Herodotus, Histories 1.90.1 · 1.90.1

Herodotus marks Cyrus's reaction with a single compound, hyperēdeto, "he was overjoyed beyond measure," the same intensifying prefix that turns ordinary pleasure into something close to relief. A king who has just taken a rich city by force is delighted to be told how to look righteous while keeping its wealth; the advice flatters Cyrus's power as much as it manages his soldiers.

Cyrus's offer is an open check: he names Croesus a man and a king in the same breath, and tells him to ask for ktina dosin, "whatever gift," with no limit stated. It is a generous moment, and also a dangerous one for the story: readers who have watched Croesus mishandle open-ended confidence before, from the gods, from his own wealth, from his own judgment, know that a blank check rarely stays simple in this book.

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