THALIA. 79

uiy period, unless by Cyrus; to him, indeed, he
thought no one of his countrymen could possibly be
compared. It is affirmed of Darius, that he used fre­
quently to assert, that he would rather Zopyrus had
suffered no injury, than have been master of twenty
Babylons. He rewarded him magnificently: every
year he presented him with the gifts deemed most
honourable in Persia; he made him also governor of
Babylon for life, free from the payment of any tribute,
and to these he added other marks of liberality. Me-
gabyzus, who commanded in Egypt against the Athe­
nians and their allies, was a son of this Zopyrus;
which Megabyzus had a son named Zopyrus, who
deserted from the Persians to the Athenians.

f