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About the time of Cambyses' last sickness, the following events
happened. There was a certain Oroetes, a Persian, whom Cyrus had
made governor of Sardis. This man conceived a most unholy wish. He
had never suffered wrong or had an ill word from Polycrates the Samian
- nay, he had not so much as seen him in all his life; yet,
notwithstanding, he conceived the wish to seize him and put him to
death. This wish, according to the account which the most part give,
arose from what happened one day as he was sitting with another Persian
in the gate of the king's palace. The man's name was Mitrobates,
and he was ruler of the satrapy of Dascyleium. He and Oroetes had
been talking together, and from talking they fell to quarrelling and
comparing their merits; whereupon Mitrobates said to Oroetes
reproachfully, "Art thou worthy to be called a man, when, near as
Samos lies to thy government, and easy as it is to conquer, thou hast
omitted to bring it under the dominion of the king? Easy to conquer,
said I? Why, a mere common citizen, with the help of fifteen
men-at-arms, mastered the island, and is still king of it."
Oroetes, they say, took this reproach greatly to heart; but,
instead of seeking to revenge himself on the man by whom it was
uttered, he conceived the desire of destroying Polycrates, since it
was on Polycrates' account that the reproach had fallen on him.
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