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our King? I bring him. returned Apollonius, fortitudeand justice, and some other like virtues. What, saidthe King’s minister, do you bring these presents from anidea of our King’s not being already possessed of them ?No, not exactly from that, answered Apollonius, but itis from the supposition, that if he is possessed of them,I may teach him their use. Our King, continued theminister, by the exercise of such virtues, has acquired thekingdom he had lost, and recovered his palace, not with-out much labour and toil. How many years is it, saidApollonius, since he recovered the kingdom? Twoyears and two months, replied the minister. Then Apol-lonius, as he was wont to do, when he wished to giveweight to his opinion, cried, O thou guardian of theroyal person, or if any other appellation please theebetter, hearken to what I say; Darius, the father ofCyrus and Artaxerxcs, after a reign of about sixty* *years, when he found his end approaching, is said tohave sacrificed to justice, and thus exclaimed, “ Omistress, whosoever thou art” By this may be inferredthat he loved justice all his life, though he knew her not,nor ever thought himself possessed of her. Hence itcame to pass that he educated his children so foolishly,that they waged war with each other, and the one waswounded and the other killed by his brother. And you

into, or carried on without them. No one was allowed to appearin the presence of the Persian Kings without some gift, no matterof what value. To this account it may be added, that whenour countryman, Lord Macartney, had his interview with theEmperor of China in 1793, the receiving and returning of presents,made a considerable part of the ceremony, and we may say, of theembassy also.

* Philostratus differs from all other clironologers, in makingDarius possess his kingdom 60 years. It is probable, as Oleariusconjectures, that the period of 60 years refers to his age, and not tohis reign.

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