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him earth and water, which the Persians used to demand as sign that all was yielded unto them. To this challenge the Scythian returned an hieroglyphical answer, sending a bird, a frog, a mouse, and five arrows; which dumb show Darius interpreting by his own wish, thought that he did yield all the elements wherein those creatures live, and his weapons withal into his hands. But Gobryas, one of the seven princes who had slain the magi, construed their meaning aright, which was thus; "O ye Persians, get ye "wings like birds, or dive under the water, or creep into ❝holes in the earth, for else ye shall not escape our arrows." And this interpretation was soon verified by the Scythians themselves, who assailed the Persian camp, drave the horsemen into the trenches, and vexing the army with continual alarums day and night, were so fearless of this great monarch, and so little regarded him, that within his hearing, and even in his sight, they did not forbear the pastime of coursing a hare which they had started by chance. By this boldness of theirs Darius was so discouraged, that he forsook his camp by night, making many fires, and leaving all that were sick and weak behind him, and so with all speed marched away towards the river Ister. He was pursued hardly by the Scythians, who missed him; yet arriving at the bridge before him, persuaded the Ionians to depart, assuring them that the Persian king should never more be able to do them either good or harm. Which words had certainly been proved true, had not Histiæus the Milesian prevailed with his people to attend the coming of Darius, whom the Scythians did likewise fail to meet, when they returned from Ister to seek him out.

SECT. V.

Some actions of the Persians in Europe after the Scythian war. DARIUS having thus escaped out of Scythia, determined the invasion of Thrace and Macedon, in which war he employed Megabasus, who mastered the Pæonians and transplanted them, and possessed Perinthus, Chalcedon, Byzantium, and other places, being also soon after subjected

and added to the Persian empire by Otanes the son of Sysamnes, whom Cambyses had excoriated for false judgment m. So were the cities of n Selybria and Cardia likewise taken in for the Persian, who, having now reduced under his obeisance the best part of Thrace, did send his ambassadors to Amyntas king of Macedon adjoining, demanding of him by the earth and water the sovereignty over that kingdom. Amyntas, doubting his own strength, entertained the ambassadors with gentle words; and afterwards inviting them to a solemn and magnificent feast, the Persians greatly desired that the Macedonian ladies might be present; which being granted, the ambassadors, who were well filled with wine, and presumed upon their greatness and many victories, began to use such embracings and other lascivious behaviour towards those noble ladies, as Alexander the king's son, great grandfather to Alexander the Great, disdaining the Persians' barbarous presumption, besought his father to withdraw himself from the assembly, continuing notwithstanding all honourable respect towards the ambassadors, whom withal he entreated that the ladies might refresh themselves for a while, promising their speedy return. This being obtained, Alexander caused the like number of wellfavoured young men to clothe themselves in the same garments, and to use the same attires which the ladies had worn at the feast, giving them in charge, that when the Persians offered to abuse them they should forthwith transpierce them with their long knives, of which they were provided for that purpose, which was accordingly performed. Charge was soon after given by Darius for a severe revenge of this murder; but Alexander somewhat before the death of Amyntas gave his sister Gygea in marriage to Bubaris, a principal commander of Darius's forces on that side, who persuading her husband how helpful the alliance of Macedon would prove for the invasion of Attica intended, so prevailed, as Alexander escaped that tempest which threat

ened to fall upon him very suddenly; the war of Asia the Less, called Ionic, falling out at the same time.

SECT. VI.

The first occasion of the war which Darius made upon Greece, with a rehearsal of the government in Athens, whence the quar

rel grew.

NOW the better to understand the reason and motives of that great war which followed soon after, between the Persians and Grecians, it is necessary to make a short repetition of the state of Athens, which city endured the hardest and worst brunt of Darius's invasion on that side the sea with admirable success. Neither do I hold it any impertinency to be large in unfolding every circumstance of so great a business as gave fire to those wars which never could be throughly quenched, until in the ruin of this great Persian monarchy, Persepolis, the capital city of the empire, was at the request of an Athenian harlot consumed with a flame as dreadful as, in the pride of their greatness, the Persians had raised in Athens.

Now therefore, as out of the former books it may be gathered how Athens and other parts of Greece were anciently governed, the same being already set down, though scatteringly, and in several times among other the contemporary occurrents of the eastern emperors and the kings of Judæa; so I thought it very pertinent in this place to remember again the two last changes in the state of Athens. As for the Lacedæmonians, they maintained still their ancient policy under kings, though these also after some fifteen descents were bridled by the ephori.

Codrus king of the Athenians, in the former books remembered, who willingly died for the safety of his people, was therefore so honoured by them, as (thinking none worthy to succeed him) they changed their former government from monarchical to princes for term of life, of which Medon the son of Codrus was the first, after whom they were called Medontidæ ; and of these there were twelve generations besides Medon; to wit,

Agastus,

Archippus, in whose times the Greeks transported themselves into Ionia, after Troy an hundred and fourscore years, according to Eusebius; which migration all other chronologers (such as follow Eusebius herein excepted) find in the year after Troy fallen one hundred and forty.

Thersippus.

Phorbas.

Mezades.

Diogenetus, in whose time Lycurgus gave laws to the Spartans.

Pheredus.

Ariphron.

Theispius, in whose time the Assyrian empire was overthrown by Belochus and Arbaces.

Agamnestor.

Eschylus, in whose time the ephori (according to Eusebius) were erected in Lacedæmon.

Alcamenon, the last prince for life, after whose death the Athenians elected decennal governors: the former princes for life having continued in all three hundred and sixteen years. The first of those that governed for ten years, or the first archon, was Charops, then

Æsymedes.

Elydicus.

Hippomenes.

Leocrates.

Absander.

Erixias was the last archon of the decennal governors, which form continuing threescore and ten years, was then changed into annual magistrates, mayors, or burgh-masters, of which Theseus was the first, according to Pausanias; others find Leostratus; and then Anthosthenes.

• Paus. p. 159. Dionys. 1. 3. Paus. p. 169. 170. 331.

Archimedes.

Miltiades.

Damasias.

Draco.

Megacles.

Solon, and others, who are the less to be regarded by

reason of the yearly change.

This Solon, being a man of excellent wisdom, gave laws to the Athenians, which were published, according to Gellius, in the three and thirtieth year of Tarquinius Priscus, and were in after-ages derived unto the Romans, and by the decemviri (magistrates in Rome created for that purpose) reduced into twelve tables, which were the ground of the Roman laws. But these goodly ordinances of Solon were in his own days violated, and for a while almost quite extinguished. For whereas they were framed unto the practice and maintenance of a popular government, the estate of Athens was very soon changed into a monarchy by Pisistratus the son of Hippocrates, who finding the citizens distracted into two factions, whereof Megacles and Lycurgus, two citizens of noble families, were become the heads, took occasion by their contention and insolency to raise a third faction more powerful than the other two, and more plausible, for that he seemed a protector of the citizens in general. Having by this means obtained love and credit, he wounded himself, and feigned that by malice of his enemies he had like to have been slain for his love to the good citizens; he procured a guard for his defence, and with that band of men surprising the state-house, or citadel of Athens, he made himself lord of the town, Hegesistratus being then governor. But the citizens, who in every change of government had sought to remove themselves further and further from the form of a monarchy, could so ill brook this usurpation of Pisistratus, that he was driven, for lack of help, to fly the town, as soon as Megacles and Lycurgus (joining their forces) attempted his expulsion. Yet, as the building of his tyranny, founded upon the dissension of the citizens,