ing wounded Inarus in the thigh, obliged him to retire from the field, and the rout became general. Inarus, with a body of Greek auxiliaries, took refuge in Byblus, which was strongly fortified. He there obtained for himself and companions a promise of pardon from Megabyzus, upon condition of their surrendering themselves to the Persian monarch: but the remembrance of the death of Achæmenes overcame the regard he owed to the promise of this general, and Inarus, by the command of Artaxerxes, was crucified. Amyrtæus escaped to the Isle of Elbo, and remaining concealed there, awaited better times. The Persian troops again took possession of the fortified towns, and Sarsamus was appointed satrap, or governor of Egypt.

No attempts were made to throw off the Persian yoke during the remainder of the reign of Artaxerxes; and though the Athenians sent them a fleet of sixty sail, in the fifteenth year of that reign, and some hopes were entertained of restoring Amyrtæus to the throne, these projects were abandoned, and the Persians continued in undisturbed possession of the country till the reign of

DARIUS NOTHUS.

This monarch, perceiving that the Egyptians bore with great reluctance the presence of a foreign governor, and anxious to allay the turbulent spirit and prejudices of that people, permitted Thannyrus, the son of Inarus, and Pansiris, the son of Amyrtæus,* to hold the office and nominal power of governors, or tributary kings. But nothing could conciliate the Egyptians. They beheld the fortified towns garrisoned by Persian troops; the tribute they had to pay to a people they detested was insupportable; and hence nothing would satisfy them, but the restoration of an independent monarch. To obtain this end they made secret preparations for expelling the Persians, and Amyrtæus being invited to put himself at their head, advanced from his place of concealment, routed the Persians, and succeeded eventually in obtaining possession of the whole country.

*This must have occurred previous to the year B. c. 445, since the history from whence it is derived, that of Herodotus, was then completed.

CHAPTER VII.

THE KINGDOM OF EGYPT.

EGYPTIAN ADMINISTRATION OF THE GOVERNMENT.

AMYRTÆUS.

AMYRTEUS, or Aomahorte, was a Saite. Having estab lished himself on the throne, he prepared to pursue the Persians as far as Phenicia, and had already concerted measures with the Arabians to attack them in that country. Darius was informed of this, and he recalled a fleet, which he had promised the Lacedemonians, to employ in the defence of his own dominions, by which means the designs of Amyrtæus were frustrated.

Amyrtæus is stated in Manetho's list to have been the only monarch of the twenty-eighth dynasty. His reign continued six years, during which period he laboured to repair the many losses sustained by his country from the sway of Persia. Numerous restorations were made to the temples of Thebes and other cities, many of which had suffered from the rage of Cambyses; some gateways, and other monuments bearing his name, are still in existence.

PSAMMITICUS II.

According to Manetho, Amyrtæus was succeeded in his kingdom by Nepherites, the first king of the twenty-ninth dynasty; but Diodorus mentions Psammiticus, who was descended from the first of that name, whom he supposed to have preceded Nepherites. It is uncertain, however, whether he really ruled at this time, or whether the historian confounded him with the father of Inarus.

Psammiticus is chiefly remarkable for an act of perfidy and ingratitude, crimes which are alike hateful to God and

man. Tamus, an Egyptian, who was one of the admirals of the fleet of Cyrus the younger when he invaded the Persian empire, had rendered essential services to Psammiticus. On the death of Cyrus, and suppression of his rebellion, Tamus fled from Tissaphernes, who was appointed his successor in the province of Asia Minor, and he implored the friendship and protection of the Egyptian king. Psammiticus was not only deaf to the calls of humanity, gratitude. and hospitality, but hearing that Tamus had brought consid erable treasures with him, he perfidiously seized them, and deprived him of life.

NEPHERITES.

The Phonetic name of Nepherites occurs once amidst the ruins of Thebes. During his brief reign, Egypt appears to have enjoyed tranquillity, for he was enabled to join in active hostilities against the enemies of his country. He entered into a confederacy with the Lacedemonians, and sent a fleet of 100 ships to their aid, with a supply of corn for their army. This last, however, fell into the hands of the enemy, in consequence of the transports putting into Rhodes, which had lately submitted to the Persians. Nepherites reigned six

years.

ACORIS.

Acoris seems to have adopted the policy of his predecessor. He made tready with Evagoras, king of Cyprus, against the Persians, and endeavoured, by every means in his power, to weaken the strength, and thwart the schemes of his adversary. This, combined with the defection of Gaus, the son of Tamus, who had been for some time commander of the Persian fleet, who now, abandoning their service, had entered into a league with Acoris, and the Lacedemonians, added to the intrigues of Orontes, so embarrassed the affairs of Artaxerxes, that Egypt was able to defy his threatened projects of invasion. Acoris reigned thirteen years; he died B.C. 389.

PSAMMOUTIS.

During the reign of Psammoutis, which lasted only one year, nothing of consequnce transpired; hence his name rarely occurs on any edifice, either of Upper or Lower Egypt: it is found, however, at the temple of Kartrak, at Thebes which proves his reign.

Of the short period occupied by his two successors,

NEPHERITES II. AND MOUTHIS,

whose names are not met with on the monuments, little can be learned, either from that source, or from the accounts of ancient writers; except that the Persians, intent upon the recovery of Egypt, prepared to make a descent upon that country, which they attempted in the reign of the succeeding monarch without success.

NECTANEBIS.

In the first year of the reign of this prince, Artaxerxes Mnemon, after three years' preparation, invaded Egypt with a powerful army of Persians, under the command of Pharnabazus, which was augmented by Grecian mercenaries, under Iphicrates. But this army was unsuccessful. The slowness of their operations, and the rising of the Nile, defeated their designs, and they retreated with great loss. On this occation, Iphicrates, having observed to Pharnabazus, that he was quick in his resolutions, but slow in the performance, the latter rejoined, that his words were his own, but his actions depended wholly on his master, which shows the extent of authority which the Persian monarchs held over their subjects.

The Egyptian monarch now directed his attention to the internal administration of affairs, and the encouragement of art. Many temples were repaired or enlarged in various parts of the country; a fine obelisk was cut, and transported from the quarries of Syene; and the name of Nectabeno (his name on the monuments) still occurs in Upper or Lower Egypt. That he restored the temple of Mars, at Sebbenytus, with great splendour, is recorded in a Greek papyrus, which modern researches have discovered in an Egyptian tomb. Nectanebis, after a reign of eighteen years, was succeeded by

TACHUS, OR TÆOS.

Tachus had scarcely ascended the throne, when he was alarmed by the warlike preparations of the Persian monarch, who threatened again to invade his country. To withstand this mighty power, he hired a body of Spartan mercenaries, who were commanded by Agesilaus, their king, whom Tachus promised to make generalissimo of his army. But this commission did Agesilaus no honour. As soon as he landed in Egypt, the king's principal generals, and his chief officers of state, came to receive him and pay their court to him. The fame

of his renown also drew multitudes of the Egyptians to the shore, for the purpose of catching a glance at the hero. But the Egyptians were too fond of pomp and show to be attracted by the appearance of Agesilaus. When they saw only an old man, of mean aspect and dwarfish stature, in a simple robe of coarse stuff, they were disposed to ridicule him, and they applied to him the fable of the mountain in labour, when only a mouse came forth.

This disaffection towards him was felt also at court. When Agesilaus met Tachus, and had joined his troops with those of Egypt, he was surprised that he was not appointed general of the whole army, but only of the foreign troops, that Chabrias was made general of the forces at sea, and that Tachus retained the command of the army himself.

This was not the only mortification Agesilaus had to axpe rience. Tachus had formed a resolution to march into Phenicia, thinking it more advisable to make that country the seat of war, than to contend with the Persians in Egypt. Agesilaus thought to the contrary; and he represented to Tachus that his affairs were not sufficiently established to admit his removing out of his dominions; that he would act more wisely by remaining in Egypt himself, and acting by his erals in the enemy's country. Tachus despised this counsel, and expressed disregard for Agesilaus on all occasions. The consequence was, that Agesilaus, incensed at such conduct, joined the Egyptians who had taken up arms against Tachus during his absence, and had placed his cousin Nectanebus on

the throne.

gen

Tachus was now obliged to quit Egypt, and he retired to Sidon, from whence he went to the court of Persia, where he was received with favour by Artaxerxes, who gave him the command of his troops against the rebels.

But Nectanebus was not yet established on the throne of Egypt. At this period, about B. c. 362, another prince of the city of Mendes disputed the crown with him, and he collected a numerous force to support his pretensions. Agesilaus gave advice to the effect that this force should be attacked before they were disciplined; but Nectanebus, imagining that Agesilaus desired to betray him, took no notice of his advice, and thereby gave his enemy time to prepare his troops for operations. He did this so effectually that he reduced Nectanebus to the necessity of retiring into a city. Thither Agesilaus was obliged to follow him, and they were besieged there by the Mendesian prince.

VOL. L.

15