THALIA. 47

pen to be in bed with his wife. They also resolved,
that the king should marry no woman but from the
fajnily of one of the conspirators. The mode they
adopted to elect a king was this: they V«freed*to
meet on horseback at sun-rise in the vicinity of the
, and to make him king whose horse should neigh
first.

LXXXV. Darius had a groom, whose name was
CEbares, a man of considerable ingenuity, for whom,
on his return home, he immediately sent. " CEbares,"
said he, " it is determined that we are to meet at sun­
rise on horseback, and that he among us shall be king,
whose horse shall first neigh. Whatever acuteness
you have, exert it on this occasion, that no one but
myself may obtain this honour." " Sir," replied CEba­
res, " if your being a king or not depends on what
you say, be not afraid ; I have a kind of charm, which
will prevent any one's being preferred to yourself."—
" Whatever," replied Darius, " this charm may be, it
must be applied without delay, as the morning will
decide the matter." CEbares, therefore, as soon as
evening came, conducted to the place before the city
a mare, to which he knew the horse of Darius was
particularly inclined: he afterwards brought the horse
there, and after carrying him several times round and
near the mare, he finally permitted him to cover her.

LXXXVI. The next morning as soon as it was
light, the six Persians assembled, as had been agreed,
on horseback. After riding up and down at the place
appointed, they came at length to the spot where, the
preceding evening, the mare had been brought; hero
the horse of Darius instantly began to neigh, which,
though the sky was remarkably clear, was instantly
succeeded by thunder and lightning. The heavens
thus seemed to favour, and indeed to act in concert
with Darius. Immediately the other noblemen dis­
mounted, and falling at his feet, hailed him king.

LXXXVII. Such, according to some, was the
stratagem of CEbares; others, however, relate the
matter differently; and both accounts prevail in Per­
sia. These last affirm,'that the groom, having rubbed
his hand against the private parts of the mare, after­