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and the language of truth is dictated by fome pro"mised benefit, or the hope of infpiring confidence. "So that, in fact, these are only two different paths "to the fame end: if no emolument were propofed, "the fincere man would be falfe, and the falfe man "fincere. As to the guards, he who fuffers us to "pafs fhall hereafter be remembered to his advantage; he who opposes us fhall be deemed an ene

my: let us, therefore, now haften to the palace, " and execute our purpose."

LXXIII. When he had finifhed, Gobryas fpake as follows: " My friends, to recover the empire "will indeed be glorious; but if we fail, it will be "nobler to die, than for Perfians to live in fubjection "to a Mede, and he too deprived of his ears. You "who were prefent at the last hours of Cambyfes, "cannot but remember the imprecations which he "uttered against the Perfians if they did not attempt "the recovery of the empire. We then refufed him "attention, thinking him influenced by malignity " and refentment; but now I at leaft fecond the propofal of Darius, nor would I have this affembly break up, but to proceed inftantly against the magus. The fentiments of Gobryas gave univerfal fatisfaction.

LXXIV. During the interval of this confultation, the two magi had together determined to make a friend of Prexafpes: they were aware that he had been injured by Cambyfes, who had flain his fon with an arrow; and that he alone was privy to the

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death of Smerdis, the fon of Cyrus, having been his executioner; they were conscious also that he was highly esteemed by the Perfians. They accordingly fent for him, and made him the most liberal promifes; they made him fwear that he would on no account difclose the fallacy which they practifed on the Perfians; and they promised him, in reward of his fidelity, rewards without number. Prexafpes engaged to comply with their wifhes; they then told him of their intention to affemble the Perfians beneath the tower 81 which was the royal refidence, from whence they defired him to declare aloud that he who then fate on the throne of Perfia was Smerdis, the fon of Cyrus, and no other. They were induced to this meafure, from a confideration of the great authority of Prexafpes, and because he had frequently declared that he had never put Smerdis, the fon of Cyrus, to death, but that he was still alive.

LXXV. Prexafpes agreed to comply with all that they propofed; the magi accordingly affembled the Perfians, and leading Prexafpes to the top of the tower, commanded him to make an oration. He, without paying the least attention to the promifes he had made, recited the genealogy of the

SI Beneath the tower.This was the citadel, Anciently the kings lodged here for fecurity. In chap. lxviii. Herodotus obferves that the magus would not ftir from the citadel, and in chap. lxxix. he fays that the confpirators left behind in the citadel fuch of their friends as were wounded in attacking the magi-Larcher.

family of Cyrus, beginning with Achæmenes. When he came to Cyrus himself, he enumerated the fervices which that prince had rendered the Perfians. He then made a full difcovery of the truth, excu fing himself for concealing it fo long, from the danger which the revealing it would have incurred, but that it was now forced from him. He affured them that he actually had killed Smerdis, by the order of Cambyfes, and that the magi now exercifed the fovereign authority. When he had imprecated many curfes 82 upon the Perfians, if they

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8 Imprecated many curfes.]-In ancient times, and amongst the Orientals in particular, thefe kind of imprecations were very frequent, and supposed to have an extraordinary influence. The curfe of a father was believed to be particularly fatal; and the furies were always thought to execute the imprecations of parents upon difobedient children: fee the ftories of dipus and Thefeus. When Jofhua deftroyed Jericho, he imprecated a fevere curfe upon whoever should attempt to rebuild it. This was, however, at a diftant period of time accomplished. We have two examples of folemn imprecations on record, which have always been deemed worthy of attention. The one occurred in ancient Rome: When Craffus, in defiance of the aufpices, prepared to make an expedition against the Parthians. The tribune Ateius waited for him at the gates of the city, with an altar, a fire, and a facrifice ready prepared, and with the moft horrid folemnity devoted him to deftruction. The other example is more modern, it is the imprecation which Averroes, the famous Arabian philofopher, uttered against his fon. As it is lefs generally known, I fhall recite it at length: Averroes was one day feriously converfing with fome grave friends, when his fon, in a riotous manner, intruded himself, accompanied by fome diffolute companions. The old man, viewing him with great indignation, fpoke two verfes to the following effect: "Thy own beauties could not content thee, thou haft

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did not attempt the recovery of their rights, and to take vengeance upon the ufurpers, he threw himfelf from the tower.-Such was the end of Prexafpes, a man who through 'every period of his life merited esteem 83.

LXXVI. The seven Perfians having determined instantly to attack the magi, proceeded, after imploring the aid of the gods, to execute their purpofe. They were at firft ignorant of what related to the fate of Prexafpes, but they learned it as they went along. They withdrew for a while to deliberate together; they who fided with Otanes, thought that their enterprize fhould be deferred, at leaft during the present tumult of affairs. The friends of Darius, on the contrary, were averfe to any delay, and were anxious to execute what they had refolved immediately. Whilft they remained in this fufpence, they observed seven pair of hawks 84,

which,

fript the wild goat of his beauties; and they who are as beautiful as thyfelf admire thee. Thou haft got his wanton heart, his lecherous eyes, and his fenfelefs head; but to-morrow thou fhalt find thy father will have his pushing horns. Curfed be all extravagancies: when I was young I fometimes punished my father, now I am old I cannot punish my fon; but I beg of God to deprive him rather of life, than fuffer him to be disobedient." It is related that the young man died within ten months.-T.

83 Merited efteem.]-Upon this incident M. Larcher remarks, that this laft noble action of his life but ill correfponds with the mean and daftardly behaviour which Prexafpes had before exhibited to the murderer of his fon.

34 Seven pair of hawks.]-The fuperftition of the ancients, with refpect to the fight or flight of birds, has often exercifed

the

which, pursuing two pair of vultures, beat and feverely tore them. At this fight the confpirators. came immediately into the defigns of Darius; and, relying on the omen of the birds, advanced boldly to the palace.

LXXVII. On their arrival at the gates, it happened as Darius had foreseen. The guards, unfufpicious of what was intended, and awed by their dignity 5 of rank, who, in this inftance, seemed to

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the fagacity and acuteness of philosophers and scholars. Some birds furnished omens from their chattering, as crows, owls, &c. others from the direction in which they flew, as eagles, vultures, hawks, &c. An eagle seen to the right was fortunate.-See Homer. The fight of an eagle was fuppofed to foretel to Tarquinius Prifcus, that he fhould obtain the crown; it predicted also, the conquefts of Alexander; and the loss of their dominions to Tarquin the Proud, and Dionyfius tyrant of Syracufe; innumerable other examples muft here occur to the most common reader. A raven feen on the left hand was unfortunate.

Sæpe finiftra cava prædixit ab ilice cornix.-Virgil.

Upon the fubject of the aufpicia, the moft fatisfactory intelligence is to be obtained from the treatise of Cicero de Divinatione. From the Latin word aufpicia, from aves infpicere, comes our English word aufpicious.-T.

85 Awed by their dignity.]-The most memorable inftance in hiftory, of the effects of this kind of impreffion, is that of the foldier fent into the prison to kill Caius Marius :-The story is related at length by Plutarch. When the man entered the prison with his fword drawn, "Fellow," exclaimed the ftern Roman, "darest thou kill Caius Marius?" Upon which the foldier dropt his sword, and rushed out of doors. This fact, however, being no where mentioned by Cicero, who speaks very largely on the fubject of Marius, has given Dr. Middleton reason to suppose, that the whole is a fabulous narration.—T,