Page:History of Greece Vol IV.djvu/244

 226 HISTORY OF GREECE. Furthermore, it appears that the authority of Darius was not readily acknowledged throughout the empire, and that an inter- val of confusion ensued before it became so. 1 The Medes actu- ally revolted, and tried to maintain themselves by force against Darius, who however found means to subdue them : though, when he convoked his troops from the various provinces, he did not receive from the satraps universal obedience. The powerful Oroetes, especially, who had been appointed by Cyrus satrap of Lydia and Ionia, not only sent no troops to the aid of Darius against the Medes, 2 but even took advantage of the disturbed state of the government to put to death his private enemy Mitro- bates satrap of Phrygia, and appropriate that satrapy in addition to his own. Aryandes also, the satrap nominated by Kambyses in Egypt, comported himself as the equal of Darius rather than as his subject. 3 The subject provinces generally, to whom Smer- dis had granted remission of tribute and military service for the space of three years, were grateful and attached to his memory, and noway pleased with the new dynasty ; moreover, the revolt of the Babylonians, conceived a year or two before, it was exe- cuted, took its rise from the feelings of this time. 4 But the renewal of the old conflict between the two principal sections of the empire, Medes and Persians, is doubtless the most important feature in this political revolution. The false Smerdis with his brother, both of them Medes and Magians, had revived the Me- dian nationality to a state of supremacy over the Persian, re- calling the memory of what it had been under Astyages; while Darius, a pure Persian, and not (like the mule Cyrus) half Mede and half Persian, replaced the Persian nationality in its Persis oriundus, ad Cyrum quoquc, nobilissimum rcgem, originem sui refer- tus." (Quintus Curtius, iv, 12, 7, or iy, 45, 7, Zumpt:) compare Strabo, xi, p. 531 ; Floras, iii, 5, 1. 1 Herodot. iii, 127. AapeZof areolieovrui oi in ruv irpij-yfiuTuv, etc.,- mention of the rapa^ (iii, 126, 150). v, pivuv ev ryai SupJftu ^Opolrrjf, tjQefai fiev oiidev Hepaaf, inri) uxapaiprmevovf r^v ap%f/v o 6e iv ravrr) Ty rapaxy narti utv iKTeivs Mirpo/3area u/.Aa re s^vfipiae iravroia, etc. 'Herodot. iv, 166. 'O 6e 'Apvuvtirif rjv ovrof rr/f A.IYVTTTOV v~apx<)<, vxi Y.atifiiaeu /earfffrewf. 6f iarip^i Xffou irapioevpevof Aapet^ (5: Herodot. iii, 57-150.
 * Herodot. iii, 126. Mtru yup rbv Kafifivcreu i?iivarov, ical TUV 'Muyuv TJJV