Page:History of Greece Vol X.djvu/383

REVOLT AGAINST PERSIA. 361 excite the jealousy of many of the Persian grandees ; who poi- soned the royal mind against him, and thus drove him to raise the standard of revolt in his own district of Kappadokia, under alli- ance and concert with Ariobarzanes. It was in vain that Auto- phradates, satrap of Lydia, was sent by Artaxerxes with a pow- erful force to subdue Datames. The latter resisted all the open force of Persia, and was at length overcome only by the treach- erous conspiracy of Mithridates (son of Ariobarzanes), who, cor- rupted by the Persian court and becoming a traitor both to his father Ariobarzanes and to Datames, simulated zealous coopera- tion, tempted the latter to a confidential interview, and there assas- sinated him. 1 Still, however, there remained powerful princes and satraps in Asia Minor, disaffected to the court ; Mausolus, prince of Karia ; Orontes, satrap of Mysia, and Autophradates, satrap of Lydia, the last having now apparently joined the revolters, though he had before been active in upholding the authority of the king. It seems too that the revolt extended to Syria and Phoenicia, so that all the vestern coast with its large revenues, as well as Egypt, was at once subtracted from the empire. Tachos, native king of Egypt, was prepared to lend assistance to this formidable combination of disaffected commanders, who selected Orontes as their chief; con- fiding to him their united forces, and sending Rheomithres to Egypt to procure pecuniary aid. But the Persian court broke the force of this combination by corrupting both Orontes and Rheomi- thres, who betrayed their confederates, and caused the enterprise to fail. Of the particulars we know little or nothing. 2 1 Cornelius Nepos has given a biography of Datames at some length, recounting his military exploits and stratagems. lie places Datames, in point of military talent, above all barbari, except Hamilcar Barca and Hannibal (c. 1). Polysenus also (vii, 29) recounts several memorable pro- ceedings of the same chief. Compare too Diodorus, xv, 91 ; and Xen. Cyropsed, viii, 8, 4. We cannot make out with any certainty either the histoiy, or the chro- nology, of Datames. His exploits seem to belong to the last ten years of Artaxerxes Mnemon, and his death seems to have taken place a little before the death of that prince ; which last event is to be assigned to 359-358 B. o See Mr. Fynes Clir.ton, Fast. Hell. ch. 18. p. 316, Appendix. 3 Diodor. xv, 91, 92; Xenophon, Cyropaed. viii. 8, 4. Our information about these disturbances in the interior of tho Persian VOL. x. 16