CHAPTER VI.

SOMETHING ABOUT PERSIA AND CYRUS.

LTHOUGH I was anxious to go up the country, no opportunity for gratifying my desire presented itself, our stay in the Persian Gulf being so very brief.

I was

obliged, therefore, to content myself with a long look upon the barren and rocky shore, and an occasional stroll of a few miles upon the beach.

But although I could not travel many miles in Persia, I was not debarred from reading about this celebrated kingdom and its inhabitants. Of course it would be impossible to give you anything like a full account of Persia; but I will make a few extracts from the logbook I kept at this time, and tell you something of

THE STORY OF CYRUS.

The history of Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, is a romance of history. Previous to his time, the celebrated kingdoms of the Medes and Persians, of which we read in the Scriptures, were separate and antagonistic to each other. In the person

of Cyrus they were united, and by him the Persian empire, against which Alexander waged war, may be said to have been founded.

About six hundred years before the birth of Christ, there sat upon the throne of Media a king who was called Astyages. This monarch traced his lineage direct from Noah, and was proud in the possession of immense wealth, a contented people, and a devoted family. His daughter Mandane was esteemed the most beautiful woman in the empire, and when she grew up she was sought in marriage by all the principal noblemen of the court. But the choice fell upon Cambyses, a powerful Persian noble, to whom she was married. Soon after his daughter's marriage with Cambyses, the king had a curious dream, which returned night after night, and gave him much uneasiness. He therefore called together the magi, or wise men, to whom the government of the kingdom was entrusted, and told them his dream. He said: "In my sleep for many nights I have seen a rat gnawing at the root of a great tree that grew over a precipice, and the more I have tried to drive it away, the more it has persisted in returning and proceeding with its labours. Tell me, therefore, the meaning of this dream.”

"Sire," said the chief of the magi, "the tree that thou sawest in thy dream is the throne and kingdom of Media, and the rat gnawing at the root is thy daughter's unborn

The king was greatly alarmed, and as soon as his daughter's son was born he ordered it to be secretly destroyed. But the persons to whom he gave the commission took pity on the tears of the mother, and saved the child.

There was living in the country at that time a herdsman or shepherd called Mithradates, whose infant son had died very lately, and lay then unburied in his cottage. To him and to his wife was the care of the royal babe confided, while the body of the herdsman's dead child was shown to the king as that of his own grandson. Astyages, thus deceived, regained his health, and thought no more of his dream.

Meanwhile, however, the child Cyrus grew and prospered under the care of the shepherd, who taught him many useful things, inured him to hardships, accustomed him to rely upon himself, and in every way treated the youthful prince as his own child. When Cyrus was about twelve years old, his mother Mandane, who had no other child than he, was anxious that the king her father should know the truth. She therefore had her son brought secretly to court; and one day, when the king was in great good-humour, led the child into the midst of the courtiers assembled round the throne. The king inquired of his daughter what plaything she had adopted, when he was informed that Cyrus was her son, and his heir. Astyages was greatly astonished, and insisted on hearing the whole story of the child's preservation; when, being pleased with the amiable and noble appearance of the prince, he laid his hands upon his head, and exclaimed :

"Child, I have been unjust to you by reason of a vain dream, but you have survived the cruel fate I had intended for you. Go, therefore, and comfort your mother, and be an honour to your father. Nor need the shepherd Mithradates fear, for I will take him into my own service."

Thus was the youthful Cyrus introduced to the court of his grandfather the king, who speedily became reconciled