e remains free alone
of all the Persian houses, and submits to rule only so far as it wills
to do so itself, not transgressing the laws of the Persians.

84. The rest however of the seven continued to deliberate how they
should establish a king in the most just manner; and it was resolved by
them that to Otanes and his descendants in succession, if the kingdom
should come to any other of the seven, there should be given as special
gifts a Median dress every year and all those presents which are
esteemed among the Persians to be the most valuable: and the reason why
they determined that these things should be given to him, was because
he first suggested to them the matter and combined them together. These
were special gifts for Otanes; and this they also determined for all in
common, namely that any one of the seven who wished might pass in to the
royal palaces without any to bear in a message, unless the king happened
to be sleeping with his wife; and that it should not be lawful for the
king to marry from any other family, but only from those of the men who
had made insurrection with him: and about the kingdom they determined
this, namely that the man whose horse should first neigh at sunrise
in the suburb of the city when they were mounted upon their horses, he
should have the kingdom.

85. Now Dareios had a clever horse-keeper, whose name was Oibares. To
this man, when they had left their assembly, Dareios spoke these words:
"Oibares, we have resolved to do about the kingdom thus, namely that the
man whose horse first neighs at sunrise, when we are mounted upon our
horses he shall be king. Now therefore, if thou hast any cleverness,
contrive that we may obtain this prize, and not any other man." Oibares
replied thus: "If, my master, it depends in truth upon this whether thou
be king or no, have confidence so far as concerns this and keep a good
heart, for none other shall be king before thee; such charms have I at
my command." Then Dareios said: "If then thou hast any such trick, it
is time to devise it and not to put things off, for our trial is
to-morrow." Oibares therefore hearing this did as follows:--when night
was coming on he took one of the mares, namely that one which the horse
of Dareios preferred, and this he led into the suburb of the city and
tied her up: then he brought to her the horse of Dareios, and having for
some time led him round her, making him go so close by so as to touch
the mare, at last he