tion, and that he should then enact such laws and make such
arrangements as should turn the minds of the people to habits of
luxury and pleasure. "By doing this," said Croesus, "the people
will, in a short time, become so enervated and so effeminate that you
will have nothing to fear from them."

Cyrus decided on adopting this plan. He dispatched a Median named
Mazares, an officer of his army, at the head of a strong force, with
orders to go back to Sardis, to deliver Tabalus from his danger, to
seize and put to death all the leaders in the Lydian rebellion
excepting Pactyas. Pactyas was to be saved alive, and sent a prisoner
to Cyrus in Persia.

Pactyas did not wait for the arrival of Mazares. As soon as he heard
of his approach, he abandoned the ground, and fled northwardly to the
city of Cyme, and sought refuge there. When Mazares had reached Sardis
and re-established the government of Cyrus there, he sent messengers
to Cyme, demanding the surrender of the fugitive.

The people of Cyme were uncertain whether they ought to comply. They
said that they must first consult an oracle. There was a very ancient
and celebrated oracle near Miletus. They sent messengers to this
oracle, demanding to know whether it were according to the will of
the gods or not that the fugitive should be surrendered. The answer
brought back was, that they might surrender him.

They were accordingly making arrangements for doing this, when one of
the citizens, a very prominent and influential man, named Aristodicus,
expressed himself not satisfied with the reply. He did not think it
possible, he said, that the oracle could really counsel them to
deliver up a helpless fugitive to his enemies. The messengers must
have misunderstood or misreported the answer which they had received.
He finally persuaded his countrymen to send a second embassy: he
himself was placed at the head of it. On their arrival, Aristodicus
addressed the oracle as follows:

"To avoid a cruel death from the Persians, Pactyas, a Lydian, fled to
us for refuge. The Persians demanded that we should surrender him.
Much as we are afraid of their power, we are still more afraid to
deliver up a helpless suppliant for protection without clear and
decided directions from you."

The embassy received to this demand the same reply as before.

Still Aristodicus was not satisfied; and, as if by way of bringing
home to the oracle somewhat more forcibly a sense of the true
character of