To these he gave grants of land and houses, still held by their descendants, Medes for the greater part, and Hyrcanians.

And to those who went home he gave many gifts and sent them away well content, both officers and men.

[29] After this he distributed among his own soldiers all the wealth he had taken at Sardis, choice gifts for the captains of ten thousand and for his own staff in proportion to their deserts, and the rest in equal shares, delivering to every captain one share with orders to divide it among their subordinates as he had divided the whole among them.

[30] Thereupon each officer gave to the officers directly under him, judging the worth of each, until it came to the captains of six, who considered the cases of the privates in their own squads, and gave each man what he deserved: and thus every soldier in the army received an equitable share.

[31] But after the distribution of it all there were some who said: "How rich Cyrus must be, to have given us all so much!" "Rich ?" cried others, "what do you mean?
Cyrus is no money-maker: he is more glad to give than to get." [32] When Cyrus heard of this talk and the opinions held about him, he gathered together his friends and the chief men of the state and spoke as follows: "Gentlemen and friends of mine, I have known men who were anxious to have it thought they possessed more than they really had, thinking this would give them an air of freedom and nobility.