t)4 Before ChTill 229. 



tofthencs, a man of an almofl uni%^erfal genius, of vafl erudition and in- 

 defatigable induftry. The accuracy of his hiftorical and chronological 

 refearches have 'entitled him to the appellation o^ father of chronology. 

 But he chiefly excelled in aflronomy and geography ; and in his geo- 

 graphical writings and his maps he followed Pytheas in defcribing our 

 Britifh jflands ; but the inoll of the exterior coaft of Europe, from Spain 

 northward, was then but very imperfectly knowai to the greatefl geo- 

 grapher that had ever yet appeared in the world. He obferved the obli- 

 quity of the ecliptic to be 23°, 51', 20": and from his obfervations on 

 the projedion of fhadows he calculated the equatorial circumference of 

 the earth to be 252,000 ftadia, equal to about 24,990 geographical miles ; 

 which, being only about 3,390 too much, if we confider the imperfeftion 

 of inftruments in his age, mufl be allowed to be wonderfully near the 

 truth *. From his knowlege of the nature of the globe, he declared 

 that the vaft extant of the Atlantic ocean was the only obftacle to the 

 navigation between Spain and India by going due weft : the very fame 

 idea, which with the help of the compafs fet Chriftopher Columbus on 

 the fcheme of fearching for India by the fame courfef . \Straho, L. i, p. 

 113 et pajfim — TUn. Hifl. nat. L. ii, r. 18 ; L. vi, c. 29 et pojfim.'] 



Some fliips belonging to Italian merchants had been taken by the 

 pirates of Illyria, a country on the eaft fide of the Adriatic fea. It is 

 probable that thefe merchants, as well as thofe who had fupplied Car- 

 thage with neceflliries during the revolt of the mercenaries, were of Etru- 

 ria or Campania, the later of whom, Polybius \L. iii, f. 91] fays, had 

 commerce with almoft every part of the world (by which maybe under- 

 ftoodthe greateft part of the Mediterranean fea) ; and, as a confequence 

 of their commerce, their towns were handfomer than any others in Italy. 



229 — The Romans paid little attention to the complaints of the mer- 

 chants, a clafs of people, who were in 110 great eftimation in their eyes, 

 till now that they wanted a pretence for making war upon the Illyrians. 

 They accordingly demanded fatisfadlion, which being refufed, they fitted 

 out a fleet of two hundred gallies, wherewith they fubdued the coun- 

 try. \folyh. L. ii, c. 2. £t feqq.'\ 



The Carthaginians were compelled by the Roman luft of univcrfal 

 dominion to deviate from their peaceful commercial fyftem, and in 

 emulation of that republic to eftablifli a regular and permanent mili- 

 tary force, which might oppofe the Romans in their evident defire to 

 enflave the world. But the condition of the republics differed widely. 



* Hippiichus, endcavo 

 tliene 



f 111 thi3 idea, as well as in the meafuic of the philoiopliers thought the Columns of Hercules (in 



circumference of the globe, he improved very much Spain and Africa )_/o/nfrf to thofe places which are 



upon the geography of Ariilotlc, who contracted near to India, 

 the bounds of tic ocean fo much as to reprcfcnt In- 



