ad
dared to make sport of him--the All-powerful--forced to atone for her
crimes.

Then he said to himself: "Bartja must not stay here; fire and water
have more in common than we two--he always fortunate and happy, and I so
miserable. Some day or other his descendants will divide my treasures,
and wear my crown; but as yet I am king, and I will show that I am."

The thought of his proud, powerful position flashed through him like
lightning. He woke from his dreams into new life, flung his golden
goblet far into the hall, so that the wine flew round like rain, and
cried: "We have had enough of this idle talk and useless noise. Let us
hold a council of war, drunken as we are, and consider what answer we
ought to give the Massagetae. Hystaspes, you are the eldest, give us
your opinion first."

[Herod. I. 134. The Persians deliberated and resolved when they
were intoxicated, and when they were sober reconsidered their
determinations. Tacitus tells the same of the old Germans. Germ,
c. 22.]

Hystaspes, the father of Darius, was an old man. He answered: "It seems
to me, that the messengers of this wandering tribe have left us no
choice. We cannot go to war against desert wastes; but as our host is
already under arms and our swords have lain long in their scabbards, war
we must have. We only want a few good enemies, and I know no easier work
than to make them."

At these words the Persians broke into loud shouts of delight; but
Croesus only waited till the noise had ceased to say: "Hystaspes, you
and I are both old men; but you are a thorough Persian and fancy you can
only be happy in battle and bloodshed. You are now obliged to lean
for support on the staff, which used to be the badge of your rank as
commander, and yet you speak like a hot-blooded boy. I agree with you
that enemies are easy enough to find, but only fools go out to look for
them. The man who tries to make enemies is like a wretch who mutilates
his own body. If the enemies are there, let us go out to meet them like
wise men who wish to look misfortune boldly in the face; but let us
never try to begin an unjust war, hateful to the gods. We will wait
until wrong has been done us, and then go to victory or death, conscious
that we have right on our side."

The old man was interrupted by a low murmur of applause, drowned however
quickly by cries of "Hystaspes is right! let us look for an enemy!"

It was now the turn of the envoy Prexaspes to spe