the king
is never represented without his long sceptre with pommelled handle,
whether he be sitting or standing, and wherever he went he was attended
by his umbrella- and fan-bearers. The prescriptions of court etiquette
were such as to convince his subjects and persuade himself that he was
sprung from a nobler race than that of any of his magnates, and that he
was outside the pale of ordinary humanity. The greater part of his
time was passed in privacy, where he was attended only by the eunuchs
appointed to receive his orders; and these orders, once issued, were
irrevocable, as was also the king's word, however much he might desire
to recall a promise once made. His meals were, as a rule, served to him
alone; he might not walk on foot beyond the precincts of the palace, and
he never showed himself in public except on horseback or in his chariot,
surrounded by his servants and his guards. The male members of the royal
family and those belonging to the six noble houses enjoyed the privilege
of approaching the king at any hour of the day or night, provided he was
not in the company of one of his wives. These privileged persons formed
his council, which he convoked on important occasions, but all ordinary
business was transacted by means of the scribes and inferior officials,
on whom devolved the charge of the various departments of the
government. A vigorous ruler, such as Darius had proved himself,
certainly trusted no one but himself to read the reports sent in by the
satraps, the secretaries, and the generals, or to dictate the answers
required by each; but Xerxes and Artaxerxes delegated the heaviest part
of such business to their ministers, and they themselves only fulfilled
such state functions as it was impossible to shirk--the public
administration of justice, receptions of ambassadors or victorious
generals, distributions of awards, annual sacrifices, and state
banquets: they were even obliged, in accordance with an ancient and
inviolable tradition, once a year to set aside their usual sober habits
and drink to excess on the day of the feast of Mithra. Occasionally they
would break through their normal routine of life to conduct in person
some expedition of small importance, directed against one of the
semi-independent tribes of Iran, such as the Cadusians, but their
most glorious and frequent exploits were confined to the chase. They
delighted to hunt the bull, the wild boar, the deer, the wild ass, and
the hare,