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At this sight and these words Astyages, wishing to avenge the son of
Artembares for his father's sake, sent for the cowherd and his boy.
When they came together into his presence, fixing his eyes on Cyrus,
Astyages said, "Hast thou then, the son of so mean a fellow as
that, dared to behave thus rudely to the son of yonder noble, one of
the first in my court?" "My lord," replied the boy, "I only
treated him as he deserved. I was chosen king in play by the boys of
our village, because they thought me the best for it. He himself was
one of the boys who chose me. All the others did according to my
orders; but he refused, and made light of them, until at last he got
his due reward. If for this I deserve to suffer punishment, here I
am ready to submit to it."
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