The history of the world

§. VI. The end of CYRVS. [unspec 20]

THe last warre, and the end of this great King Cyrus, is diuersly written. Herodotus and Iustine deliuer, That after the Conquest of Asia the lesse Cyrus inuaded the Massagetes, a very warlike Nation of the Scythians, gouerned by Tomyris their Queene: and that in an incounter be∣tweene the Persians and these Northerne Nomades, Tomyris lost 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Armie, and her Sonne Spargapises, that commanded it: In reuenge whereof, this Queene making new leuies of men of warre, and following the warre against Cy∣rus, in a second battaile beat the Persian armie, and taking Cyrus prisoner, cut off his head from his body, and cast the same into a boule of bloud, vsing these wordes; Thou that hast all thy life time thirsted for bloud, now drinke thy fill, and sati∣ate [unspec 30] thy selfe.

It should hereby seeme, that Cyrus knowing the strength and multitude of those frozen Nations, was perswaded to abate their furie by some forcible inuasion and depopulation, because in the time of Syaxares, father to Astyages, those Scythians inuaded Media and Asia the lesse, and held the same in a seruile subiection eight and twentie yeeres.

This warre which Metasthenes calleth Tomyrique, lasted (saith he) sixe yeeres, and tooke end at the death of Cyrus.

But in this particular I 〈◊〉〈◊〉 with Viginer, that this Scythian warre was rather the same which Cyrus made against the Sacians, before the Conquest of Lydia, ac∣cording [unspec 40] to Ctesias before cited, who calleth Tomyris, Sparetha, though he deliuer the* 1.1 successe of that warre otherwise then Herodotus doth: The rather (saith Viginer) because Strabo in his eleuenth booke reciteth, That Cyrus surprised the Sacians by the same stratageme by which Iustine saith, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 defeated the sonne of Tomyris. And the same Ctesias also reporteth, That the last warre which Cyrus made was a∣gainst* 1.2 〈◊〉〈◊〉, King of the Derbicians a Nation (as the rest) of 〈◊〉〈◊〉; whom though he ouercame, yet he then receiued the wound of his death, which he suffe∣red three dayes after.

Strabo also affirmeth, That he was buried in his owne Citie of Pasagardes, which* 1.3 himselfe had built, and where his Epitaph was to be read in his time; which is [unspec 50] said to haue beene this: O vir quicunque es, & 〈◊〉〈◊〉 advenis, neque enim te ad∣venturum ignor aui: Ego sum CYRVS qui 〈◊〉〈◊〉 imperium constitui, pusillum 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 quo meum 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 mihine inuideas; O thou man, whosoeuer thou art, or whencesoeuer

thou commest; for I was not ignorant that thou shouldest come: I am CYRVS that foun∣ded the Persian Empire, doe not enuie vnto me this little earth, with which my bodie is co∣uered.

This Tombe was opened by Alexander, as Qu. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 reporteth, either vpon* 1.4 hope of treasure, supposed to haue beene buried with him, or vpon desire to ho∣nour his dead body with certaine ceremonies; in which there was found an olde rotten Target, two Scythian Bowes, and a Sword. The Coffin wherein his bodie lay, Alexander caused to be couered with his owne garment, and a Crowne of gold to be set vpon it. These things well considered, as they giue credit to the reports of Xenophon and Zonaras, so they derogate much from Herodotus, who leaues his bodie* 1.5 [unspec 10] in the hands of Tomyris.* 1.6

And surely, had Cyrus lost the Armie of Persia in Scythia, it is not likely, that his sonne would so soone haue transported all his remaining forces into Aegypt, so far off from that quarter: the Scythian Nation then victorious, and bordering Media; neither had Cambyses beene able in such haste to haue vndertaken and performed so great a Conquest. Wherefore I rather beleeue Xenophon, saying, That Cyrus died aged and in peace: and that finding in himselfe, that hee could not long en∣ioy the world, hee called vnto him his Nobilitie, with his two sonnes, Cambyses and Smerdis; or after Xenophon, Tanaoxares: and after a long Oration, wherein he assured himselfe, and taught others, of the immortalitie of the Soule, and of [unspec 20] the punishments and rewards following the good and ill deseruing of euery man in this life; he exhorted his sonnes by the strongest arguments hee had, to a per∣petuall concord and agreement. Many other things hee vttered, which make it probable, that hee receiued the knowledge of the true God from Daniel, when hee gouerned Susa in Persia; and that Cyrus himselfe had read the prophecie of E∣say, wherein hee was expressely named, and by God (for the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of his peo∣ple) praeordained. Which act of deliuering the Iewes from their 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and of restoring the holy Temple and Citie of Hierusalem, was in true consideration the noblest worke that euer Cyrus performed. For in other actions he was an instrument of Gods power, vsed for the chastising of many Nations, and the establishing of a [unspec 30] Gouernement in those parts of the world, which was not long to continue. But herein he had the grace to be an instrument of Gods goodnesse, and a willing ad∣uancer of his Kingdome vpon earth; which must last for euer, though heauen and earth shall perish.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Vig. prim. part. Bib.
• * 1.2

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. l. 15. hist. part.
• * 1.3

  Strab. l. 15.
• * 1.4

  Q. Curt. l.
• * 1.5

  Xen. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 8.
• * 1.6

  Zon. l. 1. c. 20.