cruiled witk the education of their childjen. 



psrmitted to join in tlie celebration of religious rites and 

 ceremonies, and many of them were coiilecrated to the fer- 

 vicc of particular divi:iities. 



Wur, being the principal employment of the Greeks in 

 the heroic ages, they fupplied by courage what they wanted 

 in (kill. They marched to the field in a deep phalanx, 

 rufncd impetuoufly to the attack, and bravely clofcd with 

 their enemies. Their principal weapon was the fpear ; and 

 when the ufe of this failed, they drew their (words, and 

 rulhed impetuoufly on the foe. The Greeks had alfo bows, 

 flings, and darts ; whicli were chiefly ufed in their military 

 pallimes. Their defenSve armour was complete : a light 

 helmet, adorned with plumes, covered the head and face, 

 a fine cordet defended the breaft, greaves of brafs defcended 

 to the feet, and an ample fiiield, loofely attaclied to the 

 riioulders, turned in all direftinns, and oppofed its firm re- 

 fiftance to every hollile afTault. Their dole compaft com- 

 bats ferved to excite the moft furious pafiions, aad to embit- 

 ter national animofity by pcrfonal hatred and revenge. Be- 

 fore any war could be undertaken, it was necelTary to dif- 

 patch ambalTadors, who explained the injury that had been 

 done, demanded fatisfadlion, and if this were refufed, de- 

 nounced the refolution of their community to profccute its 

 claim by force of arms. After the commencement of war, 

 the charatters of heralds were equally refpefled by friends 

 and foes ; and they travelled in fafety tlirough the midll 

 of embattled hofts. The ufe of poifoned weapons was for- 

 bidden, under pain of the divine difpleafure. The will of 

 the gods required that life fliould be fpared, when a fufii- 

 cient ranfom was promifed ; and when a treaty of peace 

 was concluded, without any ratification but the honour of 

 the contrafting parties, the perfidious wretches who be- 

 trayed the fantiity of their engagements were devoted, amidil 

 libations and facrifices, to the fury of the terrible goddefies. 

 (Iliad, iii.) 



From the praftice of war we may now turn our atten- 

 tion to the arts of peace. Pafturage and agriculture fup- 

 plied the Greeks with food and clothing ; but their imple- 

 ments for preparing thefe articles were very imperfeit. 

 The principal produce of their fields was barley, which 

 fupplied the ordinary food of men as well as horfes. Mills 

 were unkno\vn, aiid the grain was bruifed between two large 

 ftones with the hand. They cultivated the olive, but 

 knew not how to extraft tlie oil ; and though their foil 

 was favourable to the grape, the juice was obtained by a 

 tedious and operole procels, which rendered wine fcarce and 

 dear. Of the mecl.anic arts, weaving was bell underllood ; 

 and the hatchet, wimble, plane, and level, are the tools 

 mentioned by Homer, v.ho fejms to have been unacquainted 

 with the faw, the fquare, and the compafs. Homer does 

 not mention the orders of architefture ; and pillars are the 

 only ornaments afilgned to the edifio'S which he defcribes. 

 The roofs of the huufes, confiding of two floors, and lur- 

 rounded by a wall, were flat. The invention of enamelled 

 metals had been cultivated with peculiar fuccefs ; and though 

 painting, properly fo called, was rude and unformed during 

 the age of Homer, the genius of tlie divine poet has 

 defcribed the rudiments of liis kindred art with fuch graces 

 ^s would adorn its moll refined (late of perlection. Mufic 

 'vas muchpraftifed among tiie early Greeks, (See Mujlc of 

 il e GkeeK-S.) Tiie fciences were in alow and imperfeCl 

 llate. For arithmetic they had little occafion ; by means of 

 their ailronomy they were enabled to obferve the conllellations 

 which direCled the adventurous courfe of the mariner ; but 

 their navigation was fo imperfeft, that they ieldom aban- 

 doned the coalls. The only liars mentioned by Homer are the 



Vol. XVL 



G R iE C I A. 



They were 



Great and Little Bear, the Pleiades, the Hyades, Orion, 

 and the Dog-ltar. Of their games, we give an account 

 under Gamks and Gy.mn.\,stics. As to their general charac- 

 ter, we fliall tra.ifcribe two or three paragraphs from the 

 firll volume of Dr. GiUies's Hillory of Ancient Greece, 

 to which we have been indebted in the compilafion of this 

 article. "The Greeks," fays Dr. G., "had advanced 

 beyond that uniform infipidity of deportment, that fuUen fe- 

 rocity of manners, and tiiat hardened infenfibility of heart, 

 which univerfally characterizes tiie favage llate. They Hill 

 poflefled, however, that patient intrepidity, that noble 

 fpirit of independence, that ardent attach:nent to their friends, 

 and that generous contempt of pain, danger, and death, 

 which render the defeription of the wild tribes of America 

 fo interelling to a philofophic mind. Of two principal en- 

 joyments of life, fludy and converfation, tiiey were httle ac- 

 quainted, indeed, with the confolationt and pk-afures of the 

 firft, the want of which was compenfated by the fincerity, 

 the confidence, the charms of the fecond. Their focial 

 affeftions were lefs comprehenfive in their objcfts, but more 

 powerful in their efi'ects than thole of polifhed nations. A 

 generous chief rudies to certain death to revenge the caufe 

 of his friend ; yet refufes to the prayers of an aged parent 

 the melancholy confolation of interring the remains of liis 

 favourite fon, till the correfponding image of his own father 

 llrikes his mind, and at once melts him to pity. (Iliad, 

 xxiv.) The imaginary wants and artificial palfions which 

 are fo necelTary to urge the hand of indultry, and to vary 

 the purfuits of men, in improved commercial focieties, were 

 fupplied to the Greeks by that excefiive fenlibihty, which 

 interelled them fo deeply in the affairs of their commmiity, 

 their tribe, their family, and their friends, and which con- 

 ncCled them by the feelings of gratitude even with the inani- ■ 

 mate objeiils of nature. As they were not acquainted with 

 the fame diverfity of employments, fo neitiier were thev 

 fatigued with the fame giddy round of dilfipated pleafures 

 which augment the fplendid mifery of later times. Thougk 

 ignorant of innumerable ads which adoni the prefent age, 

 they had difcovered one of inellimable value, to render the 

 great duties of hfe its mod entertaining amufement. It will 

 not, perhaps, be eafy to point out a nation who united a more 

 complete lubordiiiation to cllablilhed authority with a higher 

 fenfe of perlonal independence, and a more refpeilful regard 

 to the diclates of religion witii a more ardent fpirit of mar- 

 tial cnterprize. Tiie generous quahty of their pohtical 

 ellablilhments, and tlieir fancied intercourfc with the gods, 

 confpired to raife them to a certain elevation of character 

 which will be for ever remembered and admired. This cha- 

 racter was rendered permanent in Sparta, by the famous 

 laws commonly aicribed to the invention of Lvcurgus, but 

 whicIi will appear (under that article) to have been •• ahnoft 

 exaft copies of the culloms and inilitutions that ur.iverfally 

 prevailed in Greece during the heroic ages." The character 

 of the Greeks in fublequent periods will appear in the ac- 

 count of the feveral llatis, provinces, or kingdoms, which 

 they occupied. 



The general hifl;ory of Greece may be divided into four 

 periods, marked by as many memorable opochas. The 

 fiijt extends to the fiege of Troy in the year 1 1 S4 B.C. ; the 

 era of its commencement is not precifely afcertaincd ; but if 

 we date it with the foundation of the kingdom of Sicyon by 

 iEgialeus in the year 20S9 B.C., it lalled 905 years. This 

 was properly the infancy of Greece ; and comprehends the 

 ellablilhment of the kingdoms of Sicvon, of Argos, i85»/ 

 B.C., of Athens, 1556 B.C., of troy. I J46 B C .. of 

 Thebes, 14(^3 B.C., of Mycenar, 1344 B.C.; the deluge 

 of Ogyges, J764 B.C. af.d that of Deucalion, 1503 B.C. ; 

 4 B tlie 



