that Hippocrates should have half of the booty, and the slaves found in the place, with every thing which was without the city. The greater part of the Zancleans he put in chains, and treated them as slaves, selecting three hundred of the more distinguished to be put to death by the Samians, who nevertheless spared their lives. XXIV. Scythes, the Zanclean prince, escaped from Inycus to Himera,' from thence he crossed over to Asia, and presented himself before Darius. Of all who had yet come to him from Greece, Darius thought this man the most just; for having obtained the king's permission to go to Sicily, he again returned to the Persian court, where he happily passed the remainder of a very long life. XXV. The Samians, delivered from the power of the Medes, thus possessed themselves, without any trouble, of the beautiful city of Zancle. After the sea fight, of which Miletus was the object, the Phenicians were ordered by the Persians to replace Æaces in Samos, as a mark of their regard, and as a reward of his services. Of this city alone, of all those which had revolted from the Persians, the temples and public buildings were not burned, as a compensation for its desertion of the allies. After the capture of Miletus, the Persians made themselves masters of Caria, some of its cities being taken by force, whilst others surrendered. XXVI. Histiæus the Milesian, from his station at Byzantium, was intercepting the Ionian vessels of burden in their way from the Euxine, when word was brought him of the fate of Miletus; he immediately confided to Bisaltes, son of Apollophanes of Abydos, the affairs of the Hellespont, and departed with The detachment to some Lesbians for Chios. whom the defence of Chios was assigned refused to admit him ; in consequence of which he gave them battle, at a place in the territories of Chios, called Cœlo," and killed a great num 1 Himera.]-Himera was a Grecian city, built, according to Strabo, by the Zancleans. It was anciently famous for its baths. It flourished for a long time, till it was taken and plundered by the Carthaginians. There are two rivers of this name, which has occasioned some perplexity to the geographers in ascertaining the precise situation of the city here mentioned. It certainly Its modern name emptied itself into the Tyrrhene sea. is Termini. I should not omit mentioning that it was the birth-place of the lyric poet Stesichorus.-T. * Εν Κοιλοισι, XXVII. It generally happens when a calamity is impending over any city or nation, it is preceded by some prodigies. Before this misfortune of the Chians, some extraordinary incidents had occurred:- Of a band of one hundred youths whom they sent to Delphi, ninety 3 Polichna.]-The Latin versions render the Greek word om, a small town; but Wesseling and Lar. cher are both of opinion, that it is the proper name of a town in the island of Chios. 4 Prodigies.]-See Virgil's beautiful episode, where he introduces the prodigies preceding the assassination of Caesar: Solem quis dicere falsum Audeat ? Ille etiam cæcos instare tumultus Sæpe monet, fraudemque et operta tumescere bella: Ille etiam extincto miseratus Cæsare Romam, Quum caput obscura nitidum ferrugine texit, Impiaque æternam timuerunt sæcula noctem ; &e. Georg, 1. 464. Consult all the whole history of ancient superstition, as it appeared in the belief of prodigies, admirably dis cussed by Warburton, in his Critical and Philosophical Inquiry into the causes of Prodigies and Miracles. have appeared within the Roman empire, from its first foundation to the year 742. Julius Obsequens collected the prodigies supposed to Our Shakspeare has made an admirable use of human superstition, with regard to prodigies, in many of his plays, but particularly in Macbeth: Thou seest the heavens, as troubled with man's act, However a moralist and divine may be inclined to re probate the spirit of Mr Gibbon, with which he gene. rally seems influenced when speaking of religion, and of Christianity in particular, what he says on the subject of prodigies from its great good sense, and application to the subject in question, I may introduce without apo. logy. "The philosopher, who with calm suspicion examines the dreams and omens, the miracles and prodigies of profane and even of ecclesiastical history, will probably conclude, that if the eyes of the spectators have some times been deceived by fraud, the understanding of the readers has much more frequently been insulted by fiction. Every event, or appearance, or accident, which seems to deviate from the ordinary course of nature, has been rashly ascribed to the immediate action of the deity, and the astonished fancy of the multitude has sometimes given shape, colour, language, and motion to the fleeting but uncommon meteors of the air." The quicquid Græcia mendax audet in historia, applied by the Roman satirist to the Greek historians, partakes more of insolence than justice; perhaps it is not very extravagant to affirm, that there are more prodigies in Livy, than in all the Greek historians together.-T. 5 One hundred youths.]-See Voyage du jeune Anacharsis, vol. ii. 443. eight perished by some infectious disorder; two alone returned. Not long also before the great sea-fight, the roof of a building fell in upon some boys at school, so that of one hundred and twenty children, one only escaped these warnings were sent them by the deity, for soon after happened the fight at sea, which brought their city to so low a condition. At this period Histiæus appeared with the Lesbians, and easily vanquished a people already exhausted. XXVIII. Histiæus proceeded from hence on an expedition against Thasus," followed by a numerous body of Ionians and Eolians. Whilst he was before this place he learned that the Phenicians, leaving Miletus, were advancing against the rest of Ionia. He without delay raised the siege of Thasus, and with his whole army passed over to Lesbos; from hence, alarmed by the want of necessaries, he crossed to the opposite continent, intending to possess himself of the corn which grew in Atarneum,' and in the province of Caicus, belonging to the Mysians. Harpagus, a Persian, was accidentally on this station, at the head of a powerful army a battle ensued by land, in which Histiæus himself was taken prisoner, and the greater part of his forces slain. had been carried alive to the presence of Darius, his life would have been spared and his faults forgiven. To prevent this, as well as all possibility of his obtaining a second time any influence over the king, Artaphernes the governor of Sardis, and Harpagus, who had taken him, crucified their prisoner on their return to Sardis. The head they put in salt, and sent to Darius at Susa: Darius, on hearing this, rebuked them for what they had done, and for not conducting their prisoner alive to his presence. He directed the head to be washed, and honourably interred, as belonging to a man who had deserved well of him and of Persia. Such was the fate of Histiæus. XXXI. The Persian forces wintered near Miletus, with the view of renewing hostilities early in the spring; they accordingly, and without difficulty, took Chios, Lesbos, and Tenedos, contiguous to the continent. At each of these islands, as they fell into their hands, they in this manner inclosed the inhabitants, as it were in a net :-taking each other by the hand, they advanced from the sea on the north, and thus chasing the inhabitants, swept the whole island to the south. They also made themselves masters of the Ionian cities on the continent, but they did not sweep them in the same manner, which indeed was not practicable. XXIX. The capture of Histiæus was thus effected the engagement took place at Malena, in the district of Atarnis, and the Greeks XXXII. The threats of the Persian genmade an obstinate stand against the Persians, erals, when first opposed to the Ionians, were till the cavalry pouring in among them, they fully put in execution: as soon as they possesswere unable to resist the impression. His-ed their cities, they made eunuchs of their most tiæus had conceived the idea that the king beautiful youths, who were selected for this would pardon his revolt; and the desire of life purpose. The loveliest of their maidens they so far prevailed, that during the pursuit, when a sent to the king; and they burned the cities Persian soldier overtook and had raised his sword with their temples. The Ionians were thus a to kill him, he exclaimed aloud in the Persian third time reduced to servitude, once by the tongue, that he was Histiæus the Milesian. Lydians and twice by the Persians. XXX. I am inclined to believes that if he 6 Thasus.]—This was a little island in the Egean, on the Thracian coast, so called from Thasos, son of Agenor; it was anciently famous for its wine.-See Virgil, Georg. ii. 91 Sunt Thasise vites, &c.-T. XXXIII. From Ionia the fleet advanced and regularly subdued all the places to the left of the Hellespont; those on the right had already been reduced by the Persian forces on however tamed and tractable in general,to sudden fits of destructive fury. Of this nature is the detestable fact re 7 Atarneum]-was very fertile in corn, and peopled lated of Darius himself, in the 81th chap. of book the from the isle of Chios, near which it was. 4th; a piece of cruelty aggravated by a cool and deep dissimulation beforehand, which raised false hopes, and renders the comparison still more closely applicable.-T. 9 Crucified-The moderns are by no means agreed about the particular manner in which the punishment of the cross was inflicted. With respect to our Saviour the Gospel informs us, that he was nailed to the cross through the hands and feet. This mode of punishment was cer. tainly abolished by Constantine, but prevailed to his time amongst the Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, and 8 I am inclined to believe.]-Valenaer remarks on this passage, that humanity was one of the most conspicuous qualities of Darius. The instances of his forgiving various individuals and nations, against whom he had the justest reason to be incensed, are almost without number. In the case of Histiæus, it should however be remember. ed, that his interposition in preserving the bridge of boats over the Danube, preserved the person and army of Darius. But, perhaps, a perfectly absolute monarch is never, implicitly to be trusted, but, like a wild beast, is liable, Greeks.-T. In the continent. The European side of the | rity of Athens was in the hands of Pisistratus ;* but an important influence was also possessed by XXXIV. Before this period, all these places were in subjection to Miltiades, son of Cimon, and grandson of Stesagoras. This sovereignty had originated with Miltiades the son of Cypselus, in this manner:-This part of the Chersonese was possessed by the Thracian Dolonci,' who being involved in a troublesome contest with the Absinthians, sent their leaders to Delphi, to inquire concerning the event of the war. The Pythian in her answer recommended them to encourage that man to found a colony amongst them, who, on their leaving the temples, should first of all offer them the rites of hospitality. The Dolonci returning by the Sacred Way," passed through Phocis and Boeotia; not being invited by either of these people, they turned aside to Athens. XXXV. At this period the supreme autho 1 Dolonci.]-So called from Doloncus, a son of Saturn. 2 Sacred Way.]-There was a very celebrated "Sacred Way," which led from Athens to Eleusis, but this could not be the one intended in this place; it was probably that by which the Athenians accompanied the sacred pomp to Delphi.-Wesseling. The deputations which were repeatedly sent from the different states and cities of Greece to the oracle at Delphi, bore in many instances a strong resemblance to the modern pilgrimages of the Mahometans, to the tomb of their prophet at Mecca. There was a "Via Sacra" leading from Rome, which took its name from the solemn union which with the attendant ceremonies here took place betwixt Romulus and Tatius, prince of the Sabines.-T. 3 Pisistratus.]—I have made several remarks on Pi. sistratus, in a preceding part of this work; but I neglected to mention that Athenæus ranks him amongst those ancients who were celebrated for collecting valua ble libraries. "Larensius," says Athenæus, "had more books than any of those ancients who were celebrated for their libraries; such as Polycrates of Samos, Pisis. tratus the tyrant of Athens, Euclid the Athenian, Ni cocrates of Cyprus, the kings of Pergamus, Euripides the poet, Aristotle the philosopher, Theophrastus, Neand whose descendants sold them to Ptolemy Philadel leus, who possessed the libraries of the two last-named, phus." The curious intelligence which this citation communicates, affords an excellent specimen of the amusement and information to be gained by the perusal of Athenæus.-T. 4 Four horses.-The first person, according to Virgil, who drove with four horses, was Ericthonius: Primus Ericthonius currus et quatuor ausus Of the passage "He maintained four horses," M. Lar. pasturage, the keeping of horses was necessarily expen sive." In this kind of chariot-race the four horses were ranged abreast; the two in the middle were harnassed to the yoke, the two side horses were fastened by their traces to the yoke, or to some other part of the cha riot.-See West's Dissertation on the Olympic Games. -T. 5 Before the door of his house.]-Abraham and Lot were sitting before the doors of their houses, when they were accosted by the angels of God. Modern travellers to the east remark, that all the better houses have porches or gate-ways, where the master of the family receives visits, and sits to transact business. There is a passage to the present purpose in Chandler's Travels in Asia-Minor;-" At ten minutes after ten in the morning, we had in view several fine bays, and a plain full of booths, with the Turcomans sitting by the doors, under sheds resembling porticoes, or by shady trees," &c.—T. his situation: he immediately went to Delphi, to consult the oracle whether he should do what the Dolonci required. XXXVI. Thus, having received the sanction of the oracle, Miltiades, son of Cypselus, who had formerly at the Olympic games been victorious in the contest of the chariots drawn by four horses, accompanied the Dolonci: he took such of the Athenians as were willing to go with him, and arriving on the spot, was by those who had invited him, elected their prince. His first care was to fortify the isthmus of the Chersonese, from the city Cardia" as far as Pactya, to prevent any hostile incursions on the part of the Absinthians. At this point the length of the isthmus is thirty-six furlongs: the extreme length of the Chersonese, including the isthmus, is four hundred and twenty furlongs. XXXVII. Miltiades blockading the entrance of the Chersonese, and thus keeping out the Absinthians, commenced hostilities with the people of Lampsacus; but they by an ambuscade made him their prisoner. Intelligence of this event being communicated to Croesus the Lydian, who held Miltiades in great esteem, he sent to the Lampsacenes, requiring them to set him at liberty; threatening on their refusal to destroy them like pines.' They deliberated among themselves concerning the meaning of this menace from Croesus, which greatly perplexed them at length one of their elders explained it, by informing them, that of all the trees the pine was the only one which, once being cut down, shot out no more off-sets, but totally perished. Intimidated by this threat of Croesus, the Lampsacenes dismissed Miltiades. 6 Cardia.]-This place was so named from its resemblance to a heart.-T. 7 Like pines.]-From the time of Herodotus this expression passed into a proverb, denoting a final destruction, without any possibility of flourishing again. In nothing was the acuteness and learning of our Bentley more apparent, than in his argument against the genuineness of the epistles ascribed to Phalaris, drawn from this expression of Herodotus.-See his Dissertation, last edit. 122. "A strange piece of stupidity in our letter-monger (I cite Bentley's words) or else contempt of his readers, to pretend to assume the garb and person of Phalaris, and yet knowingly to put words into his mouth, not heard of till a whole century after him. What is here individually ascribed to the pine-tree, is applicable to other trees; such as the fir, the palm, the cedar, the cypress, &c. which all perish by lopping."-T. 8 Crasus.]-By this menace of Croesus, we may reasonably infer, that he was advanced from his captive and dependant state to some office of trust and authority. His name occurs no more in the history of Herodotus. XXXVIII. Militades thus escaped through the interposition of Croesus; but dying afterwards without issue, he left his authority and wealth to Stesagoras, son of Cimon, his uterine brother. Upon his death he was honoured by the inhabitants of the Chersonese with the marks of esteem usually paid to the founder of a place; equestrian and gymnastic exercises were periodically observed in his honour, in which none of the Lampsacenes are permitted to contend. It afterwards happened, that during a war with the people of Lampsacus, Stesagoras also died, and without children: he was wounded in the head, whilst in the Prytaneum, with a blow from an axe. The person who inflicted the wound pretended to be a deserter, but proved in effect a most determined enemy." XXXIX. After the death of Stesagoras, as above described, the Pisistratida despatched in a trireme, Miltiades, another son of Cimon, and brother of the deceased Stesagoras, to take the government of the Chersonese. Whilst he was at Athens they had treated him with much kindness, as if ignorant of the death of his father Cimon; the particulars of which I shall relate in another place. Miltiades, as soon as he landed in the Chersonese, kept himself at home, as if in sorrow" for his brother: which 9 Determined enemy.]—I cannot better introduce, than in the midst of a digression like the present, the opinion which Swift entertained of Herodotus. It may justly be regarded as a great curiosity, it proves that Swift had perused the Greek historian with particular attention, it exhibits no mean example of his critical sagacity, and is perhaps the only specimen in being of his skill in Latinity.-It is preserved in Winchester college, in the first leaf of Stevens's edition of Herodotus; and to add to its value, is in Swift's own hand-writing. Judicium de Herodoto post longum tempus relecto. "Ctesias mendacissimus Herodotum mendaciorum arguit; exceptis paucissimis (ut mea fert sententia) omni modo excusandum; cæterum diverticulis abundans hic pater historicorum filum narrationis ad tædium abrumpit, unde oritur, ut par est legentibus, confusio et exinde oblivio.-Quin et forsan ipsæ narrationes circumstantiis nimium pro re scatent.-Quod ad cætera hunc scriptorem inter apprime laudandos censeo neque Græcis neque Barbaris plus æquo faventem aut iniquum-in orationibus fere brevem, simplicem, nec nimis frequentem.-Neque absunt dogmata e quibus eruditus lector prudentiam tam moralem quam civilem haurire potuerit.' -T. In opposition to what I have here intimated concerning the learning of Swift, I find, in a posthumous work of Dr Jortin, these strong expressions.-As to the knowledge which Swift is said to have acquired of the learned languages-Cras credo, hodie nihil.”—To such respectable and high authority I willingly sacrifice my own opinion. 10.As if in sorrow.]-This passage has greatly perplexed being known, all the principal persons of the Chersonese assembled from the different cities, and coming in one common public procession, as if to condole with him, he put them in chains; after which he secured the possession of the Chersonese, maintaining a body of five hundred guards. He then married Hegesipyle, daughter of Olorus king of Thrace. XL. The son of Cimon had not been long in the Chersonese, before he was involved in difficulties far heavier than he had yet experienced; for in the third year of his authority he was compelled to fly from the power of the Scythians. The Scythian Nomades being incensed against Darius, assembled their forces, and advanced to the Chersonese. Miltiades, not venturing to make a stand against them, fled at their approach; when they retired, the Dolonci, after an interval of three years, re stored him. XLI. The same Miltiades, on being informed that the Phenicians were arrived off Tenedos, loaded five triremes with his property, and sailed for Athens. He went on board at Cardia, crossed the gulf of Melas, and passing the Chersonese, he himself, with four of his vessels, eluded the Phenician fleet, and escaped to Imbros ;' the fifth was pursued and taken by the enemy, it was commanded by Metiochus, the eldest son of Miltiades, not by the daughter of Olorus, but by some other female. The Phenicians, on learning that he was the son of Miltiades, conducted him to the king, expecting some considerable mark of favour; for his father Miltiades had formerly endeavoured to prevail on the Ionians to accede to the advice of the Scythians, who wished them to break down their bridge of boats, and return home. Darius, however, so far from treating Metiochus with severity, showed him the greatest kindness; he gave him a house, with some pro all the commentators. It is certain that the word Tμ, as it now stands in the text, is wrong, but it is by no means clear what it ought to be; Valenaer wishes to read 71 70s, which seems very satisfactory in itself, and best agrees with the context, where it is said the great men went to condole with him (UTNθησομενοι.) Wesseling is inclined to read Tßion, as if to bury him: Larcher, differing from all these read. ings, renders it “under pretence of doing honour to his memory;" which seems of all others the most difficult to justify, and to rest only on the far-fetched idea, that during the time of mourning people confined themselves to their apartments.-T. 1 Imbros.]-This was an island of the Egean, betwixt Lemnos and the Thracian Chersonese, it was anciently famous for producing a prodigious number of hares.-T. perty, and married him to a woman of Persia their offspring are considered as Persians. XLII. Miltiades leaving Imbros, proceeded to Athens: the Persians executed this year no farther hostilities against the Ionians, but contrived for them many useful regulations. Artaphernes, governor of Sardis, assembled the deputies of the different cities, requiring them to enter into treaty for the mutual observance of justice with respect to each other, and for the prevention of reciprocal depredation and violence. His next step was to divide all the Ionian districts into parasangs (the Persian name for a measure of thirty furlongs) by which he ascertained the tributes they were severally to pay. This distribution of Artaphernes has continued, with very little variation, to the present period, and was certainly an ordinance which tended to establish the general tranquil. lity. XLIII. At the commencement of the spring, the king sent Mardonius to supersede the other commanders: he was the son of Gobryas, a very young man, and had recently married Artozostra, a daughter of Darius. He accordingly appeared on the coast ready to embark, with a considerable body of land and sea forces: arriving at Cilicia, he went himself on board, taking under his command the rest of the fleet: the land army he sent forward to the Hellespont, under the direction of their different officers. Mardonius passed by Asia, and came to Ionia, where an incident happened which will hardly obtain credit with those Greeks who are unwilling to believe that Otanes, in the assembly of the seven conspirators, gave it as his opinion that a popular government would be most for the advantage of Persia:-for Mardonius, removing the Ionian princes from their station, every where established a democracy. He then proceeded towards the Hellespont, where collecting a numerous fleet and a powerful army, he passed them over the Hellespont in ships, and proceeded through Europe, towards Eretria and Athens. XLIV. These two cities were the avowed object of his expedition, but he really intendpossibly could. By sea he subdued the Thaed to reduce as many of the Greek cities as he sians, who attempted no resistance; by land his army reduced all those Macedonians who were more remote: the Macedonians on this side had been reduced before. Leaving Thasos, he coasted by the opposite continent as far |