there a city: Coës, on the contrary, who was a private individual, wished to be made prince of Mitylene. Having obtained what they feverally defired, they departed.

XII. Darius, induced by a circumftance of which he was accidentally witnefs, required Megabyzus to tranfport the Pæonians from Europe to Afia. Pigres and Mantyes were natives of Pæonia, the government of which became the object of their am bition. With these views, when Darius had paffed over into Afia, they betook themselves to Sardis, carrying with them their fifter, a perfon of great elegance and beauty. As Darius was fitting publicly in that divifion of the city appropriate to the Lydians, they took the opportunity of executing the following artifice: they decorated their fifter in the best manner they were able, and fent her to draw water; fhe had a veffel upon her head 1, fhe led

a horfe

Thrace, by others in Macedonia. Theo is ufed long by Virgil, and fhort by Lucan:

Ac velut Edoni Boreæ cum fpiritus alto.

Nam qualis vertice Pindi

Edonis Ogygio decurrit plena Lyxo.

En. xii. 365.

Luc. i. 674. T.

Upon her head.]-Nicolas Damafcenus tells a fimilar story of Alyattes king of Sardis. This prince was one day fitting before the walls of the town, when he beheld a Thracian woman with an urn on her head, a distaff and spindle in her hand, and behind her a horse secured by a bridle. The king, afto

nished,

34.45

a horse by a bridle faftened round her arm, and fhe was moreover fpinning fome thread. Darius viewed her as the paffed with attentive curiosity, obferving that her employments were not those of a Perfian, Lydian, nor indeed of any Afiatic female. He was prompted by what he had feen to fend fome of his attendants, who might obferve what fhe did with the horfe. They accordingly followed her: the woman, when she came to the river, gave her horfe fome water, and then filled her pitcher. Having done this, fhe returned by the way the came; with the pitcher of water on her head, the horse faftened by a bridle to her arm, and as before employed in fpinning,

XIII. Darius, equally furprized at what he heard from his fervants and had seen himself, fent for the woman to his prefence. On her appearance, the brothers, who had obferved all from a convenient fituation, came forwards, and declared that they were Paonians, and the woman their fifter. Upon

nished, asked her who and of what country fhe was? She replied, fhe was of Myfia, a district of Thrace. In confequence of this adventure, the king by his ambaffadors defired Cotys prince of Thrace to fend him a colony from that country, of men, women, and children.-Larcher."

The Myfia mentioned in the above account is called by fome Greek writers Myfia in Europe, to diftinguish it from the province of that name in Afia Minor; but Pliny, and most of the Latin writers, diftinguish it more effectually, by writing it Moefia; in which form it will be found in the maps, extending along the fouthern fide of the Danube, oppofite to Dacia: being the tract which forms the modern Servia and Bulgaria.

this Darius enquired who the Pæonians were, where was their country, and what had induced themfelves to come to Sardis. The young men replied, "that as to themselves, their only motive was a de"fire of entering into his fervice; that Pæonia "their country was fituated on the banks of the "river Strymon, at no great distance from the Hellefpont." They added, "that the Pæonians were a Trojan colony." Darius then enquired if all the women of their country were thus accustomed to labour; they replied without hesitation in the affirmative, for this was the point they had particularly in view.

XIV. In confequence of the above, Darius fent letters to Megabyzus, whom he had left commander of his forces in Thrace, ordering him to remove all the Pæonians to Sardis, with their wives and families. The courier fent with this meffage instantly made his way to the Hellefpont, which having paffed, he prefented Megabyzus with the orders of his mafter. Megabyzus accordingly loft no time in executing them; but taking with him fome Thracian guides ", led his army against Pæonia.

XV. The Pæonians being aware of the intentions of the Perfians, collected their forces, and advanced towards the fea, imagining the enemy would

19 Thracian guides.]-The French tranflators of Herodotus who preceded Larcher, mistaking the Latin verfion, fumptis e Thraciâ ducibus, have rendered this paffage, "commanda aux capitaines de Thrace."-T.

1

there

368

there make their attack: thus they prepared themfelves to refift the invafion of Megabyzus: but the Perfian general being informed that every approach from the fea was guarded by their forces, under the direction of his guides made a circuit by the higher parts of the country, and thus eluding the Pæonians, came unexpectedly upon their towns, of which, as they were generally deferted, he took poffeffion without difficulty. The Pæonians, informed of this event, difperfed themselves, and returning to their families fubmitted to the Perfians. Thus, the Pæonians, the Syropæonians, the People, and they who poffefs the country as far as the Prafian lake, were removed from their habitations, and tranfported to Afia.

XVI. The people in the vicinity of mount Pangæus, with the Doberæ, the Agrianæ, Odomanti, and thofe of the Prafian lake, Megabyzus was not able to fubdue. They who lived upon the lake, in dwellings of the following conftruction, were the objects of his next attempt. In this lake ftrong piles are driven into the ground, over which planks are thrown, connected by a narrow bridge with the fhore. These erections were in former times made at the public expence; but a law afterwards paffed, obliging a man for every wife whom he should marry

20 Pangaus.]-This place, as Herodotus informs us in the feventh book, poffeffed both gold and filver mines.-T. 21 Strong piles, &c.]-Exemplum urbis in fluvio fuper tignis et tabulatis ftructæ in America habet Teixeira.-Reifke.

(and they allow a plurality) to drive three of these piles into the ground, taken from a mountain called Orbelus. Upon these planks each man has his hut, from every one of which a trap-door opens to the water. To prevent their infants from falling into the lake, they faften a ftring to their legs. Their horses, and cattle are fed principally with fifh ", of which there is fuch abundance, that if any one lets down a basket into the water, and steps aside, he may presently after draw it up full of fish. Of these they have two particular fpecies, called papraces

and tilones.

XVII. Such of the Pæonians as were taken captive were removed into Afia. After the conqueft of this people, Megabyzus fent into Macedonia feven Perfians of his army, next in dignity and eftimation to himfelf, requiring of Amyntas, in the name of Darius, earth and water. From the lake Prafis to Macedonia there is a very short paffage; for upon the very brink of the lake is found the mine which in after-times produced to Alexander a talent every day. Next to this mine is the Dyfian mount, which being paffed, you enter Macedonia.

XVIII. The Perfians on their arrival were admitted to an immediate audience of Amyntas, when

22 With fib.]-Torffæus, in his Hiftory of Norway, informs us, that in the cold and maritime parts of Europe cattle are fed with fifhedling.

they