are
fictitious or real, partial or impartial, honestly true or embellished
and colored, since they have been so widely circulated in every age
and in every nation, and have impressed themselves so universally and
so permanently in the mind and memory of the whole human race, and
have penetrated into and colored the literature of every civilized
people, it becomes now necessary that every well-informed man should
understand. In a word, the real Cyrus is now a far less important
personage to mankind than the Cyrus of Herodotus and Xenophon, and it
is, accordingly, their story which the author proposes to relate in
this volume. The reader will understand, therefore, that the end and
aim of the work is not to guarantee an exact and certain account of
Cyrus as he actually lived and acted, but only to give a true and
faithful summary of the story which for the last two thousand years
has been in circulation respecting him among mankind.

CHAPTER II.

THE BIRTH OF CYRUS.

B.C. 599-588

The three Asiatic empires.--Marriage of Cambyses.--Story of
Mandane.--Dream of Astyages.--Astyages' second dream.--Its
interpretation.--Birth of Cyrus.--Astyages determines to destroy
him.--Harpagus.--The king's command to him.--Distress of Harpagus.--His
consultation with his wife.--The herdsman.--He conveys the child to
his hut.--The herdsman's wife.--Conversation in the hut.--Entreaties
of the herdsman's wife to save the child's life.--Spaco substitutes
her dead child for Cyrus.--The artifice successful.--The body
buried.--Remorse of Astyages.--Boyhood of Cyrus.--Cyrus a king
among the boys.--A quarrel.--Cyrus summoned into the presence
of Astyages.--Cyrus's defense.--Astonishment of Astyages.--The
discovery.--Mingled feelings of Astyages.--Inhuman monsters.--Astyages
determines to punish Harpagus.--Interview between Artyages and
Harpagus.--Explanation of Harpagus.--Dissimulation of Astyages.--He
proposes an entertainment.--Astyages invites Harpagus to a grand
entertainment.--Horrible revenge.--Action of Harpagus.--Astyages
becomes uneasy.--The magi again consulted.--Advice of the
magi.--Astyages adopts it.--Cyrus sets out for Persia.--His parents'
joy.--Life at Cambyses's court.--Instruction of the young men.--Cyrus
a judge.--His decision in that capacity.--Cyrus punished.--Manly
exercises.--Hunting excursions.--Personal appearance of
Cyrus.--Disposition and character of Cyrus.--A universal favorite.

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