In war the safety of the sovereign was the first thought, and the principal care of all.
The tales told of the self-devotion of individuals to secure the preservation of the monarch may not be true, but they indicate faithfully the actual tone of men's sentiments about the value of the royal person.

If the king suffered, all was lost; if the king escaped, the greatest calamities seemed light, and could be endured with patience.

Uncomplaining acquiescence in all the decisions of the monarch--cheerful submission to his will, whatever it might chance to be--characterized the conduct of the Persians in time of peace.

It was here that their loyalty degenerated into parasitical tameness, and became a defect instead of a virtue.

The voice of remonstrance, of rebuke, of warning, was unheard at the Court; and tyranny was allowed to indulge unchecked in the wildest caprices and extravagances.