SCYTHIANS. 



»eirel, into which the contrafting parties were to mingle 

 fome of their own blood, which they drew by a flight in- 

 cifion made in the finger, hand, or fome other part of the 

 body. They then dipped into the mixture the point of 

 fome warlike weapon, fach as a fcimitar, arrow, dart, 

 javelin, or battle-ax. The parties then uttered fome dire 

 imprecations on the firft breaker of the covenant, and, 

 having^ each of them taken a draught of the liquor, they 

 defired fome of the moft confiderable among the by- 

 ftanders to pledge them, and to be witneiles of the con- 

 traft, which was reckoned fo facred, that they thought 

 no punifliment fevere enough, either in this life or in the 

 next, for thofe by whom it fhovild be violated. 



Their vifarlike temper and exploits were fufficiently 

 known to the ancients ; fcarcely is there any nation to be 

 met with in hillory, fo famous for conquering wherever 

 they carried their arms, even as auxiliaries, and themfelves 

 remaining itill imconquered. Their frugal and (imple man- 

 ner of life, may indeed be fuppofed to have been a great 

 prefervative againft fuch invafions, as other more opulent 

 and luxurious nations were expofed to. But it is plain, 

 this was not always the cafe, fnice we find they were once 

 invaded by the king of Perfia at the head of a moil puiflant 

 army, from the power of which nothing but their valour 

 and policy could have delivered them. Upon the whole, 

 fuch were their llrength and courage, whenever they entered 

 into an offenfive or defentive war, that, as Thucydides him- 

 felf tells us, no nation, either in Europe or Afia, could equal 

 them either for ftrength, valour, or conduft ; nor could 

 any thing refift their power, when they were unanimous 

 among themfelves. 



Such care they took to cultivate this martial genius, 

 that even their women were inured to it betimes, infomuch 

 that no woman could be admitted into matrimony till (he 

 had killed at leaft one enemy with her own hands. As 

 for their youth, they were not without confiderable en- 

 couragements to infpire them with martial valour, or rather 

 ferocity, if we may rely upon the information of Hero- 

 dotus, who tells us that they were wont to drink die blood 

 of the firft prifoner they took, and to prefent the heads of 

 all the men they killed in fight to their monarch ; thefe 

 were either returned or regiftered, and the warrior enjoyed 

 privileges in proportion to the numbers he had (lain. They 

 ufed to take the (Icins of the (lain, to ftretch, dry, and tan 

 them, and then hang them at their horfes' bridles, where 

 they ferved both for trophies and napkins to the owner ; 

 he' being always moft eftcemed, who had the greateft num- 

 ber to difplay. Their pride, or rather barbarity, went fo 

 far, that they took off and dreffed tlie whole fliin of the 

 flain, and covered both their quivers and horfes, and fome- 

 times decked their own bodies with them; and ufed their 

 (kuUs for drinking cups. 



Had they only exercifed this kind of favage pride againft 

 thofe who came to invade them, it might indeed admit of 

 fome excufe ; but it doth not appear that they gave much 

 better quarter to thofe whole territories they invaded. 



In confequence of their living free from ambition and 

 cai"e, and eating plentifully of animal food, they acquired 

 ruddy complexions, and became fo plump and fanguine, 

 •that, to prevent their growing too unwieldy, they not only 

 afed a great deal of exercife, but even cauterized their 

 arms, (houlders, backs, and brcails, with a view to draw 

 off fuperfluous moiiture. They were remarkable for their 

 fidelity and friendfhip, which they ctteemed and gloried in 

 above all things. They commonly confirmed their friend- 

 fhip by fome fuch religious ceremony or oath, as we have 

 lately mentioned, but a Scythian feldona diffufed his attach- 



ments to more than two or three individuals, efteeming it 

 very difficult, if not impoffible, to keep it inviolate with a 

 greater number. And when fuch a friendlhip was once 

 contrafted, there was no danger or death which they would 

 not expofe themfelves to for one another. 



They were not more difpofed to friendfhip, than addifted 

 to refentment and revenge. If a man had received an in- 

 jury, which he was not in a capacity to retaliate, the cuftom 

 was for him to facrifice a bullock, and to roaft the flefh of 

 it in fmall pieces. Then he fpread the hide upon the 

 ground, and fat upon it, holding his hands down behind 

 him as if they had been tied ; upon which fignal all that 

 beheld him, whether friends, relations, or ftrangers, came 

 to inform themfelves about the injury and injurer, and if 

 they favoured his caufe, took up a piece of the meat, fet- 

 ting their feet upon the hide at the fame time, promifing 

 afTiftance accordingly ; one perhaps fent him five men and 

 horfes, another ten, more or lefs, according to their cir- 

 cumttances, or the nature of the injury. 



How populous the Scythians were, we have not been 

 able to difcover. If it be allowed that they made frequent 

 and bloody inroads one upon another, we cannot but fup- 

 pofe that it muft have lelfened their numbers exceedingly. 

 On the other hand, if we confider their plain and laborious 

 way of living, their climate, conftant exercife, and other 

 advantageous circumftances, which rendered them hardy 

 and ftrong, prolific and long lived, we can hardly conceive 

 they could be other than a populous nation : for we are 

 told, that very few died of ficknefs, but that in general 

 they lived to a good old age, infomuch, that many of them 

 being weary of the world, before death took them out of 

 it, it was ufual with fuch to haften their exit by throwing 

 themfelves from an eminence into the fea, or into fome river. 

 Herodotus, however, who feems in doubt whether they 

 were fo populous as fome, or fo thin as others reprefent 

 them, gives us an authentic inflance and monument in 

 favour of the former, which is as follows : they had, it 

 feems, a cuftom, not uncommon to other nations, at their 

 firft taking of the field to muiter their fighting men, and 

 to make every man caft an arrow into a proper receptacle, 

 which at their return from the expedition was again taken 

 up. By this expedient they could ealily compute not only 

 the number of their men, but alfo that of their flain, or 

 of thofe who either deferted, or abfented themfelves from 

 the war. It was at fome fuch mufter as this, that one of 

 their kings, whom Herodotus names Ariantes, being pre- 

 fent, and obferving thefe heads of arrows to amount to an 

 immenfe bulk and weight, as he had indeed a prodigious 

 army under him, ordered them to be melted and caft, and 

 made a large capacious veflel, which our author tells us 

 was ftill extant in his time ; and, though full fix inches 

 thick, was large enough to hold fix hundred amphoras, 

 that is about fifty hogfheads, and remained a monument of 

 this prodigious army. What feems to be a ftronger argu- 

 ment of their being populous, is, the fucceflion of colonies 

 which they fent out, chiefly towards the fouthern parts of 

 the world. 



The Scythians cultivated no arts or fciences, except 

 that of war, nor did they pay much attention to trade or 

 commerce, or any fpecies of agriculture except pafturage. 

 Their mode of hving was altogether incompatible with 

 commerce. They do not feem to have known any thing of 

 writing, until they brought it with them from Afia, after 

 their twenty-eight years' invafion of that country. 



Their language is very much unknown to us ; but the 

 extent of their territories and their intercourfe, and niter- 

 mixing with various other nations, muft occafion a great 



number 



