TERPSICHORE. 173

retreat. Such Was the conduct of Otanes in his office,
which he did not long enjoy with tranquillity.

XXVIII. The Ionians were soon visited by new
calamities, from Miletus and from Naxos. Of all the
islands, Naxos was the happiest; but Miletus might
be deemed the pride of Ionia, and was at that time in
the height of its prosperity. In the two preceding
ages it had been considerably weakened by internal
factions, but the tranquillity of its inhabitants was
finally restored by the interposition of the Parians,
whom the Milesians had preferred on this occasion
to all the other Greeks.

XXIX. To heal the disorders which existed among
them, the Parians applied the following remedy:—
those employed in this office were of considerable dis­
tinction ; and perceiving, on their arrival at Miletus,
that the whole state was involved in extreme confu­
sion, they desired to examine the condition of their
territories: wherever, in their progress through this
desolate country, they observed any lands well culti­
vated, they wrote down the name of the owner. In the
whole district, however, they found but few estates so
circumstanced. Returning to Miletus, they called an
assembly of the people, and they placed the direction
of affairs in the hands of those who had best cultivat­
ed their lands; for they concluded that they would
be watchful of the public interest, who had taken care
of their own: they enjoined all the Milesians who
had before been factious, to obey these men, and they
thus restored the general tranquillity.

XXX. The evils which the Ionians experienced from
these cities were of this nature :—some of the more
noble inhabitants of Naxos, being driven by the com­
mon people into banishment, sought a refuge at Mile­
tus; Miletus was then governed by Aristagoras, son of
Molpagoras, the son-in-law and cousin of Histiseus,
son of Lysagoras, whom Darius detained at Susa:
Histiaeus was prince of Miletus, but was at Susa when
the Naxians arrived in his dominions. These exiles
petitioned Aristagoras to assist them with supplies, to
enable them to return to their country: he immedi­
ately conceived the idea that, by accomplishing their

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