anus
accepted the offer, against the advice of his minister Menostanes, and
gave himself up into the hands of the rebels. He was immediately seized
and cast into the ashes, where he perished miserably, after a reign of
six months and fifteen days.

On ascending the throne, Ochus assumed the name of Darius. His
confidential advisers were three eunuchs, who ruled the empire in his
name--Artoxares, who had taken such a prominent part in the campaign
which won him the crown, Artibarzanes, and Athoos; but the guiding
spirit of his government was, in reality, his wife, the detestable
Parysatis. She had already borne him two children before she became
queen; a daughter, Amestris, and a son, Arsaces, who afterwards became
king under the name of Artaxerxes. Soon after the accession of her
husband, she bore him a second son, whom she named Cyrus, in memory
of the founder of the empire, and a daughter, Artoste; several other
children were born subsequently, making thirteen in all, but these all
died in childhood, except one named Oxendras. Violent, false, jealous,
and passionately fond of the exercise of power, Parysatis hesitated at
no crime to rid herself of those who thwarted her schemes, even though
they might be members of her own family; and, not content with putting
them out of the way, she delighted in making them taste her hatred to
the full, by subjecting them to the most skilfully graduated refinements
of torture; she deservedly left behind her the reputation of being one
of the most cruel of all the cruel queens, whose memory was a terror not
only to the harems of Persia, but to the whole of the Eastern world.
The numerous revolts which broke out soon after her husband's accession,
furnished occasions for the revelation of her perfidious cleverness.
All the malcontents of the reign of Artaxerxes, those who had
been implicated in the murder of Xerxes II., or who had sided with
Secudianus, had rallied round a younger brother of Darius, named
Arsites, and one of them, Artyphios, son of Megabyzos, took the field in
Asia Minor. Being supported by a large contingent of Greek mercenaries,
he won two successive victories at the opening of the campaign, but was
subsequently defeated, though his forces still remained formidable. But
Persian gold accomplished what Persian bravery had failed to achieve,
and prevailed over the mercenaries so successfully that all deserted him
with the exception of three Milesians.

[Illustration: