Thalia   

Polycrates fulfilled; for Polycrates, as he hung upon the cross, and
rain fell on him, was washed by Jupiter; and he was anointed by the
sun, when his own moisture overspread his body. And so the vast good
fortune of Polycrates came at last to the end which Amasis the
Egyptian king had prophesied in days gone by.
It was not long before retribution for the murder of Polycrates
overtook Oroetes. After the death of Cambyses, and during all the time
that the Magus sat upon the throne, Oroetes remained in Sardis, and
brought no help to the Persians, whom the Medes had robbed of the
sovereignty. On the contrary, amid the troubles of this season, he
slew Mitrobates, the satrap of Dascyleium, who had cast the reproach
upon him in the matter of Polycrates; and he slew also Mitrobates's
son, Cranaspes- both men of high repute among the Persians. He was
likewise guilty of many other acts of insolence; among the rest, of
the following:- there was a courier sent to him by Darius whose
message was not to his mind- Oroetes had him waylaid and murdered on
his road back to the king; the man and his horse both disappeared, and
no traces were left of either.
Darius therefore was no sooner settled upon the throne than he
longed to take vengeance upon Oroetes for all his misdoings, and
especially for the murder of Mitrobates and his son. To send an
armed force openly against him, however, he did not think advisable,
as the whole kingdom was still unsettled, and he too was but lately
come to the throne, while Oroetes, as he understood, had a great
power. In truth a thousand Persians attended on him as a bodyguard,
and he held the satrapies of Phrygia, Lydia, and Ionia. Darius
therefore proceeded by artifice. He called together a meeting of all
the chief of the Persians, and thus addressed them:- "Who among you, O
Persians, will undertake to accomplish me a matter by skill without
force or tumult? Force is misplaced where the work wants skilful
management. Who, then, will undertake to bring me Oroetes alive, or
else to kill him? He never did the Persians any good in his life,
and he has wrought us abundant injury. Two of our number, Mitrobates
and his son, he has slain; and when messengers go to recall him,
even though they have their mandate from me, with an insolence which
is not to be endured, he puts them to death. We must kill this man,
therefore, before he does the Persians any greater hurt."
Thus spoke Darius; and straightway thirty of those present came
forward and offered themselves for the work. As they strove
together, Darius interfered, and bade them have recourse to the lot.
Accordingly lots were cast, and the task fell to Bagaeus, son of
Artontes. Then Bagaeus caused many letters to be written on divers
matters, and sealed them all with the king's signet; after which he
took the letters with him, and departed for Sardis. On his arrival
he was shown into the presence of Oroetes, when he uncovered the
letters one by one, and giving them to the king's secretary- every
satrap has with him a king's secretary- commanded him to read their
contents. Herein his design was to try the fidelity of the
bodyguard, and to see if they would be likely to fall away from
Oroetes. When therefore he saw that they showed the letters all due
respect, and even more highly reverenced their contents, he gave the
secretary a paper in which was written, "Persians, king Darius forbids
you to guard Oroetes." The soldiers at these words laid aside their
spears. So Bagaeus, finding that they obeyed this mandate, took
courage, and gave into the secretary's hands the last letter,
wherein it was written, "King Darius commands the Persians who are
in Sardis to kill Oroetes." Then the guards drew their swords and slew
him upon the spot. Thus did retribution for the murder of Polycrates
the Samian overtake Oroetes the Persian.
Soon after the treasures of Oroetes had been conveyed to Sardis it
happened that king Darius, as he leaped from his horse during the
chase, sprained his foot. The sprain was one of no common severity,
for the ankle-bone was forced quite out of the socket. Now Darius
already had at his court certain Egyptians whom he reckoned the