queen Vashti, hie wife, entertained all the women at a feast, in the most splendid and sumptuous manner. And as the king, amid his ecstasy, wished to display the beauty of the queen to his guests, he sent to desire her to come to him, but she, elated with pride and arrogance, disdained to go to him ; and the king, being indignant at this conduct, deserted her, and mar-, ried Esther, a Hebrew maiden, who appeared to surpass all the damsels of Babylon in the beauty and sweetness of her countenance. This Artaxerxes ordered all Greece, which was now subdued in war, and which he claimed as his own, to lay down arms, threatening that whoever spoke against peace, should be punished with death ; and he did this not with the view of consulting the welfare of the nation by peace, but in order to be left in quiet as far as they were concerned, so as to be able to occupy himself with other wars. After these events a civil war broke out among the Persians, as Artaxerxes and Cyrus, being brothers, quarrelled about the kingdom ; and when both the brothers, coming in opposite directions, met on horseback and fought together, Artaxerxes was wounded, but was saved from death by the swiftness of his horse ; but Cyrus, being overwhelmed by the guards of the king, was slain, and by his death put an end to the battle, and so Artaxerxes confirmed the power of his kingdom by fratricide. He also fought with success against the most powerful of the Persian prefects Phamalnyus and Sissaplurius ; and after much labour he reduced Egypt under his dominion. About this time Aristotle the philosopher flourished. After Artaxerxes another Artaxerxes reigned, who was surnamed Oethus. CH. IV.—Of the quarrels between Belinus and Brennius—The character of Brennius—The brothers are reconciled—Brennius invades Italy—The great reputation of the Gauls in Asia— They get a footing in Bithynia. IN these days a great quarrel arose between the aforesaid kings of Britain, Belinus and Brennius, because each was anxious to obtain the sovereignty of the whole island. And as war was proclaimed on both sides, they both met with their armies duly marshalled, and prepared for battle. When, therefore, they had consumed a great part of the day in fight