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for the maintenance of their garrison. Theramenes, one of their number, was the only man that was struck with horror at their proceedings; wherefore Critias, the principal author, thought it necessary to remove him, and accused him to the senate of endeavoring to subvert the state. Sentence of death was therefore passed upon him, and he was obliged to drink the juice of hemlock; the usual mode of execution then in Athens. Socrates, whose disciple he had been, was the only person of the senate who ventured to appear in his defence; he made an attempt to rescue him out of the hands of the officer of justice; and after his execution went about as it were in defiance of the thirty, exhorting and animating the senators and citizens against them.

The tyrants, delivered from a colleague whose presence alone was a continual reproach to them, no longer observed any measures. Nothing passed throughout the city but imprisonments and murders. Every body trembled for themselves or their friends. The general desolation had no remedy, nor was there any hopes of regaining lost liberty.

All the citizens of any consideration in Athens, and who retained a love of freedom, quitted a place reduced to so hard and shameful a slavery, and sought elsewhere an asylum and retreat where they might live in safety. The Lacedæmonians had the inhumanity to endeavor to deprive those unhappy fugitives of this last resource. They published an edict to prohibit the cities of Greece from giving them refuge: decreed that they should be delivered up to the thirty tyrants: and condemned all such as should contravene the execution of this edict, to pay a fine of five talents. Only two cities rejected with disdain so unjust an ordinance-Megara and Thebes, the latter of which made a decree to punish all persons whatsoever that should see an Athenian attacked by his enemies without doing his utmost to assist him. Lysias, an orator of Syracuse, who had been banished by the thirty, raised five hundred soldiers at his own expence, and sent then to the aid of the common country of eloquence.

Thrasybulus, a man of admirable character, who had long deplored the miseries of his country, was now the first to relieve it. At Thebes he fell into a consultation with his fellowcitizens, and the result was, that some vigorous effort, though it carried ever so much danger, ought to be made for the benefit of the public liberty. Accordingly, with a party of thirty men only, as Nepos says, but, as Xenophon more probably says, of near seventy, he seized upon Phyle, a strong castle on the frontiers of Attica. This enterprize gave the alarm

to the tyrants, who immediately marched out of Athens with their three thousand followers, and their Spartan guard, and attempted the recovery of the place; but were repulsed with loss. Finding they could not carry it by a sudden assault, they resolved upon a siege; but not being sufficiently provided for that service, and a great snow falling that night, they were forced to retire the next day into the city, leaving only part of their guard to prevent any farther excursions into the country. Encouraged by this success, Thrasybulus no longer kept himself confined, "but marched out of Phyle by night; and, at the head of a body of a thousand men, seized on the Pyræus. The thirty flew thither with their troops, and a battle sufficiently warm ensued; but, as the soldiers on one side fought with valor and vigor for their liberty; and, on the other with indolence and neglect, for the power of their oppressors, the success was not doubtful, but followed the better cause; the tyrants were overthrown; Critias was killed upon the spot; and, as the rest of the army were taking to flight, Thrasybulus cried out, "Wherefore do you fly from me as from a victor, rather than assist me as an avenger of your liberty? We are not enemies, but fellow-citizens, nor have we declared war against the city, but against the thirty tyrants." He continued, with bidding them remember, that they had the same origin, country, laws, and religion; he exhorted them to compassionate their exiled brethren, to restore to them their country, and resume their liberty themselves. This discourse had suitable effects. The army upon their return to Athens, expelled the thirty, and substituted ten persons to govern in their room, but whose conduct proved no better than that of those whom they succeeded.

Though the government was thus altered, and the thirty were deposed from power, they still had hopes of being reinstated in their former authority; and sent messengers to Lacedæmon to demand aid. Lysander was for granting it to them; but Pausanias, who then reigned in Sparta, moved with compassion at the deplorable condition of the Athenians, favored them in secret, and obtained a peace for them: it was sealed with the blood of the tyrants, who having taken arms to reinstate themselves in the government, were put to the sword, and Athens left in full possession of its liberty. Thrasybulus then proposed an amnesty, by which the citizens engaged upon oath that all past actions should be buried in oblivion, and the government was re-established in its ancient forms; their laws were restored to their past vigor; the magistrates elected with the usual ceremonies; and de

mocracy was once more restored to this unfortunate people Xenophon observes, that this intestine fury had consumed as many in eight months, as the Peloponnesian war had done in ten years.

Upon the re-establishment of affairs in Athens, the other states enjoyed the same tranquillity, or rather kept in a quiet subjection to Sparta, which now held the undoubted sovereignty of Greece. But it being a maxim with the Spartans, that this sovereignty was not to be maintained but by a constant course of action; they were still seeking fresh occa casions for war; and part of their forces, together with another body of Grecians, being at this time engaged in a quarrel between the Persian king and his brother, it will be necessary to pass over into Asia, and relate so much of the Persian affairs as concerns the expedition of Cyrus, wherein those forces were employed; especially since it is attended with circumstances, which, if duly considered, will easily make it pass for one of the greatest actions of antiquity.

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It has been already observed, that Cyrus, the son of Darius Nothus, saw with pain his elder brother Artaxerxes upon the throne; and more than once attempted to remove him. Artaxerxes was not insensible of what he had to fear from a brother of this enterprising and ambitious spirit; but could not refuse pardoning him on the prayers and tears of his mother Parysatis, who doated upon this youngest son. removed him, therefore, into Asia to his government, confiding in him, contrary to all the rules of policy, an absolute authority over the provinces left him by the will of the king his father. He was no sooner appointed in this manner, but he used all his arts with the Barbarians and the Grecians to procure power and popularity, in order to dethrone his brother. Clearchus retired to his court, after having been banished from Sparta, and was of great service to him, being an able, experienced, and valiant captain. At the same time, several cities in the provinces of Tissaphernes revolted from their obedience in favor of Cyrus. This incident, which was not an effect of chance, but of the secret practices of that prince, gave birth to a war between the two brothers. The emissaries of Cyrus at the court were perpetually dispersing reports and opinions amongst the people to prepare their minds for the intended change and revolt. They talked that the state required a king of Cyrus' character; a king magnificent, liberal, who loved war, and showered his favors upon those that served him; and that it was necessa

ry, for the grandeur of the empire, to have a prince upon the throne, fired with ambition and valor, for the support and augmentation of his glory.

The troops of Cyrus, which were apparently levied for the business of the state, but in fact to overturn it, consisted of thirteen thousand Greeks, which were the flower and chief force of his army. Clearchus, the Lacedæmonian, who commanded the Peloponnesian troops, was the only man of all the Greeks that was let into the Persian prince's design: he made it his sole application to gain the affections of his people during their marches, by treating them with great humanity, conversing freely with them, and giving effectual orders that they should want for nothing. The Grecian troops knew neither the intent nor the occasion of the war; they set out for Sardis, at length, and marched towards the upper provinces of Asia.

When they were arrived at Tarsus, the Greeks refused to march any farther, rightly suspecting that they were intended against the king, and loudly exclaiming that they had not entered into the service upon that condition.-Clearchus, who commanded them, had occasion for all his address and ability to stifle this commotion in its birth. At first he made use of authority and force, but with very ill success, and desisted therefore from an open opposition to their sentiments; he even affected to enter into their views and to support them with his approbation and credit. By this artful evasion he appeased the tumult, and made them easy; and they chose him and some other officers for their deputies. Cyrus, whom he had secretly apprized of every thing, made answer, that he was going to attack Abrocomas, his enemy, at twelve days march from thence upon the Euphrates. When this answer was repeated to thein, though they plainly saw against whom they were going, they resolved to proceed, and only demanded an augmentation of their pay. Cyrus, instead of one daric a month to each soldier, promised to give C them one and a half. Still to ingratiate himself the more, being told that two officers had deserted from the army, and being advised to pursue and put them to death, he declared publicly, that it should never be said he had detained any one person in his service against his will; and he ordered their wives and children, who were left as hostages in his army to be sent after them. A conduct so wise and apparently generous, had a surprising effect in conciliating the affections of the soldiery, and made even those his firm adherents who were before inclined to retire.

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As Cyrus advanced by long marches, he was informed from all parties, that the king did not intend to come directly to a battle, but had resolved to wait in the remotest parts of Persia till all his forces were assembled; and that to stop his enemies, he had ordered an intrenchment to be thrown up on the plains of Babylon, with a ditch of five fathoms broad, and three deep, extending the space of twelve parasangas, or leagues, from the Euphrates to the wall of Media. Between the Euphrates and the ditch, a way had been left of twenty feet in breadth, by which Cyrus passed with his whole army, having viewed it the day before. The king had neglected to dispute this pass with him, and suffered him to continue his march towards Babylon.

Cyrus still continued to proceed, giving Clearchus the command of the right Grecian wing, and Menon that of the left, still marching in order of battle, expecting every hour to engage; at length he discovered his brother's army, consisting of twelve hundred thousand men, besides a select body of six thousand horse, approaching and preparing to engage.

The place where the battle was fought was called Cunaxa, about twenty-five leagues from Babylon. Cyrus getting on horseback, with his javelin in his hand, gave orders to the troops to stand to their arms, and to proceed in order of battle. The enemy, in the mean time, advanced slowly, in good order. Artaxerxes led them on regularly with a slow pace, without noise or confusion. That good order and exact discipline extremely surprised the Greeks, who expected to see much luxury and tumult in so great a multitude; and to hear confused cries, as Cyrus had foretold them.

The armies were not distant above four or five hundred paces, when the Greeks began to sing the hymn of battle, and to march on softly at first, and with silence. When they came near the enemy, they set up great cries, striking their darts upon their shields to frighten the horse; and then moving all together, they sprung forwards upon the barbarians with all their force, who did not wait their charge, but took to their heels and fled universally, except Tissaphernes, who stood his ground with a small part of his troops.

Cyrus saw with pleasure the enemy routed by the Greeks, and was proclaimed king by those around him; but he did not give himself up to a vain joy, nor as yet reckoned himself victor. He perceived that Artaxerxes was wheeling his right to attack him in flank; and marched directly against him with his six hundred horse. He killed Artagerses,