A few minutes later the captives were led into the court, with ropes round their necks, and bridles in their mouths.

[This statement of Herodotus (III. 14.) is confirmed by the monuments, on which we often see representations of captives being led along with ropes round their necks.  What follows is taken entirely from the same passage in Herodotus.]

At the head of the train was the little prince Necho.  He stretched his hands out to his father, begging him to punish the bad foreigners who wanted to kill him.  At this sight the Egyptians wept in their exceeding great misery; but Psamtik’s eyes were dry.  He bowed his tearless face nearly to the earth, and waved his child a last farewell.

After a short interval, the captives taken in Sais entered.  Among them was Neithotep, the once powerful high-priest, clothed in rags and moving with difficulty by the help of a staff.  At the entrance-gate he raised his eyes and caught sight of his former pupil Darius.  Reckless of all the spectators around him, he went straight up to the young man, poured out the story of his need, besought his help, and ended by begging an alms.  Darius complied at once, and by so doing, induced others of the Achaemenidae, who were standing by, to hail the old man jokingly and throw him little pieces of money, which he picked up laboriously and thankfully from the ground.

At this sight Psamtik wept aloud, and smote upon his forehead, calling on the name of his friend in a voice full of woe.

Cambyses was so astonished at this, that he came forward to the balustrade of the veranda, and pushing the flowers aside, exclaimed:  “Explain thyself, thou strange man; the misfortunes of a beggar, not even akin to thee, move thy compassion, but thou canst behold thy son on the way to execution and thy daughters in hopeless misery without shedding a tear, or uttering a lament!”

Psamtik looked up at his conqueror, and answered:  “The misfortunes of my own house, O son of Cyrus, are too great for tears; but I may be permitted to weep over the afflictions of a friend, fallen, in his old age, from the height of happiness and influence into the most miserable beggary.”

Cambyses’ face expressed his approval, and on looking round he saw that his was not the only eye which was filled with tears.  Croesus, Bartja, and all the Persians-nay, even Phanes himself, who had served as interpreter to the kings-were weeping aloud.

The proud conqueror was not displeased at these signs of sympathy, and turning to the Athenian:  “I think, my Greek friend” he said, “we may consider our wrongs as avenged.  Rise, Psamtik, and endeavor to imitate yonder noble old man, (pointing to Croesus) by accustoming yourself to your fate.  Your father’s fraud has been visited on you and your family.  The crown, which I have wrested from you is the crown of which Amasis deprived my wife, my never-to-be-forgotten Nitetis.  For her sake I began this war, and for her sake I grant you now the life of your son—­she loved him.  From this time forward you can live undisturbed at our court, eat at our table and share the privileges of our nobles.  Gyges, fetch the boy hither.  He shall be brought up as you were, years ago, among the sons of the Achaemenidae.”