36 



ATHENS. 



Atheni. sis. He was now, however, guilty of errors, which 

 * -V ' frustrated the effect of his former exertions. With 

 the most shameful devotion to party-spirit, he over- 

 looked Phocion, the only great commander whom 

 Athens still retained, and appointed in his stead 

 Chares, whose incapacity had been so often conspi- 

 cuous. To him was joined Lysicles, a personage 

 never before heard of. A capital error seems also to 

 have been committed in the plan of the war. Against 

 Philip, placed as he was in a mountainous territory, 

 and at a distance from his resources, protracted and 

 harassing hostilities might probably have been suc- 

 cessful ; but the Grecian levies, little accustomed to 

 war, were ill calculated for coping in the field with 

 his hardy veterans. These considerations were over- 

 looked ; when Philip advanced and offered battle, it 

 was not declined ; and the two parties, each with 

 about thirty or forty thousand men, prepared to de- 

 cide the fate of Greece on the plain of Cheronea. 

 Battle of The contest was severe. The Thebans were pla- 



Cheroqea. ce( j on tne ^^ wing, the Athenians* on the left. 

 The latter, though opposed by Philip in person, 

 were for some time victorious ; but, pursuing too 

 hotly, exposed themselves to an attack of the Mace- 

 donian phalanx, which soon changed their victoiy 

 into a defeat. The Thebans also, after an obstinate 

 resistance, were routed, and their sacred band entire- 

 ly cut to pieces. Philip obtained a complete tri- 

 umph ; whde Greece, and above all, Athens, recei- 

 ved that mortal blow, from which they never reco- 

 vered. 



It was generally expected, that Philip would avail 

 himself of this opportunity of crushing entirely this 

 inveterate enemy. That prudent prince, however, 

 foresaw, that powerful obstacles were yet to be en- 

 countered, and that there was still a spirit in the 

 Athenian people which might render it difficult to 

 hold them in complete subjection. It would appear 

 also, as if the genius and fame of Athens had, in this 

 hour of her calamity, thrown a shield over her. Phi- 

 lip is reported to have said, " Have I done so much 

 for glory, and shall I destroy the theatre of that 

 glory :" Certain it is, that he shewed an anxiety to 

 gain Athens only by conciliation. He dismissed the 

 prisoners without ransom, gave them even their bag- 

 gage on being asked, and proposed terms of accom- 

 modation, which were not only moderate, but ad- 

 vantageous. The Athenians at first spurned the 

 idea of existing by the clemency of Philip, and pre- 

 pared rather for every extremity of resistance. This 

 display of spirit only served to make Philip adhere 

 the more steadily to his first offers ; moderate advices 

 prevailed ; and a treaty was at length concluded, by 

 which they retained the whole Attic territory, with 

 the addition of Oropus, a Boeotian city. Lysicles 

 was put to death ; but whether deservedly, or as a vic- 

 tim to public resentment, does not distinctly appear. 



Such was the final termination of the power and 

 greatness of Athens. From this moment her politi- 

 cal existence ceased. Here, therefore, it may be 

 proper to pause, and before tracing the more obscure 

 thread of her subscquert fortunes, take a short sur- 

 vey of what she was during that splendid period, 

 when liberty raised her to the summit of glory, in 



arts and in arms. We shall begin with a view of her Athens. 



external aspect ; we shall then survey her political and v "^~ v~ ' 

 moral constitution ; and, lastly, consider her wonder- 

 ful proficiency in the arts and sciences. 



Athens was situated on the Saronic gulf, oppo- Situation 

 site to the eastern coast of Peloponnesus. It Was in- a " d exter- 

 closed in a sort of peninsula, formed by the confluence nal _ "PI"- - "'" 

 of the Cephisus and the Ilissus. From the sea, on Atncus 

 which its greatness and importance so essentially de- 

 pended, it was distant about four miles. It was con- 

 nected, however, by walls of great strength and ex- 

 tent, with the three harbours of Pirajus, Munychia, 

 and Phalerus, The former, though the last of being 

 erected, was soon found the most commodious and im- 

 portant of the three, and became a sort of emporium 

 of Grecian commerce. A bay, formed by projecting 

 rocks, furnished a species of triple harbour, at once 

 spacious and secure ; and the surrounding shore was 

 covered with edifices, the splendour of which soon 

 rivalled those of Athens itself. These harbours were 

 joined to the city by a double range of walls, called 

 the long Watts, of which the north side, extending to 

 Pirxus, was t\ve miles ; the south, which branched 

 off to Phalerus, was four miles and a quarter in length. 

 That encompassing the Pirseus with Munychia, was 

 seven miles and a half. The long walls were built 

 of hewn stone, and were so broad, that carriages could 

 cross each other upon them. 



In the centre of the city itself, and constituting its 

 chief ornament, stood the Acropolis, the glory of 

 Grecian art. On this elevation the whole of Athens 

 was originally built ; but as the city extended, the 

 Acropolis came to serve merely the purpose of a cita- 

 del. Here, as in the safest and most conspicuous 

 situation, were accumulated all those works of orna- 

 ment, of which Athens was so prolific. The Acro- 

 polis became the grand depositary for every thing 

 most splendid which human genius could produce, in 

 painting, sculpture, and architecture. Its chief or- 

 nament was the Parthenon, or virgin temple of Mi- 

 nerva. This splendid edifice was 217 feet in length, 

 and 98 in breadth. Destroyed by the Persians, it 

 was rebuilt by Pericles, with great additional splen- 

 dour. Within was the statue of Minerva by Phidias, 

 the masterpiece of the art of statuary. It was of 

 ivory, thirty-nine feet in height, and entirely covered 

 with pure gold, to the value of forty-four talents, or 

 120,000 sterling. The Propylea also, of white 

 marble, formed magnificent entrances to the Parthe- 

 non. This edifice was on the north side of the 

 Acropolis, and near it was the Erectheum, also of 

 white marble, consisting of two temples, one of Mi- 

 nerva Polias, another of Neptune, besides a remark- 

 able edifice called the Pandroseum. In front of the 

 Acropolis, and at each end, were the two theatres, cal- 

 led the theatre of Bacchus, and the Odeum ; the one 

 designed for dramatic representations, and the other 

 for music. Both, and particularly the last, were of 

 extraordinary magnificence. 



Although, however, the principal treasures of 

 Athenian art were accumulated in the Acropolis, the 

 city itself contained many noble structures. Among 

 these we may particularly mention the Pacifc, or 

 gallery of historical engravings ; the Tower of the 

 Winds, by AndronicusCyrrhestes ; and numerous mo- 



