the king's favour, and the general esteem which the integrity of his behaviour, and his experience in business, have gained him throughout the East. TERIBAZUS relies on his address in creating dependants to himself, his never-failing management of court intrigues, and the interest which he always takes care to cultivate with those ladies whose charms at any time make the deepest impression on his master. Whilst he pays the most servile court to the reigning monarch, he neglects not recommending himself to the future one, by the means of PHARNALYAS, chief eunuch to XERXES*. That young prince affords but a disagreeable prospect to Persia. Shut up in the inmost recesses of his palace, he devotes his whole life to effeminate pleasures; bestowing his confidence and bounties on those only who can heighten luxury with most elegance, and keep his vicious inclinations perpetually alive by fresh scenes of debauchery. Alike regardless of the happiness of nations, which will one day be entrusted to his care, and the wise admonitions of his father, he plunges out of one course of riot into another, without any real inclination to virtue, or even sense of shame. SOGDIANUS, the eldest of the king's illegitimate children, is remarkable for an outward generosity and openness of temper, is fond of manly sports, and affects making himself agreeable to the soldiery; but those who know him best, assure me he is a master of the art of dissimulation, and has at the bottom a great mixture of brutality and roughness. OCHUS still continues in the government of Hyrcania, where he behaves himself to the general satisfaction of the people †. It is remarked, that the pro * History confirms the characters which CHARICLES gives of these princes. XERXES, who succeeded his father, reigned but a few days, being ́assassinated by his brother SOGDIANUS, after a debauch, in which he had drunk to excess. The latter usurped the crown, but soon made himself so unpopular by his many acts of cruelty, that almost the whole empire joined in supporting the claim of ОCHUS, who took the name of DARIUS NOTHUS, and was one of the wisest and best monarchs that ever sat on the Persian throne. Note by the Translator. + Ibid. vinces vinces never enjoyed a state of such profound tranquillity; which is attributed, in a great measure, to the exact observance of an excellent regulation established by our ancient monarchs; viz. the sending of inspectors, of approved justice and discernment, annually through the empire, to examine the behaviour of the governors, and hear the complaints of the subjects. Thus have I laid before you the present face of things in this court, with more freedom than your Persian friends would venture to do, and with an impartiality (unbiassed, as I am, to any side) which will make amends for the other deficiencies of this narration. If I were not sensible how much you prefer the real offices of respect to the most eloquent professions of them, I might lengthen out this letter by acknowledgments of their kindness to me at Athens, and the recommendations with which you accompanied me hither. Give me leave, however, to say this, that I shall think myself unworthy the near relation I bear to you, when I cease making your virtues the pattern of my actions, and your instructions the rule of my conduct. P. The End of the sixth Year of the Peloponnesian War. A. M. 3579. Fourth Year of the 88th Olympiad. The seventh Year of the Peloponnesian War. LETTER CXXXIV. CLEANDER to GOBRYAS. AFTER having dispatched away CHARICLES to Susa, with the fullest account of the state of affairs in this city, I resolved to defer writing, till it could reasonably be conjectured upon what plan the campaign of this summer would proceed, and where the stress of the war would lie. I cannot say that things are yet arrived at a crisis important enough to determine the last resolutions of the contending states, as to peace amongst themselves, or further alliances with foreign powers; but some late remarkable transactions about PYLUS, which begin to draw the force and attention of Greece to those parts, induce me to lay before the Persian council the state of a war, which ambition, mutual jealousies, and domestick factions, have lengthened out to its seventh year. PYLUS is a fort situated in the territory of the Messenians, not above four hundred stadia from Sparta itself. The place is by nature extremely strong, particularly towards the sea, where the coast is defended by a chain of rocks; and it has the advantage, of a safe and VOL. II. and spacious harbour. A little off the shore lies the small desart island of Sphacteria, which so streightens the entrance of the port, that no more than two ships can enter abreast. Early in the spring the Athenians sent out a fleet of forty sail, under the command of SOPHOCLES and EURYMEDON, to assist their allies in Sicily. They had likewise instructions to stop at Corcyra in their passage, and reduce the remains of the aristocratical faction there, who have taken up arms, and fortified themselves in the mountains. DEMOSTHENES, the late general in Ætolia, who was on board the fleet, advised them, in a council of war, to detach a squadron, and take possession of Pylus. He represented it as a place of great importance, which would give them an opportunity of making incursions into Laconia, and retaliating upon the Lacedæmonians the ravages which Attica had suffered during the war. He argued farther, that it would animate the Messenians, who had been subdued and cruelly treated by the republick of Sparta, to throw off the yoke, and excite the Helots to rise, and free themselves from the oppressions of harsh and severe masters. However plausible this proposal might appear, the other generals refused to give their consent to it; for they urged, that the advantages of seizing Pylus would not countervail the charge and difficulty of keeping it. Observe the caprice of fortune, noble scribe; chance effected what all the plausible reasoning of DEMOSTHENES could not compass. A contrary wind arising in their passage, drove them into the very harbour of Pylus, where, as they were obliged to land and refresh their men, the soldiers took such a liking to the place, that, without staying for orders, they began to fortify it of themselves, and in six days time put it out of any danger of a surprize. It was in vain for the officers to oppose the work, when once it was put in execution, and they found it agreeable to the army. They therefore made DEMOSTHENES governor of the fort, left him a small garrison and five ships to defend it, and held on their course course for Corcyra. The news of taking Pylus found Sparta engaged in the celebration of some great festival; and though at first they affected to despise it, the magistrates, upon better consideration, sent orders to their king AGIS, who had entered Attica at the head of the Peloponnesian army, and was laying waste an exhausted country, to return immediately, and expel the Athenians from Pylus. They also used their utmost diligence in assembling a fleet from Corinth, and their other allies, to block up the place by sea. The submission and exactness with which the mandates of the Ephori are obeyed is inexpressible. The land army, amounting to twelve thousand men, which had stayed but fifteen days in Attica, decamped immediately, and marched towards the extremity of Peloponnesus, to form the siege of Pylus. About the same time a squadron of sixty sail appeared off the place, and put the garrison out of all hopes of receiving provision or relief. DEMOSTHENES, on the point of being besieged both by land and sea, sent an account of his distress to NICIAS, Commander of the Athenian squadron at ZACYNTHUS, desiring immediate succours, without which he could not answer for the safety of the place; and at the same time he dispatched messengers hither, to request that further reinforcements might be got ready with all expedition; but, unluckily for the Athenians, there have been so many delays, to which their counsels are very liable, that the Lacedæmonians have made all their preparations without disturbance. We hear they have invested Pylus on all sides; their land forces have cast up intrenchments, and are preparing machines to attack the walls. THRASYMELIDAS, the admiral, is ready to shut up the entrance of the port with a double line of galleys, and has thrown a detachment of picked men into the island of Spacteria, in order to complete the blockade, and prevent the only thing they are apprehensive of, the relief of Pylus by sea. Most people here, from the smallness of |