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THE EXPEDITION OF THE GREEKS UNDER CYRUS, AND RETREAT OF THE TEN THOUSAND.

§ 1. Causes of the Expedition. § 2. Cyrus engages an army of Greek mercenaries. Their character. § 3. March to Tarsus. § 4. Discontent of the Greeks. March to Myriandrus. § 5. Passage of the Euphrates, and march through the desert. § 6. Battle of Cunaxa, and death of Cyrus. § 7. Dismay of the Greeks. Preparations for retreat. §8. Retreat of the army to the Greater Zab. Seizure of the generals. 9. Election of Xenophon and others as generals. § 10. March from the Zab to the confines of the Carduchi. March across the mountains of the Carduchi. § 11. Progress through Armenia. § 12. March through the country of the Taochi, Chalybes, Scythini, Macrones, and Colchi to Trapezus on the Euxine. § 13. March along the coast of the Euxine to Chrysopolis. Passage to Byzantium. § 14. Proceed

ings at Byzantium. § 15. The Greeks enter the service of Seuthes. § 16. Are engaged by the Lacedæmonians. Last exploits of the army, and retirement of Xenophon.

§ 1. THE intervention of Cyrus in the affairs of Greece, related in the preceding book, led to a remarkable episode in Grecian history, which strongly illustrates the contrast between the Greeks and Asiatics. This was the celebrated expedition of Cyrus against his brother Artaxerxes, in which the superiority of Grecian to Asiatic soldiers was so strikingly shown. It was the first symptom of the repulsion of the tide of conquest, which had in former times flowed from east to west, and the harbinger of those future victorious expeditions into Asia which were to be conducted by Agesilaus and Alexander the Great.

It has been already mentioned, in the account of the death of Alcibiades, that Cyrus was forming designs against the throne of his brother Artaxerxes. The death of their father, Darius Nothus, took place about the beginning of the year B.C. 404, shortly before the battle of Egospotami. Cyrus, who was present at his father's death, was charged by Tissaphernes with plotting against the new monarch. The accusation was believed by Artaxerxes, who seized his brother, and would have put him to death, but for the intercession of their mother, Parysatis, who persuaded him not only to spare Cyrus, but to confirm him in his former government. Cyrus returned to Sardis, burning with revenge, and fully resolved to make an effort to dethrone his brother.

§ 2. From his intercourse with the Greeks Cyrus had become aware of their superiority to the Asiatics, and of their usefelness in such an enterprise as he now contemplated. The peace which followed the capture of Athens seemed favourable to his projects. Many Greeks, bred up in the practice of war during the long struggle between that city and Sparta, were now deprived of their employment, whilst many more had been driven into exile by the establishment of the Spartan oligarchies in the various conquered cities. Under the pretence of a private war with the satrap Tissaphernes, Cyrus enlisted large numbers of them in his service. The Greek, in whom he placed most confidence, and who collected for him the largest number of mercenaries, was Clearchus, a Lacedæmonian, and formerly harmost of Byzantium, who had been condemned to death by the Spartan authorities for disobedience to their orders.

It was not, however, till the beginning of the year B.C. 401, that the enterprise of Cyrus was ripe for execution. The Greek levies were then withdrawn from the various towns in which they were distributed, and concentrated in Sardis to the number

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of 7700 hoplites, and 500 light-armed troops; and in March or April of this year Cyrus marched from Sardis with them, and with an army of 100,000 Asiatics. The object of the expedition was proclaimed to be an attack upon the mountain-freebooters of Pisidia; its real destination was a secret to every one except Cyrus himself and Clearchus.

The Greeks who took part in this expedition were not mere adventurers and outcasts; many of them had some position in their own cities, and several were even opulent. Yet the hope of gain, founded on the riches of Persia, and on the known liberality of Cyrus, was the motive which allured them. Among them was Xenophon, an Athenian knight, to whom we owe a narrative of the expedition. He went as a volunteer, at the invitation of his friend Proxenus, a Boeotian, and one of the generals of Cyrus.

§ 3. The march of Cyrus was directed through Lydia and Phrygia. After passing Colossæ he arrived at Celænæ, where he halted thirty days to await the arrival of Clearchus with the reserves and reinforcements. The grand total of the Greeks, when reviewed here by Cyrus, amounted to 11,000 hoplites and 2000 peltasts. The line of march, which had been hitherto straight npon Pisidia, was now directed northwards. Cyrus passed in succession the Phrygian towns of Pelta, Ceramon Agora, the Plain of Cayster, Thymbrium, and Tyriæum. At the last of these places he was met by Epyaxa, wife of Syennesis the hereditary prince of Cilicia. Epyaxa supplied him with money enough to furnish four months' pay to the Greeks, who had previously been murmuring at the irregularity with which they received their stipend. A review was then held, in which the Greeks, in their best array, and with newly-furbished shields and armour, went through their evolutions, and executed a mock charge with such effect that Epyaxa jumped out of her palanquin and fled in affright, followed by a great part of the Asiatics. Cyrus was delighted at seeing the terror which the Greeks inspired.

From Tyriæum Cyrus marched to Iconium (now Konieh), the last city in Phrygia, and from thence through Lycaonia to Dana, south of which lay the pass across Mount Taurus into Cilicia. This pass, called the Gates of Taurus, or the Cilician Gates, was occupied by Syennesis. But the resistance of that prince, who was a vassal of the Persian crown, was in fact a mere feint. He had already, as we have seen, supplied Cyrus with money through his wife; and he now abandoned his impregnable position, and retired first to Tarsus, and thence to an inaccessible fortress in the mountains. But, when Cyrus arrived at Tarsus, Syennesis, at the first invitation of his wife, repaired thither, and furnished

the young prince with a supply of money and a contingent of troops for his expedition.

§4. Pisidia had now been passed, and the Greeks plainly saw that they had been deceived, and that the expedition was designed against the Persian king. Seized with alarm at the prospect of so long a march, they declared their resolution to proceed no farther. But they had already advanced so far that to retreat seemed as difficult and dangerous as to advance; and, after considerable hesitation and delay, they sent a deputation to Cyrus to ask him what his real intentions were. Cyrus replied that his design was to march against his enemy, Abrocomas, satrap of Syria, who was encamped on the banks of the Euphrates. The Greeks, though they still suspected a delusion, contented themselves with this answer in the face of their present difficulties, especially as Cyrus promised to raise their pay from one Daric to one Daric and a half a month. The whole army then marched forwards to Issus, the last town in Cilicia, seated on the gulf of the same name. Here they met the fleet, which brought them a reinforcement of 1100 Greek soldiers, thus raising the Grecian force to about 14,000 men.

Abrocomas, who commanded for the Great King in Syria and Phoenicia, alarmed at the rapid progress of Cyrus, fled before him with all his army, reported as 300,000 strong; abandoning the impregnable pass situated one day's march from Issus, and known as the Gates of Cilicia and Syria. This pass was a narrow road, nearly half a mile in length, lying between the sea and Mount Amanus, and enclosed at either end by gates. Marching in safety through this pass, the army next reached Myriandrus, a sea-port of Phoenicia, where the Grecian generals Xenias and Pasion deserted, and hired a merchant-vessel to convey them home. Cyrus might easily have captured them with his triremes, but declined to do so;-conduct which won for him the confidence and love of the army.

5. Cyrus now struck off into the interior, over Mount Amanus. Twelve days' march brought him to Thapsacus on the Euphrates, where for the first time he formally notified to the army that he was marching to Babylon against his brother Artaxerxes. At this intelligence loud murmurs again broke forth from the Grecian ranks, and accusations against the generals of having deceived them. The discontent, however, was by no means so violent as that which had been manifested at Tarsus. The real object of the march had evidently been suspected beforehand by the soldiers, and the promise of a large donative soon induced them to proceed. The water happened to be very low, scarcely reaching to the breast; and Abrocomas made no

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