empts to reconstruct their ancient city, and to
re-establish the Mosaic ritual there. We must, however, now return to
the history of Cyrus, referring the reader for a narrative of the
circumstances connected with the rebuilding of Jerusalem to the very
minute account given in the sacred books of Ezra and Nehemiah.

CHAPTER X.

THE STORY OF PANTHEA.

Xenophon's romantic tales.--Panthea a Susian captive.--Valuable
spoil.--Its division.--Share of Cyrus.--Panthea given to
Cyrus.--Araspes.--Abradates.--Account of Panthea's capture.--Her
great loveliness.--Attempts at consolation.--Panthea's renewed
grief.--Cyrus declines to see Panthea.--His reasons.--Araspes's
self-confidence.--Panthea's patience and gentleness.--Araspes's
kindness to Panthea.--His emotions master him.--Araspes in
love.--Progress of the army.--Araspes confesses his love.--Panthea
offended.--Panthea appeals to Cyrus.--Cyrus reproves Araspes.--Cyrus's
generosity.--Araspes's continued distress.--Plan of Cyrus.--Araspes
pretends to desert.--Panthea proposes to send for her husband.--Cyrus
consents.--Joyful meeting of Panthea and her husband.--The armed
chariots.--Abradates's eight-horse chariot.--Panthea's presents for
her husband.--Imposing spectacle.--Panthea's preparations.--Panthea
offers her presents.--Abradates's pleasure.--Abradates departs for
the field.--The farewell.--The order of battle.--Appearance of
Abradates.--The charge.--Terrible havoc made by the chariots.--The
great victory.--The council of war.--Abradates slain.--Panthea's
grief.--Cyrus's kindness to Panthea.--She is inconsolable.--Panthea
kills herself on the dead body of her husband.

In the preceding chapters of this work, we have followed mainly the
authority of Herodotus, except, indeed, in the account of the visit
of Cyrus to his grandfather in his childhood, which is taken from
Xenophon. We shall, in this chapter, relate the story of Panthea,
which is also one of Xenophon's tales. We give it as a specimen of
the romantic narratives in which Xenophon's history abounds, and on
account of the many illustrations of an ancient manners and customs
which it contains, leaving it for each reader to decide for himself
what weight he will attach to its claims to be regarded as veritable
history. We relate the story here in our own language, but as to the
facts, we follow faithfully the course of Xenophon's narration.

Panthea was a Susian captive. She was taken, together with a gre