166 TERPSICHORE.

uninhabitable. The sea-coast of this region was re­
duced by Megabyzus under the power of Persia. ,

XI. Darius having crossed the Hellespont, went
immediately to Sardis, where he neither forgot the
service of Histiaeus, nor the advice of Coes of Alitj^
lene. He accordingly sent for these two persons, and
desired them to ask what they would. Histieus, who
was tyrant of Miletus, wished for no accession of
power; he merely required the Edonian Myrcinus,
with the view of building there a city: Coes, on the
contftjy, who was a private individual, wished to be
made prince of Mitylene. Having obtained what they
severally desired, they departed.

XII. Darius, induced by a circumstance of which he
was accidentally witness, required Megabyzus to
transport the Paeonians from Europe to Asia. Pigres
and Mantyes were natives of Pseonia, the government
of which became the object of their ambition. With
these views, when Darius had passed over into Asia,
they betook themselves to Sardis, carrying with them
their sister, a person of great elegance and beauty. A»
Darius was sitting publicly in that division of the city
appropriate to the Lydians, they took the opportunity
of executing the following artifice: they decorated
their sister in the best manner they were able, and sent
her to draw water; she had a vessel upon her head,
she led a horse by a bridle^fastened round her arm, and
she was moreover spinning some thread. Darius view­
ed her as she passed with attentive curiosity, observ­
ing that her employments were not those of the PerJ
sian, L'ydian, nor indeed of any Asiatic female. He
was prompted by what he had seen to send some of
his attendants, who might observe what she did with
the horse. They accordingly followed her : the wo­
man, when she came to the river, gave her horse some
water, and then filled her pitcher. Having done this,
she returned by the way she came ; with the pitcher
of water on her head, the horse fastened by a bridle
to her arm, and as before employed in spinning.

XIII. Darius, equally surprised at what he heard
from his servants and had seen himself, sent for the
woman to his presence. On her appearance, the brc­