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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."
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