On the Ancient HELLENES, 15.1 



tives, would readily determine the petty ftates lying between 

 the modern ThefTaly and Peloponnefus to prefs into the alliance. 

 At the fame time, gratitude for this benefit, as well as for thofe 

 enumerated in the preceding pages, might naturally enough 

 engage them to adopt the Gentile denomination of their gra- 

 cious benefactors. 



At firft the Gentile name Hellenes was confined to the can- 

 tons connected by the Amphictyonic confederacy ; and thefe, 

 as was juft now obferved, were all fituated between the con- 

 fines of modern ThefTaly and the Ifthmus of Corinth. When 

 the Dores, who were members of that confederacy, invaded 

 and conquered Peloponnefus, they communicated that name, 

 which themfelves had adopted before they left their original 

 feats, to the inhabitants of their new conquefts ; and now all 

 the Grecian tribes without diftinction became Hellenes. At 

 length the epithet of Barbarians, which at firft comprehended 

 only the tribes in the neighbourhood of the Hellenes who did 

 not accede to the alliance reprefented by the Amphictyones, 

 was extended to all the nations unconnected with the Hellenic 

 tribes. 



To conclude ; the Hellenes were not a particular race of peo- 

 ple, nor were they denominated from Hell en, the fabulous 

 fon of Deucalion. They were a feet of idolaters, peculiarly 

 addicted to the worfhip of the fun, who was, in fome of 

 the eaftern dialects, called Hel-En, i. e. the fountain of light. 

 They were found in Babylon, in Midian, in Arabia on the 

 confines of Egypt, and more particularly in Egypt itfelf, where 

 there were feminaries of learned men called Hellenes. From 

 one of thefe facerdotal feminaries, eftablifhed at Thebes or D{. 

 ofpolis, emigrated the leaders of the colony of Helladians, 

 which fettled in the neighbourhood of Dodona. Thefe built 

 the city of Hellas, and from them the canton which they poiTeiTed 

 2 wa&. 



