73. Then said Gobryas: "Friends, at what time will there be a fairer
opportunity for us either to recover our rule, or, if we are not able to
get it again, to die? seeing that we being Persians on the one hand lie
under the rule of a Mede, a Magian, and that too a man whose ears
have been cut off. Moreover all those of you who stood by the side
of Cambyses when he was sick remember assuredly what he laid upon the
Persians as he was bringing his life to an end, if they should not
attempt to win back the power; and this we did not accept then, but
supposed that Cambyses had spoken in order to deceive us. Now therefore
I give my vote that we follow the opinion of Dareios, and that we do not
depart from this assembly to go anywhither else but straight to attack
the Magian." Thus spoke Gobryas, and they all approved of this proposal.

74. Now while these were thus taking counsel together, it was coming to
pass by coincidence as follows:--The Magians taking counsel together had
resolved to join Prexaspes with themselves as a friend, both because
he had suffered grievous wrong from Cambyses, who had killed his son by
shooting him, and because he alone knew for a certainty of the death
of Smerdis the son of Cyrus, having killed him with his own hands, and
finally because Prexaspes was in very great repute among the Persians.
For these reasons they summoned him and endeavoured to win him to be
their friend, engaging him by pledge and with oaths, that he would
assuredly keep to himself and not reveal to any man the deception which
had been practised by them upon the Persians, and promising to give
him things innumerable 64 in return. After Prexaspes had promised to do
this, the Magians, having persuaded him so far, proposed to him a second
thing, and said that they would call together all the Persians to
come up to the wall of the palace, and bade him go up upon a tower and
address them, saying that they were living under the rule of Smerdis the
son of Cyrus and no other. This they so enjoined because they supposed
65 that he had the greatest credit among the Persians, and because he
had frequently declared the opinion that Smerdis the son of Cyrus was
still alive, and had denied that he had slain him.

75. When Prexaspes said that he was ready to do this also, the Magians
having called together the Persians caused him to go up upon a tower and
bade him address them. Then he chose to forget those things which they
asked of him,