usness, and their government not being well established, they fell
into a kind of anarchy, worse than their former subjection. Injustice,
violence, and rapine, prevailed everywhere, because there was nobody that
had either power enough to restrain them, or sufficient authority to
punish the offenders. But all these disorders at length induced the people
to settle a form of government, which rendered the state more flourishing
than ever it was before.

The nation of the Medes was then divided into six tribes. Almost all the
people dwelt in villages, when Dejoces, the son of Phraortes, a Mede by
birth, erected the state into a monarchy. This person, seeing the great
disorders that prevailed throughout all Media, resolved to take advantage
of those troubles, and make them serve to exalt him to the royal dignity.
He had a great reputation in his own country, and passed for a man, not
only regular in his own conduct, but possessed of all the prudence and
equity necessary to govern others.

As soon as he had formed the design of obtaining the throne, he laboured
to make the good qualities that had been observed in him more conspicuous
than ever: he succeeded so well, that the inhabitants of the village where
he lived made him their judge. In this office he acquitted himself with
great prudence; and his cares had all the success that had been expected
from them; for he brought the people of that village to a sober and
regular life. The inhabitants of other villages, whom perpetual disorders
suffered not to live in quiet, observing the good order Dejoces had
introduced in the place where he presided as judge, began to apply to him,
and make him arbitrator of their differences. The fame of his equity daily
increasing, all such as had any affair of consequence, brought it before
him, expecting to find that equity in Dejoces, which they could meet with
nowhere else.

When he found himself thus far advanced in his designs, he judged it a
proper time to set his last engines to work for the compassing his point.
He, therefore, retired from business, pretending to be over-fatigued with
the multitude of people that resorted to him from all quarters; and would
not exercise the office of judge any longer, notwithstanding all the
importunity of such as wished well to the public tranquillity. Whenever
any persons addressed themselves to him, he told them, that his own
domestic affairs would not allow him to attend to those of other people