particulars of his plan. He urged
Aristagoras to revolt, and promised that, if he would do so, he would
come on, himself, as soon as possible, and, under pretense of marching
to suppress the rebellion, he would really join and aid it.

As soon as he had finished pricking this treasonable communication
into the patient's skin, he carefully enveloped the head in bandages,
which, he said, must on no account be disturbed. He kept the man shut
up, besides, in the palace, until the hair had grown, so as
effectually to conceal the writing, and then sent him to Ionia to have
the cure perfected. On his arrival at Ionia he was to find
Aristagoras, who would do what further was necessary. Histiaeus
contrived, in the mean time, to send word to Aristagoras by another
messenger, that, as soon as such a patient should present himself,
Aristagoras was to shave his head. He did so, and the communication
appeared. We must suppose that the operations on the part of
Aristagoras for the purpose of completing the cure consisted,
probably, in pricking in more ink, so as to confuse and obliterate the
writing.

Aristagoras was on the eve of throwing off the Persian authority when
he received this communication. It at once decided him to proceed. He
organized his forces and commenced his revolt. As soon as the news of
this rebellion reached Susa, Histiaeus feigned great indignation, and
earnestly entreated Darius to commission him to go and suppress it. He
was confident, he said, that he could do it in a very prompt and
effectual manner. Darius was at first inclined to suspect that
Histiaeus was in some way or other implicated in the movement; but
these suspicions were removed by the protestations which Histiaeus
made, and at length he gave him leave to proceed to Miletus,
commanding him, however, to return to Susa again as soon as he should
have suppressed the revolt.

When Histiaeus arrived in Ionia he joined Aristagoras, and the two
generals, leaguing with them various princes and states of Greece,
organized a very extended and dangerous rebellion, which it gave the
troops of Darius infinite trouble to subdue. We can not here give an
account of the incidents and particulars of this war. For a time the
rebels prospered, and their cause seemed likely to succeed; but at
length the tide turned against them. Their towns were captured, their
ships were taken and destroyed, their armies cut to pieces. Histiaeus
retreated from place to place, a