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rally thought. And, befides the difadvantages, which are common to me with all others in eminent stations, my cafe is, in this refpect, peculiarly hard; that, whereas a commander of Patrician rank, if he is guilty of a neglect, or breach of duty, has his great connections, the antiquity of his family, the important fervices of his ancestors, and the multitudes he has by power engaged in his intereft, to screen him from condign punishment; my whole fafety depends upon myself; which renders it the more indispensably neceffary for me to take care, that my conduct be clear and· unexceptionable. Befides, I am well aware my countrymen, that the eye of the public is upon me; and that, though the impartial, who prefer the real advantage of the commonwealth to all other confiderations, favour my pretenfions, the Patricians want nothing fo much, as an occafion again me. It is, therefore, my fixed refolution, to ufe my beft endeavours, that you be not disappointed in me, and that their indirect defigns against me may be defeated. I have, from my youth, been familiar with toils, and with dangers. I was faithful to your intérest, my countrymen, when I ferved you for no reward, but that of honour. It is not my defign to betray you, now that you have conferred upon me a place of profit. You have committed to my conduct the war against Jugurtha. The Patricians are offended at this. But where would be the wisdom of giving fuch a command to oneof their honourable body, a person of illuftrious birth, of ancient family, of innumerable ftatues, but-of no experience? What fervice would his long line of dead ancestors, or his multitude of motionless statues, do his country in the day of battle! What could fuch a general do, but, in his trepidation and inexperience, have recourse to some inferior commander, for direction in difficulties, to which he was not

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himfelf equal? Thus, your Patrician general would, in fact, have a general over him; fo that the acting commander would ftill be a Plebeian. So true is this, my country men, that I myself have known those, who have been chosen confuls, begin then to read the hiftory of their own country, of which till that time they were totally ignorant; that is, they firft obtained the employment, and then bethought themselves of the qualifications neceffary for the proper difcharge of it. I fubmit to your judgment, Romans! on which fide the advantage lies, when a comparison is made between Patrician haughtiness, and Plebian experience. The very actions which they have only read, I have partly feen, and partly myself achieved. What they know by reading, I know by action. They are pleafed to flight my mean birth: I despise their mean characters. Want of birth and fortune is the objection against me: want of perfonal worth against them. But are not all men of the fame fpecies ? What can make a difference between one man and another, but the endowments of the mind? For my part, I fhall always look upon the bravest man as the nobleft man. Suppofe it were inquired of the fathers of fuch Patricians as Albinus and Beftia, whether, if they had their choice, they would defire fons of their character, or of mine; what would they answer; but that they should wish the worthiest to be their fons? If the Patricians have reason to despise me, let them likewise despise their ancestors, whofe nobility was the fruit of their virtue. Do they envy the honours beftowed upon me ? Let them envy likewife my labours, my abstinence, and the dangers I have undergone .for my country; by which I have acquired them. But those worthlefs men lead fuch a life of inactivity, as if they despised any honours you can beftow; whilft they afpire to honours, as if they had deserved them by the most industrious virtue.

They

They arrogate the rewards of activity for their having enjoined the pleasures of luxury. Yet none can be more lavish than they are in praife of their ancestors. And they imagine they honour themselves by celebrating their forefathers. Whereas they do the very contrary. For, as much as their ancestors were distinguished for their virtues, so much are they difgraced by their vices. The glory of ancestors cafts a light, indeed, upon their pofterity; but it only ferves to fhew what the defcendants are. It alike exhibits to public view their degeneracy and their worth. I own, I cannot boast of the deeds of my forefathers: but I hope I may answer the cavils of the Patricians, by standing up in defence of what I have myself done. Obferve, now, my countrymen, the injustice of the Patricians: They arrogate to themselves honours on account of the exploits done by their forefathers, whilst they will not allow me the due praife for performing the very fame fort of actions in my own person. He has no statues, they cry, of his family. He can trace no venerable line of ancestors. What then! Is it matter of more praise to dif grace one's illuftrious ancestors, than to become illuftrious by his own good behaviour? What if I can fhew no ftatues of my family? I can fhew the ftandards, the armour, and the trappings, which I have myfelf taken from the vanquished: I can fhew the fears of thofe wounds, which I have received by facing the enemies of my country. These are my statues. Thefe are the honours I boast of; not left me by inheritance, as theirs; but earned by toil, by abftinence, by valour, amidst clouds of dust, and feas of blood; scenes of action, where thofe effeminate Patricians, who endeavour, by indirect means, to depreciate me in your esteem have never dared to fhew their faces. SALLUST

СНАР.

CHAP. IV.

CALISTHENES's REPROOF OF CLEON's FLATTERY TO ALEXANDER.

If the king were prefent, Cleon, there would be no need

of my answering to what you have just propofed. He would himfelf reprove you for endeavouring to draw him into an imitation of foreign abfurdities, and for bringing envy upon. him by fuch unmanly flattery. As he is abfent, I take upon me to tell you in his name, that no praise is lafting, but what is rational; and that you do what you can to leffen his glory, inflead of adding to it. Heroes have never, among us, been deified, till after their death. And whatever may be your way of thinking, Cleon, for my part, I with the king may not, for many years to come, obtain that honour. You have mentioned, as precedents of what you propofe, Hercules and Bacchus. Do you imagine, Cleon, that they were deified over a cup of wine? And are you and I qualified to make gods? Is the king, our fovereign, to receive his divinity from you and me, who are his fubjects? First try your power, whether you can make a king. It is, furely, eafier to make a king, than a'god? to give an earthly dominion, than a throne in heaven? I only wish, that the gods may have heard, without offence, the arrogant proposal you have made, of adding one to their number; and that they may ftill be fo propitious to us, as to grant the continuance of that fuccefs to our affairs, with which they have hitherto fa voured us. For my part, I am not afhamed of my country; nor do I approve of our adopting the rites of foreign nations, or learning from them how we ought to reverence our kings.

To

To receive laws, or rules of conduct, from them, what is it, but to confefs ourselves inferior to them?

QUINTUS CURTIUS.

CHAP. V.

THE SCYTHIAN AMBASSADORS TO

ALEXANDER.

IF your perfon were as gigantic as your defires, the world

would not contain you. Your right hand would touch the east, and your left the west, at the fame time. You grafp at more than you are equal to. From Europe you reach Afia: from Afia you lay hold on Europe. And if you should conquer all mankind, you seem difpofed to wage war with woods and fnows, with rivers and wild beafts, and to attempt to fubdue Nature. But have you considered the usual course of things? Have you reflected, that great trees are many years in growing to their height, and are cut down in an hour. It is foolish to think of the fruit only, without confidering the height you have to climb to come at it. Take care left, while you strive to reach the top, you fall to the ground, with the branches you have laid hold on. The lion, when dead, is devoured by ravens; and ruft confumes the hardness of iron. There is nothing fo ftrong, but it is in danger from what is weak. It will, therefore, be your wisdom to take care how you venture beyond your reach. Befides, what have you to do with the Scythians, or the Scythians with you? We have never invaded Macedon: why fhould you attack Scythia? We inhabit vaft deserts, and pathlefs woods, where we do not want to hear of the name of Alexander. We are not disposed to submit to flavery;

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