Of all the countries of antiquity, none have been so highly celebrated, or furnished history with so many valuable monuments and illustrious examples, as Greece. In what light soever she is considered, whether for the glory of her arms, the wisdom of her laws, or the study and improvement of arts and sciences, all these she carried to a high degree of perfection; and it may truly be said, that in all these respects she has in some measure been the school of

mankind.

It is impossible not to be very much interested in the history of such a nation; especially when we consider that it has been transmitted to us by writers of the most consummate merit, many of whom distinguished themselves as much by their swords as their pens; and were as great commanders and able statesmen, as excel lent historians. I confess, it is a vast advantage to have such men for guides; men of an exquisite judgment and consummate prudence; of a refined and perfect taste in every respect; and who furnish not only the facts and thoughts, as well as the expressions wherewith they are to be represented; but, what is much more important, the proper reflections that are to accompany those facts; and which are the most useful improvements resulting from history. These are the rich sources from whence I shall draw all that I have to say, after I have previously inquired into the first origin and establish ment of the Grecian states. As this inquiry must be dry, and no.

capable of affording much delight to the reader, I shall be as brief as possible. But before I enter upon that, I think it necessary to draw a kind of short plan of the situation of the country, and of the several parts that compose it.

ARTICLE I.

A geographical description of Ancient Greece.

Ancient Greece, which is now the south part of Turkey in Eu rope, was bounded on the east by the Ægean sea, now called the Archipelago; on the south by the Cretan, or Candian sea; on the west by the Ionian sea; and on the north by Illyria and Thrace. The constituent parts of ancient Greece are, Epirus, Peloponnesus, Greece properly so called, Thessaly, and Macedonia.

EPIRUS. This province is situate to the west, and divided from Thessaly and Macedonia by mount Pindus, and the Acroceraunian

mountains.

The principal inhabitants of Epirus are, the MoLOSSIANS, whose chief city is Dodona, famous for the temple and oracle of Jupiter. The CHAONIANS, whose principal city is Oricum. The THESPROTIANS, whose city is Buthrotum, where was the palace and residence of Pyrrhus. The ACARNANIANS, whose city is Ambracia, which gives its name to the gulf. Near to this stood Actium, famous for the victory of Augustus Cæsar, who built over-against that city, on the other side of the gulf, a city named Nicopolis. There were two little rivers in Epirus, very famous in fabulous story, Cocytus and Acheron.

Epirus must have been very well peopled in former times; as Polybius relates,* that Paulus Æmilius, after having defeated Perseus, the last king of Macedonia, destroyed seventy cities in that country, the greatest part of which belonged to the Molossians; and that he carried away from thence no less than 150,000 prisoners.

PELOPONNESUS. This is a peninsula, now called the Morea, joined to the rest of Greece only by the isthmus of Corinth, that is but six miles broad. It is well known, that several princes have attempted in vain to cut through this isthmus.

The parts of Peloponnesus are ACHAIA, properly so called, whose chief cities are Corinth, Sicyon, Patræ, &c. ELIS, in which is Olympia, called also Pisa, seated on the river Alpheus, upon the banks of which the Olympic games used to be celebrated. MESSENIA, in which are the cities of Messene, Pylos, the birth-place of Nestor and Corona. ARCADIA, in which was Cyllene, the mountain where Mercury was born, the cities of Tegea, Stymphalus, Mantinea, and Megalopolis, Polybius's native place. LACONIA, wherein stood Sparta, or Lacedæmon, and Amycle; mount Taygetus; the river Eurotas, and the cape of Tenarus. ARGOLIS, in * Apud Strab. 1. vii. p. 322.

which was the city of Argos, called also Hippium, famous for the temple of Juno; Nemea, Mycenae, Nauplia, Træzene, and Epidaurus, wherein was the temple of Æsculapius.

GREECE, properly so called. The principal parts of this country were ETOLIA, in which were the cities of Chalcis, Calydon, and Olenus. DORIS. The LOCRI OZOLE. Naupactus, now called Lepanto, famous for the defeat of the Turks in 1571. PHOCIS. Anticyra. Delphi, at the foot of mount Parnassus, famous for the oracles delivered there. In this country also was mount Helicon. BEOTIA. Mount Citharon. Orchomenus. Thespia. Chæronæa, illustrious as being Plutarch's native country. Platæ, famous for the defeat of Mardonius. Thebes. Aulis, famous for its port, from whence the Grecian army set sail for the siege of Troy. Leuctra, celebrated for the victory of Epaminondas. ATTICA. Megara. Eleusis. Decelia. Marathon, where Miltiades defeated the Persian army. Athens, whose ports were Piræus, Munychia, and Phalerus. The mountain Hymettus, famous for its excellent honey. LOCRIS.

THESSALY. The most remarkable towns of this province were, Gomphi, Pharsalia, near which Julius Cæsar defeated Pompey. Magnesia. Methone, at the siege of which Philip lost his eye. Thermopylæ, a narrow strait, famous for the vigorous resistance of 300 Spartans against Xerxes's numerous army, and for their glorious defeat. Phthia. Thebes. Larissa. Demetrias. The delightful valleys of Tempe, near the banks of the river Peneus. Olympus, Pelion, and Ossa, three mountains celebrated in fabulous story for the battle of the giants.

MACEDONIA. I shall mention only a few of the principal towns. of this country. Epidamnus, or Dyrrachium, now called Durazzo. Apollonia. Pella, the capital of the country, and the native place of Philip, and of his son Alexander the Great. Egæ. Edessa. l'allene. Olynthus, from whence the Olynthiaes of Demosthenes took their name. Torone. Acanthus. Thessalonica, now called Salonichi. Stagira, the place of Aristotle's birth. Amphipolis. Philippi, famous for the victory gained there by Augustus and Anlony over Brutus and Cassius. Scotussa. Mount Athos; and the Diver Strymon.

The Grecian Isles.

There is a great number of islands contiguous to Greece, that are very famous in history. In the Ionian sea, Corcyra, with a town of the same name, now called Corfu. Cephalene and Zacynthus, now Cephalonia and Zante. Ithaca, the country of Ulysses, and Dulichium. Near the promontory Malea, over-against Laconia, is Cythera. In the Saronic gulf, are Ægina, and Salamis, so famous for the sea-fight between Xerxes and the Grecians. Between Greece and Asia lie the Sporades; and the Cyclades, the most

noted of which are Andros, Delos, and Paros, whence the finest marble was dug. Higher up in the Egean sea is Euboea, now Negropont, separated from the main land by a small arm of the sea, called Euripus. The most remarkable city of this isle was Chalcis. Towards the north is Scyrus, and a good deal higher Lemnos, now called Stalimene; and still farther, Samothrace. Lower down is Lesbos, whose principal city was Mitylene, from whence the isle hes since taken the name of Metelin. Chios, now Scio, renowned for excellent wine; and, lastly, Samos. Some of these last-mentoned isles are reckoned to belong to Asia.

The island of Crete, or Candia, is the largest of all the islands contiguous to Greece. It has to the north the Egean sea, or the Archipelago; and to the south the African ocean. Its principal towns were, Gortyna, Cydon, Gnossus; its mountains, Dícte, Ida and Corycus. Its labyrinth is famous over all the world. The Grecians had colonies in most of these isles.

They had likewise settlements in Sicily, and in part of Italy towards Calabria, which places are for that reason called Græcia Magna.*

But their grand settlement was in Asia Minor, and particularly in Eolis, Ionia, and Doris.† The principal towns of Æolis are Cumæ, Phocæa, Elea. Of Ionia, Smyrna, Clazomena, Teos, Lebedus, Colophon, and Ephesus. Of Doris, Halicarnassus and Cnidos.

They had also a great number of colonies dispersed up and down in different parts of the world, whereof I shall give some account as

occasion shall offer.

ARTICLE II.

Division of the Grecian History into four several ages.

The Grecian history may be divided into four different ages, marked out by so many memorable epochas, all which together include the space of 2154 years.

The first age extends from the foundation of the several petty kingdoms of Greece (beginning with that of Sicyon, which is the most ancient) to the siege of Troy, and comprehends about 1000 years, namely, from the year of the world 1820 to the year 2820.

The second extends from the taking of Troy to the reign of Darius, the son of Hystaspes, at which period the Grecian history begins to be intermixed with that of the Persians, and contains the space of 663 years, from the year of the world 2820 to the year 3483. The third extends from the beginning of the reign of Darius to the death of Alexander the Great, which is the finest part of the Grefrom the year of the cian history, and takes in the term of 198 years, world 3483 to the year 3681.

The fourth and last age commences from the death of Alexander,

at which time the Grecians began to decline, and continues to their final subjection by the Romans. The epocha of the utter ruin and downfall of the Greeks may be dated, partly from the taking and destruction of Corinth by the consul L. Mummius, in 3858, partly from the extinction of the kingdom of the Seleucidæ in Asia by Pompey, in the year of the world 3939, and of the kingdom of the Lagidæ in Egypt by Augustus, anno mun. 3974. This last age includes in all 293 years.

Of these four ages, I shall in this place only touch upon the first two, in a very succinct manner, just to give the reader some general notion of that obscure period; because those times, at least a great part of them, have more of fable in them than of real history, and are wrapt up in such darkness and obscurity, as are very hard, if not impossible, to penetrate; and I have often declared already, that such a dark and laborious inquiry, though very useful for those that are anxious to make deep researches into history, does not come within the plan of my design.

ARTICLE III.

The primitive origin of the Grecians.

In order to arrive at any certainty with respect to the first origin of the Grecian nations, we must necessarily have recourse to the accounts we have of it in Holy Scripture..

Javan or Iion (for in the Hebrew the same letters differently pointed form these two different names,*) the son of Japheth, and grandson of Noah, was certainly the father of all those nations that went under the general denomination of Greeks, though he has been looked upon as the father of the Ionians only, which were but one particular nation of Greeks. But the Hebrews, the Chaldeans, Arabians, and others, give no other appellation to the whole body of the Grecian nations, than that of Ionians. And for this reason, Alexander, in the predictions of Daniel,t is mentioned under the name of the king of Javan.‡

Javan had four sons, Elishah, Tarshish, Chittim, and Dodanim. As Javan was the original father of the Grecians in general, without doubt his four sons were the heads and founders of the chief tribes and principal branches of that nation, which became in succeeding ages so renowned for arts and arms.

Elishah is the same as Ellas, as it is rendered in the Chaldee translation, and the word "Exλnves, which was used as the common appellation of the whole people, in the same manner as the word "Exxas was of the whole country, has no other derivation. The very ancient city of Elis, in Peloponnesus, the Elysian fields, the river Elissus, or Ilissus, have long retained the marks of their being

* Gen x. 2.

† Dan. viii. 21.

↑ Hircus caprarum rex Græciæ; in the Hebrew rex Javan. $ Gen. x. €