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to himself a
complex of nationalities so vast that it would have taxed a man's
endurance merely to traverse his empire in any one direction, east or
west or south or north, from the palace which was its centre. For
ourselves, considering his title to our admiration proved, we set
ourselves to inquire what his parentage might have been and his natural
parts, and how he was trained and brought up to attain so high a pitch
of excellence in the government of men. And all we could learn from
others about him or felt we might infer for ourselves we will here
endeavour to set forth.
[C.2] The father of Cyrus, so runs the story, was Cambyses, a king of
the Persians, and one of the Perseidae, who look to Perseus as the
founder of their race. His mother, it is agreed, was Mandane, the
daughter of Astyages, king of the Medes. Of Cyrus himself, even now
in the songs and stories of the East the record lives that nature made
him most fair to look upon, and set in his heart the threefold love of
man, of knowledge, and of honour. He would endure all labours, he
would undergo all dangers, for the sake of glory. [2] Blest by nature
with such gifts of soul and body, his memory lives to this day in the
mindful heart of ages. It is true that he was brought up according to the
laws and customs of the Persians, and of these laws it must be noted
that while they aim, as laws elsewhere, at the common weal, their

guiding principle is far other than that which most nations follow. Most
states permit their citizens to bring up their own children at their own
discretion, and allow the grown men to regulate their own lives at their
own will, and then they lay down certain prohibitions, for example, not
to pick and steal, not to break into another man's house, not to strike a
man unjustly, not to commit adultery, not to disobey the magistrate,
and so forth; and on the transgressor they impose a penalty. [3] But the
Persian laws try, as it were, to steal a march on time, to make their
citizens from the beginning incapable of setting their hearts on any
wickedness or shameful conduct whatsoever. And this is how they set
about their object.
In their cities they have an open place or square dedicated to Freedom
(Free Square they call it), where stand the palace and other public
buildings. From this place all goods for sale are rigidly excluded, and
all hawkers and hucksters with their yells and cries and vulgarities.
They must go elsewhere, so that their clamour may not mingle with and
mar the grace and orderliness of the educated classes. [4] This square,
where the public buildings stand, is divided into four quarters which are
assigned as follows: one for the boys, another for the youths, a third for
the grown men, and the last for those who are past the age of military
service. The law requires all the citizens to present themselves at
certain times and seasons in their appointed places. The lads and the
grown men must be there at daybreak; the elders may, as a rule, choose
their own time, except on certain fixed days, when they too are
expected to present themselves like the rest. Moreover, the young men
are bound to sleep at night round the public buildings, with their arms
at their side; only the married men among them are exempt, and need
not be on duty at night unless notice has been given, though even in
their case frequent absence is thought unseemly. [5] Over each of these
divisions are placed twelve governors, twelve being the number of the
Persian tribes. The governors of the boys are chosen from the elders,
and those are appointed who are thought best fitted to make the best of
their lads: the governors of the youths are selected from the grown men,
and on the same principle; and for the grown men themselves and their
own governors; the choice falls on those who will, it is hoped, make
them most prompt to carry out their appointed duties, and fulfil the
commands imposed by the supreme authority. Finally, the elders

themselves have presidents of their own, chosen to see that they too
perform their duty to the full.
[6] We will now describe the services demanded from the different
classes, and thus it will appear how the Persians endeavour to improve
their citizens. The boys go to school and give their time to learning
justice and righteousness: they will tell you they come for that purpose,
and the phrase is as natural with them as it is for us to speak