o
signify that they resign their air, their waters, and their earth to my
dominion. Nor is the bundle of arrows more difficult to be explained;
these constitute their principal defence, and, by sending them to an
enemy, they can intimate nothing but terror and submission.' All who
were present applauded this discourse of the monarch, excepting Gobrias,
a man of singular wisdom and experience, who, when he was pressed to
declare his sentiments, spoke to him thus:--'It is with the greatest
reluctance, O king, that I find myself compelled to explain these
presents of our enemies in a very different manner. That the Scythians,
who have hitherto shown no marks either of fear or submission, should,
on a sudden, feel so great a terror of the Persian arms, I cannot easily
believe, more especially when I consider that our army is very much
reduced by the distress it has suffered, and environed on every side by
the enemy, whose boldness visibly increases with our necessities. What,
therefore, I should infer from this extraordinary present is this: they
intimate that unless, like the mouse, you can dig your passage through
the earth, or skim the air like the bird, or glide through waters with
the fish, you shall certainly perish by the Scythian arrows.' Such was
the sentiment of Gobrias, and all the assembly was struck with the
evident truth of his interpretation, and the king himself began to
perceive and repent his rashness; instead, therefore, of advancing
farther into deserts which afforded no subsistence, he resolved to
attempt a retreat. This, however, he was not able to effect without the
loss of the greatest part of his troops, who perished by thirst and
famine, and the continued attacks of the enemy.

"'Nor was the expedition of Lysimachus, another powerful king, against
this people, less memorable or less unfortunate. His army was defeated,
and he himself taken prisoner; but, instead of meeting with that cruelty
which we are accustomed to expect from barbarians, he experienced the
greatest moderation and humanity from his conquerors. The general of the
Scythians invited his captive to a solemn festival, in which he took
care to assemble every circumstance of luxury and magnificence which
prevailed in polished nations. The most exquisite meats were served up
to table, and the most generous wines sparkled in golden bowls of the
exactest workmanship. Lysimachus was equally delighted with the elegance
of the repast and the p