658 PER 
the two detached bodies of the Lydian forces were fuffi- 
ciently extended, Crcefus gave the fignal to the main 
body, which marched up to the front of the Perfian army, 
while the two wings attacked them in flank; fo that 
Cyrus’s army was hemmed in on all iides, and, as Xeno¬ 
phon exprelfes it, was inclofed like a fmall fquare drawn 
within a great one. This motion, however, did not at 
all alarm the Perfian commander; but, giving his troops 
the fignal to face about, he attacked in flank thofe forces 
that were going to fall upon his rear fo vigoroufly, that 
he put them into great diforder. At the fame time a 
fquadron of camels was made to advance againft the 
enemy’s other wing, which confifted moftly of cavalry. 
The horfes were fo frightened at the approach of thife 
animals, that mod of them threw their riders, and trod 
them under foot; which occafioned great confufion. 
Then Artagefes, an officer of great valour and experience, 
at the head of a fmall body of horfe, charged themfo brifk- 
ly, that they could never afterwards rally; and at the fame 
time the chariots, armed with fcythes, being driven in 
among them, they were entirely routed. Both the enemy’s 
wings being thus put to flight, Cyrus commanded his 
chief favourite Abradates to fall upon the centre with the 
large chariots above mentioned. The firlt ranks, confut¬ 
ing moftly of Lydians, not being able to ftand fo violent 
a charge, immediately gave way ; but the Egyptians, 
being covered with their bucklers, and marching fo clofe 
that the chariots had not room to penetrate their ranks, 
a great daughter of the Perfians enfued. Abradates him- 
felf was killed, his chariot overturned, and the greateft 
part of his men were cut in pieces. Upon his death, the 
Egyptians, advancing boldly, obliged the Perfian infantry 
to give way, and drove them back quite to their engines. 
There they met with a new fhower of darts and javelins 
from their machines; and, at the fame time the Perfian 
rear, advancing fword in hand, obliged theirfpearmen and 
archers to return to the charge. In the mean time 
Cyrus, having put to flight both the horfe and foot on 
the left of the Egyptians, pulhed on to the centre, where 
he had the misfortune to find his Perfians again giving 
ground ; and judging that the only way to Hop the 
Egyptians, who were purfuing them, would be to attack 
them in the rear, he did fo; and at the fame time the 
Perfian cavalry coming up to his afliftance, the fight was 
renewed' with great daughter on both fides. Cyrus him- 
felf was in great danger ; for, his horfe being killed under 
him, he fell among the midft of his enemies : but the 
Perfians, alarmed at the danger of their general, threw 
themfelves headlong on their opponents, refcued him, 
and made a terrible (laughter; till at laft Cyrus, admiring 
the valour of the Egyptians, offered them honourable 
conditions ; letting them know, at the fame time, that all 
their allies had abandoned them. They accepted the 
terms offered them; and, having agreed with Cyrus that 
they (hould not be obliged to carry arms againft Crcefus, 
they engaged in the fervice of the conqueror, and conti¬ 
nued faithful to him ever after. 
The next morning Cyrus advanced towards Sardis, and 
Croefus marched out to oppofe him at the head of the 
Lydians only; for his allies had all abandoned him.. 
Their ftrength confifted moftly in cavalry ; which Cyrus 
being well apprized of, he ordered his camels to advance; 
by whom the horfes were fo frightened, that they became 
quite ungovernable. However, the Lydians difmounted, 
and for fome time made a vigorous refiftance on foot; 
but were at laft driven into the city, which was taken two 
days after: and thus the Lydian empire was totally de- 
liroyed. See the article Lydia, vol. xiii. 
After the conquelt of Sardis, Cyrus turned his arms 
againft Babylon itfelf, which he reduced in the manner 
related under that article. Having fettled the civil go¬ 
vernment of the conquered kingdoms, Cyrus took a re¬ 
view of all his forces,' which he found to confift of 
600,000 foot, 120,000 horfe, and 2000 chariots armed with 
fcythes. With thefe he extended his dominion all over 
S I A. 
the nations to.the confines of Ethiopia, and to the Red 
Sea; after which he continued to reign peaceably over 
his vaft empire till his death, which happened about 529 
before Chrift. 
The oppofite accounts given by Herodotus and Xeno¬ 
phon of the death of Cyrus, (as noticed under his article, 
vol. v. p. 549.) has generally been regarded as one of the 
moft extraordinary difcrepancies to be met with in hif- 
tory ; it has been urged as a proof of the flender credit 
due to the celebrated Writers of antiquity; and it feems, 
indeed, to (hake the very foundation of hiftoric teftimony. 
Herodotus, as is well known, reprefents that great con¬ 
queror as defeated and (lain in an invafion of the country 
of the Maflagetas, a warlike nation of Scythia, bordering 
on the Perfian empire; while Xenophon affirms, that he 
died peaceably in his palace in Perfia, furrounded by his 
family and friends. This is the account almoft univerfally 
preferred by modern writers. Bofluet thought it better, 
as he fays, “ to follow' Xenophon, with St. Jerome, than 
Ctefias, a fabulous author, or even Herodotus himfelf, 
as more coherent and conformable to Scripture.” Dean 
Prideaux aflerts,and M. Rollin repeats, “that the account 
of Xenophon is much the more probable, it being by no 
means likely that fo wife a man as Cyrus, and fo advanced 
in years, fliould engage in fo ra(h an undertaking.” 
(Conneftion, vol. i. p. 210.) The authors of the Uni- 
verfal Hiftory concur in this fentiment; and Mitford, in 
his elaborate Hiftory of Greece, “doubts whether the 
ftrange ftory told by Herodotus was even heard of in 
Greece fo late as the age of JEfchylus ;” quoting, in con¬ 
firmation of this opinion, a paflage from “The Perfians,” 
of that tragedian, and put by him into the mouth of the 
ghoft of Darius: 
-“Cyrus next, by Fortune graced, 
Adorn’d the throne, and blefs’d his grateful friends 
With peace. He to his mighty monarchy 
Join’d Lydia and the Phrygians. To his power 
Ionia bent reluftant. But the gods 
With victory his gentle virtues crowm’d. Potter. 
This paflage, Mr. M. flatters himfelf, “ though unnoticed 
by modern writers,adds confiderable weight to Xenophon’s 
more probable account.” 
On the other hand, the learned Freret declares “ the 
conformity of Xenophon to Scripture to be wholly ima¬ 
ginary ;” adding, what is equally true, though lefs ob¬ 
vious, “ that the Anabafis is at variance with the Cyro- 
ptedia; confirming the relation of Herodotus and Ctefias, 
as to the conqueft of Media by the Perfians.” The Cy- 
ropaedia of Xenophon, fays the Abbe Millot, “ is evidently 
the work of a philofopher, rather than an hiftorian ; a 
fort of moral and political romance.” (Elem. vol. i. p. 
no.) Voltaire compares it to the Telemaque of Fenelon; 
but, being confefledly blended with truth, it bears a 
nearer refemblance to the Belifarius of Marmontel. 
“Cyrus ille a Xenophonte, (fays Cicero,) non ad hiftorias 
(idem feriptus, fed ad effigiem jufti Imperii.” 
Beloe, the tranflator of Herodotus, upon whom it 
feemed peculiarly incumbent to vindicate the credit of his 
author, has contented himfelf with tranferibing on this 
fubjeft a fliort and futile note from his French predecef- 
for, Larcher, merely dating the difference between Hero¬ 
dotus and Xenophon; adding, “ that Strabo inclines to 
the opinion of the latter, but till the paflage is produced 
this may be doubted.” (Beloe’s Herod, vol. i. p.285.) 
Dr. Gill ies, the rival and liberal hiftorian of Greece, en¬ 
tirely diflents, however, on this point, from Mitford, Bof- 
fuet, and St. Jerome ; and has the courage to declare 
“ that the plain relation cf fafts by Herodotus, is to be 
preferred to the moral embellifhments of Xenophon;”(vol. 
i. p. 313.) In fadf, the queftion will fcarcely endure a 
ferious difeuflion. Herodotus, who was occafionally de¬ 
ceived in his remote and recondite refearches, but who 
never meant to deceive, and whofe teftimony is equal to 
that of any hiftorian, where his means of information 
were 
