Before Chrift 477. 65 



At the fame time that Xerxes with the colleded force of Afia fuf- 

 fered fuch ignominious defeats from the valour of Greece, the Cartha- 

 ginians were feduced from their proper fphere of mercantile activity, 

 and tempted to enter into plans of conqueft, either by the entreaties 

 of a fugitive prince expelled from one of the fmall Sicilian territories, 

 as ftated by Herodotus, or by a treaty with Xerxes, as aflerted by Dio- 

 dorus Siculus, or by the co-operation of both caufes. According to 

 Herodotus, Amilcar, the Carthaginian general, invaded Sicily with an 

 army of 300,000 men coUedted from the various nations of Africa, 

 Iberia (or Spain), Liguria, Sardinia and Corfica (or Kyrnos), with a pro- 

 portional fleet. The Grecian accounts, (and unfortunately we have no 

 other) though differing widely in the particulars, agree in aflerting that 

 the Carthaginians were as unluccefsful as the Perfians ; that their whole 

 fleet was burnt by a ftratagem of Gelon king of Syracufe ; and every 

 man of them either killed, or referved to be the flaves of the Sicilian 

 Greeks. 



According to the fpeech which Herodotus puts into the mouth of 

 Gelon, he poflefled a very confiderable maritime power ; and he offer- 

 ed, on condition of being invefted with the fupreme command of the 

 allied forces, or at leafl: of the combined fleet, to join the Greeks with 

 two hundred triremes and a great land army, and alfo to fupply the 

 whole united armies with corn during the Perflan war. He at the lame 

 time referred to fome advantages he had obtained in a former war 

 againft the Carthaginians. This mufl give us a high idea of the fertil- 

 ity and refources of the Syracufian territories. \_HerQd. L. vii, cc. 158, 

 160.] 



477 — The Athenians, whofe maritime gallantry and conduct had 

 been the chief caufe of tlie defeat of Xerxes, ftill perievered in their 

 attention to their marine. They improved their harbour called the Pi- 

 raeus, fo as to be capable of containing a large fleet within its fortifica- 

 tions ; and they were henceforth regarded as the moft powerful ftate in 

 Greece. But it mufl be acknowleged, that their views were more di- 

 reded to naval pre-eminence for the fake of conquefls, than for the ex- 

 tenflon of commerce. 



474 — The confederated Greeks of Europe, Afia or Ionia, and the 

 Iflands, feeing the neceflity of a joint flock to be employed for the ge- 

 neral fervice in providing, vidualling, and arming, their fleets, refolved 

 that a contribution fliould be levied from each community. To adjuft 

 the due proportion, payable by every flate, they unanimoufly chofe 

 Ariftides, an Athenian general, who for his integrity was honoured 

 with the title of the '^ujl ; a title infinitely more glorious than the fre- 

 quently-profliiuted one of Great : and he, with the fatisfadion of all con- 

 cerned, fixed the whole fum at 460 talents, which is fomewhat lets than 



Vol. I. I 



