Darius fpoke for an oligarchy, and Darius declared for monarchy. They all at length affented to the opinion of the latter, except Otanes, who, having an averfion to that dignity, proposed to give up his right to the crown, on condition that neither he, nor his pofterity should be subject to the royal power. His propofal being agreed to, he immediately retired; and Herodstus tells us, that his defcendants retained their liberty in his days, being only obliged to conform to the cuftoms and manners of the country. On his departure, the other fix deliberated in what manner they should proceed to the election of a new king. They determined, that the seven should have full liberty to enter into all the apartments of the palace without being introduced, and that the king fhould not be allowed to marry a woman out of any other family than of the feven confpirators. They referred the election of the king to providence, and agreed to one of the meet next morning by fun-rifing on horseback, at a certain confpira- place in the fuburbs of the city, and that he, whofe horse first tors cho- neighed, should be king. The groom of Darius, hearing of this fen king agreement, led a mare over-right to the place appointed, and by a ftra- brought to her his mafter's horfe. The next morning the fix tagem of lords arriving at the place, the horfe of Darius remembring his groom. the mare, immediately neighed; and his competitors difmountBef. Chr. ing, adored him as king. 521. The Perfian empire being thus reftored, Darius honoured the other lords with moft ample privileges. In all public affairs they were firft to deliver their opinions; and ever afterwards the Perfian kings of this race had feven chief councellors privileged in the fame manner. His pediDarius was defcended of the royal family of Achæmenes, and gree, &c. his father Hyftafpis had attended Cyrus in all his wars. In the writings of the modern Perfians he is called Guhtafph, and his father Lorafph. The better to fecure himself on the throne, he married the two daughters of Cyrus, Atoffa and Artyflona, the latter of whom had never been married before, and proved the most favoured and beloved of all his wives. He alfo married Parmys the daughter of the true Smerdis, and Phedyma the daughter of Otanes. Having thus confirmed his power, he divided the whole empire into twenty fatrapies, ordering them to pay an annual tribute. Perfia alone was exempted from all manner of taxes. By this establishment Darius received the yearly revenue of 14,560 Euboic talents, befides feveral other fums of fmall confequence, in all amounting to about two millions English money. Intaphernes put to death. In the beginning of his reign, Intaphernes, one of the feven confpirators, wanted to intrude into the palace when he was alone with one of his wives, which was an exception to the general rule of admittance. The officers of the palace refufing him admittance, he cut off the noses and ears of two of them with his fcymetar. Darius, apprehenfive that this infult might have been concerted with the other confpirators, fent for them fingly fingly and afked them; but finding Intaphernes alone was guilty, he caused him, his children and relations to be feized. While they were under confinement, the wife of Intaphernes, by her piteous lamentations before the palace, fo moved Darius, that he granted her the life of any one of her relations whom the fhould chufe. She after fome deliberation chufing her brother, the king asked her why fhe had fo little regard for her husband and children. She replied, that by a fecond marriage the lofs of an husband and children might be retrieved, but her father and mother being dead, there was no poffibility of recovering a brother. The king was fo well pleafed with this anfwer, that he not only pardoned her brother, but faved alfo her eldest fon. In the beginning of his fecond year, the Jews, at the ex- The Jews hortations of Haggai, refuming the work of the temple, the permitted Samaritans applied to Tatnai, governor of Syria and Palestine, to carry and defired him to order the Jews to defift. On their remon- on the ftrances, Tatnai and Setharboznai, who feems to have been go- building vernor of Samaria, went to Jerufalem, and enquired of the of the temelders by what authority they repaired the walls. They al- ple. leged the decree of Cyrus, and till they should have a further order from Darius continued the work. Tatnai writing to court, and defiring fearch to be made for the decree, it was found in the records at Ecbatan, and confirmed a-new by Darius, who even ordered Tatnai to affign fome of the revenues of his province to defray the expence of the building. 516. About the beginning of the fifth year of Darius, the Babylo- The Babynians revolted, having for four years before refolved to make lonians rean attempt to retrieve their antient grandeur, and for that pur- volt. pofe had privately ftored their city with all manner of pro- Bef. Ch. vifions and military ftores for many years. Darius befieged the city with a moft numerous army; but after he had continued about a year and a half before the walls, and found all his efforts and ftratagems ineffectual, he began to think of breaking up the fiege. The Babylonians, in the mean time, to Their make their provifions laft the longer, and to enable them to cruel pohold out with the greater vigour, with unheard-of barbarity licy. ftrangled all the women, old men and children, every one be ing allowed to fave only the wife he liked beft, and a maid fervant to do the work of the house. When Darius was hefitating whether he fhould not retire with his army, Zopyrus, one of his chief commanders, having cut off his own nofe and ears, and mangled his body in a moft cruel manner with ftripes, came to him, and told him that he intended to defert to the Babylonians, and to accufe Darius of having disfigured him in that manner, in hopes of acquiring their confidence, and by that means betraying the city into his hands. Zopyrus was kindly received by the Babylonians, who gave him the command of fome of their forces, with which, in three different fallies, he cut off feveral thoufands of the Perfians, according to a private agreement with Darius, who had expofed them on purpofe purpose only half armed. The king at length approaching the walls with all his army, Zopyrus, who was then entrusted with Babylon the guard of the city, opened two of the gates, and admitted taken by the Perfians within the walls. Darius having thus got poffefthe ftrata- fion of Babylon, beat down the walls from 200 cubits high to gem of 50, impaled about 3000 of the moft guilty in the revolt, and Zopyrus. pardoning the reft, caufed a fupply of 50,000 women to be sent to the city from the neighbouring provinces. dition against the Scythians. As for Zopyrus, the king heaped upon him the highest honours, and among many ample rewards, bestowed upon him the revenues of Babylon for life, free from all charges and taxes. He could never after behold him without fhedding many tears, and frequently used to fay, that he would rather willingly lofe twenty Babylons, than fec Zopyrus fo disfigured. Darius's Darius foon after undertook an expedition against the Scyunfucceff- thians inhabiting thofe countries between the Danube and the ful expe- Tanais, on pretence of revenging the calamities they had brought upon Afia about 120 years before during the reign of Cyaxares. Contrary to the perfuafions of his brother Artabanes, he prosecuted his defign, and marched with an army of 700,000 men to the Thracian Bofpherus, which he paffed on a bridge of boats, and having reduced all Thrace, advanced to the Iter, or Danube, where he had ordered his fleet to meet him, which confifted of 600 fail, and was chiefly manned by the Grecians who inhabited the coafts of Afia Minor and the Hellefpont. Paffing the Ifter on another bridge of boats, he entered Scythia; but the Scythians, inftead of coming to an engagement, politicly retreated before him, filling up the wells and fprings, and laying waste the country. Darius at length perceiving his danger, marched back with all poffible expedition to reach the Danube; but a strong detachment of the Scythians, who were well acquainted with the country, arriving at that river before him, preffed the Ionians, who had been left to guard the bridge, to break it down, and retire to their own country. Miltiades the Athenian, prince of the Thracian Cherfonefe, was for embracing fo favourable an opportunity of fhaking off the Perfian yoke, and all the other commanders were of the fame opinion, except Hyliaus prince of Miletus, who reprefented to the Ionian chiefs, that if Darius fhould perifh, their cities would recover their liberty, and expell them from the government. The Ionians therefore determined to wait for Darius, who repaffing the Danube, left Megabyzus with part of his army in Thrace, and returning to Afia, took up his quarters at Sardis, where he spent the winter and the greatest part of the year following to refresh his army *. Megaby zus fubdues Thrace. Megabyzus having wholly fubdued the Thracians, fent feven Perfian noblemen to Amyntas king of Macedon, enjoining him to acknowlege Darius for his mafter by the delivery of earth • Hero 1. 1. iv. Juftin. 1. xii. Cornel. Nep. in Milt. and |