Page 498 among the rest, they were furnish'd with a hundred Gallies, of three and five Oars on a Bank.
And now Tennes became a Party with Mentor (who Commanded the Mercenaries out of Egypt) in the Treachery; and left Mentor to keep a certain Quarter of the City, in order to help forward the Execution of the Treason; and himself went out with Five hundred Soldiers, upon pretence to go to the Common Assembly of the Phaenicians: For he had in his Company a Hundred of the Best Quality of the Citizens to be Senators, as was pretended: But these he caus'd to be seiz'd and deliver'd up into the hands of Ariaxerxes, as soon as they came near where the King was, who receiv'd him as his Friend, but order'd the Hundred Noblemen, as Authors of the Rebellion, to be darted to death.
Presently after, when Five hundred more of the Chiefest of the Sidonians came to him with all the Badges of Submission imaginable, he call'd Tennes back, and ask'd him whether he was able to deliver the City into his Hands (for he earnestly desir'd to possess himself of the Place upon any Terms whatsoever, rather than upon Treaty, to the end that the utter Ruin of the Citizens might be a Terror unto the rest) when Tennes assur'd him he was able to effect it, the King being still implacable, caus'd all the Five hundred (who carry'd Olive-Branches before them as Suppliants for Mercy, and as Tokens of Submission) to be shot to death with Darts. Afterwards Tennes readily perswades the Egyptian Mercenaries to receive him and the King within the Walls; and so by this treacherous Contrivance, Sidon came again into the Hauds of the Persians. Then the King judging that Tennes could do him no further Service, caus'd his Throat to be cut likewise.
In the mean time, the Sidonians had burnt all their Shipping before the King came, lest any of the Inhabitants, consulting their own particular Safety, should get away by Sea. At length, when the Sidonians saw that the Enemy was entred, and many Thousands of Men ranging here and there, and dispers'd all over the City, they shut themselves up with their Wives and Children in their Houses, and set them on fire, and so all consum'd together. It's said there were above Forty thousand (with Houshold-Servants) that perish'd in these Flames.
After this Destruction of the Sidonians, by which the whole City and Inhabitants were consum'd to Ashes, the King sold the Rubbish and Relicts of the Fire for many Talents: For being the City was very Rich, there was found a vast Quantity of Gold and Silver melted down by the Flames. Thus sad was the Calamity under which the Sidonians suffer'd. The rest of the Cities being terrify'd with this Destruction, Presently surrender'd themselves to the Persians. A little before this, Artemesia the Princess of Caria died, having govern'd Two Years: Idreius her Brother succeeded in the Principality, and reign'd Seven Years.
In Italy the Romans made a Truce with the Prenestines, and entred into a League with the Samnites; and cut off the Heads of Two hundred and sixty in the Forum, of those that sided with the Tarquins.
In Sicily Leptines and Callipus the Syracusians being furnish'd with a considerable Army, besieg'd Rhegium, which was still held by a Garison of Dionysius the Younger; and having forc'd out the Garison, they restor'd the Rhegians to their own ancient Government.