rength of each,
and thus he kindled in their hearts the passion for achievement, and
then he bade them return to their regiments and repeat the lessons he
had taught them, trying to implant in their own men the same desire for
action, so that one and all might sally out in the best of heart; and
the next morning they were to present themselves at Cyaxares' gates.
[13] So the officers went away and did as he commanded, and the next
morning at daybreak they assembled at the trysting-place, and Cyrus met
them and came before Cyaxares and said to him:

"I know well that what I am about to say must often have been in your
own mind, but you have shrunk from suggesting it yourself lest it seem
that you were weary of supporting us. [14] Therefore since you must keep
silence, let me speak for both of us. We are all agreed that since our
preparations are complete we should not wait until the enemy invades our
territory before we give him battle, nor loiter here in a friendly land,
but attack him on his own ground with what speed we may. [15] For while
we linger here, we injure your property in spite of ourselves, but once
on the enemy's soil, we can damage his, and that with the best will in
the world. [16] As things are, you must maintain us, and the cost is
great; but once launched on foreign service, we can maintain ourselves,
and at our foe's expense. [17] Possibly, if it were more dangerous to go
forward than to stay here, the more cautious might seem the wiser plan.
But whether we stay or whether we go, the enemy's numbers will be the
same, and so will ours, whether we receive them here or join battle with
them there. [18] Moreover, the spirit of our soldiers will be all the
higher and all the bolder if they feel that they are marching against
the foe and not cowering before him; and his alarm will be all the
greater when he hears that we are not crouching at home in terror but
coming out to meet him as soon as we have heard of his advance, eager to
close at once, not holding back until our territory suffers, but prompt
to seize the moment and ravage his own land first. [19] Indeed," he
added, "if we do no more than quicken our own courage and his fears, I
would reckon it a substantial gain, and count it so much the less danger
for us and so much the more for him. My father never tires of telling me
what I have heard you say yourself, and what all the world admits, that
battles are decided more by the character of the troops