that he would do well to make alliances with the moft powerful flates of Greece. He confulted the oracle again, to know how long the duration of his empire would be. The answer was; it should fubfift till a mule came to poffefs the throne of Media; which he conftrued to fignify the perpetual duration of his kingdom.

Pursuant to the direction of the oracle, Cræfus entered into alliance with the Athenians, who at that time had Pififtratus at their head, and with the Lacedemonians, who were indifputably the two most powerful states of Greece.

() A certain Lydian, much efteemed for his prudence, gave Crofus, on this occafion, very judicious advice. "O prince, "(fays he to him) why do you think of turning your arms "against fuch a people as the Perfians, who being born in a "wild, rugged country, are inured from their infancy to every "kind of hardship and fatigue, who being coarfely clad, and "coarfely fed, can content themselves with bread and water; "who are abfolute trangers to all the delicacies and conveni"cies of life; who, in a word, have nothing to lofe if you "conquer them, and every thing to gain, if they conquer you; and whom it would be very difficult to drive out of "our country, if they fhould once come to taste the sweets "and advantages of it? So far therefore from thinking of "beginning a war against them, it is my opinion we ought "to thank the gods, that they have never put it into the heads "of the Perfians to come and attack the Lydians." But Crofus had taken his refolution, and would not be diverted from it. What remains of the hiftory of Crofus will be found in tha of Cyrus, which I am now going to begin..

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BOOK

Containing the reigns of CYRUS, of CAMBYSES, and SMERDIS the Magus.

T

CHAP. I.

The HISTORY of CYRUS..

HE history of this prince is differently related by Herodotus and Xenophon. I follow the latter, as judging him infinitely more worthy of credjen this refpect than the former. As to those facts wherein the differ, I fall briefly relate what Herodotus fays of them. It is well known, that Xenophon ferved a long time under Cyrus the younger, who had in his troops a great number of Perfian no. blemen, with whom undoubtedly this writer, confidering how curious he was, did often converfe, that he might acquaint himfelf by that means with the manners and caftoms of the Perfians, with their conquefts in general, but more particularly with thofe of the prince, who had founded their monarchy, and whofe history he propofed to write. This he tells us himfelf, in the beginning of his Cyropædia: "Having always "looked upon this great man as worthy of admiration, I took a pleasure to inform myself of his birth, his natural temper and education, that I might know by what means he became "fo great a prince; and herein I advance nothing but what "has been told me."

As to what Cicero fays, in his firft letter to his brother Quintus, "That Xenophon's defign, in writing the history of "Cyrus, was not fo much to follow truth, as to give a model "of a juft government;" this ought not to leffen the authority of that judicious hiftorian, or make us give the less credit to what he relates. All that can be inferred from thence is, that the defign of Xenophon, who was a great philofopher, as well as a great captain, was not merely to write Cyrus's hiftoTy, but to reprefent him as a model and example to princes, for their inftruction in the arts of reigning, and of gaining the love of their fubjects, notwithstanding the pomp and elevation of their ftations. With this view he may poffibly have lent his hero fome thoughts, fome fentiments, or difcourfes of his own. But the fubftance of the facts and events he relates are to be deemed true; and of this their conformity with the holy fcripture is of itfelf a fufficient proof. The reader may fee the dif fertation of the abbot Banier upon this fubject in the (w) Memoirs of the academy of polite literature.

For the greater clearness, I divide the hiftory of Cyrus into three parts. The first will reach from his birth to the fiege of Babylon: The fecond will comprehend the defcription of the fiege, and the taking of that city, with every thing elfe that relates to that great event: The third will contain that prince's hiftory, from the taking of Babylon to his death.

ARTICLE I.

The hiftory of CYRUS from his infancy to the fiege of Babylon. THIS interval, befides his education, and the journey he made to his grandfather Aftyages in Media, includes the firft campaigns of Cyrus, and the important expeditions fubfequent to them.

SECT. I. CYRUS's education.

YRUS was the fon of Cambyfes, king of Perfia, and of Mandana, daughter to Aftyages, king of the Medes. (y) He was born one year after his uncle Cyaxares, the brother of Mandana.

The Perfians confifted at this time of twelve tribes, and inhabited only one province of that vaft country, which has fince borne the name of Perfia, and were not in all above one hun dred and twenty thousand men. But this people having afterwards, through the wifdom and valour of Cyrus, acquired the empire:

(w) Vol. VI. p. 400. (x) Xen. Cyrop. 1. i. p. 3. Ant. J. C. 599.

(y) A. M. 3405

Cyrus ille à Xenophonte, non ad hiftoriæ fidem fcriptus, fed ad effigiem jufti imperii

empire of the eaft, the name of Perfia extended itself with their conquefts and fortune, and comprehended all that vatt tract of land, which reaches from east to weft, from the river Indus to the Tigris; and from north to fouth, from the Cafpian fea to the ocean. And ftill to this day the country of Perfia has the fame extent.

Cyrus was beautiful in his perfon, and ftill more lovely for the qualities of his mind; was of a very fweet difpofition, full of good-nature and humanity, and had a great defire to learn, and a noble ardor for glory. He was never afraid of any danger, or difcouraged by any hardship or difficulty, where honour was to be acquired He was brought up according to the laws and cuftoms of the Perfians, which were excellent in thofe days, with refpe&t to education.

(y) The publick good, the common benefit of the nation, was the only principle and end of all their laws. The education of children was looked upon as the most important duty, and the moft effential part of government: It was not left to the care of fathers and mothers, whose blind affection and fondness often render them incapable of that office; but the ftate took it upon themselves. Boys were all brought up in common, after one uniform manner; where every thing was regulated, the place and length of their exercifes, the times of eating, the quality of their meat and drink, and their different kinds of punish ment. The only food allowed either the children, or the young men, was bread, creffes, and water; for their defign was to accustom them early to temperance and fobriety: Befides, they confidered, that a plain frugal diet, without any mixture of fauces or ragoo's, would ftrengthen the body, and lay fuch a foundation of health, as would enable them to undergo the hardships and fatigues of war to a good old age.

Here boys went to fchool, to learn justice and virtue, as they do in other places to learn arts and fciences; and the crime moft feverely punished amongst them, was ingratitude.

The defign of the Perfians, in all thefe wife regulations, was to prevent evil, being convinced how much better it is to prevent faults, than to punish them: And whereas in other tates the legiflators are fatisfied with establishing punishments for criminals, the Perfians endeavoured fo to order it, as to have no criminals amongst them.

Till fixteen or seventeen years of age the boys remained in the clafs of children; and here it was they learnt to draw the bow, and to fling the dart or javelin; after which they were received into the clafs of young men. In this they were more narrowly

(Cyrop. 1. i. p. 3-8.

narrowly watched, and kept under than before, because that age requires the narroweft infpection, and has the greatest need of restraint. Here they remained ten years; during which time they paffed all their nights in keeping guard, as well for the fafety of the city, as to inure them to fatigue. In the day-time they waited upon their governors, to receive their orders, attended the king when he went a hunting, or improved themselves in their exercises.

The third clafs confifted of men grown-up, and formed; and in this they remained five and twenty years. Out of thefe all the officers that were to command in the troops, and all fuch as were to fill the different pofts and employments in the ftate, were chofen. When they were turned of fifty, they were not obliged to carry arms out of their own country.

Befides thefe, there was a fourth or last clafs, from whence men of the greatest wifdom and experience were chofen, for forming the publick council, and prefiding in the courts of judicature.

By this means every citizen might afpire at the chief posts in the government; but not one could arrive at them, till he had pafed through all these several claffes, and made himself capable of them by all these excrcifes. The claffes were open to all; but generally fuch only, as were rich enough to maintain their children without working, fent them thither.

(x) Cyrus himself was educated in this manner, and furpaffed all of his age, not only in aptnefs to learn, but in courage and addrefs in executing whatever he undertook. SEET. II. CYRU's journey to bis grandfather ASTY AGES, and bis return into Perfia.

WHEN toy him with her in to Mecia, to his grandfather

HEN Cyrus was twelve years old, his mother Man

Aftyages, who, from the many things he had heard faid in favour of that young prince, had a great defire to fee him. In this court young Cyrus found very different manners from those of his own country. Pride, luxury, and magnificence reigned here univerfally. Aftyages himself was richly cloathed, had

(*) Cyrop. I. i. p. 8—12.

his

The ancients, in order to fet off the pinxit oculos fuos tibio, 2 Kings ix, beauty of the face, and to give more life 30. This drug had an oftringent quato their complexions, used to form their lity, which fbrunk up the eye-lids, and eye-brows into perfect arches, and to made the eyes appear the larger, which colour them with black. To give the at that time was reckoned a beauty greater luftre to their eyes, they made Plin. 1. xxxiii. c 6. From bence comes their eye lashes of the fame blackness. that epithet, which Homer so often gives This artifice was much in ufe among the to bis goddeffes: Rowmis "Hen, great Hebrews. It is faid of Jezebel, De-eyed Juno.