alike in the fulfilment of his duty, in
the endurance of hardship, in the reverence he showed to age, and the
obedience he paid to authority.

[2] Now in the fullness of time Astyages died in Media, and Cyaxares
his son, the brother of Cyrus' mother, took the kingdom in his stead.
By this time the king of Assyria had subdued all the tribes of Syria,
subjugated the king of Arabia, brought the Hyrcanians under his rule,
and was holding the Bactrians in siege. Therefore he came to think that,
if he could but weaken the power of the Medes, it would be easy for him
to extend his empire over all the nations round him, since the Medes
were, without doubt, the strongest of them all. [3] Accordingly he
sent his messengers to every part of his dominions: to Croesus, king
of Lydia, to the king of Cappadocia, to both the Phrygias, to the
Paphlagonians and the Indians, to the Carians and the Cilicians. And he
bade them spread slanders abroad against the Persians and the Medes, and
say moreover that these were great and mighty kingdoms which had come
together and made alliance by marriage with one another, and unless a
man should be beforehand with them and bring down their power it could
not be but that they would fall on each of their neighbours in turn and
subdue them one by one. So the nations listened to the messengers and
made alliance with the king of Assyria: some were persuaded by what he
said and others were won over by gifts and gold, for the riches of the
Assyrian were great. [4] Now Cyaxares, the son of Astyages, was aware of
these plots and preparations, and he made ready on his side, so far as
in him lay, sending word to the Persian state and to Cambyses the king,
who had his sister to wife. And he sent to Cyrus also, begging him to
come with all speed at the head of any force that might be furnished, if
so be the Council of Persia would give him men-at-arms. For by this
time Cyrus had accomplished his ten years among the youths and was now
enrolled with the grown men. [5] He was right willing to go, and the
Council of Elders appointed him to command the force for Media. They
bade him choose two hundred men among the Peers, each of them to choose
four others from their fellows. Thus was formed a body of a thousand
Peers: and each of the thousand had orders to raise thirty men from the
commons--ten targeteers, ten slingers, and ten archers--and thus three
regiments were levied, 10,000 archers, 10,000 slingers, and 10,00