Colophon, three powerful cities belonging to the neighbouring states. After having reigned thirty-eight years, he died, and was fucceeded by his fon, ARDYS reign'd 49 years. 'Twas in the reign of this prince, that the Cim-Her. c.15. merians, driven out of their country by the Scythæ AN.MUN. 3324. BeNomades, went into Afia, and took the city of Sar- fore CHR. dis, but not the citadel. SADYATT ES reign'd 12 years. 680. fore CHR. This prince declared war against the Milefians, AN.Mun. and laid fiege to their city. In those days the fieges, 3373. Bewhich were generally nothing more than blockades, 621. were carried on very flowly, and lafted many years. This king died before he had finish'd that of Miletos, and was fucceeded by his fon, HALYATTES reign'd 57 years. AN.MUN. Her. 1. 1. C. 21, 22. This is the prince, who made war against Cyaxa- Her. c.16. res, king of Media. He likewife drove the Cimme- 22. rians out of Afia. He attack'd, and took the cities 3385. Beof Smyrna and Clazomenæ. He vigorously profe- fore CHR. cuted the war against the Milesians, begun by his fa- 619. ther; and continued the fiege of their city, which had lafted fix years under his father, and continued as many under him. It was at length concluded in the following manner: Halyattes, upon an answer he received from the Delphic oracle, had fent an embaffador into the city, to propofe a truce for fome months. Thrafybulus, tyrant of Miletos, having notice of his coming, order'd all the corn and other provifions, affembled by him and his fubjects for their fupport, to be brought into the public market; and commanded the citizens, at the fight of a fignal that should be given, to be all in a general humour of feafting and jollity. The thing was executed according to his orders. The Lydian embaffador at his arrival was in the utmoft furprise to fee fuch a plenty in the market, and fuch chearfulness in the city. His mafter, to whom he gave an account of what he had feen, concluding that his project of reducing the place by famine would never fucceed, prefer'd peace to fo fruitless a war, and immediately raised the fiege. CRESUS. AN.MUN. His very name, which is become a proverb, car3442. Be-ries in it an idea of immenfe riches. The wealth of fore CHR this prince, to judge of it only by the prefents he made to the temple of Delphos, muft have been ex 562. ceffively great. Moft of thofe prefents were still to be seen in the time of Herodotus, and were worth Strab.1.13.feveral millions. We may partly account for the p. 625. & treasures of this prince, from certain mines that he 14. P. had, fituate, according to Strabo, between Pergamus 680. Her. 1. 1. and Atarnes; as alfo from the little river Pactolus, the fand of which was gold. But in Strabo's time this river had not the fame advantage. This uncommon affluence, which is a thing exc. 26-28. traordinary, did not enervate or foften the courage of Crofus. He thought it unworthy of a prince to fpend his time in idlenefs and pleasure. For his part, he was perpetually in arms, made feveral conquefts, and enlarged his dominions by the addition of all the contiguous provinces, as Phrygia, Myfia, Paphlagonia, Bithynia, Pamphylia, and all the country of the Carians, Ionians, Dorians, and Æolians. Herodotus obferves, that he was the first conqueror of the Greeks, who till then had never been subject to a foreign power. Doubtlefs, he muft mean thofe Greeks, that were settled in Afia Minor. But, what is ftill more extraordinary in this prince, tho' he was fo immenfely rich, and fo great a warriour, yet his chief delight was in literature and the fciences. His court was the ordinary refidence of thofe famous learned men, fo revered by antiquity, and and distinguished by the name of the feven wife men of Greece. Plut. in Solon, one of the most celebrated amongst them, Her. 1. 1. after having established new laws at Athens, thought. 29--33. he might absent himself for fome years, and improve sol. p. 93, that time by travelling. He went to Sardis, where 94. he was received in a manner fuitable to the reputation of fo great a man. The king, attended with a numerous court, appear'd in all his regal pomp and fplendor, drefs'd in the most magnificent apparel, which was all over enrich'd with gold, and glitter'd with diamonds. Notwithstanding the novelty of this fpectacle to Solon, it did not appear, that he was the leaft moved at it, or that he utter'd a word which discovered the least surprise or admiration; on the contrary, people of fenfe might fufficiently difcern from his behaviour, that he look'd upon all this outward pomp, as an indication of a little mind, which knows not in what true greatnefs and dignity confifts. This coldnefs and indifference in Solon's firft approach gave the king no favourable opinion of his new gueft. He afterwards order'd all his treasures, his magnificent apartments, and coftly furniture should be fhew'd him; as if he expected by the multitude of his fine veffels, diamonds, ftatues, and paintings, to conquer the philofopher's indifference. But these things were not the king, and 'twas the king that Solon was come to vifit, and not the walls or chambers of his palace. He had no notion of making a judgment of the king, or an estimate of his worth, by thefe outward appendages, but by himself and his own perfonal qualities. Were we to judge now by the fame rule, we fhould find many of our great men wretchedly naked and defolate. When Solon had feen all, he was brought back to the king. Then Craefus ask'd him, who was the man whom in all his travels he had found to be moft truly happy. "One Tellus (replied Solon) a F 2 ❝ citizen "citizen of Athens, a very honest and good man, "who had liv'd all his days without indigence, had always feen his country in a flourishing condition, "had children that were univerfally esteemed, and "the fatisfaction of seeing those childrens children, "and at laft died glorioufly in fighting for his "country." Such an answer as this, in which gold and filver were accounted as nothing, feemed to Crofus to argue a strange ignorance and ftupidity. However, as he flatter'd himself of being rank'd in the fecond degree of happiness, he asked him," who, of all those " he had feen, was the next in felicity to Tellus.” ad Solon answer'd," Cleobis and Biton, of Argos, two φὲς καὶ ps xai p-brothers, who had left behind them a perfect patλομήτορας διαφερόντας "tern of fraternal affection, and of the refpect due άνδρας. "from children to their parents. Upon a folemn * The fa tigue of drarving the chariot might be the cause of it. "festival, when their mother, a prieftefs of Juno, "was to go to the temple, the oxen that were to "draw her not being ready, the two fons put them"felves to the yoke, and drew their mother's cha"riot to the temple, which was above five miles "diftant. All the mothers of the place, ravished "with admiration, congratulated the priestefs on the piety of her fons. She in the tranfports of her joy " and thankfulness earnestly intreated the goddess "to reward her children with the best thing that "heaven can give to man. Her prayers were heard. "When the facrifice was over, her two fons fell asleep "in the very temple, and there *died in a foft and peaceful flumber. In honour of their piety, the people of Argos confecrated ftatues to them in the temple of Delphos." "What then (fays Crofus, in a tone that shewed "his difcontent) you don't reckon me in the number "of the happy?" Solon, who was not willing either to flatter, or exafperate him any further, reply'd calmly; "King of Lydia, befides many other ad vantages, the gods have given us Grecians a fpirit of " of moderation and fobernefs, which has produced amongst us a plain, popular kind of philosophy, accompanied with a certain freedom and boldness, "without pride or oftentation, and therefore not "well fuited to the courts of kings: This philofo 66 466 Years = 65,550. Do seexp # phy, confidering what an infinite number of vicif"fitudes and accidents the life of man is liable to, "does not allow us either to glory in any prosperity we enjoy ourselves, or to admire happiness in "others, which perhaps may prove only tranfient, "or fuperficial." From hence he took occafion to reprefent to him further, " That the life of man "feldom exceeds feventy years, which make up in all fix thoufand two hundred and fifty days, of which two are not exactly alike: fo that the time to come is nothing but a series of various accidents which cannot be foreseen. Therefore, in our opi"nion (continued he) no man can be esteemed happy, but he, whofe happiness God continues to the end of his life: As for others, who are perpetually exposed to a thousand dangers, we account their "happiness as uncertain, as the crown is to a per"fon, that is ftill engaged in battle, and has not yet "obtained the victory." Solon retired, when he Aucas had spoken these words, which served only to mortify eve Crofus, but not to reform him. * 66 Æfop, the author of the fables, was then at the court of this prince, by whom he was very kindly entertained. He was concerned at the unhandfome treatment Solon received, and faid to him by way of advice; Solon, we must either not come near princes at all, or speak things that are agreeable "to them. Say rather (reply'd Solon) that we θήσας; ὡς ἥκισα ἢ ὡς ἥδισα, which F 3 Κροῖσον. "fhould |