ing to a fimilar want , of inhabitants in 

 Thebes, by which they were difabled from 

 fupporting their general, that the Spartan re- 

 public was not then to tally overthrown, 



A fingle defeat by Ly fander ruined the A- 

 thenian ftate, and occafioned the lofs of the 

 city. 



The fingle battle of Cheronea ruined all 

 Greece, merely becaufe they had no men to 

 replace thofe who were loft at that time ; al- 

 though their numbers were by no means ve- 

 ry considerable. 



It is almoft incredible, that a city incapa- 

 ble of furnifhing an army of 20,000 men, 

 mould aim at univerfal empire ; yet, it is cer- 

 tain, that the inhabitants of Athens reckoned 

 their power irrefiftible, and fancied them- 

 felves able to fubdue the whole world. 



We laugh at abfurdities of this kind, with- 

 out confidering that we ourfelves are charge- 

 able with a fimilar folly. We have grafped 

 at the dominion of both ends of the earth, and 

 we fucceeded in acquiring it, when we had 

 only fuch enemies to contend with, as the 

 Greeks found in the ancient Perfians. But, 

 when we engaged with thofe who where fome- 

 what more upon an equality with us, in point 



of 



