BABYLON AND PERSIA

MEDIA, BABYLON, AND PERSIA.They had not now to complain of the Scythians'unwillingness to attack and fight, but were glad whenthey succeeded in keeping them off their track, orin deceiving them by little devices, such as keepingtheir tents pitched and their camp-fires burningwhile they stole away at dawn.10. Meanwhile, the disaster which they dreadedwas very near actually happening. Some Scythianshad had a parley with the Ionian princes and urgedthem to " break the bridge and hasten back to theirhomes, rejoicing that they were free, and thankingthe gods and the Scythians." The temptation wasgreat. Here was a chance at one stroke to restorethe liberties of all the Greek cities, and MiLTlADES,a young Athenian nobleman, who was the chief, orrather king, of the peninsula which skirts the Helles¬pont on the European side, and who had but latelysubmitted to the Persian rule, was all for followingthe Scythians' advice, on patriotic grounds, thinkingit a shame to miss such an opportunity of throwingoff a yoke which, mild as it might be, still was aform of bondage, of slavery. The Ionian princes, atthe war council which was held on the subject, wereready to join him, when the chief among them, HlS-TIAIOS, tyrant of Miletus, who enjoyed greater weightand influence from being the ruler of the first amongthe Ionian cities, reminded them that it would beentirely against their interests to break their trust." It is through Darius," he said, "that we enjoy ourthrones in our several states. If his power be over¬turned, I cannot continue lord of Miletus, nor yeof your cities. For there is not one of them which