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Well, grandfather, said he, bid Sacas give me the cup, that I also may deftly pour for you to drink and thus win your favour, if I can. And he bade him give it. And Cyrus took the cup and rinsed it out well, exactly as he had often seen Sacas do, and then he brought and presented the goblet to his grandfather, assuming an expression somehow so grave and important, that he made his mother and Astyages laugh heartily. And Cyrus himself also with a laugh sprang up into his grandfather’s lap and kissing him said: Ah, Sacas, you are done for; I shall turn you out of your office; for in other ways, said he, I shall play the cupbearer better than you and besides I shall not drink up the wine myself. Now, it is a well known fact that the king’s cupbearers, when they proffer the cup, draw off some of it with the ladle, pour it into their left hand, and swallow it down—so that, if they should put poison in, they may not profit by it.

Thereupon Astyages said in jest: And why,[*](Cyrus’s temperance lecture) pray, Cyrus, did you imitate Sacas in everything else but did not sip any of the wine?Because, by Zeus, said he, I was afraid that poison had been mixed in the bowl. And I had reason to be afraid; for when you entertained your friends on your birthday, I discovered beyond a doubt that he had poured poison into your company’s drink. And how, pray, said he, did you discover that, my son? Because, by Zeus, said he, I saw that you were unsteady both in mind and in body. For in the first place you yourselves kept doing what you never allow us boys to do; for instance, you kept shouting, all at the same time, and none of you heard anything that the others were saying; and you fell to singing, and in a most ridiculous manner at that, and though you did not hear the singer, you swore that he sang most excellently; and though each one of you kept telling stories of his own strength, yet if you stood up to dance, to say nothing of dancing in time, why, you could not even stand up straight. And all of you quite forgot—you, that you were king; and the rest, that you were their sovereign. It was then that I also for my part discovered, and for the first time, that what you were practising was your boasted equal freedom of speech; at any rate, never were any of you silent.

But, my boy, Astyages said, does not your father get drunk, when he drinks? No, by Zeus, said he. Well, how does he manage it? He just quenches his thirst and thus suffers no further harm; for he has, I trow, grandfather, no Sacas to pour wine for him. But why in the world, my son, said his mother,[*](His antipathy toward Sacas) are you so set against Sacas? Because, by Zeus, Cyrus replied, I don’t like him; for oftentimes, when I am eager to run in to see my grandfather, this miserable scoundrel keeps me out. But, he added, I beg of you, grandfather, allow me for just three days to rule over him. And how would you rule over him? said Astyages. I would stand at the door, Cyrus replied, just as he does, and then when he wished to come in to luncheon, I would say, You cannot interview the luncheon yet; for it is engaged with certain persons. And then when he came to dinner, I would say, It is at the bath. And if he were very eager to eat, I would say, It is with the ladies. And I would keep that up until I tormented him, just as he torments me by keeping me away from you.

Such amusement he furnished them at dinner; and during the day, if he saw that his grandfather or his uncle needed anything, it was difficult for any one else to get ahead of him in supplying the need; for Cyrus was most happy to do them any service that he could.

But when Mandane was making preparations[*](Mandane leaves Cyrus in Media) to go back to her husband, Astyages asked her to leave Cyrus behind. And she answered that she desired to do her father’s pleasure in everything, but she thought it hard to leave the boy behind against his will. Then Astyages said to Cyrus:

My boy, if you will stay with me, in the first place Sacas shall not control your admission to me, but it shall be in your power to come in to see me whenever you please, and I shall be the more obliged to you the oftener you come to me. And in the second place you shall use my horses and everything else you will; and when you go back home, you shall take with you any of them that you desire. And besides, at dinner you shall go whatever way you please to what seems to you to be temperance. And then, I present to you the animals that are now in the park and I will collect others of every description, and as soon as you learn to ride, you shall hunt and slay them with bow and spear, just as grown-up men do. I will also find some children to be your playfellows; and if you wish anything else, just mention it to me, and you shall not fail to receive it.