and the inftruments of his luxury: (g) Servabantur illi interim generofæ aves, & inftrumenta epularum camelis vebebantur, cum Jortirentur milites ejus quis malè periret, quis pejùs viveret.

The remainder of his army, of which the greatest part was loft in this expedition, he brought back to Thebes; (b) where he fucceeded much better in the war he declared against the gods, whom he found more eafy to be conquered than men. Thebes was full of temples, that were incredibly rich and magnificent. All thefe Cambyfes pillaged, and then fet them on fire. The richness of thefe temples must have been vaftly great, fince the very remains, faved from the flames, amounted to an immenfe fum, three hundred talents of gold, and two thousand three hundred talents of filver. (i) He likewife carried away at this time the famous circle of gold, that encompaffed the tomb of king Ozymandias, being three hundred and fifty-five cubits in circumference, and in which were represented all the motions of the feveral conftellations.

(2) From Thebes he went back to Memphis, where he dif miffed all the Greeks, and sent them to their refpective homes: But on his return into the city, finding it full of rejoicings, he fell into a great rage, fuppofing all this to have been for the ill fuccefs of his expedition. He therefore called the magif trates before him, to know the meaning of these publick rejoicings; and upon their telling him, that it was because they had found their god Apis, he would not believe them, but caused them to be put to death, as impoftors that infulted him and his misfortunes. And then he fent for the priests, who made him the fame answer: Upon which he replied, that fince their god was fo kind and familiar as to appear among them, he would be acquainted with him, and therefore commanded him forthwith to be brought to him. But, when instead of á god he faw a calf, he was ftrangely aftonifhed, and falling again into a rage, he drew out his dagger, and run it into the thigh of the beaft; and then upbraiding the priests for their ftupidity, in worshipping a brute for a god, ordered them to be feverely whipt, and all the Egyptians in Memphis, that fhould be found celebrating the feaft of Apis, to be flain. The god was carried back to the temple, where he languished of his wound for fome time, and then died.

(1) The Egyptians fay, that after this fact, which they reckon to have been the highest inftance of impiety that ever was committed among them, Cambyfes grew mad. But his actions fhewed him to have been mad long before, of which

(g) De Ira, 1. iii, c. 20. (*) Her, l. iii. c. 27-29.

he

(b) Diod. Sic. 1. i. p. 43. (i) Ibid. p. 46. (1) Cap. 30.

he continued to give various inftances: Among the rest are thefe following.

(m) He had a brother, the only fon of Cyrus befides himself, and born of the fame mother: His name, according to Xenophon, was Tanaoxares, but Herodotus calls him Smerdis, and Justin Mergis. He accompanied Cambyfes in his Egyption expedition. But being the only perfon among all the Perfians, that could draw the bow, which Cambyfes's ambaffadors brought him from the king of Ethiopia, Cambyfes from hence conceived fuch a jealousy against him, that he could bear him no longer in the army, but fent him back into Perfia. And not long after dreaming, that fomebody told him that Smerdis fat on the throne, he conceived a fufpicion that his brother afpired to the throne, and fent after him into Perfia Peraxspes, one of his chief confidents, with orders to put him to death, which he accordingly executed.

(n) This murder was the cause of another ftill more criminal. Cambyfes had with him in the camp his youngest fifter, whofe name was Meroe. Herodotus acquaints us after what a strange manner his fifter became his wife. As the princess was exceeding beautiful, Cambyfes abfolutely refolved to marry her. To that end he called together all the judges of the Perfian nation, to whom belonged the interpretation of their laws, to know of them, whether there was any law, that would allow a brother to marry a fifter. The judges, being unwilling on one hand directly to authorize fuch an incestuous marriage, and on the other, fearing the king's violent temper, fhould they contradict him, endeavoured to find out a falvo, and gave him this crafty anfwer, That they had no law indeed which permitted a brother to marry his fifter, but they had a law which allowed the king of Perfia to do what he pleased. Which ferving his purpofe as well as a direct approbation, he folemnly married her, and hereby gave the firft example of that inceft, which was afterwards practifed by moft of his fucceffors, and by fome of them carried fo far as to marry their own daughters, how repugnant foever it be to modefty and good order. This lady he carried with him in all his expeditions, and her name being Meroe, he from her gave that name to an ifland in the Nile, between Egypt and Ethiopia, on the conquering of it; for fo far he advanced in his wild march against the Ethiopians. The thing that gave occafion to his murdering this princess, was as follows: One day Cambyfes was di verting himself in feeing a combat between a young lion and young dog: The lion having the better, another dog, brother

(m) Herod. l. iii, c, 30.

(z) Cap. 31, 324.

to him that was engaged, came to his affiftance, and helped him to matter the lion. This adventure mightily delighted Cambyfes, but drew tears from Meroe, who being obliged to tell her husband the reafon of her weeping, confeffed, that this combat made her call to mind the fate of her brother Smerdis, who had not had the fame good fortune as that little dog, There needed no more than this to excite the rage of this bru tal prince, who immediately gave her, notwithstanding her being with child, fuch a blow with his foot on the belly, that fhe died of it. So abominable a marriage deserved no better an end.

(0) He caufed alfo feveral of the principal of his followers ta be buried alive, and daily facrificed fome or other of them to his wild fury. He had obliged Prexafpes, one of his principal officers and favourites, to declare to him what his Perfian fubjects thought and faid of him." They admire, Sir, (fays "Prexafpes a great many excellent qualities they fee in you,

but they are fomewhat mortified at your immoderate love of "wine." "I understand you (replied the king) that is, they pretend that wine deprives me of my reafon. You fhall be judge of that immediately". Upon which he began to drink exceffively, pouring it down in larger quantities, than ever he had done at any time before. Then ordering Prexafpes's fon, who was his chief cup-bearer, to ftand upright at the end of the room, with his left hand upon his head, he took his bow; and levelled it at him; and declaring that he aimed at his heart, let fly, and actually fhot him in the heart. He then ordered his fide to be opened, and fhewing the father the heart of his fon, which the arrow had pierced, asked him in an infulting fcoffing manner, if he had not a steady hand? The wretched father, who ought not to have had either voice or life remaining after a ftroke like this, was fo mean-fpirited as to reply: "Apollo himself could not have fhot better." Seneca, who copied this story from Herodotus, after having fhewn his deteftation of the barbarous cruelty of the prince, condemns ftill more the cowardly and monftrous flattery of the father: Sceleratius telum illud laudatum eft, quam miffum.

(P) When Craefus took upon him to advise Cambyfes against thefe proceedings, and laid before him the ill confequences they would lead to, he ordered him to be put to death. And, when thofe who received his orders, knowing he would repent of it the next day, deferred the execution, he caused them all to be put to death, because they had not obeyed his commands,

(0) Her. l.iii. c. 34, 35, Sen. l. iii, de Ira, c. 14. 1. iii. c. 36.

though (p) Her

though at the fame time he expreffed great joy that Cræfus was alive.

It was about this time, Oretes, one of Cambyfes's fatrapæ, who had the government of Sardis, after a very ftrange and extraordinary manner brought about the death of Polycrates, tyrant of Samos. The ftory of this Polycrates is of fo fingular a nature, that the reader will not be difpleafed, if I repeat it here.

(9) This Polycrates was a prince, who through the whole courfe of his life had been perfectly profperous and fuccessful in all his affairs, and had never met with the leaft difappointment, or unfortunate accident, to disturb his felicity. Amafis, king of Egypt, his friend and ally, thought himself obliged to fend him a letter of admonition upon that fubject. In this letter he declared to him, that he had terrible apprehenfion concerning his condition; that fuch a long and uninterrupted courfe of profperity was to be fufpected; that fome malignant, invidious god, who looks upon the fortune of men with a jealous eye, would certainly fooner or later bring ruin and deftruction upon him; that, in order to prevent fuch a fatal Atroke, he advised him to procure fome misfortune to himself, by fome voluntary lofs, that he was perfuaded would prove a fenfible mortification to him.

The tyrant followed this advice. Having an emerald ring, which he mightily efteemed, particularly for its curious workmanfhip, as he was walking upon the deck of one of his gal leys, with his courtiers, he threw it into the fea without any one's perceiving what he bad done. Not many days after, fome fishermen, having caught a fifh of an extraordinary bigness, made a prefent of it to Polycrates. When the fish came to be opened, the king's ring was found in the belly of it. His furprife was very great, and his joy ftill greater.

When Amafis heard what had happened, he was very dif férently affected with it. He writ another letter to Polycrates, telling him, that, to avoid the mortification of feeing his friend. and ally fall into fome grievous calamity, he from that time renounced his friendship and alliance. A strange, whimfical notion this as if friendship was merely a name, or a title, deftitute of all fubftance and reality.

(r) Be that as it will, the thing however did really happen, as the Egyptian king apprehended. Some years after, about the time Cambyfes fell fick, Oretes, who, as I faid before. was his governor at Sardis, not being able to bear the reproach, which another fatrapa had made him in a private quarrel, of

(g), Her, 1. iii. c. 39-43.

(r) Ibid. c. 120—125.

his

his not having yet conquered the ifle of Samos, which lay fo near his government, and would be fo commodious for his mafter; Oretes upon this refolved at any rate to destroy Polycrates, that he might get poffeffion of the island. The way he took to effect his defign was this. He feigned an inclination upon fome pretended difcontent to revolt from Cambyfes; but must first take care, he faid, how to fecure his treasure and effects; for which end he was determined to depofit them in the hands of Polycrates, and at the fame time make him a prefent of one half of it, which would enable him to conquer Ionia, and the adjacent islands, a thing he had long had in view. Oretes knew the tyrant loved money, and paffionately coveted to enlarge his dominions. He therefore laid that double bait before him, by which he equally tempted his avarice and ambition. Polycrates, that he might not rafhly engage in an affair of that importance, thought it proper to inform himfelf more furely of the truth of the matter, and to that end sent a meffenger of his own to Sardis. When he came there, they fhewed him a vast number of bags full of gold, as he thought, but in truth filled with stones, and having only the mouth of them covered over with gold. As foon as he was returned home, Polycrates, impatient to go and feize his prey, fet out for Sardis, contrary to the advice of all his friends; and took along with him Democedes, a celebrated physician of Crotona. Immediately on his arrival Oretes had him arrested, as an enemy to the ftate, and as fuch caufed him to be hanged: In fuch an ignominious and fhameful manner did he end a life, which had been but one continued series of profperity and good fortune.

(s) Cambyfes, in the beginning of the eighth year of his reign, left Egypt, in order to return into Perfia. When he came into Syria, he found an herald there, fent from Sufa to the army, to let them know, that Smerdis, the fon of Cyrus, was proclaimed king, and to command them all to obey him. This event had been brought about in this manner. Cambyfes, at his departure from Sufa on his Egyptian expedition, had left the administration of affairs during his abfence in the hands of Patifithes, one of the chief of the Magi. This Patifithes had a brother extremely like Smerdis, the fon of Cyrus, and who perhaps for that reafon was called by the fame name. As foon as Patifithes was fully affured of the death of that prince, which was concealed from the publick, knowing, at the fame time, that Cambyfes indulged his extravagance to fuch a degree that he was grown infupportable, he placed his own brother

() Her, l. iii, c, 61.

upon