PERSIA. 
come from Perfia; and that both the Irifh and old Bri¬ 
tons have been fuppofed to have proceeded from the bor¬ 
ders of the Cafpian: for all thefe places were compre¬ 
hended within the ancient Iran. 
Of this firlt Perfian monarchy we have no hiltorical ac¬ 
counts 5 and mull therefore, after having thus mentioned 
it, descend at once to the era of Cyrus. This prince is 
celebrated both by facred and profane hiftorians; but 
the latter are at no fmall variance concerning his birth 
and acceflion to the throne. According to Herodotus, 
Aftyages, the laft king of the Medes, being warned in a 
dream, that the fon who was to be born of his daughter 
Mandane ffiould one day be lord of Afia, refolved to marry 
her, not to a Mede, but to a Perfian. Accordingly he 
chofe for her hulband one Cambyfes, a man of a peaceable 
difpofition, and of no very high ftation. However, about 
a year after they were married, Aftyages was frightened 
by another dream, which made him refolve to difpatch 
the infant as foon as it fliould be born. Hereupon the 
king fent for his daughter, and put her under confine¬ 
ment, where flie was foon after delivered of a fon. The 
infant was committed to the care of one Harpagus, with 
ftridl orders to deftroy it in what manner he thought 
proper. But he, having acquainted his wife with the com¬ 
mand he had received, by her advice gave it to a (hep- 
herd, defiring him to let it perifh by expofing it. But the 
(hepherd, out of compaffion, expofed a ftill-born child 
which his wife happened to be then delivered of, and 
brought up the fon of Mandane as his own, giving him 
the name of Cyrus. 
When the young prince had attained the age of ten 
years, as he was one day at play with other children of the 
fame age, he was chofen king by his companions; and 
having, in virtue of that dignity, divided them into fe- 
veral orders and clafles, the fon of Artembares, a lord of 
eminent dignity among the Medes, refufed to obey his 
orders ; whereupon Cyrus caufed him to be feized, and 
whipped very feverely. The boy ran crying to his father; 
and he immediately haftened to the king’s palace, loudly 
complaining of the affront his fon had received from the 
ion of a flave, and intreating Aftyages to revenge, by fome 
exemplary punifliment, the indignity offered to him and 
his family. Aftyages, commanding both the herdfman 
and his fon to be brought before him, afked the latter, 
how he, who was the fon of fo mean a man, had dared to 
abufe the fon of one of the chief lords of the kingdom ? 
Cyrus replied, that he had done no more than he had a 
right to do; for the boys of the neighbourhood having 
chofen him king, becaufe they thought him mod: worthy 
of that dignity, and performed what he, vefted with that 
charafter, had commanded, the fon of Artembares alone 
had flighted his orders, and for his difobedience had fuf- 
fered the punifliment he deferved. In the courfe of this 
converfation, Aftyages, happening to recoiled that his 
grandfon, whom he had ordered to be deftroyed, would 
have been about the fame age with Cyrus, began to'quef- 
tion the (hepherd concerning his fuppofed fon, and at laft 
obtained from him a confeffion of the whole truth. 
Aftyages, having now difcovered Cyrus to be his 
grandfon, fent for Harpagus, who alfo confeffed that he 
had not feen Mandane’s fon deftroyed, but had given him 
to the (hepherd ; at which Aftyages was fo much incenfed, 
that, having invited Harpagus to an entertainment, he 
caufed him to be ferved with the flefli of his own fon. 
When he had done, the king afked him whether he liked 
his victuals; and Harpagus anfwering, that he had never 
tailed any thing more delicious, the officers appointed for 
that purpofe brought in a balket, containing the head, 
hands, and feet, of his fon, defiring him to uncover the 
baiket, and take what he liked beft. He did as they de- 
fired, and beheld the mangled remains of his only child 
without betraying the lead concern, fo great was the 
command which he had over his paffions. The king then 
afked him, whether he knew with what kind of meat he 
had been entertained. Harpagus replied, that he knew 
G57 
very well, and was always pleafed with what hisfovereign 
thought fit to ordain; and, having thus replied, with a 
furprifing temper, he collected the mangled parts of his 
innocent fon, and went home. 
Aftyages, having thus vented his rage on Harpagus, 
began next fto confult what he fliould do with Cyrus. 
The magi, however, eafed him of his fears with regard to 
him, by alluring him, that, as the boy had been oncechofen 
king by his companions, the dream had been already ve¬ 
rified, and that Cyrus never would reign in any other 
fenfe. The king, being well pleafed with this anfwer 
called Cyrus, and, owning how much he had been want¬ 
ing in the affeCtion which he ought to have had towards 
him, defired him to prepare for a journey into Perfia, 
where he would find his father and mother in circum- 
ftances very different from thofe of the poor (hepherd and 
his wife with whom he had hitherto lived. Cyrus, on 
his arrival at his father’s houfe, was received with the 
greateft joy. When he grew up, he foon became popular 
on account of his extraordinary parts ; till at laft his 
friendfhip was courted by Harpagus, who had never forgot 
the cruel treatment he received from Aftyages. By his 
means a confpiracy was formed againlt Aftyages; who, 
being overthrown in two fucceffive engagements, was 
taken prifoner, and confined for life. 
The account given by Xenophon of the rife of Cyrus 
is much more confonant to Scripture; for he tells us, 
that Babylon was conquered by the united forces of the 
Medes and Perfians. According to him, Cyrus was the 
fon of Cambyfes king of the Medes, and Mandane the 
daughter of Aftyages king of Perfia. He was born a year 
after his uncle, Cyaxares, the brother of Mandane. He 
lived till the age of twelve with his parents in Perfia, 
being educated after the manner of the country, and in¬ 
ured to fatigues and military exercifes. At this age he 
was taken to the court of Aftyages, where he refided four 
years; when the revolt of the Medes and Perfians from 
the Babylonians happened, and which ended in the de- 
ftruftion of the Babyloniffi empire, as related under the 
article Babylon, vol. ii. p. 595. 
While Cyrus was employed in the Babyloniffi war, 
before he attacked the metropolis itfelf, he reduced all 
the nations of Afia Minor. The raoft formidable of thefe 
were the Lydians, whole king Crcefus afiembled a very 
numerous army, compofed of all the other nations in 
that part of Afia, as well as of Egyptians, Greeks, and 
Thracians. Cyrus, being informed of thefe vaft prepara¬ 
tions, augmented his forces to 196,000 men, and with 
them advanced againlt the enemy, who were afiembled 
near the river Paftolus. After long marches, he came up 
with them at Thymbra, not far from Sardis, the capital 
of Lydia. Beiides the horfe and foot, which amounted to 
196,000, as already oblerved, Cyrus had 300 chariots 
armed with feythes, each chariot drawn by four horfes 
abreaft, covered with trappings that were proof againlt all 
forts of miffive weapons: he had likewife a great number 
of chariots of a larger fize, upon each of which was placed 
a tower about eighteen or tw>enty feet high, and in each 
tower were lodged twenty archers. Thefe towers were 
drawn by fixteen oxen yoked abreaft. There was more¬ 
over a confiderable number of camels, each mounted by 
two Arabian archers, the one looking towards the head, 
and the other towards the hinder part, of the camel. The 
army of Crcefus confifted of 4.20,000 men. The Egj'p- 
tians, who alone were 120,000 in number, being the main 
ftrength of the army, were placed in the centre. Both 
armies were drawn up in an immenfe plain, which gave 
room for the extending of the wings on either fide; and 
the defign of Crcefus,upon which alone be founded his hopes 
of viiStory, was to furroundand hem in the enemy’s army. 
When the tvyo armies were in fight of each other, 
Crcefus, obferving how much his front exceeded that of 
Cyrus, made the centre halt, but commanded the turn 
wings to advance, with a defign to enclofe the Perfian 
army, and begin the attack on both fides at once. When 
the 
