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Updated: May 27, 2025
One of these princesses was Atossa. Cambyses invaded Egypt, and in the course of his mad career in that country he killed his brother Smerdis and one of his sisters, and at length was killed himself. Atossa escaped the dangers of this stormy and terrible reign, and returned safely to Susa after Cambyses's death.
One was Atossa, whom we have already mentioned as having been married to Cambyses, her brother, and as having been afterward taken by Smerdis the magian as one of his wives. These princesses, though of royal lineage, seem neither of them to have been disposed to assert any claims to the throne at such a crisis.
These, and a constant succession of similar acts of atrocious and reckless cruelty and folly, led the world to say that Cambyses was insane. Cambyses's profligate conduct. He marries his own sisters. Consultation of the Persian judges. Their opinion. Smerdis. Jealousy of Cambyses. The two magi. Cambyses suspicious. He plans an invasion of Ethiopia. Island of Elephantine. The Icthyophagi.
These revelations of a leaning towards a creed diverse from that of the Achaemenian princes, combined with the system of seclusion adopted in the palace a system not limited to the seraglio, but extending also to the person of the monarch, who neither quitted the palace precincts himself, nor allowed any of the Persian nobles to enter them must have turned the suspicions previously existing into a general belief and conviction that the monarch seated on the throne was not Smerdis the son of Cyrus, but an impostor.
Just at that moment voices were heard calling Alexander from a neglected spot behind the dainty little house built for the children, and the boy exclaimed peevishly: "There, now, I showed you the little nest, so I forgot. Agatha fell asleep and Smerdis went away, so we were alone. Then they sent me to Horus, the gate-keeper, to get some of his spelt bread.
On the one hand, the impostor had to guard against acting in any way which would throw suspicion on his being really Smerdis, the son of Cyrus. On the other, he had to satisfy the Magian priests, to whom he was well known, and on whom he mainly depended for support, if his imposture should be detected.
There is no mistake possible, as in the case of that pretended mandarin, Yen-Lou, which I shall never forget but then, it was in the country of the false Smerdis and that must be my excuse.
Darius obeyed, and fortunately only hit the Magian. Thus died Oropastes, the high-priest, and his brother Gaumata, better known under the name of the "pseudo" or "pretended Smerdis."
I omit what his Majesty might do in the way of taking vengeance; sufficient that if aught unfortunate befalls me, or Hiram, or this my slave Smerdis, while we are in Athens, a letter comes to your noble chief Themistocles from the banker Pittacus of Argos.” Democrates, who had risen to his feet, had been flushed before. He became pale now. The hand that clutched the purple tapestry was trembling.
Effect of Cambyses's measures. Opinion in regard to Smerdis. Acquiescence of the people. Dangerous situation of Smerdis. Arrangement with Patizithes. Smerdis lives in retirement. Special grounds of apprehension. Cambyses's wives. Smerdis appropriates them. Phædyma. Measures of Otanes. Otanes's communications with his daughter. Her replies. Phædyma discovers the deception.
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