A M A Z 
they preferred their virginity, they went out as foldiers 
into the field. After fome years employed in this man¬ 
ner, when the time appointed for this purpofe was expi¬ 
red, they affociated themfelves with men, in order to 
obtain children. But the magifiracy, and all public offi¬ 
ces, ti'.ey kept entirely in their own hands. Tile men, as 
the women, are with us, were employed‘in houfehold af¬ 
fairs, fubmitting themfelves wholly to the authority of 
their wives. They were not permitted to take any part 
in military affairs, or to have any command or any public 
authority, which might have any tendency to encourage 
them to calf off the yoke of their wives. As foon as any 
child was born, it was delivered to the father, to-be fed 
with milk, or fitch other food as was fuitable to its age. 
If females were born, they feared their right bread, that 
it might not be burdenfome to them when they grew up, 
for they considered it as a great hindrance in fighting.” 
Juftinian reprefents the Amazonian republic to have 
taken its rife in Scythia. The Scythians had a great part 
of Alia under their dominion upwards of 400 years, till 
they were conquered by Minus, the founder of the Afiy- 
rian empire. After his death, which happened about 
r 1^0 years before the Chriftian tera, artd that of Semira- 
mis' and their fon Ninias, Ilinus and Scolopites, princes 
■of the royal blood of Scythia, were driven from their 
country by other princes, who like them afpired to the 
crown. They departed with their wives, children, and 
friends ; and, being followed by a great number of young 
people of both fexes, they paffed into Afiatic Sarmatia, 
beyond mount CamatTus, where they formed an edabliffi- 
ment, fupplying themfelves with the riches they wanted 
by making exctrrfioris into the countries bordering on the 
Euxine Sea. The people of thefe countries, exafperated 
by the incurfions of their new neighbours, united, fur- 
prifed and maffacred the men. 
The women then refolving to revenge their death, and 
at the fame time to provide for their own feettrity, de¬ 
termined to form a new kind of government, to choofe a 
■queen, ensfit laws, and maintain themfelves, without men, 
■even againft the men themfelves. This defign was not fo 
very furprifing as at firfi fight appears : for the greateft 
-number of the girls among the Scythians had been inured 
to the lame exercifes as the boys; to draw the bow, to 
throw the javelin, to manage other arms; to riding;, hunt¬ 
ing, and even the painful labours that feera referved for 
men ; and many of them, as among the Sarmatians, ac¬ 
companied the men in war. Hence they had no fooner 
formed their refolution, than they prepared to execute 
it, and exercifed themfelves in all military operations. 
They foon fecured the peaceable poffeffion of the coun¬ 
try; and, not content with'ibewing their neighbours that 
all their efforts to drive them thence cr fubdue them were 
ineffectual, they made war upon them, and extended their 
Own frontiers. They had hitherto made life of the in- 
ffruiftions and affiftance df a few men that remained in the 
■country; but finding at length that they could (land their 
ground, and aggrandize themfelves, without them, they 
killed all thofe whom .flight or chance had faved from the 
fury of the Sarmatians, and for ever renounced marriage, 
which they now conlidered as an unfupportable flavery. 
But, as they could only fecure the duration of their new 
kingdom by propagation, they made a law to go every 
year to the frontiers, to invite the men to come to them ; 
to deliver themfelves up to their embraces, without choice 
on their part, or the lead attachment; and to leave them 
as foon as they were pregnant. All thofe whom age ren¬ 
dered fit for propagation, and were willing to ferve the 
date by breeding girls, did not go at the fame time in fearch 
-of men: for, in order to obtain a right to promote the 
multiplication of the fpecies, they muff firfi; have contri¬ 
buted to its deftruftion; nor was any thought worthy of 
giving birth to children till fiie had killed three men. 
If from this commerce they brought forth girls, they 
educated them ; but with refpedi to the boys, if we may 
■believe Jtiftin, they firangled them at the moment of their 
O N 3. 395 
birth. According to Diodorus Siculus, they twilled their 
legs and arms, fo as to render them unfit for military exer- 
cil'es; but Quintus Curtius, Philofiratus, and Jardarus, 
fay, that the lefs favage fent them to their fathers. It is 
probable, that at firfi, when their fury againft the men was 
carried to the greateft height, they killed the boys; that 
when this fury abated, and moftof the mothers were fill¬ 
ed with the greateft horror at depriving the little creatures 
of the lives they had juft received from them, they ful¬ 
filled the firfi duties of a mother; but, to prevent their 
call ling a revolution in tire (late, maimed them in fnch a 
manner as to render them incapable of war, and employed 
them in the mean offices which thefe warlike women 
thought beneath them. In fhort, that, whet) their con- 
quefts had confirmed their power, their ferocity fubfiding, 
they entered into political engagements with their neigh¬ 
bours; and, the number cf the males they had preferved 
becoming burdenfome, they, at the defire of thofe who 
rendered them pregnant, fent them the boys,-and conti¬ 
nued ftill to keep the girls. 
As foon as the age of the girls permitted, they took 
away the right breaft, that they might draw the bow with 
the greater force. The common opinion is, that they 
burnt-that breaft, by applying to it, at eight years of age, 
a hot brazen inftniment, which infenfibly dried up the fi¬ 
bres and glands; fome think that they did not make life 
of fo much ceremony, but that when tire part was form¬ 
ed they got rid of it by amputation: foiue again, with 
much greater probability, affert, that they employed no 
violent meafures ; but, by a continual comp re Hi on of that 
part from infancy, prevented its growth, at leaft fo far 
as to hinder its ever being incommodious in war. 
Plutarch, in his life of Thefeus, gives fome account of 
a battle which had been fought between the Athenians 
and the Amazons at Athens; and he relates fome parti¬ 
culars of this battle which had been recorded by. an an¬ 
cient writer named Clidemus. Pie fays, “That the left 
wing of the Amazons moved towards the place which is 
yet called Amazonium, and the right to a place called 
Pryx, near Chryfa; upon which the Athenians, ifl'uing 
from behind the temple of the Mutes, fell upon them; 
and that this is true, the graves of thofe that were flain, 
to be feen in the ftreets that lead to the gate Piraica, by 
the temple of the hero Chalcodue, ate a fufficient proof, 
Ar.d here it was that the Athenians -were routed, and 
fliamefully turned their backs to women, as far as to the 
temple of the Furies. But fr-efh fupplies coming in from 
Palladium, Ardet-tus, and Lyceum, charged their right 
w ing, and beat them back into their very tents ; in which 
action a great number of the Amazons were flain.” In 
another place lie fays, “ It appears that the pafiage of the 
Amazons through Theffaly was not w ithout oppofttion ; 
for there are yet to be feen many of their fepulchres near 
Seotufaea and Cynocephalas.” And in his life of Pompey, 
fpeaking of the Amazons, Plutarch fays, “ They inhabit 
thofe parts of mount Caucafus that look towards the Hyr- 
canian fea (not bordering upon the Albanians, for the 
territories of the Gets: and the Leges lie betwixt): and 
with thefe people do they yearly, for two months only, 
accompany and cohabit, bed and board, near the river 
Thermodoon. After that they retire to their own habi¬ 
tations, and live alone all the reft of the year.” 
Quintus Curtius lays, “ The nation of the Amazons is 
fituated upon the borders of I-lyrcania, near the river 
Thermodoon. Their queen was named Thaleftris, and 
(he had under her fubjefition all the country that lies be¬ 
tween mount Caucafus and the river Phalis. This queen 
came out of her dominions, in confequence of an ardent 
defire fne had conceived to fee Alexander; and, being ad¬ 
vanced near the place w here he was, fiie previoufly fent 
meffengers to acquaint him, that the queen was come to 
have the fatisfaftion of feeing and converling with him. 
Having obtained permiffion to vifit him, (lie advanced with 
300 of her Amazon 1 ;, leaving the reft ot her troops be¬ 
hind.. As foon as flic came within fight of the king, file 
■ leaped 
