Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.5, 1865).djvu/444

 436 ARTAXERXES. glorious, and your scymetar of invaluable worth; how happy has he made you, the object of every eye ! " To whom he, being a little ovei'come with the wine, I'eplied, " What are these things, Sparamizes ? Sure I am, I showed myself to the king in that day of trial to be one deserving greater and costlier gifts than these." At which Sparamizes smiling, said, " I do not grudge them to you, Mithridates; but since the Grecians tell us that wine and truth go together, let me hear now, my friend, what glorious or mighty matter was it to find some trappings that had slipped off a horse, and to bring them to the king?" And this he spoke, not as ignorant of the truth, but desiring to unbosom him to the com- pany, irritating the vanity of the man, whom drink had now made eager to talk and incapable of controlling himself. So he foi'bore nothing, but said out, " Talk you what you please of horse-trajapings, and sucfli trifles ; I tell you plainly, that this hand was the death of Cyrus. For I threw not my dart as Artagerses did, in vain and to no purpose, but only just missing his eye, and hitting him right on the temple, and piercing him through, I brought him to the ground ; and of that wound he died." The rest of the company, who saw the end and the hapless fate of Mithridates as if it were already completed, bowed their heads to the ground ; and he who entertained them said, " Mithridates, my friend, let us eat and drink now, revering the fortune of our prince, and let us waive discourse which is too weighty for us." Presently after, Sparamizes told Parysatis what he said, and she told the king, who was greatly enraged at it, as having the lie given him, and being in danger to forfeit the most glorious and most pleasant circumstance of his victory. For it was his desire that every one, whether Greek or barbarian, should believe that in the