[ 27 ] 



inftitutions, and martial exercifes, and maft have made the love 

 of arms general, and the charader of^a foldier a favourite one, 

 introduced' a mode of education, which,- of courfe, augmented and 

 perpetuated the feverity of chara6ter. 



This was not only the &i\iaj.iqa' p£ Greece, in. what are called 

 her. heroic -tiiBleg, JA other iwoE^fiiiP;. J?i6F agp of barbarifm, but 

 was literally the cafe, irt ith« jWoft.poJifhed and refpedlable jera 

 of her ftory. The fmall monarchies were gradually overthrown, 

 but the 1 couintryi'ftill remained in its flate of divifion, and was 

 iportiomed ©ut, into a variety of fmall republics, moft of them 

 Democracies, eftabliilied on the ruins of the Monarchies. Athens, 

 in particular,'; which took a diftinguiflied lead, in literature, 

 eloquence, and the fine arts, and gave the ton to the tafte of 

 Greece^ was purely democratic. The prevalence of democracy, 

 therefore, may be pointed out as another powerful fource of 

 feverity of charader ; for this form of government inceffantly 

 feeds the pride of the individual. As a component part of the 

 fupremc majefty of the people, the fimple citizen is perpetually 

 flattered, by the homage of the orator and the poet*. He is the 

 fupreme maker and expounder of the laws, the arbiter* of peace 

 and war, the difpenfer of power and honours., He fees generals 

 and flatefmen proftrate at his feet. The luft of domination 

 inflames his head; the pofl^efllon of power' hardens his heart; 'all 



D 2 : :'• :■. ^^ 



* We find many of their fubjefts were feleded by tlie'Dramatic Poets on purpofe 

 to pay a compliment to the Atlienian people. — Oedipus Coloneus, for example. 



