BABYLON AND PERSIA

"KURUSH, THE KING, THE AKIIJEMENIAN." 317out very much resistance.Within three years theywere successively brought under the yoke, with theexception of Miletus, who made special terms andretained her independence.Kyros did not makeany exorbitant demands on his new subjects' purseor allegiance.But he placed each city under a chief,chosen among its own nobles, whom he made re¬sponsible for her conduct and the payment of thetribute ;in fact, a tyrant, who governed with almostroyal authority, but was him.self under the constantsupervision and authority of the Persian Satrap,* re¬siding at Sardis.Whatever it became under laterkings, the Persian rule under the first Akhaemenianswas moderate and mindful of the various peoples'welfare.Lycia and Cilicia, after some demurring,followed suit.Nor had Kyros during his lifetime tocontend with rebellion in this part of his dominions,though he never visited it again, with the exceptionof asingle rising in Sardis, immediately after hisdeparture ;a rising which was easily quelled, and,being treated with wise leniency, was not repeated.Indeed, so thoroughly did the Lydians becomereconciled to the new order of things, that theygave themselves up entirely to the arts and indus¬tries of peace, which formerly had shared their at¬tention with the manlier games of ambition andwar, and soon became notoriously the most luxurious,pleasure-loving, andeffeminate of Asiatic nations.Their influence in this direction on their conquerorswas very great, and by no means wholesome.* Satrap, old Vcrsi3.n Kitshatrapd, "defender of the empire" or" of royalty."