ORE 
into a republic. To diftinguiftt the true Cretans from 
ftrangers, they were named Eteocretcs. The Lacedaemo¬ 
nians, Argives, and Athenians, were the principal peo¬ 
ple who lent colonies into Crete. This made Homer 
fay, “ Crete is an extenfive ifland in the midft of the 
ftormy main : its foil is rich and fertile ; it contains an 
immenfe number of inhabitants; and it is adorned with 
an hundred cities.” When formed into a republic, it 
received the well-known panegyric of Plato, ferved Ly- 
curgus as a model for that which he eftabliflied at Lace¬ 
daemon, and was beheld by all Greece with refpedt and 
admiration. Strabo has thought it not unworthy of his 
pencil, and has confecrated the leading features of its 
conftitution to lading fame in his immortal work. It 
was, indeed, a fyftem of legiflature, whofe diredt ten¬ 
dency was to call forth the buds of virtue in the heart of 
infancy; to open and expand them in youth ; to infpire 
man, as he reached maturity, with the love of his coun- 
try, of glory, and of liberty ; and to comfort and fupport 
the infirmities of age with the refpefit and elteem due to 
the experience and wifdom of that period of life. It la¬ 
boured to form affectionate friends, patriotic citizens, and 
worthy magiftrates. It made no ufe, however, of a mul¬ 
titude of adds and flatutes to produce thofe ineftimable 
advantages. They flowed all from one fource ; the pub-, 
lie education of youth, judicioufly directed. The vir¬ 
tuous examples fet before youth in the courfe of that 
education, the illuftrious deeds which were recited to 
them with high applaufe, the honours conferred on va¬ 
lour and on noble aflions, the opprobrium invariably 
cat! on vice ; thefe were the only means which the Cre¬ 
tan lawgiver made ufe of to form a warlike, humane, 
and virtuous, nation. All the Cretans were fubjedted 
to the power of their magiftrates ; and divided into two 
clafles, the adults and the youth. Men arrived at ma¬ 
turity were admitted into the firft. The fecond confifted 
of all the young men who were not below the age of 
feventeen. The fociety of adults ate together in public 
halls. There rulers, magiftrates, poor and rich, feated 
together, partook, without diftinction, of the fame Ample 
fare. A large bowl, filled with wine and water, which 
went round the company from one to another, was the 
only drink that they were allowed. None but the old 
men had a right to call for more wine. Doubtlefs, that 
people, fo celebrated for wifdom, were not ftrangers to 
the power of beauty ; for a woman was appointed to 
prefide at each table. She openly diftributed the molt 
exquifite meats to thofe who haddiftinguifhedthemfelves 
by their valour or wifdom. That judicious preference 
was fo far from exciting envy or jealoufy, that it only 
prompted every perfon to deferve it by brave and prudent 
conduct. Near where the citizens fat, two tables were 
laid, which they named hofpitable\ all ftrangers and tra¬ 
vellers were entertained at thefe : and there was alfo a 
particular houfe fet apart by the public, in which they 
might fpend the night. To fupply the public expences, 
every citizen was obliged to bring a tenth part of his 
annual income into the treafury. The chief magiftrates 
were to take care that every perfon contributed his pro¬ 
portion. In Crete, fays Ariftotle, one part of the fruits 
of the earth, of the produce of the flocks, of the reve¬ 
nues of the ftate, and of the taxes and cuftonts, is facred 
to the gods: the other is diftributed among the members 
ot the community ; fo that men, women, and children, 
all fubfift at the public expence. 
After dinner, the magiftrates and fenators ufually 
fpent fome time in deliberating on the affairs of the ftate ; 
they next recounted the noble deeds which had been 
done in war, celebrated the courage of their moft dif- 
tinguifhed warriors, and animated the youth to heroic 
valour. Thofe aflemblies were the firft fchool of the 
youth. At the age of feven, the'boy was permitted to 
handle the bow; from that time he was admitted into 
the fociety of the adults, where he continued till the age 
ot feventeen. There, fitting on the ground, and clothed 
VOL.V. No. 378. 
T E. 353 
in a plain and coarfe drefs, he ferved the old men, and 
liftened, with refpedtful' filence, to their advice. His 
young heart was inflamed with the recital of noble deeds 
in arms, and glowed with ardour to imitate them. He 
acquired habits of fobriety and temperance. And being 
conftantly witnefs of illuftrious examples of moderation, 
wifdom, and patriotifm ; the feeds of virtue were thus 
down and foftered in his heart before lie attained the ufe 
of reafon. He was early accuftomed to arms and to fa¬ 
tigue, that he might learn to endure excefiive heat or 
cold, to clamber and leap among hills and precipices, 
and to bear manfully the blows and wounds which he 
might receive amid the gymnaftic exercifes, or in battle. 
His education was not confined to the gymnaftic exer¬ 
cifes; he was alfo taught to fing the laws, which were 
written in verfe, with a certain fpecies of melody; in 
order that the charms of mufic might difpofe him to 
learn them with more pleafure, and might imprefs them 
more deeply on his heart, and that, if he fliould ever 
tranfgrefs them, he might not have the excufe of igno¬ 
rance to offer. He next learned hymns in honour of the 
gods, and poems compofed in praife of heroes. W hen 
he reached his leventeenth year, he retired from the fo¬ 
ciety of the adults, and became a member of that of the 
young men. 
Here his education was ftill carried on. He exercifed 
himfelf in hunting, wreftling, and fighting with his com¬ 
panions. The lyre played tunes of martial mufic ; and 
he learned to follow exactly the founds and mcafure of 
the mufician. Thofe fports and exeVcifes were fome- 
times attended with danger; becaufe arms of fteel were 
fometimes ufed in them. One dance, in which the youth 
afpired moft ardently to excel, was the Pyrrhic, origi¬ 
nally invented in Crete. The performers in that dance 
were arrayed in complete armour: they wore a light 
fliort coat, which did not fall below the knee, and was 
bound with a girdle going twice round the w'aift: on 
their feet and legs were bufleins ; above thefe they bore 
their arms, and performed various military evolutions to 
the found of nmfical inftruments. “The Lacedemo¬ 
nians and Cretans, (fays Libanius,) cultivated danc¬ 
ing with amazing ardour; they confidered, that their 
laws had directed them to practife it for the moft import¬ 
ant purpofes; and it was fcarce lefs difhonorable for a 
Lacedemonian or Cretan to negledt the military dances, 
than to defert his poft in battle.” 
When the youth had finifhed their exercifes, and at. 
tained their legal age, they became members of the clafs 
of adults ; being then confidered as men, they were per¬ 
mitted to vote in the national aflemblies, and were inti- 
tled to ftand candidates for any public office. They were 
then obliged to marry ; but did not take home their 
wives till fuch time as they were capable of managing 
their domeftic concerns. Frugality, moderation, friend- 
fhip, and unanimity, was what the Cretan lawgiver cul¬ 
tivated among his people ; and the community, which 
was regulated by his wife inftitutions, rofe to glory, opu¬ 
lence, and power; and was honoured with the panegy. 
rics of the moil celebrated philofophers of Greece; but 
the higheft honour it obtained, was that of ferving Ly- 
curgus as a model for the admirable form of govern¬ 
ment he eftabliflied at Sparta. 
The republic of Crete continued to flourifh till the 
age of Julius Caefar. The legiflature had inftituted a 
fyftem of laws, the natural tendency of which was, to 
infpire men with an ardent paflion for liberty, and with 
fuch virtue and valour as are neceffary to fupport and de¬ 
fend it. All the citizens were foldiers ; all of them 
were Ikilled in the art of war. The valiant youth of 
other nations reforted to Crete, to learn the exercifes, 
manoeuvres, and evolutions, of the military art. “ Phi- 
lopocmen (fays Plutarch) being impatient of indolence, 
and eager to acquire fkill in arms, embarked for Crete. 
After fpending a confiderable time in the nobleft exer¬ 
cifes among that brave people, who were Ikilled in the 
4 X art; 
