While things were in this state, a Greek, named Demaratus, arrived at Susa. He was a dethroned prince from Sparta, and had fled from the political storms of his own country to seek refuge in Darius's capital. Demaratus found a way to reconcile Darius's pride as a sovereign with his personal preferences as a husband and a father. He told the king that, according to the principles of hereditary succession which were adopted in Greece, Xerxes was his heir as well as Cyrus's, for he was the oldest son who was born _after his accession_. A son, he said, according to the Greek ideas on the subject, was entitled to inherit only such rank as his father held when the son was born; and that, consequently, none of his children who had been born before his accession could have any claims to the Persian throne. Artobazanes, in a word, was to be regarded, he said, only as the son of Darius the noble, while Xerxes was the son of Darius the king.
In the end Darius adopted this view, and designated Xerxes as his successor in case he should not return from his distant expedition. He did not return. He did not even live to set out upon it. Perhaps the question of the succession had not been absolutely and finally settled, for it arose again and was discussed anew when the death of Darius occurred. The manner in which it was finally disposed of will be described in the next chapter.
Xerxes assumes the crown.--His message to Artobazanes.--Question of the succession again debated.--Advice of Atossa.--Decision of Artabanus.--Unfinished wars of Darius.--Egypt and Greece.--Character of the Egyptians.--Character of the Greeks.--Architecture.--Monuments of Greece.--Egyptian architecture.--Form of Egypt.--Delta of the Nile.--Fertility of Egypt.--No rain in Egypt.--Rising of the Nile.--Preparations for the inundation.--Gradual rise of the water.--Appearance of the country during an inundation.--The three theories.--Objections to the first.--Second and third theories.--Reasons against them.--Ideas of the common people in regard to the inundation.--Story of King Pheron.--His punishment.--Sequel of the story of King Pheron.--Nilometers.--Use of Nilometers.--Enormous structures of Egypt.--Comparative antiquity of various objects.--Great age of the Pyramids.--Egypt a mark for the conqueror.--Its relation to Persia.--Xerxes resolves to subdue Egypt first.--The Jews.--The Egyptians subdued.--Return to Susa.