3
PIRE.]
CHAPTER I.
CAMBYSES.
B.C. 530-524
Cyrus the Great.--His extended conquests.--Cambyses and Smerdis.--Hystaspes and Darius.--Dream of Cyrus.--His anxiety and fears.--Accession of Cambyses.--War with Egypt.--Origin of the war with Egypt.--Ophthalmia.--The Egyptian physician.--His plan of revenge.--Demand of Cyrus.--Stratagem of the King of Egypt.--Resentment of Cassandane.--Threats of Cambyses.--Future conquests.--Temperament and character of Cambyses.--Impetuosity of Cambyses.--Preparations for the Egyptian war.--Desertion of Phanes.--His narrow escape.--Information given by Phanes.--Treaty with the Arabian king.--Plan for providing water.--Account of Herodotus.--A great battle.--Defeat of the Egyptians.--Inhuman conduct of Cambyses.--His treatment of Psammenitus.--The train of captive maidens.--The young men.--Scenes of distress and suffering.--Composure of Psammenitus.--Feelings of the father.--His explanation of them.--Cambyses relents.--His treatment of the body of Amasis.--Cambyses's desecrations.--The sacred bull Apis.--Cambyses stabs the sacred bull.--His mad expeditions.--The sand storm.--Cambyses a wine-bibber.--Brutal act of Cambyses.--He is deemed insane.
About five or six hundred years before Christ, almost the whole of the interior of Asia was united in one vast empire. The founder of this empire was Cyrus the Great. He was originally a Persian; and the whole empire is often called the Persian monarchy, taking its name from its founder's native land.
Cyrus was not contented with having annexed to his dominion all the civilized states of Asia. In the latter part of his life, he conceived the idea that there might possibly be some additional glory and power to be acquired in subduing certain half-savage regions in the north, beyond the Araxes. He accordingly raised an army, and set off on an expedition for this purpose, against a country which was governed by a barbar