A T II 



A T H 



may difcovcr the probable. According to the tale which 

 tlw; Athenians relate, it was the cruel pratlice of Minos to 

 fliut up his tributary vittims, the moment he received them, 

 in a labyrinth, where they were foon after devoured by the 

 minotaur, a monfter half a man and half a bull, the offspring 

 of the infamous amours of Pafiphae, queen of Crete : they 

 add, that Thefeus, havin;^- flala the minotaur, brovight back 

 the youngs Athenians, and was accompained on hi^ return 

 by Ariadne, daughter of Minos, who aihited him in tfcaping 

 from the labyriiith, and whom he abandoned on the (hores 

 of Naxos. Tiie Cretans, on the contrary, allege, that 

 the Athenian hollages were deftincd to the victors in the 

 celebrated games in honour of Androgens; that Thefeus, 

 having obtained permiflion to enter the lifts, overcame Tau- 

 rus, general of the troops of Minos ; and that this prince had 

 the generofity to do juftice to his valour, and pardon the 

 Athenians. 



Minos had efta!>lilhed an excellent fyftem of government, 

 which equally fecured the authority of the prince and the 

 liberty of the people, and connetted religions with political 

 influence. ( Ariftotlc's Politics.) Tiie advantages of this 

 fyftem Thefeus difcerned, and having returned and afcended 

 the throne of Attica, vacant by the deceafe of his father, 

 he refolved to improve the government of his country. 

 The twelve towns, founded by Cecrops, were become fo 

 many republics, each of which had its particular magiftrates 

 and chiefs almoll independent, whofc intercfts clafliing con- 

 tinually, produced frequent wars; and though imminent 

 dangers fometimes obliged them to have recourfe to the 

 protetlion of the fovereign, the lucceeding calm foon awa- 

 kened their ancient jealoulies. The royal authority, 

 fluftuating between defpotilm and degradation, alternately 

 infpired terror and contempt ; and the people, by the vice 

 of a conllitution, the nature of wliich was not exaftly un- 

 derllood either by prince or fubjefts, had no means what- 

 ever to defend themfelves againft the extremity of ilavery, 

 or the excefs of liccntioufncfs. Thefeus formed his plan ; 

 and, fuperior even to minute obftacles, took upon himfelf 

 its execution in detail. He traverfed the different diftricls 

 of Attica, and endeavoured every where to infinuate him- 

 felf into the favour of the people, who with ardour received 

 a projeA which feemcd to reftore to them their primitive 

 liberty ; but the wealthier clafs, tearing to lofe the authority 

 they had ufurpcd, and apprehenfive of feeing a kind ot 

 equality eftablilhed between all ranks of citizens, murmured 

 at an innovation which dimniilhed the royal prerogative : 

 not daring, however, openly to oppofe the will of a prince, 

 who was endeavouring to obtain by perfuaTion, what he 

 might exaft by force, they contented, but with a fecret 

 determination to proteft againil the mealure when circum- 

 llances might be more favourable. It was now determined 

 that Athens fhould be the metropolis and centre of the ftate ; 

 that the fcnates of the cities ihould be aboiifhed ; that the 

 legiflative power thonid relide in the general affembly of the 

 nation, divided into three claffes, the nobles, the luitband- 

 men, and the artificers ; that the firll magiftrates, chofen 

 out of the former, ftiould have the iupcrintendance of the 

 facred rites, and be the interpreters of the lav. s ; that the dif- 

 ferent orders of citizens (hould form a mutual balaixe, the 

 firft, having in its favour the fplcndor of dignities ; tlie fe- 

 cond, the importance ot Icrvice.s ; and the third, the fupe- 

 liority of number. ( Plutarch's Thefeus. ) It was deter- 

 iniucd in tine, tiiat Tiiefcus, placed at the head of the re- 

 public, (hould be the defender of the laws it might enaCt, 

 and the general of the troops deftincd to its defence. He 

 erected tribunals for the magiftrates ; enlarged the capital, 

 and embcUilhed it as far m the imperfetlion of the arts 



2 



at that time would permit. Strangers, invited to become 

 citizens, flocked thither from all parts, and were incorpo- 

 rated with the ancient inhabitants. He added the territory 

 of Mcgara to the country ; he placed a column on the iilh- 

 mus of Corinth, as a boundary between Attica and Pelo- 

 ponnefus ; and revived, near this pillar, the Ifthmian games, 

 in imitation of thofe lately inftituted by Hercules at Olym- 

 pia. Every thing now teemed favourable to h'.:, views : he 

 governed a free people, retained in obedience, by his mode- 

 ration and his bounties ; he dictated laws of peace and hu- 

 manity to theneighboui'ing nations, and enjoyed a forctafte of 

 that profound veneration with which fucceeding ages gra- 

 dually honour the memoi-y of great men. Thtfeus alfo en- 

 gaged in new undertakings ot valour, fonie of them very 

 unjullitiable (fee Turstus, Hercules, and Pirithous), 

 and all ot them prejudicial to his country, by occupying that 

 time which might have been cn'ploycd in the tarther improve- 

 ment of the ftate. But with thete exceptions, Tiiefeus was 

 a very great and benehcial fovereign, and his reign was a very 

 important epoch in Athenian hillory. For fcveral ages, 

 however, Athens was cnly a fecondary power: in the time of 

 Homer, that ftate lent but fifty fliips, whereas feveral other 

 countries fent eighty, and Myctnc a hundred. The comph- 

 ment of men to each, being 120, the troops amounted to 

 about 6000. 



Pull tifty more from Athens flem the main, 



Led by Menetlheus thro' the liquid plain ; 



No chief like thee, Meneftheus ! Greece could yield. 



To marthal armies in the dully lield, 



Th' extended wings of battle to dilplay, 



Or dole th' embodied holl in tirm array. 



Neftor alone, improv'd by length of days. 



For martial conduct bore an equal praile. 



See Pope's Homer's Iliad, 1. ii. 

 At the time of the Trojan war, B. C. 11 84. Athens, like 

 other ftates of Greece, v/as fubjefted to a hmited monarchy, 

 but not ftri6tly hereditary. Meneftheus fuccecded The- 

 feus, in preference to the fon of that monarch. Meneftheus 

 was fuccecded by Demophoon, who dillinguiflicd himfelf 

 at the liege of Troy, and on his return was eminent for 

 political improvement. By him was creiSled the famous 

 court of the Ephkt;e, for tiying wilful murder by a tribunal 

 to which the Britilh jury bears a conllderable analogy. By 

 this court, the king himtelf afterwards fubmitted to be tried, 

 for having accidentally killed one of his fubjeCts. lie reigned 

 thirty-three years, ai.d was fucceeded by his fon Oxyntes, 

 who reigned twelve years. Oxyntes was fucceeded by his 

 foil Aphydas, who v>'as murdered by Thymastes, the ballard 

 fon of Oxyntes. Thymcetes dcmonftrated himfelf very un- 

 worthy to reign, and was at length dethroned to make room 

 for a man who had diftinguiflied himfelf in the following 

 manner. There happened to arife a conttft between the 

 king of BcEotia and the Athenians, about a frontier town. 

 The hoftile prince challenged Thyma^tes to determine their 

 difpute by a tingle combat. The Athenian fovereign chofe 

 to decline, but Melanthus, an exile from Metlenia, who then 

 refided at Athens, accepted the challenge. When they en- 

 countered, Melanthus demanded of his adverfary, wliv, con- 

 trary to articles, he had brought a fecond into the field ? He 

 turned about to fee who the alleged iecond was, v.'liereupon 

 Melanthus run him through the body. Delighted with tliis 

 victory, the Athenians did not regard the means by which 

 it had been obtained, and appointed the conqueror their 

 king. Melantiuis was fucceeded by his fon Codrus : this 

 prince was attacked by the Heraclid;e : having heard that 

 the oracle promifed the vidory to that army which fliould 

 lofe its general in the battle, lie voluiitaril)- devoted himftjf 



to 



