RHODES. 



citizens who had planned the Carian expedition. In this 

 itate of diftrefs, the Rhodians recurred to the Athenians, 

 and either by their afiiltance, or by exertions on their own 

 part, after the death of Artemifia, were reftored to their 

 ancient liberty. From this time till the reign of Alexander 

 llu' Great the Rhodians enjoyed undiflurbcd tranquillity ; 

 and as they delivered their cities and harbours to his cuftody, 

 tiny were on that account highly favoured by that prince. 

 Diodorus indeed tells us that Alexander depolited his lalt 

 will in the archives of the city of Rhodes, and fhewed, on 

 all occafions, a greater value for the Rhodians than for any 

 other of the Greek nations. But they no Courier had 

 heard of his death, than, taking up arms, they drove out 

 the Macedonian garrii'ons, and once more became a free 

 people. About this time Rhodes, the capital city, fuffered 

 very much from an inundation, accompanied by a temped 

 and halftones of an extraordinary fize, which demolished 

 many houfes, and killed a great number of the inhabitants. 

 The Rhodians foon repaired the damage which they had 

 fuftained, by a renewed and very fedulous application to 

 trade and navigation, the only fources of their wealth and 

 power. Although they were in amity with the neighbouring 

 princes, and were deiirous of obierving a drift neutrality, 

 by which prudential caution they were become one of the 

 moit opulent dates of Afia ; yet their inclination, concur- 

 ring with their intered, they fecretly attached themfelves to 

 Ptolemy : the molt advantageous branches of their commerce 

 fpringing from Egypt. When Antigonus, who had en- 

 gaged in a war with Ptolemy for the ifland of Cyprus, de- 

 manded fuecours of them, and they hefitated in declaring 

 again d their ancient friend and ally, his anger was excited, 

 md Iil' immediately ordered one of his admirals to fail with 

 his fleet to Rhodes, and feize all the fhips that failed out 

 of the harbour for Egypt. The Rhodians, finding their 

 harbour blocked up by the fleet of Antigonus, equipped 

 a great number of gallies, attacked the enemy, and obliged 

 him, with the lofs of many (hips, to quit his ltation ; An- 

 tigonus was incenfed, and threatened to befiege their capital 

 with his whole army. They remonltrated, but with little 

 effect, and the only terms of accommodation they could 

 obtain, were, that they fhould declare war againd Ptolemy, 

 that the) fhould admit Antigonus's fleet into their harbour, 

 and that ioo of their chief citizens fhould be furrendered 

 as hodages for the performance of thefe articles. The 

 Rhodians applied to their allies, ami particularly to Pto- 

 lemy, for al iltance ; and after great preparations on both 

 fides, Demetrius put himfelf at the head of a large body 

 of troops, increafed and mercenaries, who willicd 



to plunder Rhodes of its riches, and having laid wade the 

 country round the city, approached the city itfelf with his 

 powerful fin , and fortified his cam;, with ftrbng ram- 

 parts and a triple palifade. The Rhodians adopted every 

 pofiible meafure for a vigorous defence. After repeated 

 aflault nn the pari "I Demetrius, which were repulled 

 with , he brought forward a newly invented 



machi ," with a variety of other engines, 



and he employed in the ma them about 30,000 



men. The belieged, in the mean while, railed a new wall, 

 within that whi amy intended to batter with the 



helepolis. The city was furioufly all. mil il mi all Gdc8, both 



by fea ' , and an honourable capitulation on the part 



of the Rhodians being refilled by Demetrius, the attack 



-was renewed, and a breach made in the wall ; but the be- 



nh Im h intrepidity, thai 

 ny, after feveral unfuccefsful attempts, were forced t>> 



abandon the eutcrprilc ami retire. A feafbnable fupply of 

 provifions arriving lafe al Rhodes, the befieged gai 

 courage, and determined to lei lire to tl hies. 



In the execution of this projett a great number of Deme- 

 trius's troops fell victims, and the conflagration was fo great, 

 that Demetrius thought it molt prudent to move off his 

 machines, led they fhould be utterly deftroyed. Whilfl 

 the Rhodians were thus, with equal valour and peri'r vcrance, 

 defending themfelves and annoying the enemy, an embafly 

 arrived at the camp of Demetrius from Athens, and the 

 other cities of Greece, fohciting him to make peace with 

 the Rhodians. A ceflation of arms was agreed upon, and 

 terms were offered by Demetrius, which were rejected by 

 the Rhodians. The aflault was renewed, and a breach 

 having been made, it was entered by a detachment of 

 Demetrius's men ; which occafioned great confulion in the 

 city : but the Rhodians fought like men in the utmoit de- 

 fpair, and animated by their leaders, who encouraged 

 one another, they propofed a lad effort for the defence of 

 their city and country, which was that of breaking into 

 the very centre of the enemy's battalion, in the execution 

 of which meafure they killed both their commanders. Af- 

 ter their death, the red were cafily thrown into diforder, 

 and all to a man were either killed, or taken prifoners. The 

 Rhodians alfo, on this occafion, loft many of their braved 

 commanders. At length the helepolis was rendered ufelcfs, 

 by the dratagem of a Rhodian engineer, and this misfor- 

 tune, it is faid, induced Demetrius to conclude a peace. 

 Thus the fiege, after it had continued a whole year, was 

 raifed (B.C. 303) ; and the Rhodians amply rewarded all 

 thofe who had diflinguifhed themfelves in the defence of 

 their country. One indance of laudable conduct on the 

 part of Demetrius during the fiege deferves to be recorded. 

 At this time Protogenes, a celebrated painter, who was a 

 native of Cannus, a city of Caria, redded at Rhodes. His 

 houfe was in the fuburbs ; and he could not be prevailed 

 upon to quit it. The prince, furprifed at this refolution, 

 aiked him why he did not, like the other inhabitants, fecure 

 himfelf within the walls ? Protogenes replied, that he was 

 under no apprehenfion, fince he was fenfible that Demetrius 

 had declared war againd the Rhodians, and not againd the 

 arts. The prince was fo pleafed, that he took the painter 

 under his protection, and placed a guard round his houfe, 

 to prefcrve him from the infults of the foldiery. The chef- 

 d'oeuvre of this Protogenes was the picture of Ialyfus, fup- 

 pofed by the klioili.ni, to have founded their city. The 

 Rhodians having concluded a peace upon advantageous and 

 honourable terms, devoted themfelves again to trade and 

 navigation ; by which they not only became mailers of the 

 fea, but the mod opulent and flourilliing Itate of all Greece. 

 Their next war was with the Byzantines; and about the 

 time of its termination the famous Colodus of Rhodes was 

 overturned by an earthquake, which did other conliderablc 

 damage. In the year B.C. 203, the Rhodiansjoined Attalus, 

 -If Philip, king of Macedon ; and a 

 triple alii nee v is I irmed between the Romans, Attains, 

 and the lit In procefs of time, the fidelity of the 



attachment of the Rl 1 I jn {■> the Romans, of which they 

 had once and ... in 1 hibited unequivocal evidence, was 

 fufpeCtcd ; anil this fu'fpicion was confirmed when they en- 

 gaged with Perl. ., the (on of Philip, to Hand neuter. The 

 Roman fenate was incenfed, and the Rhodians lent mef- 

 fengers to appeafe their wrath, but their * eti unavail- 



1 1. li, however, in the year BC. [66, they were 

 admitted i" an alliance with Rome and favoured by the 

 fenate. Prom ; id, to the breaking out of the Mi- 



thridatic war, the Rnodii 1 d th ir liberties, while all 



theotherfl md colonies of Greece wen brought u 



the Rom.. n yoke, ami became provinces of that repul 

 In the civil war between Casfar and Pompey, th 

 latter with a numerous fleet ; but after the J . 



