f Cyrus but the person that he really was,
drawing his inference from these facts, namely that he never went abroad
out of the fortress, and that he did not summon into his presence any of
the honourable men among the Persians: and having formed a suspicion
of him, he proceeded to do as follows:--Cambyses had taken to wife his
daughter, whose name was Phaidyme; 58 and this same daughter the Magian
at that time was keeping as his wife and living with her as with all the
rest also of the wives of Cambyses. Otanes therefore sent a message to
this daughter and asked her who the man was by whose side she slept,
whether Smerdis the son of Cyrus or some other. She sent back word to
him saying that she did not know, for she had never seen Smerdis the
son of Cyrus, nor did she know otherwise who he was who lived with her.
Otanes then sent a second time and said: "If thou dost not thyself know
Smerdis the son of Cyrus, then do thou ask of Atossa who this man is,
with whom both she and thou live as wives; for assuredly it must be that
she knows her own brother."

69. To this the daughter sent back word: "I am not able either to come
to speech with Atossa or to see any other of the women who live here
with me; for as soon as this man, whosoever he may be, succeeded to
the kingdom, he separated us and placed us in different apartments by
ourselves." When Otanes heard this, the matter became more and more
clear to him, and he sent another message in to her, which said:
"Daughter, it is right for thee, nobly born as thou art, to undertake
any risk which thy father bids thee take upon thee: for if in truth this
is not Smerdis the son of Cyrus but the man whom I suppose, he ought not
to escape with impunity either for taking thee to his bed or for holding
the dominion of Persians, but he must pay the penalty. Now therefore do
as I say. When he sleeps by thee and thou perceivest that he is sound
asleep, feel his ears; and if it prove that he has ears, then believe
that thou art living with Smerdis the son of Cyrus, but if not, believe
that it is with the Magian Smerdis." To this Phaidyme sent an answer
saying that, if she should do so, she would run a great risk; for
supposing that he should chance not to have his ears, and she were
detected feeling for them, she was well assured that he would put her to
death; but nevertheless she would do this. So she undertook to do this
for her father: but as for this Magian Smerdis, he had had his ea