=The Satrapies.=—­Oriental kings seldom concerned themselves with their subjects more than to draw money from them, levy soldiers, and collect presents; they never interfered in their local affairs.  Darius, like the rest, left each of the peoples of his empire to administer itself according to its own taste, to keep its language, its religion, its laws, often its ancient princes.  But he took care to regulate the taxes which his subjects paid him.  He divided all the empire into twenty[34] districts called satrapies.  There were in the same satrapy peoples who differed much in language, customs, and beliefs; but each satrapy was to pay a fixed annual tribute, partly in gold and silver, partly in natural products (wheat, horses, ivory).  The satrap, or governor, had the tribute collected and sent it to the king.

=Revenues of the Empire.=—­The total revenue of the king amounted to sixteen millions of dollars and this money was paid by weight.  This sum was in addition to the tributes in kind.  These sixteen millions of dollars, if we estimate them by the value of the metals at this time, would be equivalent to one hundred and twenty millions in our day.  With this sum the king supported his satraps, his army, his domestic servants and an extravagant court; there still remained to him every year enormous ingots of metal which accumulated in his treasuries.  The king of Persia, like all the Orientals, exercised his vanity in possessing an immense treasure.

=The Great King.=—­No king had ever been so powerful and rich.  The Greeks called the Persian king The Great King.  Like all the monarchs of the East, the king had absolute sway over all his subjects, over the Persians as well as over tributary peoples.  From Herodotus one can see how Cambyses treated the great lords at his court.  “What do the Persians think of me?” said he one day to Prexaspes, whose son was his cupbearer.  “Master, they load you with praises, but they believe that you have a little too strong desire for wine.”  “Learn,” said Cambyses in anger, “whether the Persians speak the truth.  If I strike in the middle of the heart of your son who is standing in the vestibule, that will show that the Persians do not know what they say.”  He drew his bow and struck the son of Prexaspes.  The youth fell; Cambyses had the body opened to see where the shot had taken effect The arrow was found in the middle of the heart.  The prince, full of joy said in derision to the father of the young man, “You see that it is the Persians who are out of their senses; tell me if you have seen anybody strike the mark with so great accuracy.”  “Master,” replied Prexaspes, “I do not believe that even a god could shoot so surely."[35]

=Services Rendered by the Persians.=—­The peoples of Asia have always paid tribute to conquerors and given allegiance to despots.  The Persians, at least, rendered them a great service:  in subjecting all these peoples to one master they prevented them from fighting among themselves.  Under their domination we do not see a ceaseless burning of cities, devastation of fields, massacre or wholesale enslavement of inhabitants.  It was a period of peace.