CXXXI. Such was the decision made with respect to these suitors, and in this manner the Alemæonida became illustrious in Greece. The first offspring of this marriage was called Clisthenes, after his maternal grandfather, the prince of Sicyon. He it was who divided the Athenians into tribes, and introduced a democracy. The name of the second son was Hip dance with much satisfaction to himself, though, as it should seem, to the great disgust of Clisthenes, who attentively observed him. After a short pause, Hippoclides commanded a table to be brought; upon this he first of all danced according to the Lacedæmonian, and then in the Athenian manner : at length he stood upon his head, using his legs as if they had been his hands. The two former actions of Hippo-pocrates, to whom afterwards was born a son clides Clisthenes observed with great command named Megacles, and a daughter called Agaof temper; he determined not to choose him rista, after the daughter of Clisthenes: she was as his son-in-law, being much offended with married to Xanthippus, the son of Ariphron. his want of delicacy and decorum; but when During her pregnancy, she dreamt that she he saw him dancing with his feet in the air, he brought forth a lion, and was very soon after. could contain himself no longer, but exclaimed, wards delivered of Pericles. "Son of Tisander, you have danced away your wife.”—“ Hippoclides cares not," was the abrupt reply. This afterwards became a proverb. CXXX. After this Clisthenes, demanding silence, thus addressed the assembly: "Ye, who have come hither as suitors to my daughter, are all entitled to my praise, and if it were in my power I would gratify you all, not distinguishing one in preference to the rest; but this is impossible, for as there is only one virgin, the wishes of you all cannot be satisfied : to each of you therefore, who must depart hence disappointed of your object, in acknowledgment of your condescension in desiring to marry a daughter of mine, I present a talent of silver; but I give my daughter Agarista to Megacles the son of Alcmæon, to be his wife according to the Athenian laws." Megacles accepted the honour, and the marriage was solemnized. there must have been different kinds of dances under this name; for it seems not at all likely that Clisthenes should quarrel with his son-in-law elect for exercising himself in a solemn and dignified dance. Of this dance also we are told that Plato approved, along with the Pyrrhic or military dances, which he certainly would not have done, if it had been of the immodest kind which is here reprobated. It may also without impropriety be observed, that the Athenians deemed those impolite who refused to exercise themselves in dancing, when the proper opportunity occurred; and what time could be more suitable than a nuptial feast? The act of dancing would naturally seem to indicate joy, but it constituted a part of the funeral ceremonies of the ancients. I have some where read of a tribe of Indians, amongst whom dancing was practised as a testimony of sorrow.-T. 1 Became a proverb.]-Lucian uses this as a proverbial expression, in his Apolog. pro Merced. Arduct, 'Irwezλudy, "Hippoclides cares not." We have one in this country, among the common people, nearly the same-" Who cares?" The expression gov pos perdes occurs frequently in the Vespis of Aristophanes, probably in allusion to this place of Herodotus. CXXXII. Miltiades was always very popular at Athens; but after the signal defeat of the Persians at Marathon, his reputation still more increased. He demanded of his countrymen a fleet of seventy ships, with a supply of money and of men: he did not specify to what place he intended to conduct them, he only promised that he would lead them to affluence, and to a country from whence they should bring abundance of gold. The Athenians believed and obeyed him. CXXXIII. Receiving the reinforcement he had solicited, Miltiades sailed to Paros. His pretended object was to punish the Parians, for taking an active part in favour of the Persians, at the battle of Marathon. This however was assumed; his resentment against the Parians arose from Lysagoras, the son of Tysias, a native of Paros, who had prejudiced Hydarnes the Persian against him. On his arrival before the place, Miltiades commenced a vigorous siege, sending at the same time a herald to the Parians, to demand a hundred talents; and declaring, that if they did not grant it, he would not leave the place till he had destroyed it. The Parians never thought for a moment of complying with his demand, but attended vigilantly to the defence of their city, strengthening those parts which were weak, and rendering, under advantage of the night, their wall twice as strong as it was be fore. CXXXIV. Thus far all the Greeks correspond in their account: what ensued is thus related by the Parians: Miltiades, reduced to great perplexity,' consulted with a female cap 2 Great perplexity.]—The account given of Miltiades, and of this particular expedition, by Cornelius Nepos, is materially different.-T. tive, a Parian by birth, whose name was Timo, CXXXVII. Miltiades had thus obtained a priestess of the infernal deities. On her ap- possession of Lemnos. The Pelasgians had pearing before him, she said, that if he wished been expelled Attica by the Athenians, whether to accomplish his designs upon Paros, he must justly or otherwise, I am not able to determine: follow her advice. In consequence of what she Hecatæus, the son of Hegesander, in his hisrecommended, Miltiades advanced to an emi- tory, says unjustly. The Athenians according nence before the city, and not able to open the to him, observing their territory near Hymettus, gates of a place consecrated to Ceres Thesmo- which they had given up to the Pelasgi as a phoros, he leaped over the fence: from hence reward for building them a wall, well cultivated, he proceeded to the temple, either to remove whereas formerly it produced little, and was of something which it was deemed impious to no estimation, they expelled them from it, with. touch, or with some other intention; on ap-out any other motive than envy, and a desire proaching the entrance, he was seized with a of obtaining the place. The Athenian account sudden horror of mind; and returning by the says, that the Pelasgi were justly expelled; same way, he in leaping a second time over the this people, they assert, made hostile excursions wall dislocated his thigh, though, as some say, from Hymettus, and frequently offered viohe wounded his knee. lence to the young women who went from Athens to the nine fountains, for the purpose of drawing water; for at this period the Greeks had no slaves. Not satisfied with treating these with great insolence and brutality, the Pelasgi selves masters of Athens. The Athenians think their conduct on this occasion entitled to the highest praise; for, having detected the Pelasgi of treachery, they might justly have exterminated them, instead of which they only expelled them the country. Thus circumstanced, they dispersed themselves, and some of them settled at Lemnos.-Such are the diffe CXXXV. After the above accident Miltiades returned home, without bringing the Athenians the wealth he promised, or rendering himself master of Paros, before which, after laying waste the island, he remained six-formed the bolder design of rendering themand-twenty days. When the Parians knew that Timo the priestess had advised Miltiades, they wished to punish her. As soon therefore as the siege was raised, they sent to Delphi to inquire whether they might put the priestess to death, as having pointed out to an enemy the means of possessing their country, and who had exposed to Miltiades those sacred ceremonies at which it was not lawful for a man to be pre-rent accounts of Hecatæus and the Athenians. sent. The Pythian would not suffer them to hurt her, saying, that Timo was not culpable, for that it was decreed that Miltiades should miserably perish, and that she was only the instrument of conducting him to his destiny. CXXXVIII. Those Pelasgi who settled at Lemnos, were very solicitous to avenge themselves on the Athenians. Knowing therefore the times of their public festivals, they prepared two fifty-oared barks to surprise the Athenian females who were engaged near 4 Hymettus.]-This place, now called Hymetto, was anciently famous for producing fine marble, abundance of bees, and excellent honey. The hills of Hymettus were the scene of the celebrated story of Cephalus and Est prope purpureos colles florentis Hymetti · CXXXVI. On his return from Paros, 3 Fifty talents.]-This, according to Cornelius Nepos, was the sum which it cost the Athenians to fit out the armament which Miltiades led against Paros.-T. T. 5 Athenian females.]-In the Greek, the wives of the Athenians. It is proper to observe, that the Athenians, who called themselves Athenaioi, never called their women Athenaiai, because Minerva is in Homer called Athenaia, such was their superstition. They spoke of their women by a periphrasis, as here, or by the word Ta, astai, female citizens, because Athens, by way of distinction, was called Art, the city. The feast here mentioned was called Brauronia, from the place at which it was celebrated. A goat was sacrificed, and rhapsodists sung portions of the Iliad; it was celebrated every five years. Young girls, sacred to Diana, celebrated this feast in saffron-coloured robes; they might not be more than ten years old, nor less than five.-Larcher which they sent a deputation to Delphi. The Pythian commanded them to render such satisfaction to the Athenians as they should require; they accordingly went to Athens, en be proposed. The Athenians set in order some couches in the Prytaneum, which they adorned with the greatest magnificence, they prepared also a table covered with every deli. cacy; they then required the Pelasgi to surrender Lemnos in a similar state of abundance: -"Whenever," said they, in reply, "one of your vessels shall in a single day make its pas. sage to our country with a northern wind, we will comply with what you require." This they conceived to be impracticable, as Attica lies considerably to the south of Lemnos. Brauron in celebrating the feast of Diana: many of these fell into their hands, and being carried to Lemnos, became their concubines. These women had a number of children whom they educated in the Athenian language and man-gaging themselves to submit to whatever should ners these accordingly refused to associate with the other children of the Pelasgi; and if one of them was at any time beaten by them, they mutually ran to one another's assistance. They thought themselves worthy of being their masters, and ultimately became so. The Pelasgians, observing this, were much exasperated, for, said they, if these children thus unite against the offspring of our legitimate wives, and are continually aiming at superiority over them, what will they do when they arrive at manhood? They resolved therefore to put these children to death, after which they determined also to kill their mothers. This action, added to a former one, in which the women of Lemnos destroyed all their husbands, with Thoas their king,' induced the Grecians to call every atrocious crime Lemnian. 1 Thoas their king.]-Later writers have made Hypsi pyle preserve the life of her father Thoas. The whole of this is beautifully described by Valerius Flaccus, in his second book. The motive which was supposed to induce the Lesbian women to this sanguinary action was this:-The Lemnian women celebrated every year a festival in honour of Venus; but having neglected this custom, the goddess punished their neglect by giving them a disagreeable odour, which made their husbands avoid them. The women, thus deeming themselves despised, slew all the men.-T. CXL. After an interval of some years, when the Chersonese on the Hellespont came under the power of the Athenians, Miltiades the son of Cimon, under the favour of the Etesian winds, passed in a single day from Elæos in the Chersonese to Lemnos; he instantly commanded them to depart from Lem. nos, reminding them of the declaration of the oracle," the completion of which they little expected. With this the Hephæstians complied, but the Myrinai not allowing the Chersonese to be Attica, sustained a siege, but were compelled to surrender. Thus, by means of Miltiades, the Athenians became masters of Lemnos. 3 2 Oracle.]-A speech of the kind related in the former chapter, though delivered by common persons, was con sidered as prophetic and oracular. 3 Means of Miltiades.]-Compare the account of He rodotus with that given by Cornelius Nepos HERODOTU S. BOOK VII. POLYMNIA. Xerxes "When Darins died, some contended that Ariamenes I. WHEN the news of the battle of Mara-serted his pretensions from being the eldest of thon was communicated to Darius, he, who was all his father's sons, a claim which mankind in before incensed against the Athenians, on ac- general consent to acknowledge." count of their invasion of Sardis, became still more exasperated, and more inclined to invade Greece. He instantly therefore sent emissaries to the different cities under his power, to provide a still greater number of transports, horses, corn, and provisions. In the interval which this business employed, Asia experienced three years of confusion; her most able men being enrolled in the Greek expedition, and making preparation for it. In the fourth, the Egyptians, who had been reduced by Cambyses, revolted from the Persians; but this only induced Darius to accelerate his preparations against both nations. II. At this juncture there arose a violent dispute among the sons of Darius, concerning the succession to the throne, the Persian customs forbidding the sovereign to undertake any expedition without naming his heir. Darius had three sons before he ascended the throne, by the daughter of Gobryas; he had four afterwards by Atossa, daughter of Cyrus: Artobazanes' was the eldest of the former, Xerxes of the latter. Not being of the same mother, a dispute arose between them; Artobazanes as 1 Artobazanes.]-Larcher is of opinion, that from this personage the celebrated Mithridates, king of Pontus, who for so many years resisted the Roman power, was descended. Diodorus Siculus, Polybius, and other authors, trace this prince to one of the seven Persians who conspired against Smerdis Magus. This Artobazanes probably enjoyed the satrapy of Pontus, and his descendants doubtless enjoyed it also, till Mithridates, surnamed Ctistes (the founder) became sovereign of the country of which he had before only been governor. This reasoning will hardly appear satisfactory, unless it were evident that the satrapies under the crown of Persia were hereditary, which was by no means the case. -T. 2 A dispute arose.]—The account given of this affair by Plutarch, in his Treatise of Brotherly Love, differs materially. should succeed him, as being eldest : others recommended Xerxes, because Atossa, daughter of Cyrus, was his mother, and he was born whilst Darius was actually king. Ariamenes accordingly went to Media, not with any hostile views, but peaceably to have the matter determined. Xerxes, who was on the spot, exercised the royal functions; but as soon as his brother arrived, he laid aside his crown and kingly ornaments, and hastened to salute him. He sent him various presents, and words to this effect: "Xerxes your brother sends you these Persians shall elect me king, you shall be next to myself." presents, to show how much he honours you. If the The reply of Ariamenes was, "I accept your presents; the crown I believe to be my right: I shall honour all my brethren, and Xerxes in particular." When the day of decision arrived, the Persians elected as judge Arta banus, brother of Darius. Xerxes, who depended on the multitude, objected to him, for which he was censured by his mother Atossa: "Why," she observed, “should thiest men in Persia? and why dread a contest, where if you refuse to have your uncle as judge, one of the worinferior you will still be next to the king?" Xerxes suffered himself to be persuaded, and after hearing the arguments of both, Artabanus adjudged the crown to Xerxes. Ariamenes on this hastily arose, made obeisance to his brother, and taking him by the hand, conducted him to the throne." 3 Consent to acknowledge.]—The principle of hereditary succession is universal, but the order has been variously established by convenience or caprice, by the spirit of national institutions, or by some partial example, which was originally decided by fraud or violence. See Gibbon, iv. 387. The jurisprudence of the Romans (he continues) appears to have deviated from the equality of nature, much less than the Jewish, the Athenian, or the English institutions. On the death of a citizen, all his descendants, unless they were already freed from his paternal power, were called to the inheritance of his possessions. The insolent prerogative of primogeniture was unknown: the two sexes were placed on a just level; all the sons and daughters were entitled to an equal share of the patrimonial estate. Amongst the Patriarchs, the first-born enjoyed a mys. tical and spiritual primogeniture. In the land of Canaan he was entitled to a double portion of inheritance. At Athens the sons were equal, but the poor daughters were endowed at the discretion of their brothers, claimed the throne because he was the grand- IV. Darius having declared Xerxes his heir, son of Cyrus, to whom the Persians were indebted for their liberties. III. Before Darius had made any decision, and in the very midst of the contention, there arrived at Susa, Demaratus,' the son of Ariston, who being deprived of the crown of Sparta, had fled from Lacedæmon. This man, hearing of the controversy, went, as is reported, to Xerxes, and recommended him to urge farther, in support of his claim, that when he was born, Darius was in actual enjoyment of the empire of Persia, but at the birth of Artobazanes, his father was only a private individual. The pretensions of Xerxes therefore could not be set aside, without the most obvious violation of equity. To strengthen this, the example of the Spartans was adduced, among whom, those children born after the accession of the prince to the throne were universally preferred to those born before. Xerxes availed himself of this counsel given by Demaratus, which so effectually impressed Darius, that he declared him his successor. For my own part, I think that Xerxes would have reigned without this advice from Demaratus, as Atossa enjoyed an almost unlimited authority." In England the eldest son alone inherits all the land: a law, says judge Blackstone, unjust only in the opinion of younger brothers. Upon the above I would remark, that Blackstone speaks judiciously: whilst I can consider the sentiments of Mr Gibbon as little better than declamation. It seems evident, that property continually subdivided must be rendered useless to all; or, if this were not the case, to create a numerous class too proud to be industrious, would be to introduce a swarm of useless and inactive drones into the political hive. The wealth of the elder brothers maintains the splendour and dignity of a state; the activity of the younger branches gives it life and strength.-T. 1 Demaratus.]—Xerxes gave Demaratus the cities of Pergamus, Teuthrania, and Halisarnia, because he attended him on his expedition to Greece. These places were enjoyed by Eurysthenes and Procles, his descendants, at the end of the first year of the 95th Olympiad. -Larcher. 2 Example of the Spartans.]—Cragius, in his useful book De Republica Lacedæmoniorum, speaks at some length on the right of succeeding to the throne of Spar. ta; but I do not find that he mentions the particularity which is here sanctioned by the respectable authority of Herodotus.-T. 3 Atossa enjoyed an almost unlimited authority.]— Atossa is the name which Pope applied to Sarah duchess of Marlborough. See his Moral Essays, ep. ii. 115; But what are these to great Atossa's mind. The Persian Atossa appears to have been an artful woman, and of a very intriguing spirit, fond of power, and using the most violent means to attain sometimes the prepared to march; but in the year which succeeded the Egyptian revolt, he died; having reigned thirty-six years, without being able to gratify his resentment against the Egyptians' and Athenians who had opposed his power. V. On his death, Xerxes immediately succeeded to the throne, who from the first, seemed wholly inclined to the Egyptian rather than the Athenian war. But Mardonius, who was his cousin, being the son of Gobryas, by a sister of Darius, thus addressed him: "I should think, Sir, that the Athenians, who have so grievously injured the Persians, ought not to escape with impunity. I would nevertheless have you execute what you immediately propose; but when you shall have chastised the insolence of Egypt, resume the expedition against Athens. Thus will your reputation be established, and others in future be deterred from molesting your dominions." What he said was farther enforced by representing the beauties of Europe, that it was exceedingly fertile, abounded with all kinds of trees, and deserved to be possessed by the king alone. VI. Mardonius said this, being desirous of new undertakings, and ambitious of the government of Greece. Xerxes at length acceded to his counsel, to which he was also urged by meanest ends; the parallel, according to the testimonies of most writers, seems pertinent enough. 4 Egyptians.]-Aristotle on this subject is at variance with Herodotus; he says that Darius having taken possession of Egypt, passed over from thence into Greece, confounding Darius with Xerxes. The authority of Herodotus, says Larcher, who was almost a contempo. rary, seems preferable to that of Aristotle, who lived a long time afterwards. 5 I should think, Sir.]-The word Aurrera I have ren. dered "Sir:" Larcher has expressed it by the word "Seigneur," as most significant of the reverence with which a slave addressed his lord. For my own part, I am inclined to consider it as a term of general respect, and not as having any appropriate signification, to intimate the condition of the Persians with regard to their sovereigns. Thus, amongst the Jews, the word rabbi meant, as it is properly rendered in our versions, "master," that is to say, it did not imply that they to whom it is applied were the masters of those who used it; but it was a term which custom adopted, and politeness sanctioned, as respectful from an inferior to a person above him. Add to this, that it was peculiar to the lofty genius of the oriental languages to adopt phrases by no means to be interpreted or understood in their strict and literal sense.-T. 5 All kinds of trees.]—It seems a little singular, that Mardonius should say this: for I believe it has always been acknowledged that the luxuriant climates of Asia produce every thing which reiates to fruit and vegetation, in far greater abundance and perfection than the less genial soil of Europe.-7. |