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ment. nication:

The following was the oracular commu

96

A plain within the Arcadian land I know,

Where double winds with forc'd exertion blow,
Where form to form with mutual strength replies,
And ill by other ills supported lies:

That earth contains the great Atrides' son;
Take him, and conquer: Tegea then is won.

After the above, the search for the body was without intermission continued: it was at length discovered by Lichas 97, one of those Spartans distinguished by the name of Agathoërgoi*; which title was usually conferred, after a long period of service

A plain, &c.]-Extrappolos is singularly used here: it means, I 66 presume, then you may have to defend Tegea, having by victory become proprietor of it."-T.

97 Discovered by Lichas.]-In honour of this Lichas the Lacedæmonians struck a medal: on one side was a head of Hercules; on the reverse, a head with a long beard, and a singular ornament.-Larcher.-The medal of Lichas, inscribed AIKO, may be found in Haym. Tesoro. Brit. i. p. 133. AIKOY Fræt. Not. Elem. p. 242. Neuman. Pop. II. vii. 6. p. 237,239, and finally, Rasche in voce; but it may after all be questioned whether it be either genuine, or correctly described.

* Agathoërgoi, or those who have done well. The Latin term Emeritus corresponds with this. The Emeriti were old and experienced soldiers, who had received particular rewards for their bravery, and were permitted to retire. They were sometimes also called Beneficiarii. They were excused from military drudgery, but were invited in time of war to guard the chief standard.

service among

the cavalry. Of these citizens, five were every year permitted to retire; but were expected during the first year of their discharge, to visit different countries, on the business of the public.

LXVIII. Lichas, when in this situation, made the wished-for discovery, partly by good fortune, and partly by his own sagacity. They had at this time a commercial intercourse with the Tegeans; and Lichas happening to visit a smith at his forge, observed with particular curiosity the process of working iron. The man took notice of his attention, and desisted from his labour. "Stranger of Sparta," said he, "you seem to admire the art which you contemplate; but how much more would your wonder be excited, if you knew all that I am able to communicate! Near this place, as I was sinking a well, I found a coffin seven cubits long: I never believed that men were formerly of larger dimensions than at present 98; but

when

98 Larger dimensions than at present.]-Upon this subject of the degeneracy of the human race, whoever wishes to see what the greatest ingenuity can urge, will receive no small entertainment from the works of Lord Mon boddo. If in the time of Herodotus this seemed matter of complaint, what conclusions must an advocate of this theory draw concerning the stature of his brethren in the progress of an equal number of succeeding centuries!-T.

In the perusal of history, traditions are to be found, of a pretended race of giants in every country of the globe, and

even

when I opened it 9, I discovered a body equal in length to the coffin; I correctly measured it, and placed it where I found it." Lichas, after hearing his relation, was induced to believe, that this might be the body of Orestes, concerning which the oracle had spoken. He was farther convinced, when he recollected, that the bellows of the smith might intimate the two winds; the anvil and the hammer might express one form opposing another; the iron, also, which was beaten, might signify ill succeeding ill, rightly conceiving that the use of iron operated to the injury of mankind. With these ideas in his mind, he returned to Sparta,

even among the savages of Canada. Bones of an extraordinary size, found in different regions, have obtained such opinions credit. Some of these, in the time of Augustus, were exhibited at Caprea, formerly the resort of many savage and monstrous animals: these, it was pretended, were the bones of those giants who had fought against the gods. In 1613 they shewed through Europe, the bones of the giant Teutobachus: unluckily, a naturalist proved them to be the bones of an elephant.-Larcher.

99 Opened it.]-It may be asked how Orestes, who neither reigned nor resided at Tegea, could possibly be buried there? -Strabo, in general terms, informs us, that he died in Arcadia, whilst conducting an Æolian colony. Stephen of Byzantium is more precise: he says, that Orestes, being bitten by a viper, died at a place called Orestium. His body was doubtless carried to Tegeum, which was at no great distance, as he was descended, by his grandmother Aerope, from Tegeates the founder of Tegea.-Larcher.

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Sparta, and related the matter to his countrymen ; who, immediately, under pretence of some imputed crime, sent him into banishment. He returned to Tegea, told his misfortune to the smith, and hired of him the ground, which he at first refused positively to part with. He resided there for a certain space of time, when, digging up the body, he collected the bones, and returned with them to Sparta. The Lacedæmonians had previously obtained possession of a great part of the Peloponnese; and, after the above-mentioned event, their contests with the Tegeans were attended with uninterrupted success.

LXIX. Croesus was duly informed of all these circumstances: he accordingly sent messengers to Sparta with presents, at the same time directing them to form an offensive alliance with the people. They delivered their message in these terms:

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Croesus, sovereign of Lydia, and of various nations, thus addresses himself to Sparta :-I am directed by the oracles to form a Grecian alliance ; and, as I know you to be pre-eminent above all the states of Greece, I, without collusion of any kind, desire to become your friend and ally." The Lacedæmonians having heard of the oracular declaration to Croesus, were rejoiced at his distinction in their favour, and instantly acceded to the proposed terms of confederacy. It is to be observed,

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observed, that Croesus had formerly rendered kindness to the Lacedæmonians: they had sent to Sardis to purchase some gold for the purpose of erecting the statue of Apollo, which is still to be seen at mount Thornax; Croesus presented them with all they wanted.

LXX. Influenced by this consideration, as well as by his decided partiality to them, they entered into all his views: they declared themselves ready to give such assistance as he wanted; and, farther to mark their attachment, they prepared, as a present for the king, a brazen vessel, capable of containing three hundred amphora, and ornamented round the brim with the figures of various animals. This, however, never reached Sardis; the occasion of which is thus differently explained. The Lacedæmonians affirm, that their vessel was intercepted near Samos, on its way to Sardis, by the Samians, who had fitted out some ships of war for this particular purpose. The Samians, on the

contrary, assert, that the Lacedæmonians employed on this business did not arrive in time; but, hearing that Sardis was lost, and Croesus in captivity, they disposed of their charge to some private individuals of Samos, who presented it to the temple of Juno. They who acted this part, might perhaps, on their return to Sparta, declare, that the vessel had been violently taken from I 2 them

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