laid the foundation of subsequent contention; who, before the Persians invaded Europe, doubtless made military incursions into Asia. The Persians appear to be of opinion, that they who offer violence to women must be insensible to the impressions of justice, but that such provocations are as much beneath revenge, as the women themselves are undeserving of regard: it being obvious, that all the females thus circumstanced must have been more or less accessary to the fact. They asserted also, that although women had been forcibly carried away from Asia, they had never resented the

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affront.

1o More or less accessary, &c.]-Plutarch, who has written an essay expressly to convict Herodotus of malignity, introduces this as the first argument of the truth of his accusation. The Greeks, says he, unanimously affirm, that Io had divine honours paid her by the Barbarians; that many seas and capacious harbours were called after her name; that to her many illustrious families owe their original: yet this celebrated writer does not hesitate to say of her, that she suffered herself to be enjoyed by a Phoenician mariner, with whom she fled, from the fear of being disgraced by the publication of her crime. He afterwards endeavours to throw an odium on the most illustrious actions of his countrymen, by intimating that the Trojan war was undertaken on account of a profligate woman, "For it is evident," says he, " that these women would have been never carried away except with their own consent.”—Plutarch on the Malignity of Herodotus.

The motives of the malignity of Plutarch against Herodotus may be explained without difficulty. The 'Beotians and Corinthians seem to have been the frequent objects of the historian's animadversions. Plutarch was a Beotian, and thought it indispensably incumbent upon him to vindicate the cause of his countrymen.

affront. The Greeks, on the contrary, to avenge the rape of a Lacedæmonian woman, had assembled a mighty fleet, entered Asia in a hostile manner, and had totally overthrown the empire of Priam. Since which event they had always considered the Greeks as the public enemies of their nation. It is to be observed, that the Persians esteem Asia, with all its various and barbarous inhabitants, as their own peculiar possession, considering Europe and Greece as totally distinct and unconnected.

V. The above is the Persian tradition; who date the cause and origin of their enmity to Greece from the destruction of Troy. What relates to Io is denied by the Phoenicians; who affirm, that she was never forcibly carried into Egypt. They assert, that during their continuance at Argos, she had an illicit connection with the pilot of their vessel", and, proving pregnant, she voluntarily accompanied

" Connection with the pilot of their vessel.]—I make no apology for inserting the following singular translation of the above passage:— "With whose assertions the Phonices agree not aboute the lady Io; whom they flatly denye to have beene caryed by them into Egipt in manner of a rape: shewinge howe that in their abode at Argos, shee fortuned to close with the mayster of a shippe, and feelynge herselfe to bee spedde, fearynge and doubtinge greatlye the severitye and cruell tyrannie of her parentes, and the detection of her owne follye, shee willingly e toke shippe and fledde strayght awaye."-Firste Booke of Clio.

companied them to Egypt, to avoid the detection of her crime and the indignation of her parents. Having now stated the different representations of the Persians and Phoenicians, I shall not detain the reader by an investigation of the truth of either narrative. I shall commence with an account of

that personage, of whose first attacks upon Greece I am certainly convinced. I shall, as I proceed, carefully describe both the smaller cities and larger communities: for, many of these, at present possessed neither of opulence nor power, were formerly splendid and illustrious; others have, even within my remembrance, risen from humility to grandeur. From my conviction, therefore, of the precarious nature of human felicity ", these shall all be respectively described.

VI. Croesus, by descent a Lydian, was the son of Alyattes, and sovereign of those countries which

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lie

Precarious nature of human felicity.]—This moral reflection of Herodotus cannot fail of bringing to mind the consolatory letter written from Greece, by Sulpicius to Cicero, on the death of Tullia the orator's daughter. At the distance of more than four hundred years from the time of Herodotus, Sulpicius thus expresses himself on a similar occasion:-" On my return from Asia, as I was sailing from Ægina towards Megara, I could not help looking round on the circumjacent country. Behind me was Ægina, before me Megara, Piræus on my right hand, Corinth on my left; all which places, formerly flourishing and happy, now lay before my eyes prostrate and in ruins," &c.

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lie on this side the river Halys*. This stream, in its passage from the south " towards the north, passes through Syria and Paphlagonia ", and finally empties itself into the Euxine. Crœsus, we have reason to believe, was the first of the Barbarian princes who exacted tribute from some nations of Greece,

In the learned Major Rennel's improved Geography of Asia Minor, a work not yet published, the two branches of the Halys are clearly discriminated; one from the east, the other from the south. Of these Herodotus knew only the southern one, whilst Arrian (Perip. Mar. Eux.) knew the eastern branch. It is remarkable that D'Anville, in his younger days, believed the existence of the latter only, as he has proved by his works. The eastern branch rises out of Anti-Taurus, near Sebastia (Scivas); the other from the Celician Taurus, near the modern Erekli, which is the Archelais of the ancients.

13 This stream, in its passage from the south.]—There are different opinions concerning the course of this river. Arrian says, that it does not flow from the south, but from the east. This author, having in his mind the place of the sun's rising in winter, accuses Herodotus of a mistake in the passage before us. Wesseling had the same idea, who nevertheless has not solved the difficulty. The truth is, there were two rivers of this name, the one rising from the south, the other from the east. Herodotus speaks of the first, Arrian of the last. D'Anville is of the same opinion.-Larcher.

14 Syria.]-Syria was at that time the name of Cappadocia. See Chapter lxxvi.-T.

85 Paphlagonia.]-It may appear matter of surprise to some, that Herodotus should make the Syrians border on the Paphlagonians. But by the Syrians, Herodotus here means the Cappadocians, called by the Greeks Leuco, or White Syrians. This is obvious from Strabo, as well as from Herodotus himself in his second Book.-Palmerius.

Greece, and entered into leagues of amity with others. Before his time, the Greeks were universally free; he, however, subdued the Æolians and the Ionians, with such of the Dorians as are situate in Asia, whilst he formed a friendly alliance with the Lacedæmonians. It appears that the incursion of the Cimmerians 16 into Ionia, was before the time of Croesus; but their sole object was plunder, and none of the cities were molested.

VII. The

16 Cimmerians.]-Strabo dates this incursion of the Cimmerians about the time of Homer, or somewhat before. Wesseling thinks, and with reason, the authority of the geographer of less weight than that of our historian, who supposes it to have been in the reign of Ardyis. See chap. xv. of this Book; and chap. xii. of Book IV. For my own part, I am of opinion that the two authors speak of two distinct incursions. Herodotus refers to the last. At the time of the first there were no Greek cities in Asia Minor; and it was his intention to intimate, that the last had no operation injurious to the liberties of Greece.—Larcher.*

* Cimmerians.] —Many learned men are of opinion, that the Cimmerians were the descendants of the Gomer of scripture. The reasons alleged are of this nature: In the genealogical table of Moses, we are told that Gomer was the son of Japhet. The Scholiasts, and those of them too who are most authentic, say, that Cimmeris was the son of Japetus. Japetus is by Apollodorus said to be the son of Cœlum and Terra, that is of Noah, who was called Vir Terræ. Of Cimmerian darkness I have spoken elsewhere. I omitted to mention, that the Greek noun Kuegos, means a mist or darkness, and Cimmerius, the Latin derivative, is applied to any thing dark or black. Strabo says that the soil of their country was black, from excessive heat: but this could not be peculiar to the country of the Cimmerians, it was probably common to other lands

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