was exceedingly troubled when he saw the man of most
repute with him thus maltreated; and leaping up from his seat he cried
aloud and asked him who was the person who had maltreated him, and for
what deed. He replied: "That man does not exist, excepting thee, who has
so great power as to bring me into this condition; and not any stranger,
O king, has done this, but I myself to myself, accounting it a very
grievous thing that the Assyrians should make a mock of the Persians."
He made answer: "Thou most reckless of men, thou didst set the fairest
name to the foulest deed when thou saidest that on account of those who
are besieged thou didst bring thyself into a condition which cannot be
cured. How, O thou senseless one, will the enemy surrender to us more
quickly, because thou hast maltreated thyself? Surely thou didst wander
out of thy senses in thus destroying thyself." And he said, "If I had
communicated to thee that which I was about to do, thou wouldst not have
permitted me to do it; but as it was, I did it on my own account. Now
therefore, unless something is wanting on thy part, we shall conquer
Babylon: for I shall go straightway as a deserter to the wall; and I
shall say to them that I suffered this treatment at thy hands: and I
think that when I have convinced them that this is so, I shall obtain
the command of a part of their forces. Do thou then on the tenth day
from that on which I shall enter within the wall take of those troops
about which thou wilt have no concern if they be destroyed,--of these, I
say, get a thousand by 133 the gate of the city which is called the gate
of Semiramis; and after this again on the seventh day after the tenth
set, I pray thee, two thousand by the gate which is called the gate of
the Ninevites; and after this seventh day let twenty days elapse, and
then lead other four thousand and place them by the gate called the
gate of the Chaldeans: and let neither the former men nor these have any
weapons to defend them except daggers, but this weapon let them have.
Then after the twentieth day at once bid the rest of the army make an
attack on the wall all round, and set the Persians, I pray thee, by
those gates which are called the gate of Belos and the gate of Kissia:
for, as I think, when I have displayed great deeds of prowess, the
Babylonians will entrust to me, besides their other things, also the
keys which draw the bolts of the gates. Then after that it shall be the
care of myself