Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/465

 CONQUEST OF SIDON. 43^ marched with an immense force from Babylon. But his means of corruption served him better than his arms. The Sidonian prince Tennes, in combination with Mentor, entered into private bargain with him, betrayed to him first one hundred of the prin- cipal citizens, and next placed the Persian army in possession of the city-walls. Ochus, having slain the hundred citizens surren- dered to him, together with five hundred more who came to him with boughs of supplication, intimated his purpose of taking sig nal rsvenge on the Sidonians generally ; who took the desperate resolution, first of burning their fleet that no one might escape next, of shutting themselves up with their families, and setting fire each man to his own house. In this deplorable conflagration forty thousand persons are said to have perished; and such was the wealth destroyed, that the privilege of searching the ruins was purchased for a large sum of money. Instead of rewarding the traitor Tennes, Ochus concluded the tragedy by putting him to death. 1 Flushed with this unexpected success, Ochus marched with an im mense force against Egypt. He had in his army ten thousand Greeks; six thousand by requisition from the Greek cities in Asia Mi- nor ; three thousand by request from Argos ; and one thousand from Thebes. 2 To Athens and Sparta, he had sent a like request, but had received from both a courteous refusal. His army, Greek and Asia- tic, the largest which Persia had sent forth for many years, was dis- tributed into three divisions, each commanded by one Greek and one Persian general ; one of the three divisions was confided to Mentor and the eunuch Bagoas, the two ablest servants of the Persian king. The Egyptian prince Nektanebus, having been long aware of the im- pending attack, had also assembled a numerous force : no less than twenty thousand mercenary Greeks, with a far larger body of Egyp- tians and Libyans. He had also taken special care to put the east- ern branch of the Nile, with the fortress of Pelusium at its mouth, in a full state of defence. But these ample means of defence were rendered unavailing, partly by his own unskilfulness and incom petence, partly by the ability and cunning of Mentor and Bagoas. 1 Diodor. xvi. 42, 43,45. "Occisis optimatibus Sidona cepit Ochus" Trogus, Argum, ad Justin, lib x).
 * Diodor. xvi. 47 ; Isokrates, Or. xii. Panathenaic. s. 171.