er heard before, that there were very few who did not welcome his
appearance gladly, and when--in company with the king--he separated from
the rest in chase of a wild ass, they openly confessed to one another,
that they had never before seen so perfect a man. The clever way in which
he had brought the innocence of the accused to light, the finesse which
he had shown in securing the king's favor, and the ease with which he had
learnt the Persian language in so short a time, were all subjects of
admiration. Neither was there one even of the Achaemenidae themselves,
who exceeded him in beauty of face or symmetry of figure. In the chase he
proved himself a perfect horseman, and in a conflict with a bear an
exceptionally courageous and skilful sportsman. On the way home, as the
courtiers were extolling all the wonderful qualities possessed by the
king's favorite, old Araspes exclaimed, "I quite agree with you that this
Greek, who by the way has proved himself a better soldier than anything
else, is no common man, but I am sure you would not praise him half as
much, if he were not a foreigner and a novelty."

Phanes happened to be only separated from the speaker by some thick
bushes, and heard these words. When the other had finished, he went up
and said, smiling: "I understood what you said and feel obliged to you
for your kind opinion. The last sentence, however, gave me even more
pleasure than the first, because it confirmed my own idea that the
Persians are the most generous people in the world--they praise the
virtues of other nations as much, or even more, than their own."

His hearers smiled, well pleased at this flattering remark, and Phanes
went on: "How different the Jews are now, for instance! They fancy
themselves the exclusive favorites of the gods, and by so doing incur the
contempt of all wise men, and the hatred of the whole world. And then the
Egyptians! You have no idea of the perversity of that people. Why, if the
priests could have their way entirely, (and they have a great deal of
power in their hands) not a foreigner would be left alive in Egypt, nor a
single stranger allowed to enter the country. A true Egyptian would
rather starve, than eat out of the same dish with one of us. There are
more strange, astonishing and wonderful things to be seen in that country
than anywhere else in the world. And yet, to do it justice, I must say
that Egypt has been well spoken of as the richest and most highly
cultivat