they could do without it, made them wait a good while for the anfwer. As foon as the treaty was agreed on, the Greeks were conducted through a long plain, fo interfected with channels, that they were forced every mile to cut down vaft numbers of palm-trees, and lay bridges over them; and Clearchus was feen foremost in that laborious task, in order to encourage the reft. At length they arrived at a delicious plain, where they found plenty of wheat, palm-wine, and dates, of exquifite colour and tafte; only the wine proved fo ftrong, as to give them violent head-aches.

HERE they halted three days; at the end of which came Tiffaphernes, attended by the Queen's brother, and a numerous retinue; and, under pretence of a particular esteem for them, as he was now made Governor of the Perfian provinces that bordered upon Greece, affured them, that he had almoft obtained, from the Perfian King, as a reward for his former services, the fingular favour of being their conductor into Greece; but was, at the fame time, charged to afk of them, what had induced them to take up arms against him; and advised them not to exafperate that monarch by too haughty an anfwer, fince that would effectually prevent his being able to ferve them. The Greeks were far enough from giving any credit to his great profeffions of friendship, looking upon him rather as their bitterest enemy; but this was not a time for them to betray any miftruft: and Clearchus had addrefs enough to excuse their joining with Cyrus, and, at the fame time, to obferve, that they had not committed the leaft

hoftility

Hoftility against the Perfians, from the time they heard of that Prince's death; from which it was plain, they had acted only as his allies, and not as enemies to the King. Upon this Tiffaphernes agreed with them, that the truce should continue till his return; and, engaging to fend them fresh fupply of provifions, returned immediately to the Perfian camp. He came three days after, and acquainted them, that the King had, with much ado, and even against the advice of many of his counsellors, who opposed their being suffered to return home, given him leave to conduct them to their own frontiers and he engaged to accompany them quite to the Egæan fea, and to furnish them with provisions all the way, on condition that they should pay for them, and forbear all kinds of hoftilities. This being likewife fworn to on both fides, he promised that he would foon return, and be ready to march at their head.

He made them, however, wait full twenty days for him; during which there was no fmail mistrust in the Greek camp; especially as they faw, now and then, fome new fatraps coming into that of Ariæus, to assure him and his men, that the King wholly forgave their revolt :: son that this delay was looked upon as a Aratagem of the Perfian King, to gain time to reunite his forces; in order to fall more furioufly on theirs, on the first river or poft they were obliged to pafs; and, as for Ariæus, the only friend they had now left, they did not doubt but he would give them the flip whenever that happened. Tiffaphernes being at length come, his troops and thofe of Arius were imme diately joined, and began their march as one body

H. 3

body or camp; which fo far alarmed the Greeks, that they took care to incamp at the diftance of three or four miles at least from them.

SEVERAL other misunderstandings, which happened between the two armies, increased their mutual diffidence. However, after three days march, they reached the wall of Media, which was an hundred feet high, and twenty in thickness, all built of brick, joined with a ftrong cement: it extended itfelf from the Euphrates, near that part on which Babylon stood, quite to the Tigris, and is faid to have been about twenty parafangs or leagues in lengthe above it, Northward, about fifteen or twenty more, were cut feveral canals, which opened a communication between these two rivers; though, if what-Arrian fays be true, that the level of the latter was much lower than that. of the former, the ftream must run from this to that it is by these canals that this river discharges thofe vaft floods of water, which fall into it in the fpring, from the melted fnows, which would otherwise cause it to overflow, as the Nile doth Egypt.. However, through this wall the armies marched, ftill under the conduct of Tiffaphernes; and them. croffed, over two large canals formed by the Tigris; which, dividing themfelves into leffer channels, watered that whole plain. They arri ved at length on the banks of that celebrated river, over which they threw a bridge; whilft the Greeks incamped near Sitace, a confiderable town about fifteen ftades fhort of the Tigris, and out of fight of the Perfians, whom they faw no. more from that time. Here Proxenus and Xenophon, taking an evening walk together, before the quarter where the

heavy armed men incamped, obferved a ftrolfer afking one of the out-guards, where he might meet Proxenus and Clearchus ; and pretending, that he had been fent by Ariæus, to acquaint them, that a numerous body lay in ambush against them in the neighbouring park, and were to furprise the Greeks on that night; and that Tiffaphernes designed to break down the bridge, in order to inclofe them between the two breaches of the river. He was forthwith brought to Clearchus, to whom he repeated the same advice; which threw him into no fmall confternation; when a young foldier present, made him fenfible of the abfurdity of the meffage. "To attack us, faid he, and break "down the bridge, are things inconfiftent; "for, if they attack us, and beat us, what "need is there of breaking down the bridge? "and if we beat them, and the bridge be "broken down, they can neither receive fuc

66

cour from the army, nor retreat themselves "to it." Upon which they contented themfelves, with fending a strong detachment to guard the bridge for that night; and marched over it, in the best order, on the next morning by break of day, without oppofition. Some Perfians they indeed perceived at a diftance; but they retired immediately at the fight of them, they being only fent to obferve whether they would crofs over.

THE Grecian army marched four whole days, or about twenty parafangs, through a large plain, which lies between the Tigris and the Phyfcus; which laft was an hundred feet wide, and over which they found a bridge. Near it ftood the antient and populous city of Opis,, (fince called Seleucia), where they

were

were met by a Perfian fatrap, who was a patural brother of Artaxerxes and Cyrus, and was marching to the affistance of the former, at the head of a numerous army, which had been drawn out of the cities of Sufa and Ecbatane, but ftopped to fee the Greek forces pafs by him. Clearchus, who was at their head, made them march two and two, and halted now and then, with his vanguard, in order to make his army appear more numerous; and the Perfian fatrap was highly taken with the fight. From thence they marched about thirty parafangs more, in fix days, through a defert part of Media, and came at length to fome rich and fertile valleys, which were the appennage of Paryfatis the Queen-mother; and thefe Tiffaphernes, who never loved that Princefs, fuffered to be plundered by them of every thing but flaves. Here: having refreshed themfelves, they continued their march through the Median deferts, keeping still the Tigris on their left, without meeting with any towns, except the large and opulent city of Cona, which they paffed by on the firft day of their march; and, at the end of four more, came to the banks of the river Zabatus, where they halted three days.

THEIR mutual diffidence ftill reigning, though without any a& of treachery on the Perfian fide; Clearchus, who feared the con fequences of it, took the fatal refolution of going himself to confer with Tiffaphernes, and to put him in mind of the oaths which had paffed between them, and of the dreadful punishment that would attend the infringement of them. He went on, with obferving to him, of what great service the Greeks might be to

him,