When we confider the manners and character of the Seythians without prejudice, can we poffibly forbear to look upon them with efteem and admiration? Does not their manner of living, as to the exterior part of it at least, bear a great refemblance to that of the patriarchs, who had no fixed habita tion; who did not till the ground; who had no other occupation than that of feeding their flocks and herds; and who dwelt in tents? Can we believe this people were much to be pitied, for not understanding, or rather for defpifing the ufe of gold and filver? Is it not to be wifhed, that thofe metals had for ever lain buried in the bowels of the earth, and that they had never been dug from thence to become the causes and inftruments of all vices and iniquity? What advantage could gold or filver be of to the Scythians, who valued nothing but what the neceffities of man actually require, and who took care to fet narrow bounds to thofe neceffities? It is no wonder, that, living as they did, without heufes, they fhould make no account of thofe arts that were fo highly valued in other places, as architecture, fculpture, and painting: Or that they fhould defpife fine cloaths and coftly furniture, fince they found the fkins of beafts fufficient to defend them against the inclemency of the feasons. After all, can we truly fay, that these pretended advantages contribute to the real happiness of life? Were thofe nations that had them in the greatest plenty, more healthful or robust than the Scythians? Did they live to a greater age than they? Or did they spend their lives in greater freedom and tranquillity, or a greater exemption from cares and troubles? Let us acknowledge it, to the fhame of ancient philosophy; the Scythians, who did not particularly apply themselves to the ftudy of wifdom, carried it however to a greater height in their practice, than either the Egyptians, Grecians, or any other civilized nation. They did not give the name of goods or riches to any thing, but what, in a human way of fpeaking, truly deferved that title, as health, ftrength, courage, the love of labour and liberty, innocence of life, fincerity, an abhorrence of all fraud and diffimulation, and, in a word, all fuch qualities, as render a man more virtuous and more valuable. If to thefe happy difpofitions, we add the knowledge and love of God and of our Redeemer, without which the most exalted virtues are of no value and ineffectual, they would have been a perfect people.

Aurum irrepertum, & fic melius fitum

Cum terra celat, fpernere fortior,

Quam cogere humanos in ufus

Omne facrum rapiente dextrâ.

Hor. Lib. iii. Od. 3.

When

When we compare the manners of the Scythians with those of the prefent age, we are tempted to believe, that the pencils which drew fo beautiful a picture, were not free from partiality and flattery; and that both Juftin and Horace have decked them with virtues that did not belong to them. But all antiquity agrees in giving the fame teftimony of them; and Homer in particular, whofe opinion ought to be of great weight, calls them the most juft and upright of men.

But at length (who could believe it?) luxury, that might be thought only to thrive in an agreeable and delightful foil, penctrated into this rough and uncultivated region; and breaking - down the fences, which the conftant practice of feveral ages, founded in the nature of the climate, and the genius of the people, had fet against it, did at lalt effectually corrupt the manners of the Scythians, and bring them, in that refpect, upon a level with the other nations, where it had long been predominant. It is (c) Strabo that acquaints us with this particular, which is very worthy of our notice: He lived in the time of Auguftus and Tiberius. After he has greatly commended the fimplicity, frugality, and innocence of the ancient Scythians, and their extreme averfion to all diffiniulation and deceit, he owns, that their intercourfe in later times with other nations had extirpated thofe virtues, and planted the contrary vices in their ftead. One would think, fays he, that the natural effect of fuch an intercourfe with civilized and polite nations fhould have confifted only in rendering them more humanized and courteous, by foftening that air of favagenefs and ferocity, which they had before: But, inftead of that, it introduced a total diffolution of manners amongst them, and quite transformed them into different creatures. It was undoubtedly with reference to this change that Athenæus (d) fays, the Scy-, thians abandoned themfelves to voluptuoufnefs and luxury, at the fame time that they fuffered felf-intereft and avarice to prevail amongst them.

Strabo, in making the remark I have been mentioning, does not deny, but that it was to the Romans and Grecians this fatal change of manners was owing. Our example, fays he, has perverted almost all the nations of the world: By carrying the refinements of luxury and pleasure amongst them, we have taught them infincerity and fraud, and a thousand kind of fhameful and infamous arts to get money. It is a miserable talent, and a very unhappy diftinction for a nation, through its ingenuity in inventing modes, and refining upon every thing that tends to nourish and promote luxury, to become the corR 4 (d) Lib. xii, p. 524.

(c) Lib. vii, p. 301.

rupter

rupter of all its neighbours, and the author, as it were, of their vices and debauchery.

It was against thefe Scythians, but at a time when they were yet uncorrupted, and in their utmoft vigour, that Darius undertook an unfuccefsful expedition; which I fhall make the subject of the next article.

SECT. IV. DARIUS's expedition against the SCYTHIANS. (e) Have already obferved, that the pretence ufed by Darius, for undertaking this war against the Scythians, was the irruption formerly made by that people into Afia: But in reality he had no other end therein, than to fatisfy his own ambition, and to extend his conquests.

His brother Artabanes, for whom he had a great regard, and who, on his fide, had no lefs zeal for the true interests of the king his brother, thought it his duty on this occafion to speak his fentiments with all the freedom that an affair of such importance required. "Great prince," fays he to him," they,

44

who form any great enterprize, ought carefully to confider, "whether it will be beneficial or prejudicial to the ftate; "whether the execution of it will be eafy or difficult; whether "it be likely to augment or diminish their glory; and lastly, whether the thing defigned be confiftent with, or contrary to the rules of juice. For my own part, I cannot perceive, Sir, even though you were fure of fuccefs, what advantage "you can propofe to yourfelf in undertaking a war against the Scythians. Confider the vaft diftance between them and you; and the prodigious fpace of land and fea that separates them from you dominions: Befides, they are a people that dwell in wild and uncultivated defarts; that have neither "towns nor houses; that have no fixt fettlement, or places of "habitation; and that are deftitute of all manner of riches. "What fpoil or benefit can accrue to your troops from fuch "an expedition; or, to speak more properly, what lofs have ་་ you not reafon to apprehend?

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As they are accufiomed to remove from country to country, "if they fhould think proper to fly before you, not out of cowardice or fear, for they are a very courageous and warlike people, but only with a defign to harrafs and ruin your "army by continual and fatiguing marches; what would be66 come of us in fuch an uncultivated, barren, and naked "country,

(e) Herod. l. iv. c. 83-96.

* Omnes qui magnarum rerum | ipfis gloriofum, aut promptum effe&tv, confilia fufcipiunt, æftimare debent, aut certè non arduum fit. Tacit. Hiß. an, quod inchoatur, reipublicæ utile, | 7, ii. c. 76,

1

country, where we shall neither find forage for our horfes, nor provifion for our men? I am afraid, Sir, that through a "falfe notion of glory, and the influence of flatterers, you 06 may be hurried into a war, which may turn to the dishonour "of the nation. You now enjoy the fweets of peace and tranquillity in the midst of your people, where you are the ob"ject of their admiration, and the author of their happiness "You are fenfible the gods have placed you upon the throne to "be their co-adjutor, or, to speak more properly, to be the difpenfer of their bounty, rather than the minifter of their power. It is your pleasure to be the protector, the guardian, "and the father of your fubjects: And you often declare to 60 us, becaufe you really believe fo, that you look upon yourfelf as invested with fovereign power, only to make your people happy. What exquifite joy muft it be to fo great a prince as you are, to be the fource of fo many bleffings and under the fhadow of your name to preferve fuch infinite "numbers of people in fo defirable a tranquillity! Is not the glory of a king, who loves his fubjects, and is beloved by them; who, inftead of making war against neighbouring or diftant nations, makes ufe of his power to keep them in peace and amity with each other; is not fuch a glory vaftly "preferable to that of ravaging and fpoiling of nations, of filling the earth with flaughter and defolation, with horror, confternation and defpair? But there is one motive more, which ought to have a greater influence upon you than all others, I mean that of juftice. Thanks to the gods, you are "not of the number of those princes, who acknowledge no "other law than that of force, and who imagine that they have

*

a peculiar privilege annexed to their dignity, which private "perfons have not, of invading other men's properties. + You "do not make your greatnefs confift in being able to do whatever your will, but in willing only what may be done, with"out infringing the laws, or violating juftice. To fpeak plain, fhall one man be reckoned unjuft, and a robber, for feizing on a few acres of his neighbour's eftate; and shall "another be reckoned juft and great, and have the title of hero, only because he feizes upon and ufurps whole pro"vinces? Permit me, Sir, to ask you, what title have you to "Scythia? What injury have the Scythians done you? What reason can you alledge for declaring war against them? The

R5

* Id in fumma fortuna æquius, quod validius: & fua retinere, privatæ domus : de alienis certare, regiam laudem effe. Tacit, Annal, 1, xXV, 6, 1.

64

war

+ Ut fælicitatis eft quantum veli poffe, fic magnitudinis velle quantum poffis. Plin. in Panegyr. Traj,

"war indeed, in which you have engaged against the Babylo "nians, was at the fame time both juft and neceffary: The "gods have accc.dingly crowned your arms with fuccefs. It "belongs to you, Sir, to judge whether that which you are "now going to undertake, be of the fame nature."

Nothing but the generous zeal of a brother, truly concerned for the glory of his prince, and the good of his country, could infpire fuch a freedom: As, on the other hand, nothing but a perfect moderation in the prince could make him capable of bearing with it. Darius, as Tacitus obferves of another great emperor, had the art of reconciling two things, which are generally incompatible, the fovereignty and liberty. Far from being offended at the freedom ufed by his brother, he thanked him for his good advice, though he did not follow it; for he had taken his refolution. He departed from Sufa at the head of an army of feven hundred thousand men; and his fleet, confifting of fix hundred fail of fhips, was chiefly man. ned with Ionians, and other Grecian nations, that dwelt upon the fea-coafts of Afia minor and the Hellefpont. He marched his army towards the Thracian Bofphorus, which he paffed upon a bridge of boats: After which, having made himself mailer of all Thrace, he came to the banks of the Danube, otherwife called the Ifer, where he had ordered his fleet to join him. In feveral places on his march he caufed pillars to be erected with magnificent inferiptions, in one of which he fuffered himself to be called, the best and handsomest of all men Jiving. What a littlenefs of foul and vanity was this!

And yet if all this prince's faults had terminated only in Sentiments of pride and vanity, perhaps they would appear more excufable than they do, at leaft they would not have been to pernicious to his fubjects. () But how fhall we reconcile Darius's difpofition, which feemed to be fo exceeding humane and gentle, with a barbarous and eruel action of his towards Oebafus, a venerable old man, whole merit, as well as quality, entitled him to refpe&t? This nobleman had three fous, who were all preparing themfelves to attend the king in this expe dition against the Scythians. Upon Darius's departure from Sufa, the good old father begged as a favour of him, that he would pleafe to leave him one of his fons at home, to be a comfort to him in his old age. One, replied Darius, will not be fufficient for you; I will leave you all the three: Aud immediately he caufed them all to be put to death.

When

(f) Herod. 1. iv. c. 84. Senec, de Ira, c, xvi. Nerva Cæfar res olim diffociab les mifcuit, principatum & libertatem

cit, in wit. Agvic, cap. ¡¡¡.