GOO 
PERSIA. 
of Otanes; upon which he fent his daughter a third 
meffage, defiring her, the next time (he (hould be admitted 
to the king’s bed, to take an opportunity of feeling' 
whether he had ears or not: for Cyrus had formerly 
caufed the ears of Smerdis the Magian to be cutoff for 
fome crime of which he had been guilty; fo that, if the 
king had ears, (lie might then be affured that he was 
Smerdis the fon of Cyrus. The event (liowed that the 
fufpicions of Otanes were juft; and, Phedyma having ac¬ 
quainted her father that the king had no ears, a confpi- 
racy was immediately formed againft him. 
While the confpirators were debating about the proper 
means of carrying their defigns into execution, Darius tlie 
fon of Hyftafpes happening to arrive at Sufa where his fa¬ 
ther was governor, they all agreed to make him privy to 
their defign. He told them, at their firft meeting, that lie 
thought nobody in the empire but himfelf had known 
that Smerdis the fon of Cyrus was dead, and the throne 
ufurped by one of the magi; that he had come with a de- 
iign to kill the ufurper, without imparting his defign to 
any one, that the glory of fuch an adtion might be en¬ 
tirely his own. But, (nice others were apprifed of the 
impofture, he infifted that the ufurper fliould be difpatch- 
ed without delay. Otanes, on the other hand, was for 
putting off the enterprife till fome better opportunity 
offered ; but Darius protefted, that if they did not make 
the attempt that very day, he would prevent any one 
from accufing him, by difclofing the whole matter to the 
impoftor himfelf. 
In the mean time, Smerdis and his brother had by great 
promifes prevailed on Prenafpes (the executioner of the 
true Smerdis) to bind himfelf by an oath not to difcover 
the fraud they had put on the Perfians, and even to make 
a public fpeecb, declaring that the prefent king of Perfia 
was really the fon of Cyrus. At the time appointed, he 
began his difcourfe with the genealogy of Cyrus, putting 
his hearers in mind of the great favours the nation had 
received from that prince. After having extolled Cyrus 
and his family, to the great aftoniftiment of all prefent, 
he confelfed the whole tranfadtion with regard to the 
death of Smerdis ; telling the people, that the apprehen- 
fions of the danger he muft inevitably run by publiftiing 
the impofture had conftrained him to conceal it fo long; 
but now-, not being able any longer to adt fuch a dilho- 
nourable part, he acknowledged that he had been com¬ 
pelled by Cambyfes to put his brother to death with his 
own hand, and that the perfon who poffeffed the throne 
was Smerdis the Magian. Pie then begged pardon of the 
gods and men for the crime he had committed ; and, ful¬ 
minating many imprecations againft the Perfians if they 
failed to recover the fovereignty, he threw himfelf head¬ 
long from the top of the tower on which he (food, and 
died on the (pot. 
In the mean time the confpirators, who were advancing 
towards the palace, were informed of what had happened; 
and Otanes was again for deferring the execution of their 
enterprife: but, Darius infifting upon the danger of de¬ 
lay, they proceeded boldly to the palace; and being ad¬ 
mitted by the guards, who did not fufpeft them, they 
killed both the ufurper and his brother; after which they 
expofed their heads to the people, and declared the whole 
impofture. The Perfians at this were fo enraged, that 
they fell on the whole fedi, and killed every one of the 
Magi tljey could meet with; and, had not the (laughter 
been dropped by night, not one of the order would have 
been left alive. The day on which this (laughter hap¬ 
pened was afterwards celebrated by the Perfians with 
the greateft folemnity, and called by the name of Mago - 
phtnria, or “ the (laughter of the Magi.” On that feftival 
the Magi durft not appear abroad, but were obliged to 
(hut themfelves up in their houfes. Smerdis the Magian 
reigned only eight months. 
When the tumult was a little fubfided, the confpirators, 
who were feven in number, met together in order to eledt 
a new king, or to determine what form of government 
they fhould next introduce. Otanes was for a republic ; 
but, being overruled by the reft, he declared, that, as he 
was determined not to be a king, neither would he be 
ruled by one; and therefore infifted that he and his fa¬ 
mily (bould ever afterwards remain free from fubjedtion 
to the royal power. This was not only granted, but it 
was further agreed by the other fix, that whoever was 
chofen (hould every year prefent Otanes with a Median 
veft, a mark of great diftinclion among the Perfians, be- 
caufe he had been the chief author of the enterprife. They 
further agreed to meet at a certain place next morning at 
funrife on horfeback, and that he whofe horfe firft neighed 
(hould be king. This being overheard by Oebores, who 
had the care of Darius’s horfes, he led a mare over-night 
to the place, and brought his matter's horfe to her. The 
next morning, the horfe, remembering the place, imme¬ 
diately neighed for the mare; and the five lords, dis¬ 
mounting; faluted Darius as their king. 
Darius Hyftafpes was elected king of Perfia in the year 
522 B. C. Immediately after his acceifion, he promoted 
the other fix confpirators to the firft employments in the 
kingdom, married the two daughters of Cyrus, Atoffa 
and Artyftona, Parmys the daughter of the true Smerdis, 
and Phedyma the daughter of Otanes, who had detected 
the impofture of the Magian. He then divided the whole 
empire into twenty fatrapies or governments, and appoint¬ 
ed a governor over each divifion, ordering them to pay 
him an annual tribute. The inhabitants of Colchis, with 
fome others, were enjoined only to make annual prefents, 
and the Arabians to furnilh every year fuch a quantity of 
frankincenfeas equalled the weight of 1000 talents. Thus 
Darius received the yearly tribute of 14,560 Eubceic ta¬ 
lents, upwards of 260,000k (terling. 
Under Darius, the building of the temple of Jerufalem, 
which had been obftrudied by Cambyfes and Smerdis, 
went on fuccefsfully, and the Jewifii date was entirely re- 
ftored. The moft remarkable of Darius’s other tranfac- 
tions were his expeditions againft Babylon; againft Scy¬ 
thia, India, and Greece. The expedition againft Babylon 
took place in the year 517 B.C. when the people, unable 
to bear the oppreflion of the Perfians, andlikewife difcon- 
tented becaufe the feat of government was removed from 
their city to Sufa in Perfia, took the opportunity of the 
troubles which happened in the reigns of Cambyfes and 
Smerdis, to ftore their city with all kinds of provifions 
fufficient to ferve them for many years; after which they 
broke out into an open rebellion, and this quickly brought 
upon them Darius with all his forces. The Babylonians, 
perceiving themfelves (hut up by fo numerous an army, 
turned all their thoughts towards the fupporting of a long 
fiege, which they imagined would tire out the king’s 
troops. To prevent the confumption of their provifions, 
they took the moft barbarous and cruel refolution that 
ever was put in execution by any nation. They agreed 
among themfelves to get rid of all unneceffary mouths; 
and therefore, gathering together all the old men, women, 
and children, they ftrangled them without diftindtion ; 
every one being allowed only to keep the wife he liked 
beft, and a maid-fervant to do the work of the houfe. 
The fiege continued for a year and eight months; nor 
was there any likelihood of its being ended, when Zo- 
pyrus, one of Darius’s chief commanders, put him in pof- 
lefllon of it by, the following ftratagem. He cut off his 
nofe and ears, and, having mangled his body with (tripes 
in a moft cruel manner, he fled to the Babylonians thus 
disfigured, pretending that he had been fo treated by 
Darius for advifing him to raife the fiege. Being intrud¬ 
ed with the command of fome forces, he cut off feveral 
parties of the Perfian army, whom Darius thus facrificed 
in order to raife the charadter of Zopyrus the higher among 
the Babylonians. In this manner he fo much eftabiilhed 
his credit, that at laft he was made commander in chief 
of all the Babylonifli forces, and the guard of the city 
committed entirely to his care; and no fooner was this 
done than he delivered it up to Darius, who, to prevent, 
their 
