n, and, as a rule, he would invite such of the
brigadiers as the occasion seemed to call for, but sometimes he would
send for the company-captains and the officers in command of the smaller
squads, and even the private soldiers were summoned to his board, and
from time to time a squad of five, or of ten, or an entire company, or
even a whole regiment, or he would give a special invitation by way of
honour to any one whom he knew had undertaken some work he had at heart
himself. In every case there was no distinction whatever between the
meats for himself and for his guests. [31] Further he always insisted
that the army servants should share and share alike with the soldiers
in everything, for he held that those who did such service for the army
were as much to be honoured as heralds or ambassadors. They were bound,
he said, to be loyal and intelligent, alive to all a soldier's needs,
active, swift, unhesitating, and withal cool and imperturbable. Nor
was that all; he was convinced that they ought also to possess those
qualities which are thought to be peculiar to what we call "the better
classes," and yet never despise their work, but feel that everything
their commander laid upon them must be fit for them to do.

[C.2] It was the constant aim of Cyrus whenever he and his soldiers
messed together, that the talk should be lively and full of grace, and
at the same time do the listeners good. Thus one day he brought the
conversation round to the following theme:--

"Do you think, gentlemen," said he, "that our new comrades appear
somewhat deficient in certain respects simply because they have not been
educated in the same fashion as ourselves? Or will they show themselves
our equals in daily life and on the field of battle when the time comes
to meet the foe?"

[2] Hystaspas took up the challenge:--"What sort of warriors they will
prove I do not pretend to know, but this I do say, in private life some
of them are cross-grained fellows enough. Only the other day," he went
on, "Cyaxares sent a present of sacrificial meat to every regiment.
There was flesh enough for three courses apiece or more, and the
attendant had handed round the first, beginning with myself. So when he
came in again, I told him to begin at the other end of the board, and
serve the company in that order. [3] But I was greeted by a yell from
the centre: one of these men who was sitting there bawled out, 'Equality
indeed! There's not much of it here, if