king, delighted with the reply, fent the man to the apartments of his women: the eunuchs who conducted him informed them, that this was the man who had restored the king to life; accordingly, every one of them taking out a vafe of gold 154, gave it to Democedes with the cafe. The prefent was fo very valuable, that a fervant who followed him behind, whofe name was Sciton, by gathering up the ftaters which fell to the ground, obtained a prodigious fum of money.

The particular point in this paffage is omitted by Mr, Potter, probably becaufe he did not find it fuited to the genius of the English language.

See alfo Ovid's defcription of the flower:

Ipfe fuos gemitus foliis infcribit et ai ai

Flos habet infcriptum.

T.

154 Taking out a vafe of gold.]—This is one of the most perplexed paffages in Herodotus; and the conjectures of the critics. are proportionably. numerous. The great difficulty confifts in afcertaining what is defigned by iwlulera and On. The Qan appears to have been a jar or vafe, probably itself of gold. Few have doubted that the paffage is corrupt: the best conjectural reading gives this fenfe, "that each, taking gold out of a chet in a vafe, (piady) gave it, vafe and all, to Democedes. Yolula is thus made to fignify plunging the vafe among the gold to fill it, as a pitcher into water, which fenfe is confirmed by good authorities. The idea more immediately excited by the word, is, that they ftruck the bottom of the vase to shake out all the gold; but according to this interpretation, the vafe itself is the duan, or cafe.-T.

CXXXI. The following was what induced Demoçedes to forfake Crotona, and attach himfelf to Polycrates. At Crotona he fuffered continual restraint from the auftere temper of his father; this becoming infupportable he left him, and went to Ægina. In the first year of his refidence at this place he excelled the most skilful of the medical profeffion, without having had any regular educa tion, and indeed without the common inftruments of the art. His reputation, however, was so great, that in the fecond year the inhabitants of Ægina, by general confent, engaged his fervices at the price of one talent. In the third year the Athenians retained him, at a falary of one hundred minæ 155

155 One hundred mine.]—Valcnaer fufpects that this place has been altered by some copyifts. Athens, in the time of its greatest fplendor, allowed their ambaffadors but two drachmæ a day, and a hundred drachmæ make but one mina. If when the Athenians were rich they gave no more to an ambaffador, how is it likely that, when they were exceedingly poor, they should give a penfion of a hundred mine to a phyfician? Thus far Valcnaer. From this and other paffages in the ancient writers, it appears that in remoter times it was usual to hire physicians for the affiftance of a whole city by the year. The fees which were given physicians for a fingle incidental vifit, was very inconfiderable, as appears from the famous verfes of Crates, preserved by Diogenes Laertius,

Τίθει μαγειρῳ μνᾶς δέκ', ἰατρῷ δραχμὴν

Κόλακι τάλαντα πέντε, συμβόλῳ καπνὸν
Πόρνη ταλαντον, φιλοσόφῳ τριώβολον.

"To a cook 30%; to a phyfician two groats; to a flatterer goo 1.; to a counsellor nothing; to a whore 1801; to a philofopher a groat." The above is supposed to describe part of the accounts of a man of fortune.-T.

and

and in the fourth year Polycrates engaged to give him two talents. His refidence was then fixed at Samos; and to this man the phyficians of Crotona are confiderably indebted for the reputation which they enjoy; for at this period, in point of medical celebrity, the phyficians of Crotona held the firft, and thofe of Cyrene the next place. At this time alfo the Argives had the credit of being the most skilful musicians 156 of Greece,

CXXXII. Democedes having in this manner reftored the king to health, had a sumptuous houfe provided him at Sufa, was entertained at the king's own table, and, except the restriction of not being able to return to Greece, enjoyed all that he could wifh. The Egyptian phyficians, who had before the care of the king's health, were on account of their inferiority to Democedes, a Greek, condemned to the cross, but he obtained their pardon. He also procured the liberty of an Elean foothsayer, who having followed Polycrates was detained and neglected amongst his other flaves. It may be added, that Democedes remained in the highest eftimation with the king.

CXXXIII. It happened not long afterwards, that Atoffa, daughter of Cyrus, and wife of Darius,

156 Muficians.]-Mufic was an important part of Grecian education. Boys till they were ten years old were taught to read by the grammatiftes; they were then taught mufic three years by the cithariftes; after their thirteenth year they learned the gymnaftic cxercifes, under the care of the paidotades.-T.

had

had an ulcer upon her breaft, which finally breaking spread itself confiderably. As long as it was fmall, fhe was induced by delicacy to conceal it; but when it grew more troublefome fhe fent for Democedes, and fhewed it to him. He told her he was able to cure it; but exacted of her an oath, that in return she should serve him in what he might require, which he affured her should be nothing to difgrace her.

CXXXIV. Atoffa was cured by his skill, and, obfervant of her own promise and his instructions, she took the opportunity of thus addreffing Darius, whilft fhe was in bed with him: "It is wonderful,

my lord, that having fuch a numerous army at "command, you have neither encreafed the power " of Perfia, nor at all extended your dominions. "It becomes a man like you, in the vigour of ❝ your age, and mafter of so many and fuch pow❝erful refources, to perform fome act which may

fatisfy the Perfians of the fpirit and virtue of "their prince. There are two reafons which give "importance to what I recommend :-The one, "that your fubjects may venerate the manly aç"complishments of their mafter; the other, that you may prevent the indolence of peace exciting them to tumult and fedition. Do not there"fore confume your youth in inactivity, for the powers of the mind 157 increase and improve " with

35

3

57 Powers of the mind.]-This opinion is thus expreffed

by

" with thofe of the body; and in like manner as "old age comes on they become weaker and "weaker, till they are finally blunted to every «< thing." "What you fay 58," anfwered Darius, <<coincides with what was paffing in my mind. I «had intended to make war against Scythia, and

to conftruct a bridge to unite our continent with "the other, which things fhall foon be executed." "Will it not, Sir," returned Atoffa, " be better to "defer your intentions against the Scythians, who

will at any time afford you an easy conqueft ? "Rather make an expedition againft Greece: I "with much to have for my attendants fome

by Lucretius, which I give the reader from the version of Creech.

Befides, 'tis plain that fouls are born and grow,
And all by age decay as bodies do:

To prove this truth, in infants minds appear
Infirm and tender, as their bodies are;

In man the mind is ftrong; when age prevails,
And the quick vigour of each member fails,

The mind's pow'rs too decreafe and waste apace,
And grave and reverend folly takes the place.

T.

158 What you fay.]-I have not tranflated n jove, which is in the original, because I do not think we have any correfpondent word in our language. Oh woman! would be vulgar; and according to our norma loquendi, Oh wife! would not be adequate. In the Ajax of Sophocles, v. 293, yuvar is ufed to exprefs contempt; but in the paffage before us it certainly denotes tendernefs. The addrefs of our Saviour to his mother proves this moft fatisfactorily:-See alfo Homer: