(572 P £ R 
Perfians declined this for a long time; but at length, 
finding a convenient plain where all their forces might 
aft, they drew up in order of battle, and refolved to wait 
for the Arabs. Sad, having difpofed his men in the bell 
order he could, attacked the Perfians with the utmoft: 
fury. The battle lafted three days and three nights; the 
Perfians retiring continually from one poll to another, 
till at laft they were entirely defeated ; and thus the ca¬ 
pital city, and the greateft part of the dominions of Perfia, 
fell into the hands of the Arabs. The conquerors feized 
the treafures of the king ; which were fo vail, that accord¬ 
ing to a Mahometan tradition, their prophet gave the Sa¬ 
racen army a miraculous view of tliofe treafures before the 
engagement, in order to encourage them to fight. 
After the lofs of this battle, Yezdegerd retired into 
Chorafan, where he maintained himfelf as king, having 
under his fubjeftion two other provinces, named KLerman 
and Segeltan. But, after he had reigned in this limited 
manner for nineteen years, one of the governors of the 
few towns he had left betrayed it, and called in the Turks. 
This place was called Merou, feated on the river Gilion, 
or Oxus. Yezdegerd immediately marched againft the 
rebels and their allies. The Perfians were defeated ; and 
the unfortunate monarch, having with much difficulty 
reached the river, found there a little boat, and a fiffier- 
man, to whom it belonged. The king offered him a 
bracelet of precious Hones ; but the fellow, equally brutal 
and ftupid, told him that his fare was five farthings, and 
that he would neither take more nor lefs. While they 
difputed, a party of the rebel horfe came up, and, knowing 
Yezdegerd, killed him. This was in the year 652. 
Yezdegerd left behind him a fon named Firouz, and a 
daughter named Dara. The latter efpoufed Boftenay, 
whom the rabbinical writers have dignified with the 
title of the “head of the captivity;” and who, in faft, 
was the prince of the Jews fettled in Chaldea. As for 
Firouz, he Hill preferved a little principality; and, when 
he died, left a daughter named Mah Afrid, who married 
Walid the fon of the caliph Abdalmalek, by whom (he 
had a fon named Yezid, who became caliph, and confe- 
quently fovereign of Perfia; and, fo far was this prince 
from thinking himfelf above claiming the title derived 
from his mother, that he conflantly flyled himfelf “ the 
fon of IChofrou king of Perfia, the del'cendant of the ca¬ 
liph Maroan, and among whofe anceflors on the fide of 
the mother were the Roman emperor and the khacan.” 
Although a few petty chiefs maintained their religion 
and authority for many years after the death of Yezde¬ 
gerd, the empire of Perfia, which had maintained a fecond, 
or renewed, exiflence for 430 years, was transferred, by 
this catafirophe, to the viftorious Mahometans. 
We fl'.all conclude this feftion with fome particulars of 
the manners and religion of the ancient Perfians, which 
could not conveniently be introduced before without 
breaking the thread of the hillory. 
The Perfian monarchs were not only abfolute in their 
adminiflration, but the obedience of their fubjefts re- 
fiulted from the moH enthufiaflic veneration ; and the 
homage they conflantly received was little fliort of divine 
honours. None were permitted to enter the royal palace 
without exprefs permiffion, nor to approach the feat of 
majefty without proftrating themfelves on the ground. 
While they remained in the prefence, they were obliged 
to hold their hands within their fleeves ; a ceremony for 
the negleft of which, Mitreus and Antofaces were put to 
death, under the reign of Cyrus the Younger. The un¬ 
bounded refpeft paid to the kings of Perfia by their vaf- 
fals is inflanced by Herodotus, who lays that, Xerxes 
being once in great danger by fea, many of his attendants 
ftrove who fhould firfl leap overboard to lighten the vef- 
fel, and facrifice themfelves for the prefervation of their 
prince. They all, in faft, regarded the king’s wrath as 
equally dreadful with the anger of the gods; and, on the 
leaft intimation given by him, would at any time become 
their own executioners. 
S I A. 
The crown of Perfia was hereditary, and generally be¬ 
llowed on the eldeft of the deceafed king’s legitimate 
children. When the reigning prince undertook a long 
journey, or any perilous expedition, he named the heir 
apparent previoufly to the commencement of his march, 
that no conteft might arife refpefting the fucceffion. The 
ceremony of coronation was performed by the priefts, in 
the temple of the goddefs of war at Pafargada ; where the 
new monarch ufed to clothe himfelf with the garment 
which Cyrus, the founder of the Perfian empire, had worn 
before his elevation to the throne. Being thus attired, 
he ate fome figs, with a fmall quantity of turpentine, and 
drank a cupfull of four milk ; and the folemnity con¬ 
cluded with his receiving the tiara or crown from one of 
the grandees, in whofe family that prerogative was here¬ 
ditary. The king’s birth-day was always celebrated with 
the utmoft pomp and magnificence; and his death was 
bewailed by (hutting up the tribunals of juftice, and ex- 
tinguifhing thofe fires which were univerfally worfhipped 
as houfehold gods. 
The royal refidence was, according to the feafons, 
feven months at Babylon, three at Sufa, and two at Ec- 
batana. But Perfepolis, at laft, became the ordinary feat 
of the court. The king’s palace was extremely magni¬ 
ficent, and furniffied with utenlils of ineftimable value. 
The roofs and fides of-the apartments were entirely co¬ 
vered with ivory, filver, gold, or amber. The throne was 
of fine gold, fnpported by four pillars, richly adorned with 
precious ftones. The royal bed was likewife of gold; and 
two coffers were placed by it, the one containing five 
thoufand and the other three thoufand talents. Hero¬ 
dotus mentions a vine of gold, prefented to Darius by 
Pythius, a Lydian, of which the body and branches were 
enriched with jewels of great value, and the clulters of 
grapes, which hung over the king’s head as he fat on the 
throne, were all compofed of precious ftones. Adjoining 
the palace were five gardens, planted with the moll beau¬ 
tiful trees and flowers; and extenfive parks,flocked with 
all kinds of game for the king’s diverfion. 
With refpeft to luxury, moll of the Perfian monarchs 
were fo diffolved in pleafures, that they minded little be- 
fides the gratification of their fenfual appetites. They 
drank no water but that of the river Choafpes, which was 
always carried about with them in filver veffels ; no wine 
was brought to their tables but the Calybonian, made at 
Damafcus in Syria; and no bread was fet before them 
but what was baked from the wheat of Affos in Phrygia. 
The magnificence of their public feafts exceeded that of 
almoft every other nation ; and the molt coftly viands 
that could poffibly be procured from the furrounding 
nations were conflantly collefted for the entertainment 
of their guefts. Athenasus informs us, that among the 
prifoners taken by Parmenio at Damafcus there were no 
fewer than 277 cooks, of whom twenty-nine provided the 
difties, feventeen miniltered water, feventy took care of 
the wine, forty were engaged in the preparation of fweet 
ointment, and fifty-fix were employed in providing the 
garlands ufually worn at the Perfian banquets. During 
the repalt, the company were entertained with vocal and 
inllrumental mufic, and three hundred women of the 
moll melodious voices conflantly attended to divert 
their royal mailer in his hours of relaxation. It was but 
feldom, however, that the king admitted any perfons to 
his table except his confort and mother; as it was 
thought in fome meafure a degradation of their majefty 
to appear fubjeft to the fame neceflities with their guefts. 
This ambition of appearing above the level of other mor¬ 
tals alfo confined them within the precinfts of their pa¬ 
laces, and debarred them from the pleafures attendant on 
the more falubrious recreations. Tully informs us, that 
the revenues of whole provinces were laviflied on the attire 
of their favourite concubines, one city being compelled 
to fupply them with ornaments for their hair, another 
for their necks, &c. and Socrates mentions an ambaffa- 
dor, who, being fent into Perfia, fpent a whole day before 
