pable of affording much delight to the reader, I fhall be as brief as poffible. But before I enter upon that, I think it neceffary to draw a kind of a fhort plan of the fituation of the country, and of the several of parts of that compose it. ARTICLE I A geographical defcription of ancient GREECE. in Europe, was bounded on the eat by the Ægean fea, now called the Archipelago; on the fouth by the Cretan, or Candian fea; on the weft by the Ionian fea, and on the north by Illyria and Thrace. The conftituent parts of ancient Greece are, Epirus, Peloponnefus, Greece properly fo called, Theffaly, and Macedonia. EPIRUS. This province is fituate to the weft, and divided from Theffaly and Macedonia by mount Pindus, and the Acroceraunian mountains. The moft remarkable inhabitants of Epirus are, the MoLOSSIANS, whofe chief city is Dodona, famous for the temple and oracle of Jupiter. The CHAONIANS, whofe principal city is Oricum. The THESPROTIANS, whofe city is Buthrotum, where was the palace and refidence of Pyrrhus. The ACARNANIANS, whofe city was Ambracia, which gives its name to the gulf. Near to this flood Actium, famous for the victory of Auguftus Cæfar, who built over-against that city, on the other fide of the gulf, a city named Nicopolis. There were two little rivers in Epirus, very famous in fabulous story, Cocytus and Acheron. Epirus muft have been very well peopled in former times; as (x) Polybius relates, that Paulus Emilius, after having defeated Perfeus, the last king of Macedonia, deftroyed feventy cities in that country, the greatest part of which belonged to the Moloffians; and that he carried away from thence no Jefs than a hundred and fifty thoufand prifoners. PELOPONNESUS. This is a peninfula, now called the Morea, joined to the reft of Greece only by the Ifthmus of Corinth, that is but fix miles broad. It is well known, that feveral princes have attempted in vain to cut through this Ifth mus. The parts of Peloponnefus are, ACHATA, properly fo called, whofe chief cities are Corinth, Sicyon, Patræ, &c. ELIS, in which is Olympia, otherwife called Pifa, feated on the river Alpheus, upon the banks of which the Olympick games ufed (*) Apud Strab. 1. vii. p. 3,220 to be celebrated. Cyllene, the country of Mercury. MESSENIA, in which are the cities of Meffene, Pylos, in the lask of which Neftor was born, and Corona. ARCADIA, in which ftood the cities of Tegea, Stymphalos, Mantinea, and MegaJopolis, Polybius's native place. LACONIA, wherein food Sparta, or Lacedæmon, and Amycle; mount Taygetus; the river Eurotas, and the cape of Tenarus. ARCOLIS, in which was the city of Argos, called alfo Hippium, famous for the temple of Juno; Nemea, Mycenæ, Nauplia, Troezen, and Epidaurus, wherein was the temple of Æfculapius. GREECE, properly fo called. Do. The principal parts of this country were, ETOLIA,__in which were the cities of Chalcis, Calydon and Olenus. RIS, LOCRIS, inhabited by the Ozola. Naupa&tum, now called Lepanto, famous for the defeat of the Turks in 1571, PHOCIS. Antycira. Delphos at the foot of mount of Parnaffus, famous for the oracles delivered there. In this country alfo was mount Helicon. BEOTIA. Orchomenos. Thefpia. Cheronea, Plutarch's native country. Platæa, famous for the defeat of Mardonius. Thebes. Aulis, famous for its port, from whence the Grecian army fet fail for the fiege of Troy. Leuctra, celebrated for the victory of Epaminondas. ATTICA. Megara. Eleufis. Decelia. Marathon, where Miltiades defeated the Perfian army. Athens, whofe ports were Piraus, Munichia, and Phalerus; and mountains Hymettus and Cithæron. LoCRIS. THESSALY. The most remarkable towns of this province were, Gomphi, Pharfalia, near' which Julius Cæfar defeated Pompey, Magnefia. Methone, at the fiege of which Philip loft his eye. Thermopyles, a narrow ftrait, famous for the defeat of Xerxes's numerous army by the vigorous refiftince of three hundred Spartans. Phthia. Thebes. Lariffa. De. metrias. The delightful vallies of Tempe, near the banks of the river Peneus. Olympus, Pelion, and Offa, three mountains celebrated in fabulous flory for the battle of the giants. MACEDONIA. I shall only mention 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 fon Alexander the Great. Egæa. Adefta. Pallene. Olynthus, from whence the Olynthiacks of Demofthenes took their name. Torone. Arcanthus. Theffalonica, now called Salonichi. Stagira, the place of Arifole's birth. Amphipolis, Philippi, famous for the victory N. $ victory gained there by Auguftus and Anthony over Brutus and Caffius. Scotuffa. Mount Athos; and the river Strimon. The GRECIAN ifles. There is a great number of islands contiguous to Greece, that are very famous in hiftory. In the lonian fea, Corcyra, with a town of the fame name, now called Corfu. Cephalene, and Zacynthus, now Cephalona and Zant. Ithaca, the country of Ulyffes, and Dulichium. Near the promontory Malea, over-againit Laconia, is Citnera. In the Saronick gulph, are Agina, and Salamine, fo famous for the naval battle between Xerxes and the Grecians. Between Greece and Afia lie the Sporades; and the Cyclades, the most noted of which are Andros, Delos, and Paros, anciently famous for fine marble. Higher up in the gean fea is Euboea, now Negropont, feparated from the main land by a small arm of the fea, called Euripus. The most remarkable city of this ifle was Chalcis. Towards the north is Cyrus, and a good deal higher Lemnos, now called Stalimene; and ftill further Samothrace. Lower down is Lefbos, whofe principal city was Mitylene, from whence the ifle has fince taken the name of Metelin. Chios, Scio, renowned for excellent wine; and, laftly, Samos. Some of these laft-mentioned ifles are reckoned to belong to Afia. The island of Crete, or Candia, is the largest of all the ifles, contiguous to Greece. It has to the north the gean fea, or the Archipelago; and to the fouth the African ocean. Its principal towns were, Gortyna, Cydon, Gnoflus; its mountains, Dicte, Ida, and Corycus. Its labyrinth is famous over all the world. The Grecians had colonies in most of these ifles.. They had likewife fettlements in Sicily, and in part of Italy towards Calabria (3), which places are for that reafon called Græcia magna. (x) But their grand fettlement was in Afia minor, and particularly in olis, Ionia, and Doris. The principal towns of Æolis are, Cume, Phoca, Elea. Of lonia, Smyrna, Cla zomene, Feos, Lebedus, Colophon and Ephefus. Of Doris, Halicarnaffus and Cnidos. They had alfo a great number of colonies difperfed up and down in different parts of the world, whereof I fhall give some account as occafion fhall offer. (y) Strab,-1. vi. p. 253. (z) Plin. l. vi. c. 2. DIVISION of the GRECIAN HISTORY into four feveral ages. HE Grecian hiftory may be divided into four different Tages, all noted by fo many memorable epocha's, all which together include the fpace of 2154 years. The first age extends from the foundation of the feveral petty kingdoms of Greece, (beginning with that of Sicyone, which is the most ancient) to the fiege of Troy, and comprehends about a thousand years, namely, from the year of the world 1820 to the year 2820. The fecond begins from the taking of Troy to the reign of Darius, the fon of Hyftafpes, at which period the Grecian history begins to be intermixed with that of the Perfians, and contains the space of fix hundred fixty-three years, from the year of the world 2820 to the year 3483. The third is dated from the beginning of the reign of Darius to the death of Alexander the Great, which is the finest part of the Grecian history, and takes in the term of one hundred and ninety-eight years, from the year of the world 3483 to the year 3681. The fourth and laft age commences from the death of Alexander, at which time the Grecians began to decline, and continues to their final fubjection by the Romans. The epocha of the utter ruin and downfal of the Greeks may be dated, partly from the taking and deftruction of Corinth by the conful L. Mummius, in 3858, partly from the extinction of the kingdom of the Seleucides in Afia by Pompey, in the year of the world 3939, and of the kingdom of the Lagides in Egypt by Auguftus, anno mun. 3974. This laft age includes in all two hundred and ninety-three years. Of these four diftinct ages, I fhall in this place only touch upon the two firft, in a very fuccinct manner, juft to give the reader fome general notion of that obfcure period; because thofe times, at leaft a great part of them, have more of fable in them than of real history, and are wrapt up in fuch darknefs and obfcurity, as are very hard, if not impoffible, to penetrate: And I have often declared already, that fuch a dark and laborious enquiry, though very useful for those that are for going to the bottom of history, does not come within the: plan of my defign. IN ARTICLE III. The primitive origin of the GRECIANS. N order to arrive at any certain knowledge concerning the first origin of the Grecian nations, we must neceffarily have recourfe to the accounts we have of it in holy fcripture. (a) Javan or lon (for in the Hebrew the fame letters differently pointed form thefe two different names) the fon of Japhet, and grandfon of Noah, was certainly the father of all chofe nations, that went under the general denomination of Greeks, though he has been looked upon as the father of the Fonians 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 lonians. (b) And for this reafon Alexander, in the predictions of Daniel, is mentioned under the name of the king of Javan. (c) Javan had four fons, Eliza, Tarfis, Chittim, and Dodanim. As Javan was the original father of the Grecians in general, no doubt but his four fons were the heads and founders of the chief tribes and principal branches of that nation, which became in fucceeding ages fo renowned for arts and arms. Eliza is the fame as Ellas, as it is rendered in the Chaldee tranflation; and the word "Exants, which was used as the common appellation of the whole people, in the fame manner as the word "Exxa; was of the whole country, has no other derivation. The city of Elis, very ancient in Pelopennefus, the Elyfian fields, the river Eliffus, or Iliffùs, have long retained the marks of their being derived from Eliza, and have contributed more to preferve his memory, than the hiftorians themselves of the nation, who were inquifitive after foreign affairs, and but little acquainted with their own original; be caufe as they bad little or no knowledge of the true religion, they did not carry their enquiries fo high. Upon which account, they themfelves derived the words Hellenes and Tones from another fountain, as we fhall fee in the fequel; for I think myfelf obliged to give fome account of their opinions alfo in this refpect. Tharfis was the fecond fon of Javan. He fettled as his Brethren did, in fome part of Greece, perhaps in Achaia, or the neighbouring provinces, as Eliza did in Peloponnefus. (c) Gen. Xo 4) Gen. x. 2. (8) Dan. viii. 21. I# |