"But if we are little affected with what concerns them, can we be insensible to our own interest: Besides, that cancelling so ancient a law is to condemn the conduct of our ancestors, what shame shall we bring upon ourselves, and what an injury shall we do our reputation? The glory of Athens, and of every well governed state, is to value itself upon its gratitude, to keep its word religiously, and to be true to all its engagements. A private person who fails in these respects, is hated and abhorred; and who is not afraid of being reproached with ingratitude? And shall the commonwealth, in cancelling a law that has received the sanction of public authority, and been in a manner consecrated by the usage of so many ages, be guilty of so notorious a prevarication? We prohibit lying in the very markets under heavy penalties, and require truth and faith to be observed in them; and shall we renounce them ourselves by the revocation of grants, passed in all their forms, and upon which every private man has a right to insist?

"To act in such a manner, would be to extinguish in the hearts of our citizens all emulation for glory, all desire to distinguish themselves by great exploits, all zeal for the honour and welfare of their country; which are the great sources and principles of almost all the actions of life. And it is to no purpose to object the example of Sparta and Thebes, which grant no such exemptions: do we repent our not resembling them in many things? And is there any wisdom in proposing their defects, and not their virtues for our imitation."

Demosthenes concludes with demanding the law of exemptions to be retained in all its extent, with this

exception, that all persons should be deprived of the benefits of it, but those who had a just title to them; and that a strict inquiry should be made for that purpose.

It is plain that I have only made a very slight extract in this place of an exceeding long discourse, and that I designed to express only the spirit and sense, without confining myself to the method and expres

sions of it.

There was a meanness of spirit in Leptinus's desiring to obtain a trivial advantage for the republic, by retrenching the moderate expenses that were an honour to it, and no charge to himself, whilst there were other abuses of far greater importance to reform.

Such marks of public gratitude, perpetuated in a family, perpetuate also in a state an ardent zeal for its happiness, and a warm desire to distinguish that passion by glorious actions. It is not without pain I find amongst ourselves, that part of the privileges, granted to the family of the maid of Orleans, have been retrenched." Charles VII. had ennobled her, her father, three brothers, and all their descendants, even by the female line. In 1614, at the request of the attorney general, the article of nobility by the women was retrenched.

• Mezerai.

BOOK FOURTEENTH.

THE

HISTORY OF PHILIP.

SECTION I.

THE BIRTH AND INFANCY ог PHILIP. HIS FIRST CONQUESTS THE BIRTH OF ALEXANDER.

MACEDON was an hereditary kingdom, situated in ancient Thrace, and bounded on the south by the mountains of Thessaly; on the east by Beotia and Pieria; on the west by the Lyncestes; and on the north by Mygdonia and Pelagonia; but after Philip had conquered part of Thrace and Illyrium, this kingdom extended from the Adriatic sea to the river Strymon. Edessa was at first the capital of it, but afterwards resigned that honour to Pella, famous for giving birth to Philip and Alexander.

Philip, whose history we are going to write, was the son of Amnytas II. who is reckoned the sixteenth

king of Macedon from Caranus, who had founded that kingdom about four hundred and thirty years before, that is, Anno Mundi 3212, and before Christ seven hundred and ninety four. The history of all these monarchs is sufficiently obscure, and includes little more than several wars with the Illyrians, the Thracians, and other neighbouring people.

The kings of Macedon pretended to descend from Hercules, by Caranus, and consequently to have been Greeks originally. Notwithstanding this, Demosthenes often styles them barbarians, especially in his invectives against Philip. The Greeks, indeed, gave this name to all other nations, without excepting the Macedonians. * Alexander, king of Macedon, in the reign of Xerxes, was excluded, upon pretence of his being a barbarian, from the Olympic games; and was not admitted to share in them, till after having proved his being originally descended from Argos. The above mentioned Alexander, when he went over from the Persian camp to that of the Greeks, in order to acquaint the latter, that Mardonius was determined to charge them by surprise at day break, justified his perfidy by his ancient descent, which he declared to be from the Greeks.

The ancient kings of Macedon did not think it beneath themselves to live at different times under the protection of the Athenians, Thebans, and Spartans, changing their alliances as it suited their interest. Of this we have several instances in Thucydides. One of them, named Perdiccas, with whom the Athe↳ Idem. l. ix. c. 44.

* Herod. l. v.c, 22.