s family, and protected by Artabanus and his
guard, the monarch felt that all his toils and dangers were over, and
that there was nothing now before him but a life of ease, of pleasure,
and of safety. Instead of this, he was, in fact, in the most imminent
danger. Artabanus was already plotting his destruction.

One day, in the midst of one of his carousals, he became angry with his
oldest son Darius for some cause, and gave Artabanus an order to kill
him. Artabanus neglected to obey this order. The king had been excited
with wine when he gave it, and Artabanus supposed that all recollection
of the command would pass away from his mind with the excitement that
occasioned it. The king did not, however, so readily forget. The next
day he demanded why his order had not been obeyed. Artabanus now began
to fear for his own safety, and he determined to proceed at once to the
execution of a plan which he had long been revolving, of destroying the
whole of Xerxes's family, and placing himself on the throne in their
stead. He contrived to bring the king's chamberlain into his schemes,
and, with the connivance and aid of this officer, he went at night into
the king's bed-chamber, and murdered the monarch in his sleep.

Leaving the bloody weapon with which the deed had been perpetrated by
the side of the victim, Artabanus went immediately into the bed-chamber
of Artaxerxes, the youngest son, and, awaking him suddenly, he told him,
with tones of voice and looks expressive of great excitement and alarm,
that his father had been killed, and that it was his brother Darius that
had killed him. "His motive is," continued Artabanus, "to obtain the
throne, and, to make the more sure of an undisturbed possession of it,
he is intending to murder you next. Rise, therefore, and defend your
life."

Artaxerxes was aroused to a sudden and uncontrollable paroxysm of anger
at this intelligence. He seized his weapon, and rushed into the
apartment of his innocent brother, and slew him on the spot. Other
summary assassinations of a similar kind followed in this complicated
tragedy. Among the victims, Artabanus and all his adherents were slain,
and at length Artaxerxes took quiet possession of the throne, and
reigned in his father's stead.

THE END.

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES

1. Minor changes have been made to correct typesetters errors, and to
ensure consistent spelling and punctuation in this etext; otherwise,
every e