, INTRODUCTION. 39 



Ion, the temple of Belus, and other works of the East, and from, 

 what travellers have recorded of the pyramids, it appears that they 

 were really superb and magnificent structures, but totally void of 

 elegance. The arts in winch those nations, next to architecture, 

 chiefly excelled, were sculpture and embroidery. As to the sci- 

 ences, they principally bestowed their attention on astronomy. It 

 does not appear, however, that they had made great progress in 

 explaining the causes of the phxnomena of the universe, or indeed 

 in any species oi rational and sound philosophy; as a proof of 

 which it-may be sufficient to observe, that, according to the testi- 

 mony oi sacred and profane writers, the absurd reveries of magic 

 and astrology, which always decrease in proportion to the advance- 

 ment of true science, were in high esteem among them during 

 the latest period of their government. The countries which they 

 occupied were extremely fruitful, and without much labour afford- 

 ed all the necessaries, and even luxuries, of life. They had long 

 inhabited great cities. These circumstances had tainted their 

 manners with effeminacy and corruption, and rendered them an 

 easy prey to the Persians, a nation just emerging from barbarism, 

 and, of consequence, brave and warlike. 



The history of Persia, after the reign of Cyrus, who died in the 

 yeai before Christ 529, offers little, considered in itself, that merits 

 our regard ; but, when combined with that of Greece, it becomes 

 particularly interesting. The monarchs who succeeded Cyrus 

 gave ah opportunity to the Greeks to exercise those virtues which 

 the freedom of their government had created and confirmed. 

 Sparta remained under the influence of the institutions of Lycur- 

 gus : Athens had just recovered from the tyranny of the Pisistra- 

 tidse, a family who had trampled on the laws of Solon, and usurped 

 the supreme power. Such was their situation, when Darius (at 

 the instigation of Hippias, who had been expelled from -„ p 

 Athens, and on account of the Athenians burning the city of ' 

 Sardis) sent forth his numerous armies against Greece. 

 But the Persians were no longer those invincible soldiers who, 

 under Cyrus, had conquered Asia. Their minds were enervated 

 by luxury and servitude. Athens, on the contrary, teemed with 

 great men, animated by the late recovery of their freedom, -n p 

 Miltiades, in the plains of Marathon, with ten thousand ' ' 

 Athenians, overcame the Persian army of a hundred thou- 

 sand foot and ten thousand cavalry. His countrymen Themisto- 

 cles and Aristides, the first celebrated for his abilities, the second 

 for his virtue, gained the next honours to the general. It does not 

 fall within our plan to mention the events of this war, which, as the 

 noblest monuments of the triumph of virtue over force, of cou- 

 rage over numbers, of liberty over servitude, deserve to be read at 

 length in ancient writers. 



Xerxes, the son of Darius, came in person into Greece, with an 

 immense army, which, according to Herodotus, amounted to R r 

 two millions and one hundred thousand men. This account 'b" 

 has been justly considered, by some ingenious modern wri- 

 ters, as incredible. The truth cannot now be ascertained ; but that 

 the army of Xerxes was extremely numerous, is the more proba- 

 ble, from the great extent of his empire, and from the absurd prac- 

 tice of the eastern nations, of encumbering their camp with a super- 

 fluous multitude. Whatever the numbers of his army were, he 



