An Account of the MANNERS and CUSTOMS of the A NEW EDITIO N, Corrected. EDINBURGH: Printed for CHARLES ELLIOT, M. DCC.LXXV. R.9455 THE HISTORY OF THE PERSIANS and GRECIANS. TH HIS book contains the history of the Perfians and Grecians, in the reigns of Darius I. and Xerxes I. during the space of forty-eight years, from the year of the world 3483 to the year 3531. CHA P. I. The hiftory of Darius, intermixed with that of the Greeks. BEFORE Darius came to be King, he was called Ochus (a). At his acceffion he took the name of Darius, which, according to Herodotus, in the Perfian language, fignifies an avenger, or a man that de feats the fchemes of another; probably because he had punished, and put an end to the infolence of the Magian impoftor. He reigned thirty-fix years. SECT. I. Darius's marriage. The impofition of tributes. The infolence and punishment of Intaphernes. The death of Oretes. The ftory of Democedes a phyfician. The Jews permitted to carry on the building of their temple. The generosity of Sylofon rewarded. BEFORES EFORE Darius was elected King, he had married the daughter of Gobryas, whofe name is not known D 2 (4) Eerod, 1. 6. c. 98.; Val. Max. 1: 9. c. 2. known. Artabarzanes, his eldeft fon by her, afterwards difputed the empire with Xerxes. (b) When Darius was feated in the throne, the better to fecure himself therein, he married two of Cyrus's daughters, Atoffa and Ariftona. The former had been wife to Cambyfes, her own brother, and afterwards to Smerdis the Magian, during the time he poffeffed the throne. Ariftona was ftill a virgin when Darius married her; and, of all his wives, was the perfon he most loved. He likewife married Parmys, daughter of the true Smerdis, who was Cambyfes's brother; as alfo Phedyma, daughter to Otanes, by whofe management the impofture of the Magian was difcovered. By thefe wives he had a great number of children of both fexes. We have already feen, that the feven confpirators who put the Magus to death, had agreed amongst themfelves, that he whofe horfe, on a day appointed, first neighed at the rifing of the fun, fhould be declared King; and that Darius's horfe, by an artifice of his groom, procured his mafter that honour. (c) The King, defiring to tranfmit to future ages, his gratitude for this fignal and extraordinary fervice, caufedan equestrian statue to be fet up with this infcription: Darius, the fon of Hyftafpes, acquired the kingdom of Perfia by means of his horfe (whofe name was inferted), and of his groom Oebares. There is in this infcription, in which we fee the King is not afhamed to own himself indebted to his horfe and his groom for fo tranfcendent a benefaction as the regal diadem, when it was his intereft, one would think, to have it confidered as the fruits of a fuperior merit; there is, I fay, in this infcription, a fimplicity and fincerity peculiar to the genius of those ancient times, and extremely remote from the pride and vanity of ours. (d) One of the first cares of Darius, when he was fettled (b) A. M. 3483. Ant. J. C. 531. Her. 1. 3. c. 88. (c) Ibid.(d) Id: 1. 3. c. 89,-97. |