her husband and other children, if I should lose these; but another
brother I could by no means have, seeing that my father and my mother
are no longer alive. This was in my mind when I said those words." To
Dareios then it seemed that the woman had spoken well, and he let go
not only him for whose life she asked, but also the eldest of her
sons because he was pleased with her: but all the others he slew. One
therefore of the seven had perished immediately in the manner which has
been related.

120. Now about the time of the sickness of Cambyses it had come to pass
as follows:--There was one Oroites, a Persian, who had been appointed by
Cyrus to be governor of the province of Sardis. 106 This man had set his
desire upon an unholy thing; for though from Polycrates the Samian he
had never suffered anything nor heard any offensive word nor even seen
him before that time, he desired to take him and put him to death for
a reason of this kind, as most who report the matter say:--while Oroites
and another Persian whose name was Mitrobates, ruler of the province of
Daskyleion, 107 were sitting at the door of the king's court, they came
from words to strife with one another; and as they debated their several
claims to excellence, Mitrobates taunting Oroites said: "Dost thou 108
count thyself a man, who didst never yet win for the king the island of
Samos, which lies close to thy province, when it is so exceedingly easy
of conquest that one of the natives of it rose up against the government
with fifteen men-at-arms and got possession of the island, and is now
despot of it?" Some say that because he heard this and was stung by the
reproach, he formed the desire, not so much to take vengeance on him who
said this, as to bring Polycrates to destruction at all costs, since by
reason of him he was ill spoken of:

121, the lesser number however of those who tell the tale say that
Oroites sent a herald to Samos to ask for something or other, but what
it was is not mentioned; and Polycrates happened to be lying down in the
men's chamber 109 of his palace, and Anacreon also of Teos was present
with him: and somehow, whether it was by intention and because he made
no account of the business of Oroites, or whether some chance occurred
to bring it about, it happened that the envoy of Oroites came into his
presence and spoke with him, and Polycrates, who chanced to be turned
away 110 towards the wall, neither turned round at all nor made any