LIFE OF CYRUS.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume III, Issue 2, 28 February 1857, Page 20

LIFE OF CYRUS.

About 800 years before the birth of Christ, the Prophet Isaiah foretold that a great ruler and conqueror should be born among the Gentiles, and that though he was a heatnen yet he should proteer and ta Godspeople ,n iheiraffliction and caotiviiv bv n r m ° C ? lnily ' and ««« Prince, to ST" 8 ' sh . ou!d l ai ' restore the! chanter * " aUve ,a » d - In the 43th! lorftollu^ We , read "Tiiassaithihe! Loid to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose iMu! hm • and 7 h 0 , d ? n t0 subdoe naiio »s berSre him, and I will loose the loins of kin-s to' open before him the two-leaved -ate °and j the gates shall not be shut." *Tbfe w" i bitten 200 years before Cvrns was born- ! only God could have inspired Isaiah to'VrUe 1 it-only God could have known that a m< n i named Cyrus wou!d bo born 200 v ™ after Isaiah, But it all camo to as Tsaiabhad foretold. About 600 Christ a child was born named Cyrus, and I though men tried to destroy him as an i"-! fant, yet God protected him, and delivered ' h.m out of the hands of his enemies. This j is the story of his childhood. I His grand father was named A«tvn«™ ! He was King of Media, a country lving°7o | tl e north-east of Assyria. He had ° lwo strange dreams about himself and his kin--! k-?; 1 dPeamt firsl his daughters'! chddren should rule over those of his sons i And then he dreamt that his daughter's son ! should supplant him upon the throne <V !tnm? aii !' G CoUld t0 Prevent those dreams! becoming true. He first married his ™tf .'I * ? ndane by nanie ' l 0 Cambvse ! au ignoble Persian instead or giving her to I a Median nobleman. At that time the!

Persians were an unknown race of mountaineers. When the child was born, Astyages the grandfather thought to get rid of him. So he sent for his servant Harpagus, and told him to put the child to dea-ih, Harpagus promise! to ohey, and carried o.T the child, but instead of killing him, hegne little Cyrus into the hands of a shepherd who lived near the Black Sea, and told him to expose the infant on one of the most lonely spots among the mountains. It so happened that the shepherd had just lost his own little infant, and so he took Cyrus to his home, and he and his wife adopted him for their own child. As he grew up, lie was always first and foremost in all manly sports and exercises ; he was the best huntsman on the mountains, he rode best, he was the best shot with the bow and arrow—he was looked upon as Chief by his mountaineer companions. At last the shepherd and his wife told Cyrus that he was not really their child, but that Harpagus the king's minister had put him into their hands. Accordingly, Cyrus went to the king's court and said who he was. Astyages. was greatly frightene 1 and sent for Harpagus who owned that he had not put the child to death, but had given him into the hands of a shepherd to expose on the mountains. was very angry with Harpagus, and had his son put to death ; but Cyrus lived at the king's court. Harpagus did not forget the king's cruelty in putting Ids son to death : but he kept urging the Median nobles and the Persian subjects to rebel. And then he wrote this letter to Cyrus. "Mail Cvnis, son of Cambyses ! the gods love you. How else could you have been delivered from death, and risen to honour? Astyages wished to kill you. The gods and I saved you. You know what a cruel thing Astyages did to me. Now, if you will revolt against him, and head your 'Persian mountaineers, the king will most likely send me with an army against you, and i will then join you with all my forces, and we together vyiil drive Astyages from the throne, an! place you on it, Farewell!" Cyrus listened to this plan, and induced the Persians to rebel, and when Harpagus was sent against him, in the middle of the fight, Harpagus went over with all his troops to the side of Cyrus; and they two defeated Astyages and look him prisoner. So the Medians"yiclded to the Persians; but Cyrus placed his uncle Cyaxases on the throne, and was content for a lime to be the General of the army. So the dreams of Astyages were nearly ful filled, and we shall hear in the next chapter how they were entirely accomplished.