Xenophon[1] tells us, that this was one of the punishments used by Cyrus. And Ammianus Marcellinus[2] mentions, that Sapor king of Persia banished Arsaces, whom he had taken prisoner to a certain castle, after having pulled out his eyes.
The dead bodies of criminals slain for treason, murder, and violence, on the high-way at certain times, are seldom buried in Abyssinia. The streets of Gondar are strewed with pieces of their carcases, which bring the wild beasts in multitudes into the city as soon as it becomes dark, so that it is scarcely possible for any to walk in the night. Too many instances of this kind will be found throughout my narrative. The dogs used to bring pieces of human bodies into the house, and court-yard, to eat them in greater security. This was most disgustful to me, but so often repeated, that I was obliged to leave them in possession of such fragments. We learn from Qiuntus Curtius[3], that Darius having ordered Charidamus to be put to death, and finding afterwards that he was innocent, endeavoured to stop the executioner, though it was too late, as they had already cut his throat; but, in token of repentance, the king allowed him the liberty of burial.
I have taken notice, up and down throughout my history, that the Abyssinians never fight in the night. This too was a rule among the Persians[4].
