Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/205

 MUTILATED GRECIAN CAPTIVES. 173 fricpt to resist, was slain with all his companions. Pei-sepolis and Pasargadoe — the two peculiar capitals of the Persian race, the latter memorable as containing the sepulchre of Cyrus the Groat — both fell into the hands of the conqueror.* On approaching Persepolis, the compassion of the army was powerfully moved by the sight of about 800 Grecian captives, all of them mutilated in some frightful and distressing way, by loss of legs, arms, eyes, ears, or some other bodily members. Mutilation was a punishment commonly inflicted in that age by Oriental governors, even by such as were not accounted cruel. Thus Xenophon, in eulogizmg the rigid justice of Cyrus the younger, remarks that in the public roads of his satrapy, men were often seen who had been deprived of their arms or legs, or otherwise mutilated, by penal authority.^ Many of these maim- ed captives at Persepolis were old, and had lived for years in their unfortunate condition. They had been brought up from various Greek cities by order of some of the preceding Persian kings ; but on what pretences they had been thus cruelly dealt with, we are not informed. Alexander, moved to tears at such a spectacle, offered to restore them to their respective homes, with a comfortable provision for the future. But most of them felt so ashamed of returning to their homes, that they entreated to bo allowed to remain all together in Persis, with lands assigned to them, and with dependent cultivators to raise produce for them. Alexander granted their request in the fullest measure, confer- ring besides upon each an ample donation of money, clothing, and cattle.' ' Arrian, iii. 18, 16 ; Curtius, v. 4, 5 : Diodor. xvii. 69. '■' Xenoph. Anabas. i. 9, 13. Similar habits have always prevailed among Orientals. " The most atrocious part of the Mohammedan system of punish- ment, is, that which regards theft and robbery. Mutilation, by cutting off the hand or the foot, is the prescribed remedy for all higher degrees of the offence" (Mill, History of British India, book iii. ch. 5. p. 447). " Tippoo Saib used to cut off the right hands and noses of the British camp-followers that fell into his hands" (Elphinstone, Hist, of India, vol. i. p. 380. ch. xi.). A recent traveller notices the many mutilated persons, female as well as male, who are to be seen in the northern part of Scinde (Burton, Scenes in Scinde, vol. ii. p. 281). 15*
 * Diodor. xvii. 69; Curtius, v. 5; Justin, xi. 14. Arrian dots not men