carries on the history of the Grecian colonies in Italy and Si çily to the fame period. Here the volume is concluded. The reader will perceive, that the compafs of upwards of four hundred pages, in a fmall type, allotted to a period of about ninety years of Grecian history alone, will not require a very fcanty or jejune abridgment of the facts; and the truth is, that we meet throughout with much more detail than the propofed plan of the work had taught us to expect. This, however, as it is, in the main, judiciously performed (except the very frange deviation, already noticed, in the Homeric hiftory), ought not to be the fubject of objection. The author has given us fomething better than he promifed, a full history instead of an abridgment. The only evil likely to attend it is the multiplication of volumes, which, if the whole fubject be continued on the prefent plan, must be confiderable; and very disproportioned to the extent of the Hiftory of Modern Europe, compared with the multiplicity of facts included in that work. To infert the long harangues inferted by the Greek historians, was certainly not the plan to be recommended to an author, whofe object was to comprefs his fubject. The purport of them might have been very briefly given, which was the utmost that accuracy could have required, fince the whole expreffion of them is well known to have been the fabrication of the writers. In relating the History of Cyrus, Dr. Ruffel prefers the authority of Xenophon to that of Herodotus; and his reafons for fo doing are affigned at large in a judicious note, at the 41st page of this volume, where he fupports his own opinion by the great authority of Prideaux and Sir Walter Raleigh. In this much controverted point, we also incline to hold the fame opinion; for though there can be no doubt but that the Cyropædia, as to its minute circumftances, is a romance; yet the outline may be not the lefs authentic; and the opportunities of Xenophon for knowing the truth were certainly more favourable than thofe of any other Greek hiftorian. Whoever will amuse himself with comparing this delightful work of Xenophon with his Memorabilia of Socrates, will perceive that he has contrived to interweave into the difcourfes of Cyrus almost all the morality of his beloved mafter there delivered, and fometimes nearly in the fame words. Nevertheless, the history which was to be the vehicle of all this, might as well be true as false; and it is more likely, that the knowledge how well this history would bear this application, fuggefted the work, than that the hiftory was feigned for the purpofe of conveying the morality: the morality, indeed, would have loft fome part of its effect, had it been known to have no kind of foundation in true hif tory, tory. Cyrus, giving wife directions on a peaceful death-bed, would have but little weight with those who knew that he died amidst the tumult of war, and by the hands of barbarous enemies; and he might have talked as wifely in his camp as in his palace, perhaps yet more impreffively, had the fame philofopher fupplied his fpeeches. Having little further, that is of importance to remark, concerning the conduct of this hiftory, which is in general fenfible and judicious, we shall content ourselves with giving fpecimens of the style and mode of execution. The fpeeches taken from Herodotus, and others, are in general fhortened and altered, according to the taste of the writer. That of Artabanes diffuading Xerxes from the invafion of Greece, is reduced to about half the length of the originals. The reply of Xerxes to him is, perhaps, not fhortened, but is otherwife modified; whether judicioufly, or not, the reader may decide from a comparison of the two. We fhall give the fpeech, for this purpose; first, as it ftands in an English tranflation of Herodotus, and then as it is new-modelled by Dr. Ruffel. "ever, HERODOTUS. Book vii. ch. ii.-When Atarbanes had finished, Xerxes thus angrily replied: "Artabanes, you are my father's brother, "which alone prevents your receiving the chastisement due to "your foolish fpeech. This mark of ignominy fhall, howadhere to you; as you are fo daftardly and mean, you "fhall not accompany me to Greece, but remain at home, the companion of our women. Without your affistance, I shall proceed in the accomplishment of my defigns; for I should "ill deferve to be efteemed the fon of Darius, who was the "fon of Hyftafpes, and reckoned among his ancestors, Arfa"mis, Arinnis, Teifpeus, Cyrus, Cambyfes, Teifpeus, and "Achæmenes, if I did not gratify my revenge upon the Athe"nians. I am well affured, that if we, on our parts, were tranquil, they would not, but would invade and ravage our "country. This we may reasonably conclude, from their "burning of Sardis, and their incurfions into Afia. Neither party can therefore recede; we must advance to the attack "of the Greeks, or we must prepare to fustain their's; we "muft either fubmit to them, or they to us; in enmities like thefe, there can be no medium: injured, as we have been, "it becomes us to feek for revenge; for I am determined to "know what evil is to be dreaded from those whom Pelops "the Phrygian, the flave of my ancestors, fo effectually fub Hh 4 66 dued, dued, that, even to this day, they, as well as their country, "are distinguished by his name. Beloe's Tranflation. Dr. RUSSEL. Tranfported with rage, and ftung with indignation, at the dif courging fpeech of Artabanus, Xerxes, after reproaching him with cowardice, replied thus "Without thee, I fhall be able to execute my enterprife. Nor fhould I be the fon of Darius, who derived his "blood from Hyftafpes, through a long line of royal ancestors, unless Į "thired for vengeance upon the Athenians; well knowing, that if we remain quiet, they will not be inactive, but following the dictates "of their reflefs difpofition, will enter our territories with an army. "We may judge of their future intentions by their past hoftilities. "Have they not dared to invade Afia, and burn Sardis ?-Both we " and they have advanced too far to recede, and muft either resolve to conquer or ferve. All our dominions muft fall under the power of the Greeks, or their country muft become an acceffion to the Perfian "empire. No other alternative remains, for terminating our mutual enmity. They were the aggreffors; and we muft feek revenge, og "facrifice our national honour." The following paffage, in the famous fpeech of Demaratus to Xerxes, is oddly turned, and indeed mifreprefented, by our hiftorian. According to Herodotus, he replied: Poverty was, even from the firft, nurfed up with Greece; but her virtue "fhe has acquired by the difcipline of wifdom and ftrict law; "by means of which the has repelled both poverty and tyran"ny." According to Dr. Ruffel, he faid: "Greece, who "had for her nurse poverty, the guest of virtue, was, by them, in old times, taught wisdom, and inured to difcipline, which "have enabled her to conquer want, and expel tyranny. Were the fentiment improved by the alteration, we fhould not object, but in the modern fpeech, poverty and virtue teach wifdom and difcipline, which remove want and tyranny; that is, with only one immediate ftep. Poverty removes want; whereas, in the Greek, poverty is the native companion of Greece, but virtue is adventitious; not introduced by her, but by wisdom and legal difcipline; by means of which poverty is herself removed, and alfo tyranny. The following defcription of the engagement at Salamis may ferve as a good fpecimen of the author's ftyle: "The Athenians formed the left wing of the Græcian fleet, extend * In the original thus: Τη Ελλάδι πενίη μεν αιει μεδε συντροφος εςι' αξέτη δε επακετο εςι, απο τε σοφίης κατεργασμένη και νομε ισχύει τη διαχεώμενη η Ελλας, την πενιην απαμύνετας, και την δεσποσυνεν. vii. 102. ing towards Elufis, and fronting the Phoenicians; and the Lacedæmonians, and their Peloponnefian confederates, occupied the Græcian right wing, which extended toward the Peiræus, and was oppofed to the Ionians and other Afiatic Greeks, who conftituted the enemy's left. wing. The Æginetes and Megareans feem to have compofed the centre of the Græcian fleet, and to have fronted the Cyprians, Pamphylians, and the remnant of the Cilician fquadron. The engagement, as we have already feen, was begun in confequence of an Athenian fhip breaking out of the line, and closing with one of the Barbarian navy. That fhip was commanded by Aminias the brother of Æfchylus; and, if we may believe the poet, funk her antagonist. "Animated by this daring exploit, the confederated Greeks raised the war-fong, while the trumpets founded the charge. The battle, which enfued, was hot and obftinate; for the Barbarians and Afiatic Greeks, affured that their behaviour was noticed by the Perfian monarch, who had feparated them into national fquadrons, in order to infpire them with emulation, as well as to enable them to preferve concert, and whofe fuperb throne was feated under mount Ægaleos, on the most elevated part of the neighbouring fhore, exerted themselves with intrepid courage. But no fooner were their headmoft fhips defeated, and their line broken, by the Athenians and Æginetes, than all was uproar and confufion. For want of room to act, the fhips which had not yet been engaged, in preffing forward, fell foul of thofe that were difabled, and the bay of Salamis became one immenfe wreck. "Ábout the fame time that the Barbarian right wing was thrown into diforder by the Athenians, the Lacedemonians, and their Peloponnefian affociates, had broken the Afiatic Greeks, on the left. The Phoenicians, as an apology for their discomfiture, accufed the Ionians of treachery; but Xerxes was witness to the gallant exploits, and bore honourable teftimony to the valour of his Græcian allies. Thus defeated on both wings, and all ruin in the centre, the naval arr ament of the Great King had recourfe to flight, and made the best of its way toward Phaleron. But it fuffered feverely, before it could reach that port. For the Athenians deftroyed those flying fhips, which ventured to refift in the general rout; while the Æginetes, who guarded the ftraits of Salamis, did no lefs execution upon fuch as efcaped out of the battle. Forty Grecian fhips are faid to have been funk or rendered unfit for fervice, and two hundred fail of the Barbarian fleet perifhed in this engagement. The Grecian feamen faved themfelves by fwimming; but most of the Barbarians being lefs skilled in that art, and having no place of refuge, fhared the fame fate with their fhips, being literally buried in the waves. "The confederated Greeks, however, made no diftant purfuit. Satiffied with their victory, they employed themfelves in collecting the wreck that floated in the coast of Salamis, and in preparing for a new engagement. Meanwhile Arifteides, taking with him a chofen body of men, all of Athenian blood, paffed over to Pfyttalea, and put to the fword the Perfian troops,which had been landed in that ifland." P. 256. The character of Cimon is thus collected by Dr. Ruffel from Plutarch: ,,, "Cimons "Cimon, after the expulfion of Themiftocles, had no equal in Athens; Ariftedes, his venerated friend, being now in the decline of life, and little more than the fpectator of his triumphs. Cimon took a more certain road to popularity, than either Arifteides or Themiftocles. Inftead of defpifing money like the former, or hoarding it like the latter, unlefs when expended on fome magnificent public fpectacle, he paid a prudent attention to wealth, but without difcovering any marks of rapacity; and being enriched by the Perfian fpoils, he revived the ancient fpirit of hofpitality. He kept a public table, if not for all the Athenians, at least for his partizans: and being naturally of a focial difpofition, he drank deep with his guests. Hence the following verfes of Eupolis, quoted by Plutarch: "He's not a villain but a debauchee, "Whose careless heart is ftole by wine and women." "And those of Cratinus, the comic poet, in one of his pieces entitled Archilochi: "Even I Metrobius, though a fcrivener, hoped "Whofe wide-fpread bounty vied with that of Heaven." Gorgias, the Leontine, therefore bears juft teftimony to his character, in faying, That he got riches to use them; and used them fo2 as to be honoured on their account. "It accordingly appears, that although Cimon, in his convivial meetings, might often exceed the bounds of temperance, his generous hofpitality did not lead him to neglect the fervice of his country. The year after the taking of Naxus, he failed with the confederate fleet to the Afiatic coaft, and added to the maritime league all the Græcian cities in Caria and Lycia; which, on being affured of fupport, revolted from the Perfian monarch, and put themfelves under the protection of Athens. Such towns as belonged to the natives, and were held by Perfian garrifons, Cimon reduced." P. .343. In giving an account of the Sicilian Kings, Dr. Ruffel extracts the characters of Theron and Hiero, from Pindar, which he gives in Weft's tranflation, and even inferts a very long pallage on the victory of the latter at the Pythian games. This, though not abfolutely to be reprehended, favours a little of what we have once or twice in our progrefs been inclined to fufpect, a defire to fwell rather than to comprefs the matter, of the hiftory. Leaving this, however, to the judgment of the readers, we fhall, for the prefent, bid farewel to Dr. Ruffel, and wait with patience till he gives us his fucceeding volumes, ART. |
