So, through these chapters that your picture shows, the Persian leaders discover the fraud and they order the massacre of every Magi they find in their path!
Not Herodotus, but in his story the Persian leaders are the ones who consider the Magi as fraudsters(!), because the latter attempted a coup against the leadership.
Herodotus is just doing the story-telling!
But of course, this could be misunderstood, as if he had some prejudice against the Magi, however I don't see sth like that in the text, I just see he is describing the reaction of the Persian leaders towards the Magi (in paragraph.79 book 3 , Thaleia, in Histories)
His general description of the Magi actually happens in book 1, and it is quite objective, I think.
He describes them as a powerful, religious social class of the Medes and Persians, priests of Zoroastrianism, interpreters of dreams, astrologers, and as advisors to the kings.
At least, this I can say from what I see in the texts...
This was a very good post with a subject that deserved to be questioned, I think. 👍🏻
This is the source in the digital form in ancient Greek and modern Greek translation, and it's good. You may know, the translations in other languages may not always be good or even true to the meaning... it happens unfortunately 😔
greek-language.gr/digitalRes…