with Croesus of Lydia, the first Asiatic who enslaved Greek cities. The Lydian 'Logoi,' rich and imaginative, saturated with Delphic tradition, lead up to the conquest of Lydia by Cyrus, and the rise of Persia to the empire of Asia. The past history and subjugation of Media and Babylon come as explanations of the greatness of Persia, and the story goes on to the conquest of Egypt by Cambyses. Book II. is all occupied with the Egyptian 'Logoi.' Book III. returns to the narrative, Cambyses' wild reign over Egypt, the false Smerdis, the conspiracy and rise of Darius, and his elaborate organisation of the Empire. In Book IV., Darius, looking for further conquests, marches against the Scythians, and the hand of Persia is thus first laid upon Europe in the north-here come the Scythian 'Logoi'; while meantime at the far south the queen of Cyrene has called in the Persian army against barca, and the terrible power advances over Libya as well-here is a place for the Libyan 'Logoi.' In Book V., while a division of the Scythian army is left behind under Megabazos, to reduce Thrace-here come the Thracian 'Logoi'-Aristagoras, tyrant of Miletus, prompted by his father-in-law the ex-tyrant, harassed with debt, and fearing the consequences of certain military failures, plunges all Ionia into a desperate revolt against the Persian. He seeks help from the chief power of Greece, and from the mother-city of the Ionians. Sparta refuses; Athens consents. Eretria, the old ally of Miletus, goes with Athens; and in the first heat of the rising the two strike deep into the Persian dominion and burn Sardis, only to beat forthwith an inevitable retreat, and to make their own destruction a necessity for Persian honour. Book VI. gives the steady reduction of Ionia,
