LII. To Amphiaraus, having heard of his valour and misfortunes, he sent a shield of solid gold, with a strong spear made entirely of gold, both shaft and head. These were all, within my memory, preserved at Thebes, in the temple of the Ismenian Apollo. LIII. The Lydians, who were entrusted with the care of these presents, were directed to inquire whether Croesus might auspiciously undertake an expedition against the Persians, and whether he should procure any confederate assistance. On their arrival at the destined places, they deposited their presents, and made their inquiries of the oracles precisely in the fol large cisterns, one of gold, and one of silver: that of gold was placed on the right hand in the vestibule of the temple; the silver one on the left. These also were removed when the temple was consumed by fire; the golden goblet weighed eight talents and a half and twelve minæ, and was afterwards placed in the Clazomenian treasury: that of silver is capable of holding six hundred amphora; it is placed at the entrance of the temple, and used by the inhabitants of Delphi in their Theophanian festival: they assert it to have been the work of Theodorus of Samos; to which opinion, as it is evidently the production of no mean artist, I am inclined to accede. The Corinthian trea-lowing terms :-" Croesus, sovereign of Lydia, sury also possesses four silver casks, which were sent by Croesus, in addition to the above, to Delphi. His munificence did not yet cease: he presented also two basins, one of gold, another of silver, An inscription on that of gold, asserts it to have been the gift of the Lacedæmonians; but it is not true, for this also was the gift of Croesus. To gratify the Lacedæmonians, a certain Delphian wrote this inscription: although I am able, I do not think proper to disclose his name. The boy through whose hand the water flows, was given by the Lacedamonians; the basins undoubtedly were not. Many other smaller presents accompa nied these ; among which were some silver dishes, and the figure of a woman in gold, three cubits high, who, according to the Delphians, was the person who made the bread for the family of Croesus. 3 This prince, besides all that we have enumerated, consecrated at Delphi his wife's necklaces and girdles. 1 Theodorus of Samos.]-He was the first statuary on record. The following mention is made of him by Pliny: -Theodorus, who constructed the labyrinth at Samos, made a cast of himself in brass, which, independent of its being a perfect likeness, was an extraordinary effort of genius. He had in his right hand a file; with three fin gers of his left he held a carriage drawn by four horses; the carriage, the horses, and the driver, were so minute, that the whole was covered by the wings of a fly.-T. 2 I do not think proper to disclose his name.]—If Ptolemæus may be credited in Photius, his name was Ethus. -T. and of various nations, esteems these the only genuine oracles; in return for the sagacity which has marked your declarations, he sends these proofs of his liberality; he finally desires to know whether he may proceed against the Persians, and whether he shall require the assistance of any allies." The answers of the oracles tended to the same purpose; both of them assuring Croesus, that if he prosecuted a war with Persia, he should overthrow a mighty empire; * and both recommending him to form an alliance with those whom he should find to be the most powerful states of Greece. LIV. The report of these communications transported Croesus with excess of joy: elated with the idea of becoming the conqueror of Cyrus, he sent again to Delphi, inquired the number of inhabitants there, and presented each with two golden staters. In acknowledgment for this repeated liberality, the Delphians assigned to Croesus and the Lydians the privilege of first consulting the oracle, in preference to other nations: a distinguished seat in their temple; together with the immutable right, to such of them as pleased to accept it, of being inrolled among the citizens of Delphi. LV. After the above-mentioned marks of his munificence to the Delphians, Croesus consulted their oracle a third time. His experience of its veracity increased the ardour of his curiosity he was now anxious to be informed, whether his power would ever suffer diminu : 4 Overthrow a mighty empire.]-It appears, that the very words of the oracle must have been here origin. ally they are preserved by Suidas and others, and are these: 3 Made the bread for the family of Crasus.]-Croesus, says Plutarch, honoured the woman who made his bread, with a statue of gold, from an honest emotion of gratitude. Alyattes, the father of Crœsus, married a second wife, by whom he had other children. This woman wished to remove Cræsus out of the way, and gave the female baker a dose of poison, charging her to put it into the bread which she made for Croesus. The woman informed Croesus of this, and gave the poisoned bread to the queen's children. By these means Croesus succeeded his father; and acknowledged the fidelity of the woman, by thus making the god himself an evidence of his grati- By crossing Halys, Croesus will destroy a mighty power tude.-T. Κροίσος Αλυν διαβας μεγάλην αρχήν καταλύσει : which Cicero renders -T. Croesus, Halym penetrans, magnam pervertet opum vim. tion. The following was the answer of the that they formerly spoke a barbarous language. Pythian: When o'er the Medes a mule shall sit on high, O'er pebbly Hermus theu, soft Lydian, fly; Fly with all haste; for safety scorn thy fame, Nor scruple to deserve a coward's name. LVI. When the above verses were communicated to Croesus, he was more delighted than ever; confident that a mule would never be sovereign of the Medes, and that consequently he could have nothing to fear for himself or his posterity. His first object was to discover which were the most powerful of the Grecian states, and to obtain their alliance. The Lacedæmonians of Doric, and the Athenians of Ionian origin, seemed to claim his distinguished preference. These nations, always eminent, were formerly known by the appellation of Pelasgians and Hellenians. $ The former had never changed their place of residence; the latter often. Under the reign of Deucalion, the Hellenians possessed the region of Phthiotis; but under Dorus the son of Hellenus, they inhabited the country called Istæotis, which borders upon Ossa and Olympus. They were driven from hence by the Cadmæans, and fixed themselves in Macednum, near mount Pindus : migrating from hence to Dryopis, and afterwards to the Peloponnese, they were known by the name of Dorians. LVII. What language the Pelasgians used, I cannot positively affirm: some probable conclusion may perhaps be formed, by attending to the dialect of the remnant of the Pelasgians, who now inhabit Crestona" beyond the Tyrrhenians, but who formerly dwelt in the country now called Thessaliotis, and were neighbours to those whom we at present name Dorians. Considering these with the above, who founded the cities of Placia and Scylace on the Hellespont, but once lived near the Athenians, together with the people of other Pelasgian towns, who have since changed their names, we are upon the whole justified in our opinion, The Athenians, therefore, who were also of Pelasgian origin, must necessarily, when they came amongst the Hellenians, have learned their language. It is observable, that the inhabitants of Crestona and Placia speak in the same tongue, but are neither of them understood by the people about them. These circumstances induce us to believe, that their language has experienced no change. LVIII. I am also of opinion, that the Hellenian tongue is not at all altered. When first they separated themselves from the Pelasgians, they were neither numerous nor powerful. They have since progressively increased; having incorporated many nations, Barbarians and others, with their own. The Pelasgians have always avoided this mode of increasing their importance; which may be one reason, probably, why they never have emerged from their original and barbarous condition. : LIX. Of these nations, Cræsus had received information, that Athens suffered much from the oppression of Pisistratus the son of Hippocrates, who at this time possessed there the supreme authority. The father of this man, when he was formerly a private spectator of the Olympic games, beheld a wonderful prodigy Having sacrificed a victim, the brazen vessels, which were filled with the flesh and with water, boiled up and overflowed without the intervention of fire. Chilon the Lacedæmonian, who was an accidental witness of the fact, advised Hippocrates, first of all, not to marry a woman likely to produce him children: secondly, if he was already married, to repudiate his wife; but if he had then a son, by all means to expose him. He who received this counsel, was by no means disposed to follow it, and had afterwards this son Pisistratus. A tumult happened betwixt those who dwelt on the sea coast, and those who inhabited the plains: of the former, Megacles the son of Alcmeon was leader; Lycurgus, son of Aristolaides, was at the head of the latter. Pisisthe views of his ambition. tratus took this opportunity of accomplishing Under pretence of defending those of the mountains, he assembled some factious adherents, and put in practice the himself, but his mules,' which he drove into following stratagem: He not only wounded 7 Wounded himself, but his mules.]-Ulysses, Zopyrus, and others, availed themselves of similar artifices for the advantage of their country; but Pisistratus practised his, to depress and enslave his fellow-citizens. This occasion C the forum, affecting to have made his escape | was played, were of all the Greeks the most from the enemy, who had attacked him in a country excursion. He claimed, therefore, the protection of the people, in return for the services which he had performed in his command against the Megarians,' by his capture of Nisæa, and by other memorable exploits. The Athenians were deluded by his artifice, and assigned some of their chosen citizens as his guard,' armed with clubs, instead of spears. These seconded the purpose of Pisistratus, and seized the citadel. He thus obtained the supreme power; but he neither changed the magistrates nor altered the laws; he suffered every thing to be conducted in its ordinary course; and his government was alike honourable to himself and useful to the city. The factions of Megacles and Lycurgus afterwards united, and expelled him from Athens. LX. By these means Pisistratus became for the first time master of Athens, and obtained an authority which was far from being secure. The parties, however, which effected his removal, presently disagreed. Megacles, being hard pressed by his opponent, sent proposals to Pisistratus, offering him the supreme power, on condition of his marrying his daughter. Pisistratus acceded to the terms; and a method was concerted to accomplish his return, which to me seems exceedingly preposterous. The Grecians, from the remotest times, were distinguished above the Barbarians by their acuteness; and the Athenians, upon whom this trick ed Solon to say to him, "Son of Hippocrates, you ill apply the stratagem of Homer's Ulysses: he wounded his body, to delude the public enemies; you wound your's, to beguile your countrymen."-Larcher. 1 Command against the Megarians.]—The particulars of this affair are related by Plutarch, in his life of Solon. -T. 2 As his guard.]—The people being assembled to deliberate on the ambuscade which Pisistratus pretended was concerted against him, assigned him fifty guards for the security of his person. Ariston proposed the decree; but when it was once passed, the people acquiesced in his taking just as many guards as he thought proper. Solon, in a letter to Epemenides, preserved in Diogenes Laertius, but which seems to be spurious, says, that Pisistratus required four hundred guards; which, notwithstanding Solon's remonstrances, were granted him, Polyænus says they assigned him three hundred.-Lar. cher. 3 Honourable to himself]-Pisistratus, says Plutarch, was not only observant of the laws of Solon himself, but obliged his adherents to be so too. Whilst in the enjoyment of the supreme authority, he was summoned before the Areopagus, to answer for the crime of murder. appeared with modesty to plead his cause. His accuser did not think proper to appear. The same fact is related by Aristotle.-Larcher. He eminent for their sagacity. There was a Paaniean woman, whose name was Phya;' she wanted but three digits of being four cubits high, and was, moreover, uncommonly beautiful. She was dressed in a suit of armour, placed in a chariot, and decorated with the greatest imaginable splendour. She was conducted towards the city; heralds were sent before, who, as soon as they arrived within the walls of Athens, were instructed to exclaim aloud,— "Athenians, receive Pisistratus again, and with good-will; he is the favourite of Minerva, and the goddess herself comes to conduct him to her citadel." The rumour soon spread amongst the multitude, that Minerva was bringing back Pisistratus. Those in the city being told that this woman was their goddess, prostrated themselves before her, and admitted Pisistratus." LXI. By these means the son of Hippocrates recovered his authority, and fulfilled the terms of his agreement with Megacles, by marrying his daughter. But, as he had already sons grown up, and as the Alcmæonides were stigmatized by some imputed contamination,' to avoid having children by this marriage, he refused all natural communication with his wife. This incident, which the woman for a certain time concealed, she afterwards revealed to her mother, in consequence, perhaps, of her inquiries. The father was soon informed of it, who, exasperated by the affront, forgot his ancient resentments, and entered into a league with those whom he had formerly opposed. Pisistratus, seeing the danger which menaced him, hastily left the country, and, retiring to Eretria," there deliberated with his sons con 5 Admitted Pisistratus.]-The ambitious in all ages have made religion an instrument of their designs, and the people, naturally superstitious and weak, have always been the dupes.—Larcher. 6 By marrying his daughter.]—Her name was Cæsyra, as appears from the scholiast to the Nubes of Aristophanes.-Palmerius. 7 Imputed contamination.]—Megacles, who was archon in the time of the conspiracy of Cylon, put the conspirators to death, at the foot of the altars where they had taken refuge. All those who had any concern in the perpetration of murder were considered as detestable.— Larcher. 8 Retiring to Eretria.]—There were two places of this name, one in Thessaly, the other in Euboea: Pisistratus retired to the latter. cerning their future conduct. The sentiments of Hippias, which were for attempting the recovery of their dignity, prevailed. They met with no difficulty in procuring assistance from the neighbouring states, amongst whom a prejudice in their favour generally prevailed. Many cities assisted them largely with money; but the Thebans were particularly liberal. Not to protract the narration, every preparation was made to facilitate their return. A band of Argive mercenaries came from the Peloponnese; and an inhabitant of Naxos, named Lygdamis, gave new alacrity to their proceedings, by his unsolicited assistance both with money and with troops. LXII. After an absence of eleven years, they advanced to Attica from Eretria, and seized on Marathon, in the vicinity of which they encamped. They were soon visited by throngs of factious citizens' from Athens, and by all those who preferred tyranny to freedom. Their number was thus soon and considerably increased. Whilst Pisistratus was providing himself with money, and even when he was stationed at Marathon, the Athenians of the city appeared to be under no alarm: but when they heard that he had left his post, and was advancing towards them, they began to assemble their forces, and to think of obstructing his return. Pisistratus continued to approach, with his men in one collected body; he halted at the temple of the Pallenian Minerva, opposite to which he fixed his camp. Whilst he remained in this situation, Amphylitus, a priest of Acarnania, approached him, and, as if by divine inspiration," thus addressed him in heroic verse: The cast is made; the net secures the way; And night's pale gleams will bring the scaly prey. 9 Factious citizens.] The whole account given by Herodotus, of the conduct of Pisistratus and his party, bears no small resemblance to many circumstances of the Catilinarian conspirators, as described by Cicero and others. Two or three instances are nevertheless recorded, of the moderation of Pisistratus, which well deserve our praise. His daughter assisted at some religious festival : a young man, who violently loved her, embraced her publicly, and afterwards endeavoured to carry her off. His friends excited him to vengeance. "If," says he in reply, "we hate those who love us, what shall we do to those who hate us?"-Some young men, in a drunken frolic, insulted his wife. The next day they came in tears to solicit forgiveness. "You must have been mistaken," said Pisistratus; "my wife did not go abroad yesterday."-T. 10 Divine inspiration.]—Upon this passage Mr Bryant has some observations, much too abstruse for our purpose, but well worthy the consideration of the curious. See his Mythology, vol. i. page 259.—T. LXIII. Pisistratus considered the declaration as prophetic, and prepared his troops accordingly. The Athenians of the city were then engaged at their dinner; after which, they retired to the amusement of dice, or to sleep." The party of Pisistratus, then making the at tack, soon compelled them to fly. Pisistratus, in the course of the pursuit, put in execution the following sagacious stratagem, to continue their confusion, and prevent their rallying: he placed his sons on horseback, and directed them to overtake the fugitives; they were commissioned to bid them all remove their apprehensions, and pursue their accustomed employ ments. LXIV. The Athenians took him at his word, and Pisistratus thus became a third time master of Athens". He by no means neglected to secure his authority, by retaining many confederate troops, and providing pecuniary resources, partly from Attica itself, and partly from the river Strymon.13 The children of those citizens, who, instead of retreating from his arms, had opposed his progress, he took as hostages, and sent to the island of Naxos; which 11 To sleep.]-In all the warmer climates of the globe, the custom of sleeping after dinner is invariably preserv ed. It appears from modern travellers, that many of the present inhabitants of Athens have their houses flatroofed, and decorated with arbours, in which they sleep Demosthenes, Theophrastus, and Xenophon, that, anciently, the Athenians in general, as well citizens as soldiers, took only two repasts in the day. The meaner sort were satisfied with one, which some took at noon, others at sunset. at noon. We are informed, as well by Herodotus, as by The following passage from Horace cannot fail of being interesting; it not only proves the intimacy which prevailed betwixt Maecenas, Virgil, and Horace, but it satisfies us, that at a much later period, and in the most refined state of the Roman empire, the mode of spending the time after dinner was similar to that here mentioned: Lusum it Mæcenas, dormitum ego Virgiliusque. Sermon. lib. i. 5. 12 Third time master of Athens.]-Pisistratus, tyrant as he was, loved letters, and favoured those who cultivated them. He it was who first collected Homer's works, and presented the public with the Iliad and Odys. sey in their present form.-Bellanger. Cicero, in one of his letters to Atticus, subsequent fo the battle of Pharsalia, thus expresses himself: We are not yet certain whether we shall groan under a Phalaris, or enjoy ourselves under a Pisistratus--T. 13 River Strymon.]-This river is very celebrated in classical story: there are few of the ancient writers who have not made mention of it; at the present day it is called, at that part where it empties itself into the Egean, Golfo di Contessa. Upon the banks of this river, Virgil beautifully describes Orpheus to have lamented his Eurydice. Amongst the other rivers memorable in antiquity for their production of gold, were the Pactolus, Hermus, Ganges, Tagus, Iber, Indus, and Arimaspus.-T. place he had before subdued, and given up to Lygdamis. In compliance also with an oracular injunction, he purified Delos: all the dead bodies, which lay within a certain distance of the temple, were, by his orders, dug up, and removed to another part of the island. By the death of some of the Athenians in battle, and by the flight of others with the Alcmæonides, he remained in undisturbed possession of the supreme authority. LXV. Such was the intelligence which Croesus received concerning the situation of Athens. With respect to the Lacedæmonians, after suffering many important defeats, they had finally vanquished the Tegeans. Whilst Sparta was under the government of Leon and Hegesicles, the Lacedæmonians, successful in other contests, had been inferior to the Tegeans alone: of all the Grecian states, they had formerly the worst laws: bad with regard to their own internal government, and to strangers intolerable. They obtained good laws, by means of the following circumstance: Lycurgus, a man of distinguished character at Sparta, happened to visit the Delphic oracle. As soon as he had entered the vestibule, the Pythian exclaimed aloud, Thou comest, Lycurgus, to this honour'd shrine, introduced: he new-modelled the military code, appointing the Enomotiæ, the Triacades, and the Syssitia; he instituted also the Ephori • and the senate. LXVI. The manners of the people became thus more polished and improved: they, after his death, revered Lycurgus as a divinity, and erected a sacred edifice to his memory. From this period, having a good and populous ter 4 Ephori (inspectors.)-Of the Enomotiæ and Triacades we have been able to find no account sufficiently perspicuous to satisfy ourselves, or inform the reader : that of Cragius is perhaps the best. Larcher has a long and elaborate note upon the subject, in which he says, that if any person be able to remove the obscurity in which the subject is involved, it must be the Abbe Barthelemy, to whose study and deliberation it must of necessity occur in his intended work upon Greece. That work has since appeared; but we find in it little mention of the Enomotia, &c. The following account of the Ephori, as collected and compressed from the ancient Greek writers, we give from the Voyage du Jeune Anacharsis: Aristotle, Plutarch, Cicero, Valerius Maximus, and Dion Chrysostom, were of opinion, that the Ephori were first instituted by Theopompns, who reigned almost a hundred years after the time of Lycurgus. Herodotus, Plato, and another ancient author named Satyrus, ascribe the institution to Lycurgus. The Ephori were an intermediate body betwixt the kings and the senate. They were called Ephori, or inspectors, because their attention was extended to every part of the machine of government. They were five in number; and, to prevent any abuse of their authority, they were chosen annually by the pen. ple, the defenders of whose rights they were. They superintended the education of the youth. Every day they appeared in public, to decide causes, to arbitrate differences, and to prevent the introduction of any thing could oblige magistrates to render an account of their which might tend to the corruption of youth. They administration; they might even suspend them from their functions, and drag them to prison. The kings themselves were compelled to obey the third summons to appear before the Ephori and answer for any imputed fault. The whole executive power was vested in their hands: they received foreign ambassadors, levied troops, and gave the general his orders, whom they could recal at pleasure. So many privileges secured them a venera It is farther asserted by some, that the priestess dictated to him those institutes which are now observed at Sparta: but the Lacedæmonians themselves affirm, that Lycurgus brought them from Crete while he was guardian to his nephew Leobotas king of Sparta. In consequence of this trust, having obtained the direction of the legislature, he made a total change in the constitution, and took effectual care to secure a strict observance of whatever he tion, which they justified from the rewards they bestow 3 1 Purified Delos.]-Montfaucon, but without telling us his authority, says, that the whole island of Delos was consecrated by the birth of Apollo and Diana, and that it was not allowable to bury a dead body in any part of it. It should seem from the passage before us, that this must be understood with some restriction.-T. 2 Lycurgus.]-For an account of the life and charac ter of Lycurgus, we refer the reader, once for all, to Plutarch. His institutes are admirably collected and described by the Abbe Barthelemy, in his voyage du Jeune Anacharsis, vol. iv. 110.-7. 3 Strict observance.]-There were some Lacedæmonians who, deeming the laws of Lycurgus too severe, chose rather to leave their country than submit to them. These passed over to the Sabines in Italy; and when these people were incorporated with the Romans, communicated to them a portion of their Lacedæmonian mauners.-Larcher. ed on merit, by their attachment to ancient maxims, and by the firmness with which, on several occasions, they broke the force of conspiracies, which menaced the tranquillity of the state."-T. 5 To his memory.]-The Lacedæmonians having bound themselves by an oath not to abrogate any of the laws of Lycurgus before his return to Sparta, the legisla tor went to consult the oracle at Sparta. He was told by the Pythian, that Sparta would be happy, as long as his laws were observed. Upon this he resolved to return no more, that he might thus be secure of the ob servance of these institutions, to which they were so solemnly bound: he went to Crisa, and there slew himself. The Lacedæmonians, hearing of this, in testimony of his former virtue, as well as of that which he discov. ered in his death, erected to him a temple, with an altar, at which they annually offered sacrifice to his honour, as to a hero. The above fact is mentioned both by Pau sanias and Plutarch.-Larcher. |