his the Persians had not been wont at all to marry their
sisters):--Cambyses fell in love with one of his sisters, and desired to
take her to wife; so since he had it in mind to do that which was not
customary, he called the Royal Judges and asked them whether there
existed any law which permitted him who desired it to marry his sister.
Now the Royal Judges are men chosen out from among the Persians, and
hold their office until they die or until some injustice is found in
them, so long and no longer. These pronounce decisions for the Persians
and are the expounders of the ordinances of their fathers, and all
matters are referred to them. So when Cambyses asked them, they gave him
an answer which was both upright and safe, saying that they found no law
which permitted a brother to marry his sister, but apart from that they
had found a law to the effect that the king of the Persians might do
whatsoever he desired. Thus on the one hand they did not tamper with
the law for fear of Cambyses, and at the same time, that they might not
perish themselves in maintaining the law, they found another law beside
that which was asked for, which was in favour of him who wished to marry
his sisters. So Cambyses at that time took to wife her with whom he was
in love, but after no long time he took another sister. Of these it was
the younger whom he put to death, she having accompanied him to Egypt.

32. About her death, as about the death of Smerdis, two different
stories are told. The Hellenes say that Cambyses had matched a lion's
cub in fight with a dog's whelp, and this wife of his was also a
spectator of it; and when the whelp was being overcome, another whelp,
its brother, broke its chain and came to help it; and having become two
instead of one, the whelps then got the better of the cub: and Cambyses
was pleased at the sight, but she sitting by him began to weep; and
Cambyses perceived it and asked wherefore she wept; and she said that
she had wept when she saw that the whelp had come to the assistance of
its brother, because she remembered Smerdis and perceived that there was
no one who would come to his 25 assistance. The Hellenes say that it was
for this saying that she was killed by Cambyses: but the Egyptians say
that as they were sitting round at table, the wife took a lettuce and
pulled off the leaves all round, and then asked her husband whether the
lettuce was fairer when thus plucked round or when covered with
leaves, and