preffion of the head of a mere man. What pride or caprice, however, prevented being done by himself, was abundantly accomplished by his fucceffors at Macedon and his admirers elsewhere; fo that pofterity are in no want of genuine fimilitudes of that wonderful man. The great generals, who partitioned out among themselves his mighty empire, happily did not follow his example; and, in the feries of their respective coins, the medallift finds. an astonishing and delightful proof of the perfection, in this line, to which the Grecian.

artifts gradually arrived. It is beyond my purpose, which was only to present the reader with a general view of the fubject of ancient coins, to enter farther into the examination of their merits and hiftory. The medallic writers are numerous, and to the English reader, who may choose to proceed more largely in the investigation, Mr. Pinkerton's book will prove a very useful guide. It is neceflary that we now return to furvey the utter fubverfion of the Perfian empire, and the plunder of all its immenfe treasures, by a comparative handful of determined Greek foldiers. I fhall, firft, faithfully sketch out the picture of that grandeur and those treasures :

I fhall

I shall then, to use the language of the medallift, exhibit the reverse : — :-a dreadful reverfe! unequalled in the annals of Afia and the history of man.

Never was there a more fudden change effected in the manners of a nation than that which took place in Perfia, after the conqueft of Babylon. The honourable indigence, and the strict regimen and laborious exercises, in which from infancy they had been trained, were now fucceeded by an oftentatious magnificence, a luxurious diet, and an indolent effeminacy. With the wealth, they caught the habits of the Lydians, and wallowed in all that unbounded voluptuousness for which the former are branded in the page of history. During the life of Cyrus, indeed, his example and authority kept up in the army fome remains of the ancient difcipline; but the princes and nobles delighted rather to follow the example of Cræfus, and were plunged in exceffes of every kind. The fucceffors of Cyrus on the throne of Perfia feemed to think the dignity of that throne was better supported by fplendor than virtue, and aimed to fecure the abject obedience of their fubjects, by dazzling them with a glory that feemed more

than

than human; fo devoted indeed were they to the fhameless gratification, at any price, of their licentious and ftimulated appetites, and fo far had they exhaufted every source of known terreftrial enjoyment, that one of them, it is well known, was not afhamed, by a public edict, to offer a fplendid reward to any person who fhould invent a new pleasure.

Ancient writers fpeak with rapture of the beauty of imperial Sufa, and the magnificence of its sumptuous palace, fo highly distinguished, as to have been the refidence, during three months of the year, that is, during the spring season, of the great Shah-in-Shah, as Ecbatana was, during the fummer. The walls and ceilings of this palace were overlaid with gold, ivory, and amber, exhibiting the noblest designs, wrought in the most exquisite taste. Its lofty throne of pure gold was raifed on pillars refulgent with jewels of the richest luftre. The monarch's bed, also of pure gold, we have already noticed, as fhaded with the golden plane-tree and vine prefented by Pythias, on whose branches hung clusters of emeralds and rubies. He repofed his head on a cafket containing five thousand talents of gold, which was called the king's bolfler; and his feet refted on another,

containing

containing three thousand talents of the fame metal. Every province of his vaft empire daily furnished one difh, loaded with the richest rarities produced in it. He drank no water, but the pure cold wave of the Choafpes, carried with him, in filver veffels, whitherfoever he went. His bread was made of the finest wheat of Phrygia; Egypt fupplied him with falt; the rich high-flavoured wines of Damascus alone sparkled in his cup; the foftest, sweetest, melodies foothed him during the banquet; and the lovelieft women of Afia beguiled his hours of domeftic retirement. When he marched to battle, the pomp of the proceffion was to the last degree fplendid and folemn; and has been minutely described by Herodotus, Arrian, and Curtius; of whose various relations the following is the refult.

It commenced the moment the fun appeared above the horizon. At that inftant, a trumpet, founding from the king's pavilion, proclaimed the appearance of its beam, and a golden image of its orb, inclosed in a circle of cryftal, was displayed on high in the front of that pavilion. The Perfian banner, which was a golden eagle, the eagle of the fun, with its wings expanded, being alfo elevated, a body

of

of Magi carrying on filver altars the facred and eternal fire, believed to have defcended from heaven, advanced firft. Then followed another band of Magi, chanting hymns in honour of the fun; and 365 youths, to represent the number of the days of the reformed year, clothed in flame-coloured vefts, and bearing a golden rod, the fymbol of his ray. After thefe, marched a large body of horse and men, bearing spears with their points downward. Ten confecrated horfes, of furpaffing magnitude, bred on the Nifean plains, and caparisoned with furniture that glittered all over with gold and gems, preceded the chariot of the fun, (for fuch it was, though called by Herodotus that of Jupiter,) empty, and drawn by eight white horses, the equerries attending them clothed in white vests, and also bearing in their hands golden wands. Next came the Perfian band, called immortal, ten thousand in number, all wearing collars of pure gold, and arrayed in robes of gold tiffue. Next came the male relations of the sovereign, habited in purple vefts, fringed with precious stones and pearl. The king followed immediately after, in a chariot drawn by Nifæan horses, a living mine of gold and rubies,

and