95 GUSHTASP-WORSHIP OF FIRE-ISFUNDEAR. the efforts of his expiring son. After Sohrab's death | pents, that no attempt had ever been made to cross it. he burnt his tents and all his goods, and carried the This, however, was the route which Isfundear detercorpse to Seistan, where it was interred. The mother, mined to take, accompanied by only sixty chosen men. on receiving intelligence of this catastrophe, set fire to He despatched a chief by the longer route, with the her palace, meaning to perish in the flames-but was army and heavy baggage, directing him to watch as prevented by her attendants. She became quite fran- he approached the city for a signal of fire, and to make tic; now her chief joy was to clothe herself in the the attack the moment he saw it. bloody garment of her son, to kiss the forehead of his favorite horse, to draw his bow, to wield his lance, his sword and his mace. At last, to use the words of the poet, -"She died, and her soul fled to that of her heroic son." CHAPTER LIV. 600 to 529 B. C. Gushtasp-The Worship of Fire-Adventures THE reign of Gushtasp owes its chief celebrity to its being the period when the Persians were converted to the worship of fire. Zoroaster, who, it is believed, effected this change in the religion of his country, is called a prophet, or an impostor, as the events of his life are described from ancient Persian or Mahometan sources. The former writers pretend that he was a most holy and enlightened man. The latter assert that he was an astrologer, who, under the deception of the devil, became the teacher of a new and impious doctrine. All agree that he lived in the time of Gushtasp, and led him, either by his magical arts or holy miracles, to become a zealous and powerful propagator of his doctrine. The royal bigot not only built firetemples in every part of his kingdom, but compelled his subjects to worship in them. The doctrines of Zoroaster spread rapidly over the whole country. The king ordered twelve thousand cow-hides to be tanned fine, that the precepts of his new faith might be written upon them. These parchments were deposited in a vault hewn out of the rock at Persepolis. Holy men were appointed to guard them, and it was commanded that the profane should be kept at a distance from the sacred records. The first consequence of this change of religion was a war with Arjasp, King of Tartary, who wrote a letter to Gushtasp, warning him against the error into which he had fallen, and threatening him with an invasion if he refused to return to the religion of his ancestors. The Persian king was indignant at this letter, and hostilities immediately ensued. Isfundear, the son of Gushtasp, commanded the Persian army, and gave the Tartars a complete overthrow. But being driven into rebellion by the intrigues at court, he was thrown into prison by his father. When the Tartar king heard of this, he took up arms again, invaded Persia, defeated Gushtasp, and made his daughter prisoner. Gushtasp, in despair at this loss, not only gave Isfundear his liberty, but promised to resign his crown to him if he succeeded in releasing his sister. The prince agreed to the terms, collected an army, defeated Arjasp, and prepared to pursue him to his capital, Ruendeh, or the Brazen City, so named from the strength of its walls. Three routes led to this city; the shortest was over a desert so wild and barren, and so infested by ferocious animals and poisonous ser Isfundear and his sixty attendants were dressed as merchants, and carried with them a load of marketable commodities. They passed the desert in safety, and entered Ruendeh without exciting suspicion. They caused a report to be circulated, that a wealthy merchant, attended by a number of friends, had escaped from the tyranny of Gushtasp. This, according to design, soon reached the ear of Arjasp, who sent for Isfundear, that he might view his merchandise. The disguised prince attended, made an offering of some rich jewels, and was assured of favor and protection. No suspicion fell upon him, and, at length, he saw the Persian army approach the city. In the darkness of the night he made the signal. The troops without immediately made an attack upon the walls, while the prince and his companions rushed to assail the palace. So sudden and unexpected was the assault, that everything was thrown into confusion, and no resistance was made. When the prince approached the king, he exclaimed, - "You miscreant Turk! I am Isfundear, Prince of Persia !" Arjasp fled, terrified at the name, but was soon overtaken and slain; all his brothers met the same fate. The sister of Isfundear was released and restored to her father, to whom the victorious prince also sent the throne of Arjasp, with an immense booty. These exploits are highly embellished in Persian romance. The seven stages by which Isfundear made his way to Ruendeh are each marked by some formidable obstacle. The first is defended by two savage wolves; the second, by two enormous lions; the third, by a dragon with seven heads; the fourth, by a ghoul or demon; the fifth, by a griffin; the sixth, by a perpetual fountain of immense height; and the seventh, by a great lake surrounded by lofty mountains. These legends may serve to give the reader an idea of the ancient Persian history, as it is told by native writers. None of these accounts are to be found in the writings of the Greeks, whose knowledge of Persian affairs, previous to the time of Alexander, appears to have been very scanty and indistinct. The conquest of Persia by Cyrus the Great forms one of the most important eras in the annals of this nation. Attempts have been made to reconcile the accounts of Cyrus, as given by Herodotus, with those relating to Kei Khosrou, in the work of Firdusi. The Persian sovereign called Kai Kobad by Firdusi has been thought identical with the Dejoces of Media. The Kai Koos of Firdusi is supposed to be the same with Cyaxares, or Astyages; but the perplexing fictions with which the genius of the poet has invested the history of this period, render everything obscure. The coincidence of the reigns of Kai Koos and Cyaxares rests upon a single fact,—a total eclipse of the sun, which took place during an engagement between the Medes and the Lydians. This is supposed to be the same phenomenon that, according to Firdusi, struck the army of Kai Koos with a sudden blindness, in a battle with the magicians of Mazenderan. It is impossible to say with certainty which of the kings of Persian history is the Cyrus of the Greeks. The 96 CAMBYSES-CONQUEST OF EGYPT-THE FALSE SMERDIS. Persians, according to Heeren, were originally a highland people, and led a pastoral life. They were classed into ten tribes, of which the Pasargade were the ruling horde. Their government was a patriarchal one, the vestiges of which may be traced throughout their whole history. Cyrus seems to have been made acquainted with the prophecies of Isaiah concerning him. Soon after his accession to the throne of Babylon, he issued a decree for the return of the Jews to their own country. They were not, however, permitted to rebuild the temple till the expiration of seventy years, when Darius Hystaspes granted them that privilege. Cyrus now made war on the Massagetæ, a nation living in the north of Asia. Here he was defeated and slain by the people, under command of their queen Tomyris, 529 B. C. The enraged sovereign caused the head of the conqueror to be cut off and plunged into a leathern bag filled with human blood, saying, "Though I am alive, and have conquered you, yet you have undone me by taking my son. I will, however, satiate you with blood." This speech, savage as it may seem, still shows the tender feelings of a mother, and a just estimate of the character of a conqueror, whose work is the same in all ages- the shedding of human blood. The revolution effected by Cyrus was, according to this view, like most other important revolutions of Asia, the effort of a great pastoral people, who, impelled by necessity and favored by circumstance, forsook their own seats in search of more peaceful and permanent abodes, and drove out some previously successful invader. Cyrus was, probably, a chief of the Pasargadæ, elected leader of the Persian hordes, and by their assistance became a powerful conqueror, at a time when the Median and Babylonian kingdoms were on the decline. On their ruins he founded the Persian empire, which rapidly increased till his dominions extended from the Mediterranean to the Indus and the Oxus. The Greek histories of Cyrus are derived chiefly from Herodotus and Xenophon. The latter writer is Cyrus is considered the great hero of Persian hisrepresented by Plato as having given in his work his tory, and his name is cherished to the present day. own conceptions of what should constitute a just It is said, that there was a tomb erected to his memprince, rather than a true account of Cyrus. Cicero ory, at Pasargadæ, near the city of Persepolis. Two also affirms that Xenophon's work was drawn up ex- hundred years after the death of Cyrus, Alexander pressly as a model of government, and was not in- visited his sepulchre at this place, and offered sacritended as a true history. Herodotus founds the Per-fices to his shade. He opened the tomb, expecting to sian empire upon the destruction of the Medes. find great treasures; but a rotten shield, two Scythian Xenophon unites the Medes and Persians in the con- bows, and a Persian cimeter, were the only relics. quest of Babylon. Other discrepancies occur in the Within the sepulchre was the following inscription: narratives of these two writers which we should in vain" O man, whoever thou art, and whencesoever thou attempt to reconcile. Amid these contradictory views, comest, I am Cyrus, the founder of the Persian emwe can only be sure of certain leading facts. pire envy me not the little earth that covers my body." The supremacy of the Medes over the Persian principalities was probably first established in the reign of Kai Koos, early in the sixth century, B. C. His son, or successor, Astyages, called also Ahasuerus, a name given to several other oriental monarchs, reconciled the Persians to his authority by giving his daughter in marriage to Cambyses, of the royal tribe From this union was born Cyrus, of the Pasargada or Khosrou, in Persian, signifying the sun. Before his accession to the throne, he had been intrusted with the command of the Persian armies, and had carried on successful wars against Lydia and other countries in Western Asia. Uniting with Cyaxares II. or Darius, king of Media, Cyrus marched against Babylionia, and, after a siege of two years, took its capital. Darius became king of Babylon, where he reigned in great pomp and splendor for a short period. He was then succeeded by Cyrus, who proceeded to consolidate his immense conquests. Hence arose the Persian empire, which extended, during this reign, from the Indus on the east to Greece on the west. When Cyrus came to the throne, he found many Jews in a state of captivity at Babylon. Among these was the prophet Daniel, whom he treated with respect and favor. The prophet Isaiah had spoken of Cyrus, long before his birth, as destined to fulfil the high purposes of Heaven. The following passage is supposed to refer to him : Cambyses CHAPTER LV. 529 to 521 B. C. -Conquest of Egypt - The False CYRUS left two sons, Cambyses and Smerdis. The The Ethiopian prince easily detected the design of the pretended ambassadors. He sent back a message, advising Cambyses to be content with his own dominions, and not to covet the possessions of another. He DARIUS-CAPTURE OF BABYLON-EXPEDITION TO SCYTHIA. 97 sent him, also, in return for the presents, his own | Darius Hystaspes, one of the seven, had a groom bow, saying, "When Cambyses can bend this bow as who managed his horse so cunningly, as to cause him I can, let him attack me." The Persian king, highly to neigh as soon as he had arrived at the place of renincensed by this message, ordered his army to march, dezvous. All the others immediately saluted Darius though quite unprovided for such an expedition as king of Persia, 521 B. C. "Never reflecting," says Herodotus, "that he was about to visit the extremities of the earth." He left no part of his forces behind, except his Greek auxiliaries, on whom he depended to keep the country in awe. Arriving at Thebes, in Upper Egypt, he detached from this army 50,000 men to march against the Ammonians, with orders to ravage their country, and burn the temple of Jupiter Ammon. CHAPTER LVI. 521 to 500 B. C. to Scythia. By the help of guides, the Persian army reached Darius I.— Capture of Babylon — Expedition the city of Oasis, seven days' march from Thebes. What became of them afterwards was never known. Herodotus, who received the story from the Ammo- THE long and successful reign of Darius was marked nians, relates that, "after they had left Oasis, they by events which exercised a powerful influence over halted to take some repast, when a strong south wind the destinies of Persia. Not less a legislator than arose and overwhelmed them beneath a mountain of a conqueror, he divided the empire into nineteen sand." Perhaps the Egyptians, intending the de- satrapies, on each of which was imposed a fixed struction of their enemies, conducted them into the tribute. The duties of the satraps appear to have vast solitudes of Libya, and abandoned them in the been at first confined to the collection of imposts, the night. Being unable to find their way out of the improvement of agriculture, and the execution of the desert, they perished from heat and thirst. royal orders. They were purely civil governors, although, by an abuse of their powers, they afterwards acquired military command. An efficient system of checks upon these officers was imposed by Darius. Periodical visits were paid to each district by royal commissioners, or by the king himself; and an tablishment of couriers was formed for transmitting edicts to every quarter of the empire. The army was distributed into commands, formed on the principle of decimal division a system which has ever since prevailed. Greek mercenaries were taken into pay, and, on occasion of great wars, recourse was had to a general conscription. Cambyses, in the mean time, advanced with his main army against the Ethiopians. He soon began to feel the fatal effects of his improvident haste. His scanty stores of provision were consumed. The army then fed on the beasts of burden, and, at length, on the roots and herbs which the uncultivated soil could supply. Cambyses had yet the indiscretion to advance, till his troops were reduced, amidst sands and deserts, to the dreadful expedient of devouring one another. The whole army was decimated, every tenth man, selected by lot, being slain and prepared as food for his companions. At last, the king, finding it impossible to proceed, marched back with the wreck of his army, defeated without seeing the face of an enemy. es The next design of Cambyses was to carry his arms into Western Africa, against the Carthaginians; but the Phoenician mariners on whom he depended for the transportation of his army, refused to serve against a people whom they regarded as their brethren. To secure his throne, he had taken the cruel precaution of putting his brother Smerdis to death; but he was now alarmed by hearing that a usurper, under his brother's name, had seized the crown. He immediately gave orders for his army to take up their march for Persia; but, while mounting his horse, his sword slipped from the scabbard, and gave him a mortal wound in the thigh. He died at Ecbatana, He died at Ecbatana, in Syria, B. C. 521. The Babylonians broke out into rebellion against Darius, and expecting the speedy vengeance of the king, who mustered his army on the first news of the revolt, they prepared to sustain a long siege, and resorted to a horrible expedient. "Of all the women in Babylon," says Herodotus, "each man reserved his mother and one other female of his household; the rest were collected together and strangled." The king advanced and laid siege to the city. The Babylonians, confiding in their preparations and the strength of their walls, treated the besiegers with contempt. They even amused themselves with dancing on the ramparts. More than a year and a half was wasted before the walls, and Darius, at last, began to despair of taking the city, when the enterprise was accomplished by a stratagem of Zopyrus, one of his chief officers. The false Smerdis was sustained upon the throne by a faction of the Magi, or Persian priests. But This person cut off his own nose and ears, and Otanes, a nobleman of high rank, suspecting the otherwise mutilated his person in an extraordinary deceit, was enabled to detect it by means of his and cruel manner. He then deserted to the Babydaughter, who, having been the wife of Cambyses, lonians, and pretended that he had received this barwas retained in the usurper's harem. He commu- barous treatment from Darius for advising him to nicated the intelligence to six other chiefs, and a con- raise the siege. The Babylonians could not hesitate spiracy was formed, which succeeded in overthrow- to believe a story accompanied by such convincing ing the impostor, who was put to death, with a multi-proofs. They received Zopyrus, and gave him the tude of the Magi, his supporters. The conspirators command of a body of troops. With these he sallied then deliberated respecting the fittest form of government, and, having decided that an absolute monarchy was the best, the whole seven agreed to meet on horseback at sunrise, without the city, and that the crown should be given to him whose horse should neigh first. | out of the city, attacked the Persians, and cut off several detachments, according to a plan which had been agreed upon between him and Darius. In this manner, he raised his character with the Babylonians, and at length his credit became so far established that CHAPTER LVII. 500 to 464 В. С. Retreat of Darius from Scythia - Wars with the Greeks - The Jews under Darius Reign of Xerxes - Invasion of Greece Death of Xerxes. Having crossed the Bosphorus with his immense rmy, Darius marched through Scythia, eastward, to he River Tanais, now the Don. The Scythian army etreated regularly before him at the distance of a Lay's march, filling up the wells and destroying the roduce of the fields, their families and cattle being reviously sent to the northern frontier. Darius proeeded in his march, crossed the Tanais, and penerated as far as the Oasis, supposed to be the Volga. Here he constructed eight fortresses, the remains of which were visible in the time of Herodotus. The cythians treated with contempt the demands of Daus, who required of them to submit to him as the Great King," and to make the usual offerings of arth and water. They despatched to him a messen ger bearing the enigmatical gifts of a bird, a frog, and five arrows, which were thus int "Persians, unless you can fly in the air li hide yourselves under ground like mice, or sv water like frogs, you will not escape the arrows." Darius was struck with the forc barbarian eloquence, and finding his provisio exhausted, and his army weary and dispir compelled to abandon his rash enterprise treat. The undertakings of Darius in the east w fortunate. He ordered a fleet to be equ Caspatyra, a city on the River Indus, and plac the command of Scylax, a Greek mariner with orders to proceed down the river and ward till he should come to Persia. Scyla: plished a voyage which had never before been performed. He sailed down the Indı Arabian Sea, crossed the Persian Gulf, and along the barren shore of Arabia, to the S Babelmandel, entered the Red Sea, and, af months' navigation, reached Egypt. The int which he obtained in this voyage induced ] invade India with a large army, and several ( provinces were added to his empire. In the mean time, the Greeks of Asia Mino volted; but Darius quickly suppressed the 1 and treated the revolted cities with great Miletus was completely destroyed, and the solved to extend his vengeance to the Greek those who had resisted his authority. He co large naval and military force, which he plac Mardonius himself. A second expedition to Greece under the command of Datis and nes, who forced a passage into the northern hat country, and threatened Athens - when e totally defeated by the Athenians, led by Milthe memorable battle of Marathon, 490 B. C. nt will be more particularly described in the f Greece. enge this disgrace, Darius resolved to invade person; but an insurrection of the Egypdisputes among his children respecting the n, retarded his preparations, and before his ere ready to march, the whole design was by his death. monarch is supposed to be the king of Persia ved such distinguished favor to the Jews, by em in rebuilding Jerusalem and restoring the ssels of the temple, which had been carried Nebuchadnezzar. Josephus states as folDarius, the son of Hytaspes, while he was a nan, had made a vow to Heaven, that if he De king, he would send all the vessels of God re in Babylon, to the temple at Jerusalem. ordered the rulers of Syria and Phoenicia to a and carry cedar-trees from Lebanon to n, and to lend their aid in building the city. he commanded that all the captives returndea should be free, and he prohibited his plete than by the original conquest of Cambyses. then employed three years in making preparatio an invasion of Greece. His army, if we may b Herodotus, amounted to five millions. The d and arms of the soldiers are described in the f ing manner: The Persians wore on their heads w tiaras. Their dress was a parti-colored tunic, ad with plates of steel in imitation of the scales of They bore a shield, called gerra. Their spears short, their bows large, with arrows made of On the right side they wore a dagger. The ians had brazen helmets of a barbarous form; arms resembled those of the Egyptians. The also clubs pointed with iron, and linen cuir which would resist the edge of a sabre. The bians wore long, folding vests, which they called their bows were long, flexible, and crooked. Ethiopians were clad in skins of panthers and their bows were of palm, four cubits long; the rows were short, and made of reeds; instead of they were pointed with a stone, with which they to cut their seals. They had spears armed wit horns of goats, shaped like the iron of a lance also knotty clubs. It was the custom of these p when they went to war, to daub one half the bod gypsum and the other half with vermilion. The cavalry of this army amounted to 80,00 clusive of camels and chariots. One body of escribed by Herodotus. "The Sagartii were number. These people led a pastoral life, ginally of Persian descent, and spoke the anguage. They had no offensive weapons eir daggers. Their principal dependence in supon cords made of twisted hide. These ving a noose at the end, they throw out, and, whole armament at Abydos, on the Hellespon thus entangling their enemy, easily put him to de This contrivance is precisely the same with the American lasso. To this immense army was attached a fleet of ships. Xerxes, having numbered his forces of description, proceeded to make a formal review |