AS touching the name of Cyrus, Strabo sayth, That the same was taken from a Riuer which watereth Persia; this great Prince hauing Agradatus for his proper name. But the great Cyrus was not the first of that name. Herodotus otherwise; and that Cyrus signifieth* 1.1 a father in the Persian Tongue, and therefore so in∣tituled by the people.
It is true that for his Iustice and other excellent vertues he was indeed called a Father; but that the name of Cyrus had any such signification, I thinke it [unspec 20] be mistaken.
Plutarch hath a third opinion, affirming, That Cyrus is as much to say as the* 1.2 Sunne, in the same Language. Howsoeuer it be, yet the Prophet Esay, almost two hundred yeeres before Cyrus was borne, giues him that name, Thus saith the Lord vnto CYRVS his 〈◊〉〈◊〉, &c.
Before the Conquest of Babylon, the victories which Cyrus obtained were many and great: among which, the Conquest of Lydia, and other Prouinces thereto sub∣iect, together with the taking of Croesus himselfe, are not recounted by Eusebius, Orosius, and others, but placed among his latter atchiuements, whose opinion for this difference of time is founded vpon two reasons; namely, That of the Median [unspec 30] there is no mention in that last warre against Croesus: and that the obtaining of Sardis is referred to the eight and fiftieth Olympiad, and the glorious victory which Cyrus had ouer Babylon, to the fiue and fiftieth Olympiad.
The former of which might haue beene vsed (and was by the Greekes) to ex∣clude the Medes from the honour of hauing wonne Babylon it selfe, which in due place I haue answered. The latter seemes to haue reference to the second Warre which Cyrus made vpon Lydia, when it rebelled; at which time hee so established his former Conquest, as after that time these Nations neuer offered to reuolt. Wherefore I like better in this particular to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉〈◊〉, whome the most of Chronologers follow, and finde the enterprise of Sardis to praecede that [unspec 40] of Babylon.