he said "when covered with leaves": she then spoke thus:
"Nevertheless thou didst once produce the likeness of this lettuce, when
thou didst strip bare the house of Cyrus." And he moved to anger leapt
upon her, being with child, and she miscarried and died.

33. These were the acts of madness done by Cambyses towards those of his
own family, whether the madness was produced really on account of Apis
or from some other cause, as many ills are wont to seize upon men; for
it is said moreover that Cambyses had from his birth a certain grievous
malady, that which is called by some the "sacred" disease: 26 and it
was certainly nothing strange that when the body was suffering from a
grievous malady, the mind should not be sound either.

34. The following also are acts of madness which he did to the other
Persians:--To Prexaspes, the man whom he honoured most and who used to
bear his messages 2601 (his son also was cup-bearer to Cambyses, and
this too was no small honour),--to him it is said that he spoke as
follows: "Prexaspes, what kind of a man do the Persians esteem me to be,
and what speech do they hold concerning me?" and he said: "Master, in
all other respects thou art greatly commended, but they say that thou
art overmuch given to love of wine." Thus he spoke concerning the
Persians; and upon that Cambyses was roused to anger, and answered thus:
"It appears then that the Persians say I am given to wine, and that
therefore I am beside myself and not in my right mind; and their former
speech then was not sincere." For before this time, it seems, when the
Persians and Croesus were sitting with him in council, Cambyses asked
what kind of a man they thought he was as compared with his father
Cyrus; 27 and they answered that he was better than his father, for
he not only possessed all that his father had possessed, but also in
addition to this had acquired Egypt and the Sea. Thus the Persians
spoke; but Croesus, who was present and was not satisfied with their
judgment, spoke thus to Cambyses: "To me, O son of Cyrus, thou dost not
appear to be equal to thy father, for not yet hast thou a son such as
he left behind him in you." Hearing this Cambyses was pleased, and
commended the judgment of Croesus.

35. So calling to mind this, he said in anger to Prexaspes: "Learn then
now for thyself whether the Persians speak truly, or whether when they
say this they are themselves out of their senses: for if I, shooting at
thy son the