one will carry word to the Magian,
getting gain thereby privately for himself. Your best way would have
been to do this action upon your own risk alone; but since it seemed
good to you to refer the matter to a greater number, and ye communicated
it to me, either let us do the deed to-day, or be ye assured that if
this present day shall pass by, none other shall prevent me 61 as your
accuser, but I will myself tell these things to the Magian."

72. To this Otanes, when he saw Dareios in violent haste, replied:
"Since thou dost compel us to hasten the matter and dost not permit us
to delay, come expound to us thyself in what manner we shall pass into
the palace and lay hands upon them: for that there are guards set in
various parts, thou knowest probably thyself as well as we, if not from
sight at least from hearsay; and in what manner shall we pass through
these?" Dareios made reply with these words: "Otanes, there are many
things in sooth which it is not possible to set forth in speech, but
only in deed; and other things there are which in speech can be set
forth, but from them comes no famous deed. Know ye however that the
guards which are set are not difficult to pass: for in the first place,
we being what we are, there is no one who will not let us go by, partly,
as may be supposed, from having respect for us, and partly also perhaps
from fear; and secondly I have myself a most specious pretext by means
of which we may pass by; for I shall say that I am just now come from
the Persian land and desire to declare to the king a certain message
from my father: for where it is necessary that a lie be spoken, let it
be spoken; seeing that we all aim at the same object, both they who lie
and they who always speak the truth; those lie whenever they are likely
to gain anything by persuading with their lies, and these tell the truth
in order that they may draw to themselves gain by the truth, and that
things 62 may be entrusted to them more readily. Thus, while practising
different ways, we aim all at the same thing. If however they were not
likely to make any gain by it, the truth-teller would lie and the
liar would speak the truth, with indifference. Whosoever then of the
door-keepers shall let us pass by of his own free will, for him it shall
be the better afterwards; but whosoever shall endeavour to oppose our
passage, let him then and there be marked as our enemy, 63 and after
that let us push in and set about our work."