cretly collects forces, of
which a large proportion are from Greece, to make war on his
brother.

1. Of Darius[1] and Parysatis were born two sons,[2] the elder
Artaxerxes,[3] and the younger Cyrus. After Darius had fallen sick, and
suspected that the end of his life was approaching, he was desirous that
both of his sons should attend him.

2. The elder then happened to be present; Cyrus he sent for from the
province of which he had made him satrap. He had also appointed him
commander of all the forces that muster in the plain of Castolus.[4]

Cyrus accordingly went up, taking with him Tissaphernes as a friend, and
having also with him three hundred heavy-armed Greeks,[5] and Xenias of
Parrhasia,[6] their captain.

3. But when Darius was dead, and Artaxerxes was placed upon the throne,
Tissaphernes brought an accusation against Cyrus before his brother,
saying that he was plotting against him. Artaxerxes was induced to give
credit to it, and had Cyrus arrested, with the intention of putting him
to death; but his mother, having begged his life, sent him back to his
province.

4. When Cyrus had departed, after being thus in danger and disgrace, he
began to consider by what means he might cease to be subject to his
brother, and make himself king, if he could, in his stead. Parysatis,
their mother, was well disposed towards Cyrus,[7] as she loved him
better than Artaxerxes, who was on the throne. 5. Whatever messengers
from the king[8] came to visit him, he let none of them go till he had
inclined them to be friends to himself, rather than the monarch.[9] He
also paid such attention to the Barbarians[10] that were with him, that
they were in a condition to take the field, and well inclined towards
himself. 6. His Greek force he collected as secretly as he could, that
he might surprise the king as little prepared as possible.

He collected troops in the following manner. Whatever garrisons he had
in his towns, he sent orders to the commanders of them to procure
respectively as many Peloponnesians as they could, of the best class of
soldiers, on pretence that Tissaphernes was forming designs upon those
towns. For the cities of Ionia had formerly been, under the government
of Tissaphernes, having been assigned to him by the king, but had at
this time all revolted to Cyrus except Miletus. 7. Tissaphernes,
discovering that the people of Miletus were forming a similar design,
[to go over to Cyrus,[11]] put some