certain native races in the south-western
corner of Asia Minor which declined to submit without a struggle to
the new conqueror. But these matters were not regarded by Cyrus as
of sufficient importance to require his own personal superintendence.
Having remained at Sardis for a few weeks, during which time he received
an insulting message from Sparta, whereto he made a menacing reply, and
having arranged for the government of the newly-conquered province and
the transmission of its treasures to Ecbatana, he quitted Lydia for
the interior, taking Croesus with him, and proceeded towards the
Median capital. He was bent on prosecuting without delay his schemes
of conquest in other quarters--schemes of a grandeur and a
comprehensiveness unknown to any previous monarch.

Scarcely, however, was he departed when Sardis became the scene of an
insurrection. Pactyas, a Lydian, who had been entrusted with the duty
of conveying the treasures of Croesus and his more wealthy subjects to
Ecbatana, revolted against Tabalus, the Persian commandant of the town,
and being joined by the native population and numerous mercenaries,
principally Greeks, whom he hired with the treasure that was in his
hands, made himself master of Sardis, and besieged Tabalus in the
citadel. The news reached Cyrus while he was upon his march; but,
estimating the degree of its importance aright, he did not suffer it to
interfere with his plans. He judged it enough to send a general with
a strong body of troops to put down the revolt, and continued his own
journey eastward. Mazares, a Mede, was the officer selected for
the service. On arriving before Sardis, he found that Pactyas had
relinquished his enterprise and fled to the coast, and that the revolt
was consequently at an end. It only remained to exact vengeance. The
rebellious Lydians were disarmed. Pactyas was pursued with unrelenting
hostility, and demanded, in succession, of the Cymaeans, the
Mytilenseans, and the Chians, of whom the last-mentioned surrendered
him. The Greek cities which had furnished Pactyas with auxiliaries were
then attacked, and the inhabitants of the first which fell, Priene, were
one and all sold as slaves.

Mazares soon afterwards died, and was succeeded by Ha-pagus, another
Mede, who adopted a somewhat milder policy towards the unfortunate
Greeks. Besieging their cities one by one, and taking them by means
of banks or mounds piled up against the walls, he, in some instances,
conn