CXXII. These carriages accordingly advanced as they were directed; the Scythian scouts, finding that the Persians had proceeded a three days journey from the Ister, encamped at the distance of one day's march from their army, and destroyed all the produce of the lands. The Persians, as soon as they came in sight of the Scythian cavalry, commenced the pursuit; whilst the Scythians regularly retired before them. Directing their attention to one part of the enemy in particular, the Persians continued to advance eastward towards the Tanaïs. The Scythians having crossed this river, the Persians did the same, till passing over the country of the Sauromatæ, they came to that of the Budini.

CXXIII. As long as the Persians remained in Scythia and Sarmatia, they had little power of doing injury, the country around them was so vast and extensive; but as soon as they came amongst the Budini, they discovered a town built entirely of wood, which the inhabitants had totally stripped and deserted; to this they set fire. This done, they continued their pursuit through the country of the Budini, till they came to a dreary solitude. This is beyond the Budini, and of the extent of a seven days journey, without a single inhabitant. Farther on are the Thyssa

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getæ from whose country four great rivers, after watering the intermediate plains, empty themselves into the Palus Mæotis. The names of these rivers are the Lycus, the Oarus, the Tanaïs, and the Syrgis.

CXXIV. As soon as Darius arrived at the above solitude, he halted, and encamped his army upon the banks of the Oarus: he then constructed eight large forts, at the distance of sixty stadia from each other, the ruins of which have been visible to my time. Whilst he was thus employed, that detachment of the enemy which he had pursued, making a circuit by the higher parts of the country, returned into Scythia. When these had disappeared, and were no more to be discovered, Darius left his forts in an un

126 Thyssageta.]-This people are indifferently named the Thyssagetæ, the Thyrsageta, and the Tyrregetæ; mention is made of them by Strabo, Pliny, and Valerius Flaccus.— This latter author says,

Non ego sanguineis gestantem tympana bellis

Thyrsagetem, cinctumque vagis post terga silebo

Pellibus.

T.

Concerning this nation, it is evident that Herodotus knew but little, probably, as Rennell observes, because Darius stopped short on the borders of their country.

This also is a proof, that what was known to the Greeks of this region, was the result of this expedition of Darius.

The Wolga may well be taken for the Oarus, and perhaps the Medmedelza and Choper for the Lycus and Syrgis, or Hyngis. Rennell, p. 90.

finished state, and directed his march westward, thinking that the Scythians whom he had pursued were the whole of the nation, and had fled towards the west accelerating therefore his march, he arrived in Scythia, and met with two detachments of Scythians; these also he pursued, who took care to keep from him at the distance of one day's march.

CXXV. Darius continued his pursuit, and the Scythians, as had been previously concerted, led him into the country of those who had refused to accede to their alliance, and first of all into that of the Melanchlani, When the lands of this people had been effectually harassed by the Scythians, as well as the Persians, the latter were again led by the former into the district of the Androphagi. Having in like manner distressed these, the Persians were allured on to the Neuri the Neuri being also alarmed and harassed, the attempt was made to carry the Persians amongst the Agathyrsi*. This people however had observed, that before their own country had suffered any injury from the in- . vaders, the Scythians had taken care to distress the lands of their neighbours; they accordingly

*Notwithstanding this was the only Scythian nation that shewed a becoming courage in defending their borders, they are before stigmatized by Herodotus as being remarkably effeminate.

dispatched to them a messenger, forbidding their nearer approach, and threatening that any attempt to advance should meet with their hostile resistance with this determination, the Agathyrsi appeared in arms upon their borders. But the Melanchlani, the Androphagi, and the Neuri, although they had suffered equally from the Persians and the Scythians, neither made any exertions, nor remembered what they had before menaced, but fled in alarm to the deserts of the north. The Scythians, turning aside from the Agathyrsi, who had refused to assist them, retreated from the country of the Neuri, towards Scythia, whither they were pursued by the Persians,

CXXVI. As they continued to persevere in the same conduct, Darius was induced to send a messenger to Indathyrsus, the Scythian prince. "Most wretched man," said the ambassador,

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why do you thus continue to fly, having the "choice of one of these alternatives - If "think yourself able to contend with me, stop "and let us engage: if you feel a conscious inferiority, bring to me, as to your superior, earth and water -Let us come to a con❝ference."

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127 Earth and water.]-Amongst the ancient nations of the west, to shew that they confessed themselves overcome,

CXXVII. The Scythian monarch made this reply: "It is not my disposition, O Persian, to

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fly from any man through fear; neither do I

now fly from you. My present conduct differs "not at all from that which I pursue in a state "of peace. Why I do not contend with you in

the open field, I will explain: we have no in"habited towns nor cultivated lands of which we

or that they surrendered at discretion, they gathered some grass, and presented it to the conqueror. By this action they resigned all the claims they possessed to their country. In the time of Pliny, the Germans still observed this custom. Summum apud antiquos signum victoriæ erat herbam porrigere victos, hoc est terra et altrice ipsâ humo et humatione etiam cedere; quem morem etiam nunc durare apud Germanos scio.-Festus and Servius, upon ver. 128, book viii. of the Æneid of Virgil,

Et vittâ comptes voluit prætendere ramos,―

affirm, that herbam do, is the same thing as victum me fateor, et cedo victoriam. The same ceremony was observed, or something like it, when a country, a fief, or a portion of land, was given or sold to any one. See Du Cange, Glossary, at the word Investitura. In the East, and in other countries, it was by the giving of earth and water, that a prince was put in possession of a country; and the investiture was made him in this manner. By this they acknowledged him their master without control: for earth and water involve every thing.-Aristotle says, that to give earth and water, is to renounce one's liberty.—Larcher.

Amongst the Romans, when an offender was sent into banishment, he was emphatically interdicted the use of fire and water; which was supposed to imply the absence of every aid and comfort.-T.