By the GREEKS. 53 



LET it be fuppofed, however, that PARIS, fomehow or other, 

 got a (hip and crew, and arrived at Lacedzmon, when MENELA- 

 us and her brother were abfent, (for it is furely neceffary to fend 

 them away) j and let it be flill further fuppofed, that he had 

 been able to perfuade her to forfake her hufband, her 'child, 

 and her country, and to follow, to her own eternal difgrace, 

 a young adventurer to a flrartge land ; yet ftill infurmountable 

 difficulties flood in the way of his carrying her off. For it 

 muft be obferved, that Lacedaemon was not a fea-port town, 

 but a mediterranean place, being many miles up the country, 

 as appears from the map ; and further, that PARIS did not on- 

 ly carry off HELEN, but her effects, which confided in bulky 

 good's, fuch as, wearing apparel, carpets, tapeftry, and veffels 

 of different kinds. It was impoffible, therefore, for PARIS to 

 carry her off fecretly. He muft have done it openly and avow- 

 edly, and in the face of the fun ; and a number of horfes and 

 carriages were neceffary to tranfport the lady and her baggage 

 from Lacedjemon to the fea-port. Now, fuppofing MENELAUS 

 abfent, is it poffible to believe that his fubjec~ls would have fat 

 with their arms acrofs, and beheld the wife and the wealth of 

 their king carried off by a handful of banditti ? 



IT is not eafy to figure a tolerable anfwer to this objection. 

 The author of one of the fpurious hiftories of the Trojan war 

 in Latin felt its force, and to avoid it, pretends, that PARIS met 

 with HELEN in the ifland of Cythera, near the coaft of Sparta. 

 But this is inadmiffible ; for, in theory? place, HOMER exprefs- 

 ly fays, in a variety of paffages, that HELEN was brought from 

 Lacedsemon to Troy ; and, idly, Not only fhe, but all her valu- 

 able effeds were carried off; and fhe certainly would not have 

 thefe with her,- when upon an excurfion to an ifland in the 

 neighbourhood. 



WE come now to the period of the war. It is very furprifing 

 that the Trojans did not deliver up HELEN to the ambaffadors 



fent 



