answered. "And were you
conquered by him, and did you agree to pay tribute and furnish troops
whenever he required, and promise not to fortify your dwellings?" "Even
so," he said. "Why is it, then, that to-day you have neither brought the
tribute nor sent the troops, and are building forts?" "I set my heart on
liberty: it seemed to me so fair a thing to be free myself and to leave
freedom to my sons." [11] "And fair and good it is," said Cyrus, "to
fight for freedom and choose death rather than slavery, but if a man is
worsted in war or enslaved by any other means and then attempts to rid
himself of his lord, tell me yourself, would you honour such a man as
upright, and a doer of noble deeds, or would you, if you got him in
your power, chastise him as a malefactor?" "I would chastise him," he
answered, "since you drive me to the truth." [12] "Then answer me now,
point by point," said Cyrus. "If you have an officer and he does wrong,
do you suffer him to remain in office, or do you set up another in his
stead?" "I set up another." "And if he have great riches, to you leave
him all his wealth, or do you make him a beggar?" "I take away from him
all that he has." "And if you found him deserting to your enemies, what
would you do?" "I would kill him," he said: "why should I perish with a
lie on my lips rather than speak the truth and die?"

[13] But at this his son rent his garments and dashed the tiara from his
brows, and the women lifted up their voices in wailing and tore their
cheeks, as though their father was dead already, and they themselves
undone. But Cyrus bade them keep silence, and spoke again. "Son of
Armenia, we have heard your own judgment in this case, and now tell us,
what ought we to do?" But the king sat silent and perplexed, wondering
whether he should bid Cyrus put him to death, or act in the teeth of the
rule he had laid down for himself. [14] Then his son Tigranes turned to
Cyrus and said, "Tell me, Cyrus, since my father sits in doubt, may I
give counsel in his place and say what I think best for you?"

Now Cyrus remembered that, in the old hunting days, he had noticed a
certain man of wisdom who went about with Tigranes and was much admired
by him, and he was curious to know what the youth would say. So he
readily agreed and bade him speak his mind.

[15] "In my view, then," said Tigranes, "if you approve of all that my
father has said and done, certainly you ought to do as he did, but if
you thin