CXXVII. The Scythian monarch made this re ply: "It is not my difpofition, Oh Perfian, to fly "from any man through fear; neither do I now "fly from you. My prefent conduct differs not at all from that which I pursue in a state of peace. Why I do not contend with you in the open « field, I will explain: we have no inhabited towns ર nor cultivated lands of which we can fear your " invasion or your plunder, and have therefore no " occafion to engage with you precipitately: but we have the fepulchres of our fathers, these you may discover; and if you endeavour to injure "them, you fhall foon know how far we are able or willing to refift you; till then we will not "meet you in battle. Remember farther, that I antiquos fignum victoriæ erat herbam porrigere victos, hoc est terra et altrice ipfâ humo et humatione etiam cedere, quem morem etiam nunc durare apud Germanos fcio.-Feftus and Servius, upon verfe 128, book viii. of the Æneid of Virgil, Et vitta comptos voluit prætendere ramos, affirm, that herbam do, is the fame thing as victum me fateor et cedo victoriam. The fame ceremony was observed, or something like it, when a country, a fief, or a portion of land, was given or fold to any one.-See Du Cange, Gloffary, at the word Inveftitura. In the Eaft, and in other countries, it was by the giving of earth and water, that a prince was put in poffeffion of a country; and the inveftiture was made him in this manner. By this they acknowledged him their master without controul, for earth and water involve every thing.Ariftotle fays, that to give earth and water, is to renounce one's liberty-Larcher.. Amongst the Romans, when an offender was fent into banishment, he was emphatically interdicted the use of fire and water, which was fuppofed to imply the abfence of every aid and comfort.-T. acknowledge acknowledge no master or superior, but Jupi- 232 ter, who was my ancestor, and Hiftia the Scy"thian queen. Inftead of the presents which you "require of earth and water, I will fend you fuch "as you better deferve: and in return for your "calling yourself my master, I only bid you weep." -Such was the answer of the Scythian*, which the ambaffador related to Darius. CXXVIII. The very idea of fervitude exafperated the Scythian princes; they accordingly dif patched that part of their army which was under Scopafis, together with the Sauromatæ, to folicit a conference with the Ionians who guarded the bridge over the Ifter; those who remained did not think it neceffary any more to lead the Perfians about, but regularly endeavoured to furprize them when at their meals; they watched, therefore, their proper opportunities, and executed their purpose. The Scythian horse never failed of driving back the cavalry of the Perfians, but thefe laft, in falling back upon their infantry, were always fecured and fupported. The Scythians, notwithstanding their advantage over the Perfian horse, always retreated Anfewer of the Scythian.]-To bid a perfon weep, was a kind of proverbial form of wifhing him ill; thus Horace, Demetri, teque Tigelli Difcipularum inter jubeo plorare cathedras, Afterwards, the answer of the Scythians became a proverb to exprefs the fame wifh; as was also the bidding a person eat onions. See Diog. Laert. in the Life of Bias, and Erafmus in Scythanim oratio, and cepas edere.-T. from the foot; they frequently, however, attacked them under cover of the night. CXXIX. In thefe attacks of the Scythians upon the camp of Darius, the Perfians had one advantage, which I fhall explain-it arofe from the braying of the asses, and appearance of the mules: I have before obferved, that neither of these animals are produced in Scythia 12, on account of the extreme cold. The braying, therefore, of the affes greatly diftreffed the Scythian horfes, which as often as they attacked the Perfians pricked up their ears and ran back, equally disturbed by a noife which they had never heard, and figures they had never feen: this was of fome importance in the progrefs of hoftilities. CXXX. The Scythians difcovering that the Perfians were in extreme perplexity, hoped that by detaining them longer in their country, they should finally reduce them to the utmoft diftress: with this view, they occafionally left expofed fome of their cattle with their fhepherds, and artfully retired; of thefe, with much exultation, the Perfians took poffeffion. CXXXI. This was again and again repeated; 123 Are produced in Scythia.]—The Scythians nevertheless, if Clemens Alexandrinus may be believed, facrificed affes; but it is not improbable that he confounded this people with the Hyperboreans, as he adduces in proof of his affertion a verfe from Callimachus, which obviously refers to this latter people. We are alfo informed by Pindar, that the Hyperboreans facrificed hecatombs of affes to Apollo.-Larcher. Darius nevertheless became gradually in want of almost every neceffary: the Scythian princes, knowing this, fent to him a meffenger, with a bird, a moufe, a frog, and five arrows 29, as a prefent. The Perfians enquired of the bearer, what thefe might 129 A bird, a moufe, a frog, and five arrows.]-This naturally brings to the mind of an Englishman a fomewhat fimilar prefent, intended to irritate and provoke, beft recorded and expreffed by our immortal Shakespeare. See his Life of Henry the Fifth French Ambafador. Thus then, in few ; Your highness lately fending into France, Did claim fome certain dukedoms, in the right Exet. Tennis-balls, my liege. K. Henry. We are glad the Dauphin is fo pleasant with us: His present and your pains we thank you for. When we have match'd our rackets to these balls, We will in France, by God's grace, play a fet Shall ftrike his father's crown into the hazard. Tell him he hath made a match with such a wrangler, With chaces. It may not be improper to remark, that of this enigmatical way of speaking and acting, the ancients appear to have been remarkably fond. In the Pythagorean fchool, the precept to ab might mean; but the man declared, that his orders were only to deliver them and return: he advised them, however, to exert their fagacity, and interpret the mystery. CXXXII: The Perfians accordingly held a confultation on the fubject. Darius was of opinion, that the Scythians intended by this to exprefs fubmiffion to him, and give him the earth and the water which he required. The mouse, as he explained it, was produced in the earth, and lived on the fame food as man; the frog was a native of the water; the bird bore great refemblance to a horse 130; and in giving the arrows they intimated the surrender of their power: this was the interpretation of Darius. Gobryas, however, one of the feven who had dethroned the Magus, thus interpreted the presents: "Men of Perfia, unless like "birds ye fhall mount into the air, like mice "take refuge in the earth, or like frogs leap into "the marshes, thefe arrows fhall prevent the pof fibility of your return to the place from whence ftain from beans, κυαμων ἀπεχεσθαι, involved the command of refraining from unlawful love; and in an epigram imputed to Virgil, the letter Y intimated a systematic attachment to virtue; this may be found in Lactantius, book vi. c. iii. The act of Tarquin, in ftriking off the heads from the tallest poppies in his garden is fufficiently notorious; and the fables of Æfop and of Phædrus may ferve to prove that this partiality to allegory was not more univerfal than it was founded in a delicate and juft conception of things.-T. 130 To a horse.]-It is by no means easy to find out any refemblance which a bird bears to a horse, except, as Larcher obferves, in fwiftness, which is, however, very far-fetched.-T. " you |