Here we might end this tale, but that we feel bound to give our readers
some account of the last days of Cambyses. We have already described
the ruin of his mind, but his physical end remains still to be told, and
also the subsequent fate of some of the other characters in our history.
A short time after the departure of the queens, news reached Naukratis
that Oroetes, the satrap of Lydia, had, by a stratagem, allured his old
enemy, Polykrates, to Sardis and crucified him there, thus fulfilling
what Amasis had prophecied of the tyrant's mournful end. This act the
satrap had committed on his own responsibility, events having
taken place in the Median kingdom which threatened the fall of the
Achaemenidaean dynasty.
The king's long absence in a foreign country had either weakened or
entirely dissipated, the fear which the mere mention of his name had
formerly inspired in those who felt inclined to rebel. The awe that
his subjects had formerly felt for him, vanished at the tidings of
his madness, and the news that he had wantonly exposed the lives of
thousands of their countrymen to certain death in the deserts of Libya
and Ethiopia, inspired the enraged Asiatics with a hatred which, when
skilfully fed by the powerful Magi, soon roused, first the Medes and
Assyrians, and then the Persians, to defection and open insurrection.
Motives of self-interest led the ambitious high-priest, Oropastes, whom
Cambyses had appointed regent in his absence, to place himself at the
head of this movement. He flattered the people by remitting their taxes,
by large gifts and larger promises, and finding his clemency gratefully
recognized, determined on an imposture, by which he hoped to win the
crown of Persia for his own family.
He had not forgotten the marvellous likeness between his brother Gaumata
(who had been condemned to lose his ears) and Bartja, the son of Cyrus,
and on hearing that the latter, the universal favorite, as he well knew,
of the Persian nation, had disappeared, resolved to turn this to account
by passing off his brother as the vanished prince, and setting him on
the throne in place of Cambyses. The hatred felt throughout the entire
kingdom towards their insane king, and the love and attachment of the
nation to Bartja, made this stratagem so easy of accomplishment, that
when at last messengers from Oropastes arrived in all the provinces of
the empire declaring to the discontented citizens that, notwithstanding
the rumor they had heard, the younger son of Cyrus was still alive, had
revolted from his brother, ascended his father's throne and granted to
all his subjects freedom from tribute and from military service during
a period of three years, the new ruler was acknowledged throughout the
kingdom with rejoicings.
The pretended Bartja, who was fully aware of his brother's mental
superiority, had obeyed his directions in every particular, had taken up
his residence in the palace of Nisaea,--in the plains of Media, placed
the crown on his head, declared the royal harem his own, and had shown
himself once from a distance to the people, who were to recognize in him
the murdered Bartja. After that time, however, for fear of being at last
unmasked, he concealed himself in his palace, giving himself up, after
the manner of Asiatic monarchs, to every kind of indulgence, while
his brother held the sceptre with a firm hand, and conferred all the
important offices of state on his friends and family.
No sooner did Oropastes feel firm ground under his feet, than he
despatched the eunuch Ixabates to Egypt, to inform the army of the
change of rulers that had taken place and persuade them to revolt in
favor of Bartja, who he knew had been idolized by the Soldiers.
The messenger had been well chosen, fulfilled his mission with much
skill, and had already won over a considerable part of the army for the
new king, when he was taken prisoner by some Syrians, who brought him to
Memphis in hopes of reward.
On arriving in the city of the Pyramids he was brought before the king,
and promised impunity on condition of revealing the entire truth.
The messenger then confirmed the rumor, which had reached Egypt, that
Bartja had ascended the throne of Cyrus and had been recognized by the
greater part of the empire.
Cambyses started with terror at these tidings, as one who saw a dead
man rise from his grave. He was by this time fully aware that Bartja
had been murdered by Prexaspes at his own command, but in this moment
he began to suspect that the envoy had deceived him and spared his
brother's life. The thought had no sooner entered his mind than he
uttered it, reproaching Prexaspes so bitterly with treachery, as to
elicit from him a tremendous oath, that he had murdered and buried the
unfortunate Bartja with his own hand.
Oropastes' messenger was next asked whether he had seen the new king
himself. He answered that he had not, adding that the supposed brother
of Cambyses had only once appeared in public, and had then shown himself
to the people from a distance. On hearing this, Prexaspes saw through
the whole web of trickery at once, reminded the king of the unhappy
misunderstandings to which the marvellous likeness between Bartja and
Gaumata had formerly given rise, and concluded by offering to stake his
own life on the correctness of his supposition. The explanation pleased
the king, and from that moment his diseased mind was possessed by one
new idea to the exclusion of all others--the seizure and slaughter of
the Magi.
The host was ordered to prepare for marching. Aryandes,--one of the
Achaemenidae, was appointed satrap of Egypt, and the army started
homeward without delay. Driven by this new delusion, the king took no
rest by day or night, till at last his over-ridden and ill-used horse
fell with him, and he was severely wounded in the fall by his own
dagger.
After lying insensible for some days, he opened his eyes and asked first
to see Araspes, then his mother, and lastly Atossa, although these three
had set out on their journey home months before. From all he said it
appeared that during the last four years, from the attack of fever until
the present accident, he had been living in a kind of sleep. He seemed
astonished and pained at hearing what had happened during these years.
But of his brother's death he was fully aware. He knew that Prexaspes
had killed him by his--the king's--orders and had told him that Bartja
lay buried on the shores of the Red Sea.--During the night which
followed this return to his senses it became clear to himself also, that
his mind had been wandering for along time. Towards morning he fell
into a deep sleep, and this so restored his strength, that on waking he
called for Croesus and required an exact relation of the events that had
passed during the last few years.
His old friend and adviser obeyed; he felt that Cambyses was still
entrusted to his care, and in the hope, faint as it was, of bringing
him back to the right way, he did not suppress one of the king's acts of
violence in his relation.
His joy was therefore great at perceiving, that his words made a deep
impression on the newly-awakened mind of the king. With tears in his
eyes, and with the ashamed look of a child, he grieved over his wrong
deeds and his madness, begged Croesus to forgive him, thanked him for
having borne so long and faithfully with him, and commissioned him to
ask Kassandane and Sappho especially for forgiveness, but also, Atossa
and all whom he had unjustly offended.
The old man wept too, but his tears were tears of joy and he repeatedly
assured Cambyses that he would recover and have ample opportunity of
making amends for the past. But to all this Cambyses shook his head
resolutely, and, pale and wan as he looked, begged Croesus to have his
couch carried on to a rising ground in the open air, and then to summon
the Achaemenidae. When these orders, in spite of the physicians, had
been obeyed, Cambyses was raised into an upright sitting position, and
began, in a voice which could be heard at a considerable distance:
"The time to reveal my great secret has arrived, O ye Persians. Deceived
by a vision, provoked and annoyed by my brother, I caused him to be
murdered in my wrath. Prexaspes wrought the evil deed by my command, but
instead of bringing me the peace I yearned for, that deed has tortured
me into madness and death. By this my confession ye will be convinced,
that my brother Bartja is really dead. The Magi have usurped the throne
of the Achaemenidae. Oropastes, whom I left in Persia as my vicegerent
and his brother Gaumata, who resembles Bartja so nearly that even
Croesus, Intaphernes and my uncle, the noble Hystaspes, were once
deceived by the likeness, have placed themselves at their head. Woe is
me, that I have murdered him who, as my nearest kinsman, should have
avenged on the Magi this affront to my honor. But I cannot recall him
from the dead, and I therefore appoint you the executors of my last
will. By the Feruer of my dead father, and in the name of all good and
pure spirits, I conjure you not to suffer the government to fall into
the hands of the unfaithful Magi. If they have obtained possession
thereof by artifice, wrest it from their hands in like manner; if by
force, use force to win it back. Obey this my last will, and the earth
will yield you its fruits abundantly; your wives, your flocks and herds
shall be blessed and freedom shall be your portion. Refuse to obey it,
and ye shall suffer the corresponding evils; yea, your end, and that of
every Persian shall be even as mine."
After these words the king wept and sank back fainting, on seeing which,
the Achaemenidae rent their clothes and burst into loud lamentations.
A few hours later Cambyses died in Croesus' arms. Nitetis was his last
thought; he died with her name on his lips and tears of penitence in his
eyes. When the Persians had left the unclean corpse, Croesus knelt down
beside it and cried, raising his hand to heaven: "Great Cyrus, I have
kept my oath. I have remained this miserable man's faithful adviser even
unto his end."
The next morning the old man betook himself, accompanied by his son
Gyges, to the town of Barene, which belonged to him, and lived there
many years as a father to his subjects, revered by Darius and praised by
all his contemporaries.
........................
After Cambyses' death the heads of the seven Persian tribes held
a council, and resolved, as a first measure, on obtaining certain
information as to the person of the usurper. With this view, Otanes sent
a confidential eunuch to his daughter Phaedime, who, as they knew, had
come into the possession of the new king with the rest of Cambyses'
harem.
[The names of the seven conspiring chiefs, given by Herodotus agree
for the most part with those in the cuneiform inscriptions. The
names are: Otanes, Intaphernes, Gobryas, Megabyzus, Aspatines,
Hydarnes and Darius Hystaspis. In the inscription Otana:
Vindafrand, Gaubaruva, Ardumams, Vidarna, Bagabukhsa and Darayavus.]
Before the messenger returned, the greater part of the army had
dispersed, the soldiers seizing this favorable opportunity to return
to their homes and families, after so many years of absence. At last,
however, the long-expected messenger came back and brought for answer,
that the new king had only visited Phaedime once, but that during that
visit she had, at great personal risk, discovered that he had lost both
ears. Without this discovery, however, she could assert positively that
though there were a thousand points of similarity between the usurper
and the murdered Bartja, the former was in reality none other than
Gaumata, the brother of Oropastes. Her old friend Boges had resumed his
office of chief of the eunuchs, and had revealed to her the secrets of
the Magi. The high-priest had met the former keeper of the women begging
in the streets of Susa, and had restored him to his old office with the
words: "You have forfeited your life, but I want men of your stamp."
In conclusion. Phaedime entreated her father to use every means in
his power for the overthrow of the Magi, as they treated her with the
greatest contempt and she was the most miserable of women.
Though none of the Achaemenidae hall really for a moment believed; that
Bartja was alive and had seized on the throne, so clear an account
of the real person of the usurper was very welcome to them, and they
resolved at once to march on Nisaea with the remnant of the army and
overthrow the Magi either by craft or force.
They entered the new capital unassailed, and finding that the majority
of the people seemed content with the new government, they also
pretended to acknowledge the king as the son of Cyrus, to whom they were
prepared to do homage. The Magi, however, were not deceived; they shut
themselves up in their palace, assembled an army in the Nisaean plain,
promised the soldiers high pay, and used every effort to strengthen the
belief of the people in Gaumata's disguise. On this point no one could
do them more injury, or, if he chose, be more useful to them, than
Prexaspes. He was much looked up to by the Persians, and his assurance,
that he had not murdered Bartja, would have been sufficient to tame the
fast-spreading report of the real way in which the youth had met his
death. Oropastes, therefore, sent for Prexaspes, who, since the king's
dying words, had been avoided by all the men of his own rank and had led
the life of an outlaw, and promised him an immense sum of money, if he
would ascend a high tower and declare to the people, assembled in the
court beneath, that evil-disposed men had called him Bartja's murderer,
whereas he had seen the new king with his own eyes and had recognized
in him the younger son of his benefactor. Prexaspes made no objection to
this proposal, took a tender leave of his family while the people were
being assembled, uttered a short prayer before the sacred fire-altar and
walked proudly to the palace. On his way thither he met the chiefs of
the seven tribes and seeing that they avoided him, called out to
them: "I am worthy of your contempt, but I will try to deserve your
forgiveness."
Seeing Darius look back, he hastened towards him, grasped his hand and
said: "I have loved you like a son; take care of my children when I am
no more, and use your pinions, winged Darius." Then, with the same proud
demeanor he ascended the tower.
Many thousands of the citizens of Nisaea were within reach of his voice,
as he cried aloud: "Ye all know that the kings who have, up to the
present time, loaded you with honor and glory, belonged to the house of
the Achaemenidae. Cyrus governed you like a real father, Cambyses was a
stern master, and Bartja would have guided you like a bridegroom, if
I, with this right hand which I now show you, had not slain him on the
shores of the Red Sea. By Mithras, it was with a bleeding heart that
I committed this wicked deed, but I did it as a faithful servant in
obedience to the king's command. Nevertheless, it has haunted me by day
and night; for four long years I have been pursued and tormented by the
spirits of darkness, who scare sleep from the murderer's couch. I have
now resolved to end this painful, despairing existence by a worthy deed,
and though even this may procure me no mercy at the bridge of Chinvat,
in the mouths of men, at least, I shall have redeemed my honorable name
from the stain with which I defiled it. Know then, that the man who
gives himself out for the son of Cyrus, sent me hither; he promised me
rich rewards if I would deceive you by declaring him to be Bartja, the
son of the Achaemenidae. But I scorn his promises and swear by Mithras
and the Feruers of the kings, the most solemn oaths I am acquainted
with, that the man who is now ruling you is none other than the Magian
Gaumata, he who was deprived of his ears, the brother of the king's
vicegerent and high-priest, Oropastes, whom ye all know. If it be your
will to forget all the glory ye owe to the Achaemenidae, if to this
ingratitude ye choose to add your own degradation, then acknowledge
these creatures and call them your kings; but if ye despise a lie and
are ashamed to obey worthless impostors, drive the Magi from the throne
before Mithras has left the heavens, and proclaim the noblest of the
Achaemenidae, Darius, the exalted son of Hystaspes, who promises to
become a second Cyrus, as your king. And now, in order that ye may
believe my words and not suspect that Darius sent me hither to win you
over to his side, I will commit a deed, which must destroy every doubt
and prove that the truth and glory of the Achaemenidae are clearer to
me, than life itself. Blessed be ye if ye follow my counsels, but curses
rest upon you, if ye neglect to reconquer the throne from the Magi and
revenge yourselves upon them.--Behold, I die a true and honorable man!"
With these words he ascended the highest pinnacle of the tower and cast
himself down head foremost, thus expiating the one crime of his life by
an honorable death.
The dead silence with which the people in the court below had listened
to him, was now broken by shrieks of rage and cries for vengeance. They
burst open the gates of the palace and were pressing in with cries of
"Death to the Magi," when the seven princes of the Persians appeared in
front of the raging crowd to resist their entrance.
At sight of the Achaemenidae the citizens broke into shouts of joy, and
cried more impetuously than ever, "Down with the Magi! Victory to King
Darius!"
The son of Hystaspes was then carried by the crowd to a rising ground,
from which he told the people that the Magi had been slain by the
Achaemenidae, as liars and usurpers. Fresh cries of joy arose in answer
to these words, and when at last the bleeding heads of Oropastes and
Gaumata were shown to the crowd, they rushed with horrid yells through
the streets of the city, murdering every Magian they could lay hold of.
The darkness of night alone was able to stop this awful massacre.
Four days later, Darius, the son of Hystaspes, was chosen as king by the
heads of the Achaemenidae, in consideration of his high birth and noble
character, and received by the Persian nation with enthusiasm. Darius
had killed Gaumata with his own hand, and the highpriest had received
his death-thrust from the hand of Megabyzus, the father of Zopyrus.
While Prexaspes was haranguing the people, the seven conspiring Persian
princes, Otanes, Intaphernes, Gobryas, Megabyzus, Aspatines, Hydarnes
and Darius, (as representative of his aged father Hystaspes), had
entered the palace by a carelessly-guarded gate, sought out the part
of the building occupied by the Magi, and then, assisted by their own
knowledge of the palace, and the fact that most of the guards had been
sent to keep watch over the crowd assembled to hear Prexaspes easily
penetrated to the apartments in which at that moment they were to be
found. Here they were resisted by a few eunuchs, headed by Boges, but
these were overpowered and killed to a man. Darius became furious on
seeing Boges, and killed him at once. Hearing the dying cries of these
eunuchs, the Magi rushed to the spot and prepared to defend themselves.
Oropastes snatched a lance from the fallen Boges, thrust out one of
Intaphernes' eyes and wounded Aspatines in the thigh, but was stabbed
by Megabyzus. Gaumata fled into another apartment and tried to bar
the door, but was followed too soon by Darius and Gobryas; the latter
seized, threw him, and kept him down by the weight of his own body,
crying to Darius, who was afraid of making a false stroke in the
half-light, and so wounding his companion instead of Gaumata, "Strike
boldly, even if you should stab us both." Darius obeyed, and fortunately
only hit the Magian.
Thus died Oropastes, the high-priest, and his brother Gaumata, better
known under the name of the "pseudo" or "pretended Smerdis."
A few weeks after Darius' election to the throne, which the people
said had been marvellously influenced by divine miracles and the
clever cunning of a groom, he celebrated his coronation brilliantly at
Pasargadae, and with still more splendor, his marriage with his beloved
Atossa. The trials of her life had ripened her character, and she proved
a faithful, beloved and respected companion to her husband through
the whole of that active and glorious life, which, as Prexaspes had
foretold, made him worthy of the names by which he was afterwards
known--Darius the Great, and a second Cyrus.
[Atossa is constantly mentioned as the favorite wife of Darius, and
be appointed her son Xerxes to be his successor, though he had three
elder sons by the daughter of Gobryas. Herodotus (VII. 3.) speaks
with emphasis of the respect and consideration in which Atossa was
held, and Aeschylus, in his Persians, mentions her in her old age,
as the much-revered and noble matron.]
As a general he was circumspect and brave, and at the same time
understood so thoroughly how to divide his enormous realm, and to
administer its affairs, that he must be classed with the greatest
organizers of all times and countries. That his feeble successors were
able to keep this Asiatic Colossus of different countries together for
two hundred years after his death, was entirely owing to Darius. He was
liberal of his own, but sparing of his subjects' treasures, and made
truly royal gifts without demanding more than was his due. He introduced
a regular system of taxation, in place of the arbitrary exactions
practised under Cyrus and Cambyses, and never allowed himself to be
led astray in the carrying out of what seemed to him right, either by
difficulties or by the ridicule of the Achaemenidae, who nicknamed
him the "shopkeeper," on account of what seemed, to their exclusively
military tastes, his petty financial measures. It is by no means one of
his smallest merits, that he introduced one system of coinage through
his entire empire, and consequently through half the then known world.
Darius respected the religions and customs of other nations. When the
writing of Cyrus, of the existence of which Cambyses had known nothing,
was found in the archives of Ecbatana, he allowed the Jews to carry on
the building of their temple to Jehovah; he also left the Ionian cities
free to govern their own communities independently. Indeed, he would
hardly have sent his army against Greece, if the Athenians had not
insulted him.
In Egypt he had learnt much; among other things, the art of managing the
exchequer of his kingdom wisely; for this reason he held the Egyptians
in high esteem, and granted them many privileges, amongst others a canal
to connect the Nile with the Red Sea, which was greatly to the advantage
of their commerce.
[Traces of this canal can be found as early as the days of Setos I;
his son Rameses II. caused the works to be continued. Under Necho
they were recommenced, and possibly finished by Darius. In the time
of the Ptolemies, at all events, the canal was already completed.
Herod. II. 158. Diod. I. 33. The French, in undertaking to
reconstruct the Suez canal, have had much to encounter from the
unfriendly commercial policy of the English and their influence over
the internal affairs of Egypt, but the unwearied energy and great
talent of Monsr. de Lesseps and the patriotism of the French nation
have at last succeeded in bringing their great work to a successful
close. Whether it will pay is another question. See G. Ebers, Der
Kanal von Suez. Nordische Revue, October 1864. The maritime canal
connecting the Mediterranean with the Red Sea has also been
completed since 1869. We were among those, who attended the
brilliant inauguration ceremonies, and now willingly recall many of
the doubts expressed in our work 'Durch Gosen zum Sinai'. The
number of ships passing through the canal is constantly increasing.]
During the whole of his reign, Darius endeavored to make amends for
the severity with which Cambyses had treated the Egyptians; even in the
later years of his life he delighted to study the treasures of their
wisdom, and no one was allowed to attack either their religion or
customs, as long as he lived. The old high-priest Neithotep enjoyed
the king's favor to the last, and Darius often made use of his wise old
master's astrological knowledge.
The goodness and clemency of their new ruler was fully acknowledged by
the Egyptians; they called him a deity, as they had called their
own kings, and yet, in the last years of his reign, their desire for
independence led them to forget gratitude and to try to shake off his
gentle yoke, which was only oppressive because it had originally been
forced on them.
[The name of Darius occurs very often on the monuments as Ntariusch.
It is most frequently found in the inscriptions on the temple in the
Oasis el-Khargah, recently photographed by G. Rohlfs. The Egypto-
Persian memorial fragments, bearing inscriptions in the hieroglyphic
and cuneiform characters are very interesting. Darius' name in
Egyptian was generally "Ra, the beloved of Ammon." On a porcelain
vessel in Florence, and in some papyri in Paris and Florence he is
called by the divine titles of honor given to the Pharaohs.]
Their generous ruler and protector did not live to see the end of this
struggle.
[The first rebellion in Egypt, which broke out under Aryandes, the
satrap appointed by Cambyses, was put down by Darius in person. He
visited Egypt, and promised 100 talents (L22,500.) to any one who
would find a new Apis. Polyaen. VII. ii. 7. No second outbreak
took place until 486 B.C. about 4 years before the death of Darius.
Herod. VI i. Xerxes conquered the rebels two years after his
accession, and appointed his brother Achaemenes satrap of Egypt.]
It was reserved for Xerxes, the successor and son of Darius and Atossa,
to bring back the inhabitants of the Nile valley to a forced and
therefore insecure obedience.
Darius left a worthy monument of his greatness in the glorious palace
which he built on Mount Rachmed, the ruins of which are the wonder and
admiration of travellers to this day. Six thousand Egyptian workmen,
who had been sent to Asia by Cambyses, took part in the work and also
assisted in building a tomb for Darius and his successors, the rocky and
almost inaccessible chambers of which have defied the ravages of time,
and are now the resort of innumerable wild pigeons.
He caused the history of his deeds to be cut, (in the cuneiform
character and in the Persian, Median and Assyrian languages), on the
polished side of the rock of Bisitun or Behistan, not far from the spot
where he saved Atossa's life. The Persian part of this inscription
can still be deciphered with certainty, and contains an account of the
events related in the last few chapters, very nearly agreeing with our
own and that of Herodotus. The following sentences occur amongst others:
"Thus saith Darius the King: That which I have done, was done by the
grace of Auramazda in every way. I fought nineteen battles after the
rebellion of the kings. By the mercy of Auramazda I conquered them. I
took nine kings captive. One was a Median, Gaumata by name. He lied and
said: 'I am Bardiya (Bartja), the son of Cyrus.' He caused Persia to
rebel."
Some distance lower down, he names the chiefs who helped him to dethrone
the Magi, and in another place the inscription has these words: "Thus
saith the King Darius: That which I have done was done in every way
by the grace of Auramazda. Auramazda helped me, and such other gods as
there be. Auramazda and the other gods gave me help, because I was
not swift to anger, nor a liar, nor a violent ruler, neither I nor my
kinsmen. I have shown favor unto him who helped my brethren, and I have
punished severely him who was my enemy. Thou who shalt be king after me,
be not merciful unto him who is a liar or a rebel, but punish him with a
severe punishment. Thus saith Darius the King: Thou who shalt hereafter
behold this tablet which I have written, or these pictures, destroy them
not, but so long as thou shalt live preserve them, &c."
It now only remains to be told that Zopyrus, the son of Megabyzus,
continued to the last the king's most faithful friend.
A courtier once showed the king a pomegranate, and asked him of what one
gift of fortune he would like so many repetitions, as there were seeds
in that fruit. Without a moment's hesitation Darius answered, "Of my
Zopyrus."--[Plutarch]
The following story will prove that Zopyrus, on his part, well
understood how to return his royal friend's kindness. After the death of
Cambyses, Babylon revolted from the Persian empire. Darius besieged the
city nine months in vain, and was about to raise the siege, when one day
Zopyrus appeared before him bleeding, and deprived of his ears and nose,
and explained that he had mutilated himself thus in order to cheat the
Babylonians, who knew him well, as he had formerly been on intimate
terms with their daughters. He said he wished to tell the haughty
citizens, that Darius had thus disfigured him, and that he had come to
them for help in revenging himself. He thought they would then place
troops at his disposal, with which he intended to impose upon them by
making a few successful sallies at first. His ultimate intention was to
get possession of the keys, and open the Semiramis gate to his friends.
These words, which were spoken in a joking tone, contrasted so sadly
with the mutilated features of his once handsome friend, that Darius
wept, and when at last the almost impregnable fortress was really won by
Zopyrus' stratagem, he exclaimed: "I would give a hundred Babylons, if
my Zopyrus had not thus mutilated himself."
He then appointed his friend lord of the giant city, gave him its entire
revenues, and honored him every year with the rarest presents. In later
days he used to say that, with the exception of Cyrus, who had no equal,
no man had ever performed so generous a deed as Zopyrus.
[Herod. III. 160. Among other presents Zopyrus received a gold
hand-mill weighing six talents, the most honorable and distinguished
gift a Persian monarch could bestow upon a subject. According to
Ktesias, Megabaezus received this gift from Xerxes.]
Few rulers possessed so many self-sacrificing friends as Darius, because
few understood so well how to be grateful.
When Syloson, the brother of the murdered Polykrates, came to Susa
and reminded the king of his former services, Darius received him as
a friend, placed ships and troops at his service, and helped him to
recover Samos.
The Samians made a desperate resistance, and said, when at last they
were obliged to yield: "Through Syloson we have much room in our land."
Rhodopis lived to hear of the murder of Hipparchus, the tyrant of
Athens, by Harmodius and Aristogiton, and died at last in the arms of
her best friends, Theopompus the Milesian and Kallias the Athenian, firm
in her belief of the high calling of her countrymen.
All Naukratis mourned for her, and Kallias sent a messenger to Susa, to
inform the king and Sappho of her death.
A few months later the satrap of Egypt received the following letter
from the hand of the king:
"Inasmuch as we ourselves knew and honored Rhodopis, the Greek, who
has lately died in Naukratis,--inasmuch as her granddaughter, as
widow of the lawful heir to the Persian throne, enjoys to this day
the rank and honors of a queen,--and lastly, inasmuch as I have
lately taken the great-grandchild of the same Rhodopis, Parmys, the
daughter of Bartja and Sappho, to be my third lawful wife, it seems
to me just to grant royal honors to the ancestress of two queens. I
therefore command thee to cause the ashes of Rhodopis, whom we have
always esteemed as the greatest and rarest among women, to be buried
in the greatest and rarest of all monuments, namely, in one of the
Pyramids. The costly urn, which thou wilt receive herewith, is sent
by Sappho to preserve the ashes of the deceased."
Given in the new imperial palace at Persepolis.
DARIUS, son of Hystaspes.
King.
ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS:
A kind word hath far more power than an angry one
A first impression is often a final one
A noble mind can never swim with the stream
Abuse not those who have outwitted thee
Age is inquisitive
Apis the progeny of a virgin cow and a moonbeam
Assigned sixty years as the limit of a happy life
At my age every year must be accepted as an undeserved gift
Avoid excessive joy as well as complaining grief
Be not merciful unto him who is a liar or a rebel
Between two stools a man falls to the ground
Blessings go as quickly as they come
Call everything that is beyond your comprehension a miracle
Cambyses had been spoiled from his earliest infancy
Canal to connect the Nile with the Red Sea
Cannot understand how trifles can make me so happy
Cast off all care; be mindful only of pleasure
Confess I would rather provoke a lioness than a woman
Corpse to be torn in pieces by dogs and vultures
Creed which views life as a short pilgrimage to the grave
Curiosity is a woman's vice
Death is so long and life so short
Devoid of occupation, envy easily becomes hatred
Did the ancients know anything of love
Does happiness consist then in possession
Easy to understand what we like to hear
Eros mocks all human efforts to resist or confine him
Eyes are much more eloquent than all the tongues in the world
Folly to fret over what cannot be undone
For the errors of the wise the remedy is reparation, not regret
Go down into the grave before us (Our children)
Greeks have not the same reverence for truth
Happiness has nothing to do with our outward circumstances
Hast thou a wounded heart? touch it seldom
He who kills a cat is punished (for murder)
He is the best host, who allows his guests the most freedom
He who is to govern well must begin by learning to obey
Human beings hate the man who shows kindness to their enemies
I cannot... Say rather: I will not
I was not swift to anger, nor a liar, nor a violent ruler
In war the fathers live to mourn for their slain sons
In our country it needs more courage to be a coward
In this immense temple man seemed a dwarf in his own eyes
In those days men wept, as well as women
Inn, was to be found about every eighteen miles
Introduced a regular system of taxation-Darius
Know how to honor beauty; and prove it by taking many wives
Lovers delighted in nature then as now
Lovers are the most unteachable of pupils
Misfortune too great for tears
Mosquito-tower with which nearly every house was provided
Multitude who, like the gnats, fly towards every thing brilliant
Natural impulse which moves all old women to favor lovers
Never so clever as when we have to find excuses for our own sins
No man was allowed to ask anything of the gods for himself
Nothing is more dangerous to love, than a comfortable assurance
Nothing is perfectly certain in this world
Numbers are the only certain things
Observe a due proportion in all things
Olympics--The first was fixed 776 B.C.
One must enjoy the time while it is here
Only two remedies for heart-sickness:--hope and patience
Ordered his feet to be washed and his head anointed
Papyrus Ebers
Pilgrimage to the grave, and death as the only true life
Pious axioms to be repeated by the physician, while compounding
Remember, a lie and your death are one and the same
Resistance always brings out a man's best powers
Robes cut as to leave the right breast uncovered
Romantic love, as we know it, a result of Christianity
Rules of life given by one man to another are useless
Scarcely be able to use so large a sum--Then abuse it
Sent for a second interpreter
Sing their libels on women (Greek Philosophers)
So long as we are able to hope and wish
Take heed lest pride degenerate into vainglory
The past belongs to the dead; only fools count upon the future
The priests are my opponents, my masters
The gods cast envious glances at the happiness of mortals
The beautiful past is all he has to live upon
They praise their butchers more than their benefactors
Those are not my real friends who tell me I am beautiful
Time is clever in the healing art
True host puts an end to the banquet
Unwise to try to make a man happy by force
War is a perversion of nature
We live for life, not for death
We've talked a good deal of love with our eyes already
Whatever a man would do himself, he thinks others are capable of
When love has once taken firm hold of a man in riper years
Whether the historical romance is ever justifiable
Wise men hold fast by the ever young present
Ye play with eternity as if it were but a passing moment
Young Greek girls pass their sad childhood in close rooms
Zeus pays no heed to lovers' oaths
End of Project Gutenberg's An Egyptian Princess, Complete, by Georg Ebers