SUMMARY OF THE HISTORY OF HERODOTUS. BOOK I. CLIO. HERODOTUS, intending to develope the causes of the hostility between the Greeks and the Barbarians, in the first place records the mutual rapes of women committed by the two parties: that of Io, 1; that of Europa and Medea, 2; that of Helen, 3: in doing which, he states the accounts given both by the Persians and the Phonicians. Then, as Croesus, king of the Lydians, was the first to attack the Greeks with arms, 5, he enters on the Lydian history, 6. The first kings of the Lydians, then, sprang from Atys; the second dynasty from Hercules, 7; the last of whom, Candaules, having been killed by Gyges, 8—12, the kingdom is transferred to the Mermnadæ. Then follows the history of Gyges, 13, 14; that of Ardys, 15, under whose reign the Cimmerians made an irruption into Asia, and took Sardis, 15; that of Sadyattes, 16; that of Alyattes, 18, 25, who expelled the Cimmerians from Asia. Digressions are interposed, relating to Thrasybulus, the tyrant of Miletus; and Periander, the tyrant of Corinth; cotemporary with whom was Arion, saved by a dolphin, 20-24. Alyattes is succeeded by his son Croesus, 26, who subjugates the Asiatic Greeks, and extends his power over the whole of Asia, as far as the Halys, 26-28. Croesus is admonished unsuccessfully, by Solon of Athens, to hold no one happy, until he have ended life in happiness, 29-33. Croesus is visited with great calamity: his son Atys is killed, unwittingly, in the chase, by Adrastus, a Phrygian refugee, 34-45. The Medes having been conquered by Cyrus, Cræsus, alarmed at the growing power of the Persians, first sends round to make trial of the oracles of the Greeks, 46-52; and then consults about levying war against Cyrus: an ambiguous answer is returned, which Croesus interprets as favourable to himself; and therefore undertakes the expedition, first sending to court the alliance of the Greeks, the chief nations of whom, at that time, were the Athenians and Lacedæmonians: the former sprung from Re the Pelasgi, the latter from the Hellenes, 56 seq. The empire of the Athenians was then held by Pisistratus, 59-64: the Lacedæmonians had received excellent laws from Lycurgus, 65, and conquered the Tegeans, 66 seq. The Lacedæmonians frame an alliance with Croesus, 69. Croesus crosses the Halys, and engages Cyrus with dubious success in the Pterian plain, 75 seq. turning from Sardis, he sends for assistance from the Egyptians, Babylonians, and Lacedæmonians, 77. Cyrus meanwhile follows rapidly on the heels of Croesus; conquers the Lydian army before the town; besieges Sardis, which he takes, together with Croesus himself, 79-85. The country and manners of the Lydians are briefly described, 93 seq. The history then passes to Cyrus, 95. The empire of Asia had been five hundred and twenty years in the hands of the Assyrians: the Medes were the first to assert their freedom their example was followed by other nations. The Medes, after eleven years of anarchy, choose Deioces for their king, 95-101. He is succeeded by Phraortes, 102. Phraortes is succeeded by Cyaxares, who expels the Scythians, who had taken possession of Asia; and subjects the Assyrians, 103-106. Astyages the son of Cyaxares, admonished by a dream, gives his daughter Mandane in marriage to a Persian, Cambyses: he delivers the child born of that marriage to Harpagus, with orders to put it to death: Harpagus gives the child to a herdsman, with orders to expose it; but the herdsman, prevailed upon by his own wife, educates the child as his own. Cyrus, thus preserved, having reached his tenth year, is recognised by his grandfather, Astyages, and sent safe into Persia: Harpagus, however, is punished in a most cruel manner, 107-121. Harpagus, desirous of being avenged of the injury he had received at the hands of Astyages, prompts Cyrus to rise up against his grandfather: Cyrus excites the Persians to rebellion, 122–126. The Medes are routed in two battles, and Astyages himself is taken prisoner, 127-130. The manners of the Persians are described, 131-140. After conquering Croesus, Cyrus directs his arms against the Asiatic Greeks: but before the Historian describes the war, he gives an account of the situation of Ionia, the origin, institutions, and manners of its inhabitants, 142-148; the same with respect to Æolis, 149. Cyrus, having once more subdued the Lydians, who had rebelled, 154-160, sends Harpagus against the Ionians; among whom, the Phocæans and Teians forsake their towns, and establish themselves elsewhere the rest submit: 162-170. Caria and Lycia are next : subdued, 171-176. In the mean time, Cyrus in person subdues Upper Asia: description of Babylon, and history of Semiramis and Nitocris, 177-187. Cyrus conquers the Babylonians in battle; drives them within the city, which he besieges, and captures by stratagem, 188-191. In this place, the territory of the Babylonians, their institutions, laws, manners, diet, &c. are described, 192-200. At last, Cyrus, carrying war against the Massagetæ, crosses the Araxes, and is slain by Queen Tomyris, 201 to the end. CAMBYSES, having succeeded his father Cyrus on the throne, undertakes, in the fifth year, an expedition against the Egyptians. But, before the Historian relates that expedition, he describes the country of the Egyptians, and the nature of the Nile, 2-36, the manners, rites, and mode of living of the people, 37–98. The series of their kings is given, 99—150. The affairs of Egypt become better known after strangers are admitted into the country by Psammitichus, 151 seq. He is succeeded by Necos, 158; who is succeeded by Psammis, 160; who is succeeded by Apries, 161. Apries is deprived of the crown by Amasis, 162, (here the seven castes of the Egyptians are described, 164 seq.) 172 to the end. BOOK III. THALIA. THE causes of the war between Cambyses and the Egyptians, 1–9. King Psammenitus, son of Amasis, is conquered near Pelusium, 10 seq. After the surrender of Memphis, the Africans, Cyrenæans, and Barcæans surrender of their own accord, 13. Psammenitus is at first treated liberally; but soon after, being caught intriguing, is put to death, 14, 15. Having subjugated Egypt, Cambyses resolves to carry war against the Carthaginians, Ammonians, and Ethiopians; but the Phoenicians refuse to carry war against the Carthaginians, their fellow citizens: the expedition, therefore, is dropped, 19. Spies are sent from the Ichthyophagi to the Ethiopians, 20: they bring back a threatening answer from the king. The army, marching against the Ethiopians, is compelled to return by famine, 25. Those sent against the Ammonians are swallowed up, under mountains of sand, 26. Cambyses is wroth against the rites and the priests of the Egyptians, fancying that the Egyptians rejoice on account of his failure, 27 seq. He refrains not even from his own subjects; but puts to death his brother Smerdis, and his sister, who was likewise his wife; slaughters many, both of the Persians and Egyptians; and gives various other proofs of his insanity, 30-39. In this place is inserted the history of Polycrates, tyrant of the Samians, against whom the Lacedæmonians undertook, about this time, an expedition, 39 seq. The Corcyræans assist in this expedition, in consequence of a grudge against the Samians from the time of Periander: concerning Periander, 49 seq. In the mean time, Smerdis, the Magus, takes possession of the Persian throne, 61: he sends a herald into Egypt, to summon the troops to abandon the standard of Cambyses, 62. Cambyses, seized with great anger, is about to lead his army against the Magi; but is accidentally wounded, as he is leaping on his horse, and dies, 64 seq. The cheat of the Magus having been discovered by the daughter of Otanes, seven of the chief men among the Persians conspire the death of the usurper, 68 seq. The Magi are put to death, 78. A consultation is held on the most expedient form of government to be adopted; and finally, Darius, the son of Hystaspes, is pointed out king by the neighing of his horse, 80 seq. He divides the empire into twenty satrapies; the revenue from each of which is stated, 89, 96. Some other nations furnish free gifts to the king; among whom the Indians, whose country and manners are described, 98-101. The advantages of Arabia are then enumerated, 107-113; as well as those of Ethiopia, and the distant tracts of Europe, 114 seq. Intaphernes, one of the seven conspirators, is put to death by Darius's order, 118 seq.; and afterwards Orates, 128, who had compassed, by perfidy, the death of Polycrates, the tyrant of Samos, 120-125; who had likewise put to death Mitrobates, a noble Persian, together with his son Crassaspes, and had ordered the murder of a messenger to him by Darius, 126. Democedes, a physician of Croton, having been found among the slaves of Orœtes, (125,) cures the king and Atossa: he is sent as a guide with some Persians, to reconnoitre Greece and Italy he makes his escape: and the Persians who had accompanied him are taken, and ransomed by Gillus, an exile of Tarentum, 129-138. The manner in which the Persians took Samos, 139—, 149. But, at the same time, the Babylonians secede; and, after a siege of twenty months, are subdued by the art and valour of Zopyrus, 150 to the end. AFTER the capture of Babylon, Darius marches against the Scythians, because they had invaded Asia, and held possession of |