File:History of Darius the Great (1850) (14746862816).jpg

Identifier: historyofdariusg00abbo (find matches)
Title: History of Darius the Great
Year: 1850 (1850s)
Authors: Abbott, Jacob, 1803-1879
Subjects: Darius I, King of Persia, 548-485 B.C
Publisher: New York, Harper & brothers
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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orders ;and while the infuriated madman sallied forthat the head of them to attack the astonishedPersians on one side of the citadel, Mseandriusmade his escape through the under-ground pas-sage on the other. The Persians were so ex-asperated at what appeared to them the basesttreachery, that, as soon as they could recovertheir arms and get once more into battle array,they commenced a universal slaughter of theSamians. They spared neither age, sex, norcondition; and when, at last, their vengeancewas satisfied, and they put the island into Sy-losons hands, and withdrew, he found himselfin possession of an almost absolute solitude. It was while Otanes was absent on this en-terprise, having with him a large part of thedisposable forces of the king, that the Babylo-nians revolted. Darius was greatly incensedat hearing the tidings. Sovereigns are alwaysgreatly incensed at a revolt on the part of theirsubjects. The circumstances of the case, what-ever they may be, always seem to them to con-
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B.C.516.) The Revolt of Babylon. 157 Revolt of Babylon. Insults and jeers of the Babylonians. stitute a peculiar aggravation of the offense.Darius was indignant that the Babylonians hadattempted to take advantage of his weakness,by rebelling when his armies were away. Ifthey had risen when his armies were aroundhim, he would have been equally indignant withthem for having dared to brave his power. He assembled all the forces at his disposal,and advanced to Babylon. The people of thecity shut their gates against him, and deridedhim. They danced and capered on the walls,making all sorts of gestures expressive of con-tempt and defiance, accompanied with shoutsand outcries of ridicule and scorn. They hadgreat confidence in the strength of their de-fenses, and then, besides this, they probably re-garded Darius as a sort of usurper, who had nolegitimate title to the throne, and who wouldnever be able to subdue any serious resistancewhich might be offered to the establishment ofhis power. It

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