CHAP. IV. 



IN THE MINES. 137 



We find in Strabo l some account of these 

 kind of transactions, which convey an idea of 

 their extent, and of the systematic manner in 

 which they were conducted. " Trypon," he 

 says, " who possessed a fortified place in Cilicia, 

 first organized a company of pirates, and was 

 quickly followed by others ; but the chief induce- 

 ment was the profit derived from the sale of 

 persons reduced to slavery. Independently of 

 the facility for making slaves, the pirates had in 

 the island of Delos, which was a large and rich 

 commercial place, a depot capable of receiving 

 and despatching a great number of the slaves in 

 the same day." 



" The Romans contributed largely to this kind 

 of piracy. Having become rich after the destruc- 

 tion of Carthage and Corinth, they made use of 

 a great number of slaves, which induced pirates 

 to issue forth on all sides to furnish that luxury 

 by depriving of their liberty all the persons they 

 could seize upon." 



" The kings of Egypt and of Cyprus also 

 contributed to encourage this kind of piracy." 

 In eastern Asia, in Egypt, and in Spain, it is 

 probable, from the accounts we have, that the 

 slaves employed in the mines were not col- 

 lected by piracy, but by a kind of conscription 

 from the neighbouring countries, under circum- 



1 Strabo, book xiv. cap. 5. 



