It is not to be doubted but that Chittim was the father of the Macedonians, according to the authority of the first book of the Maccabees, (d) in the beginning of which it is faid, that Alexander, the fon of Philip the Macedonian, went out of his country, which was that of Cetthim [or Chittim] to make war against Darius, king of Perfia. And in the eight chapter, speaking of the Romans and their victories over the fait kings of Macedonia, Philip and Perfeus †, the two lastmentioned princes are called kings of the Cetheans.

Dodanim. It is very probable, that Theffaly and Epirus were the portion of the fourth fon of Javan. The impious worship of Jupiter of Dodona, as well as the city of Dodona itfelf, are proofs that fome remembrance of Dodanim had remained with the people, who derived their first establishment and origin. from him.

This is all that can be faid with any certainty concerning the true origin of the Grecian nations. The holy fcripture, whofe defign is not to fatisfy our curiofity, but to nourish and improve our piety, after fcattering thefe few rays of light, leaves us in utter darkness concerning the rest of their history which therefore can only be collected from prophane authors.

If we may believe (e) Pliny, the Grecians were fo called from the name of an ancient king, of whom they had but a very uncertain tradition. Homer, in his poems, calls them Hellenes, Danai, Argives, and Achaians. It is obfervable, that the word Græcus is not once used in Virgil.

The exceeding rufticity of the firft Grecians would appear incredible, if we could call in queftion the teftimony of their own hiftorians upon that article. But a people, fo vain of their origin, as to adorn it by fiction and fables, we may be fure would never think of inventing any thing in its difparagement. (f) Who would imagine that the people, to whom the world is indebted for all her knowledge in literature and the sciences, fhould be defcended from mere favages, who knew no other law than force, and were ignorant even of agriculture? And yet this appears plainly to be the cafe, from the divine honours they decreed to the perfon (g) who first taught them to feed upon acorns, as a more delicate and wholfome nourishment than herbs. There was ftill a great distance from this first improve

ment

(d) Mace. i. I. (4) Lib. iv. c. 7% (ƒ) Paufan, I. viii. p. 455 456 (g) Pelafgus.

* Egreffus de terrâ Cethim.

† Δωδώνη ἀπὸ Δεδώνει τα Διὸς 3

† Philippum & Perfeum Cathe | Eugáns, Stephanus, arum regem, VET, ŞI

ment to a state of urbanity and politenefs. Nor did they indeed arrive at the latter, till after a long procefs of time.

The weakest were not the last to understand the neceffity of living together in fociety, in order to defend themselves against violence and oppreffion. At first they built fingle houses at a diftance from one another; the number of which infenfibly increafing, formed in time towns and cities. But the bare living together in fociety was not fufficient to polifh fuch a people. Egypt and Phoenicia had the honour of doing this. (b) Both thefe nations contributed to inftruct and civilize the Grecians, by the colonies they fent among them. The latter taught them navigation, writing, and commerce; the former the knowledge of their laws and polity, gave them a taste for arts and sciences, and initiated them into their myfteries.

() Greece, in her infant ftate, was expofed to great com. motions and frequent revolutions; becaufe, as the people had no fettled corrofpondence, and no fuperior power to give laws to the reft, every thing was determined by force and violence. The strongest invaded the lands of their neighbours, which they thought more fertile and delightful, and difpoffeffed the lawful owners, who were obliged to feek new fettlements elfewhere. As Attica was a dry and barren country, its inhabitants had not the fame invafions and outrages to fear, and therefore confequently kept themselves in poffeffion of their ancient territories; for which reafon they took the name of autóx Doves, that is, men born in the country where they lived, to diftinguish themfelves from the reft of the nations, that had almost all transplanted themfelves from place to place.

Such were in general the first beginnings of Greece. We muft now enter into a more particular detail, and give a brief account of the establishment of the feveral different ftates, whereof the whole country confifted.

ARTICLE IV.

The different ftates, into which GREECE was divided.

N thofe early times kingdoms were but inconfiderable, and I of very fmall extent, the title of kingdom being often given to a fingle city, with a few leagues of land depending upon it.

(k) SICYON. The most ancient kingdom of Greece was that of Sicyon; whofe beginning is placed by Eufebius thirteen hundred

(b) Herod. 1. v. c. 58. & 1. v. c. 58-60. Plin. l. v. c. 12. & 1. vii, c. 56. (i) Thucyd, lib. i. p. 2. (4) A, M. 1985. Ant. J. C, 2089.

hundred and thirteen years before the firft Olympiad. Its duration is believed to have been about a thousand years.

(2) ARGOS. The kingdom of Argos, in Peloponnefus, began a thousand and eighty years before the firft Olympiad, in the time of Abraham. The first king of it was INACHUS. His fucceffors were, his fon PHORONEUS; APIS; ARGUS, from whom the country took its name; and after feveral others, GELANOR, who was dethroned and expelled his kingdom by DANAUS, the Egyptian. (m) The fucceffors of this laft were firit LYNCEUs, the fon of his brother Ægyptus, who alone, of fifty brothers, efcaped the cruelty of the Danaides; then ABAS, PROETUS, and ACRISIUS.

Of Danae, daughter to the laft, was born Perfeus, who having, when he was grown up, unfortunately killed his grandfather, Acrifius, and not being able to bear the fight of Argos, where he committed that involuntary murder, withdrew to Mycenae, and there fixed the feat of his kingdom.

MYCENE. Perfeus then tranflated the feat of the kingdom from Argos to Mycena. He left feveral fons behind him; among others Alcæus, Sthenclus, and Electryon. Alcæus was the father of Amphitryon; Sthenelus of Eurytheus; and Electryon of Alcmena. Amphitryon married Alcmena. upon whom Jupiter begat Hercules.

Euryftheus and Hercules came into the world the fame day; but as the birth of the former was by Juno's management antecedent to that of the latter, Hercules was forced to be subject to him, and was obliged by his order to undertake the twelve labours, fo celebrated in fable.

The kings, who reigned at Mycenae, after Perfeus, were ELECTRYON, STHENELUS, and EURYSTHEUS. The last, after the death of Hercules, declared open war against his defcendants, apprehending they might fome time or other attempt to dethrone him; which, as it happened, was done by the Heraclida; for, having killed Euryftheus in battle, they entered victorious into Peloponnefus, and made themselves mafters of the country. But, as this happened before the time determined by fate, a plague enfued, which, with the direction of an oracle, obliged them to quit the country. Three years after this, being deceived by the ambiguous expreffion of the oracle, they made a second attempt, which likewise proved fruitless. This was about twenty years before the taking of Troy.

ATREUS

(1) A. M. 2148. Ant. J. C, 1856. Eufeb. in Chron. (m) A. M. 2530. Ant. J. C. 1474.

ATREUS, the fon of Pelops, uncle by the mother's fide to Eurytheus, was the latter's fucceffor. And in this manner the crown came to the defcendants of Pelops, from whom Peloponnefus, which before was called Apia, derived its name. The bloody hatred of the two brothers, Atreus and Thyeftes, is known to all the world.

PLISTHENES, the fon of Atreus, fucceeded his father in the kingdom of Mycena, which he left to his fon AGAMEMNON, who was fucceeded by his fon Oreftes. The kingdom of Mycena was filled with enormous and horrible crimes, from the time it came into the family of Pelops.

TISAMENES and PENTHILUS, fons of Oreftes, reigned after their father, and were at last driven out of Peloponnefus by the Heraclidæ.

(n) ATHENS. CECROPS, a native of Egypt, was the founder of this kingdom. Having fettled in Attica, he divided al! the country, fubje&t to him, into twelve diftricts. He also eftablished the Areopagus.

This auguft tribunal, in the reign of his fucceffor CRANAUS, adjudged the famous difference between Neptune and Mars. In his time happened Deucalion's flood. The deluge of Ogyges in Attica was much more ancient, being a thousand and twenty years before the firft Olympiad, and confequently in the year of the world 2208.

AMPHICTYON, the third king of Athens, procured a confederacy between twelve nations, which affembled twice a year at Thermopyla, there to offer their common facrifices, and to confult together upon their affairs in general, as alfo upon the affairs of each nation in particular. This convention was called the affembly of the AmphyЄtions.

The reign of ERECTHEUS is remarkable for the arrival of Ceres in Attica, after the rape of her daughter Proferpine, as alfo for the inftitution of the mysteries at Eleafs,

(0) The reign of EGEUS, the fon of Pandion, is the most illuftrious period of the hiftory of the heroes. In his time are placed the expedition of the Argonauts; the celebrated labours of Hercules; the war of Minos, fecond king of Crete, again the Athenians; the story of Thefeus and Ariadne.

THESEUS fucceeded his father Ægeus. Cecrops had divided Attica into twelve boroughs, or twelve diftricts, feparated from each other. Thefeus brought the people to understand the advantages of common government, and united the, twelve boroughs into one city or body politick, in which the whole authority was united.

CODRUS (z) A. M. 2448. Ant. J. C. 1556. (9) A. M, 2720. Aat, J.C. 1234,

CODRUS was the laft king of Athens; he devoted himself to die for his people.

(p) After him the title of king was extinguifhed among the Athenians. MEDON, his fon, was at the head of the commonwealth with the title of Archon, that is to fay, prefident or governor. The firft Archontes were for life; but the Athenians, growing weary of a government, which they fill thought bore too great a refemblance to royal power, made their Archontes elective every ten years, and at last reduced it

to an annual office.

(4) THEBES. Cadmus, who came by fea from the coaft of Phoenicia, that is, from about Tyre and Sidon, feized upon that part of the country, which was afterwards called Bootia. He built there the city of Thebes, or at least a citadel, which from his own name he called Cadmæa, and there fixed the feat of his power and dominion.

The fatal misfortune of Laius, one of his fucceffors, and of Jocasta his wife, of Oedipus their fon, of Eteocles and Polynices, who were born of the incestuous marriage of Jocaffa with Oedipus, have furnished ample matter for fabulous narnation and theatrical reprefentations.

SPARTA, or LACEDEMON. It is fuppofed, that LELIE, the first king of Laconia, began his reign about. 1516 years before the Chriftian æra.

TYNDARUS, the ninth king of Lacedæmon, had, by Leda, Caftor and Pollux, who were twins, befides Helena, and Clitemneftra the wife of Agamemnon, king of Mycena. Having furvived his two fons, the twins, he began to think of chufing a fucceffor, by looking out for a hufband for his daughter Helena. All the pretenders to this princefs bound themfelves by oath, to abide by, and entirely to fubmit to the choice, which the lady herself fhould make, who determined in favour of Menelaus. She had not lived above three years with her husband, before fhe was carried off by Alexander Paris, fon of Priam, king of the Trojans ; which rape was the caufe of the Trojan war. Greece did not properly begin to know or experience her united ftrength, till the famous fiege of that city, where the Achilles's, the Ajaxes, the Neftors, and the Ulyffes's, gave Afia fufficient reafons to forebode her future fubjection to their pofterity. The Greeks took Troy after a ten years fiege, much about the time that Jephtha governed the people of God, that is, according to Bifhop Ufher, in the year of the world 2820, and 1184 years before Jefus Chrift. This epocha

(†) A. M. 2934. Ant. J. C. 1070. (9) A. M.2549. Ant. J. C. 1455.