Page:History of Greece Vol IV.djvu/251

ORGANIZATION OF THE PERSIAN EMPIRE. 233 pointed satrap of the territory for life, with enjoyment of ita entire revenues, receiving besides every additional reward which it was in the power of Darius to bestow, and generous assurances from the latter that he would rather have Zopyrus without wounds than the possession of Babylon. I have already inti- mated in a former chapter that the demolition of the walls here mentioned is not to be regarded as complete and continuous, nor was there any necessity that it should be so. Partial demolition would be quite sufficient to leave the city without defence ; and the description given by Herodotus of the state of things as they stood at the time of his visit, proves that portions of the walls yet subsisted. One circumstance is yet to be added in reference to the subsequent condition of Babylon under the Persian em- pire. The city with the territory belonging to it constituted a gatrapy, which not only paid a larger tribute (one thousand Euboic talents of silver) and contributed a much larger amount of provisions in kind for the maintenance of the Persian court, than any other among the twenty satrapies of the empire, but furnished besides an annual supply of five hundred eunuch youths. 1 We may presume that this was intended in part as a punishment for the past revolt, since the like obligation was not imposed upon any other satrapy. Thus firmly established on the throne, Darius occupied it for thirty-six years, and his reign was one of organization, different from that of his two predecessors ; a difference which the Per- sians well understood and noted, calling Cyrus the father, Kam- byses the master, and Darius the retail-trader, or huckster. 2 In et surtout autour du monastere oil residaient les princesses Sophie et Eu doxe. On e'rigca dcs colonnes de pierrc ou le crime et le chatiment furcnt graves. Un tres-grand nombre qui avaient leurs femmes et leurs enfant furent disperses avec leurs families dans la Sibe'rie, dans le royaume d'As- trakhan, dans le pays d'Azof : par L du moins leur punition fut utilc k I'e'tat : ils servircnt a de'fricher des terres qui manquaient d'habitans et de culture." (Voltaire. Histoire de Russie, part i, ch. x, torn. 31, of the (Euvrea Completes cle Voltaire, p. 148, ed. Paris, 1825.) 1 Hcrodot. iii, 92. 3 Herodot. iii, 89. What the Persian denomination was, which Ilerodo- tus or his informants translated Ku.irqhos, we do not know; but this lattei word was used often by Greeks to signify a cheat, or deceiver generally : sea Etymologic. Magn p. 490, 11, and S'oidas, v. KUTT^.OS-. '0 J'Attr^oc -d