Bisitun [47.483,34.366] (inhabited place), Bakhtaran, Iran, Asia Behistun inscription (the trilingual inscription set up by Darius at +Bisitun [47.483,34.366] (inhabited place), Bakhtaran, Iran, Asia Behistun, after he had crushed the revolts in his empire) are: Vindapana, Utana, Gaubaruwa, Vidarna, Bagabukhsa, Ardumanis; all but the last corresponding with Herodotus' list.)

When they were six, Darius, whose father, Hystaspes, was a subordinate governor of the Persians, arrived at Shush [48.333,32.2] (inhabited place), Khuzestan, Iran, AsiaSusa. When he came, then, the six Persians resolved to include Darius too.

The seven then met and gave each other tokens of good faith and spoke together; and when it was Darius' turn to declare his mind, he spoke as follows:

“I thought that I alone knew that it was the Magus who was king and that Smerdis son of Cyrus was dead; and it was for this reason that I made haste to come, that I might effect the Magus' death; but since it turns out that you know too and not only I, I think that we should act at once and not put it off.”

Otanes replied, “son of Hystaspes, you have a good father and seem likely yourself to be in no way inferior to your father; do not hurry this undertaking without thinking, but take it up more prudently; there must be more of us to try it.”