82 Before Chrift 3 H' 



merce from the channel in which it has been accuftomed to flow. But 

 now the frefli calamity of another fiege by Antigonus, one of the moft 

 powerful of Alexander's fucceffors, again reduced the queen of the fea 

 almoft to ruin ; and the Tyrians, after fuflaining a fiege of fifteen 

 months, were obliged to fubmit to the controul and infult of a garrifon 

 placed in their city by Antigonus (a". 313). [Diod. Sicul. L. xix — Strabo, 

 L. xvi, pp. 1098, 1113, 1128.] 



304 — Antigonus was not equally fuccefsful in his attempt to fubjugate 

 the Rhodians. Thofe commercial people, who were famous for the wif- 

 Gom of their laws and police, the ftrength, beauty, and convenience, of 

 their city and harbour, the extent of their trade, and the greatnefs of 

 their naval power, had preferved a llridl neutrality with all the con- 

 tending princes, who were then tearing the empire of Alexander in 

 pieces, and employed their ftiips of war only againft pirates, the general 

 enemies of all mankind. Antigonus, having demanded their afllfiance 

 againft Ptolemy king of Egypt, was fo incenfed at their refufal, that he 

 immediately fent a fleet to block up their harbour, and to feize all vef- 

 fels bound to Egypt. This did not, however, prevent the Rhodians from 

 difpatching their veflels for Egypt as ufual ; but they had the precau- 

 tion to fend a fuflficient convoy of warlike fliips, which beat off the hof- 

 tile fleet, and faw their merchant vefllels fafe into Egypt. Antigonus 

 now fent againft the Rhodians a more formidable fleet and a great army, 

 under the command of his warlike fon Demetrius, who was renowned 

 for his ingenuity in conftruding vefl^els of war, and engines for the de- 

 flruction of fortifications. The naval forces of Demetrius were aug- 

 mented by the accelTion of moft of the pirates of the Mediterranean fea, 

 eager to revenge upon the Rhodians the fevere reftraint they had iuffer- 

 ed from their fleets, and alfo longing to fliare the plunder of a com- 

 munity, whofe induftry, prudence, and commercial fpirit, had enabled 

 them to amafs great wealth during a long continuance ot tranquillity. 

 But, notwithftanding his great niilitary talents, Demetrius was com- 

 pletely baffled by the Rhodians, who bravely repulfed him in every at- 

 tempt he made to enter their city, and deftroyed feverals of the moft 

 formidable of his engines, the conftrudion of which had coft him in- 

 credible labour and expenfe. At laft, after an unavailing fiege of a 

 whole year, Antigonus directed his fon to make peace with the Rhodi- 

 ans -. and on this occafion Demetrius made them a prefent of all the 

 ftupendous engines he had uied for their deftrudion. The materials 

 of them fold for three hundred talents (/^58,i25 of modern fterling 

 money) ; and with that money, and fome addition to it, they made 

 their famous brafen ftatue of Apollo, 70 cubits (105 feet) in height, 

 which they fet up at the entrance of their harbour, where it was fo 

 placed, that veflels pafiTed between the legs of it in coming in or going 

 out. [Diod. Sicul. L. xx — Fltit. in Dcmet?-. — Strabo, L. xiv, p. 964 — Plin. 

 L. xxxiv, c. 7.] 



