Regum et imperatorum apophthegmata

Semiramis [*](Herodotus, i. 187, says that Nitocris built the tomb above the gates of Babylon. Stobaeus, x. 53, copies Plutarch word for word.) caused a great tomb to be prepared for herself, and on it this inscription: Whatsoever king finds himself in need of money may break into this monument and take as much as he wishes. Darius accordingly broke into it, but found no money; he did, however, come upon another inscription reading as follows: If you were not a wicked man with an insatiate greed for money, you would not be disturbing the places where the dead are laid.

Ariamenes, the brother of Xerxes son of Darius, was on his way down from the Bactrian country to contest Xerxes’ right to the kingdom. Xerxes accordingly sent him gifts, bidding those who offered them to say, With these gifts Xerxes your brother now honours you; and if he be proclaimed king, you

Angered at the Babylonians, who had revolted, [*](The usual tradition is that Babylong revolted from Darius; Herodotus, iii. 150.) he overpowered them, and then ordained that henceforth they should not bear arms, but should play the i lyre and flute, keep public prostitutes, engage in I petty trade, and wear long flowing garments.[*](Cyrus is said to have employed this device against the Lydians; Herodotus, i. 156; Polyaenus, Strategemata, vii. 6. 4; Justin, Hist. Philip, i. 7. For two other instances cf. the scholia on Sophocles, Oedipus Col. 329, and Dionysius Hal. Antiq. Rom. vii. 9. )

He said he would not eat figs from Attica which had been imported for sale, but would eat them when he had obtained possession of the land that bore them. [*](Cf.Athenaeus, p. 652 B.)