[176] Not the Hesperides, but an island called Achilleia, or Leuce, at the mouth of the Danube, consecrated to Achilles, where his tomb was visible. The hero, however, must have been there in proper person, since he espoused either Helen or Iphigenia, and had a son by her. Here he dwelt in perpetual youth, with Diomed, the Ajaxes, and other heroes. Many mythological tales are related concerning the island. Birds swept and sprinkled the temple of Achilles with water from their wings: passing vessels often heard the sound of sweet yet awe–inspiring music; others distinguished the din of arms and horses and the shouts of battle. If vessels anchored for the night off the island, Achilles and Helen would come on board, drink with the sailors, and sing them the verses of Homer, with particulars of their personal adventures, even of the most delicate description. Once a man who ventured to sleep upon the island was awoke by Achilles, and taken home to sup with him, when the hero played the lyre, and Patroclus served wine: Thetis and other gods were there. Many other stories, equally amusing and no less worthy of credit, are related concerning this wonderful place.—_Bayle, art. Achilleia._ [177] Bland, Anthology [178] See Herod. iv. 137, for the change in policy arising from such a change in constitution. [179] _Βασιλεὺς._ The king, simply and by pre–eminence,—the title by which the Persian monarch was universally known in Greece. [180] Life of Lorenzo de’ Medici, chap. i. [181] Sismondi, chap. xc. [182] Upon any emergency, real or pretended, it was usual for the magistrates to convene the citizens, and procure the appointment of a _balia_, or extraordinary council, which possessed the absolute power of a Roman dictator. [183] It would have been more agreeable to the plan of this book to translate from the original accounts of Machiavelli, or Politiano, who was an eye–witness of the conspiracy; but their accounts are long and minute, not to say tedious, and would require much condensation; and we gladly avail ourselves of the brief and spirited narrative of Mr. Perceval. [184] “Conspiring against one prince,” says Machiavelli, “is a doubtful and dangerous undertaking; but to conspire against two at the same time must be either downright folly or madness:” and he enforces his principle by the examples of the Pazzi and of Harmodius and Aristogiton. “Pelopidas,” he adds, “had ten tyrants instead of two to deal with:” it would be very dangerous, however, for any man to build on the success of this conspiracy, which, indeed, was almost miraculous, and is mentioned by all writers who speak of it, as not only a rare, but almost unexampled event.—_Political Discourses_, book iii. chap. 6.