354 C II I 
art of war, and accudomed to an auftere and temperate 
life, Ire returned to the Achaeans. The knowledge 
which he had acquired made him fo eminent among 
them, that he was appointed general of their cavalry.” 
On the other hand, the legillator, being perfuaded that 
conqueds are generally unjuft and criminal, that they 
often exhauft the ftrength of the victorious nation, and 
almoft always corrupt its manners, endeavoured to pre- 
ferve the Cretans from the ambition of conqueft. The 
fertility of the illand abundantly fupplied their wants. 
They needed not that commerce fhould introduce among 
them the riches of foreign countries, along with which 
luxury and her train of attendant vices would a!lb be in¬ 
troduced ; and he knew how to infpire them with an in¬ 
difference for fuch acquifitions without exprefsly forbid¬ 
ding them. The gyfnriadic exercifes, which occupied 
the leifure of the gallant youths; the pleafures of the 
chace ; the ardour of friendfliip ; the public fliows, at 
which all the different orders of the community, both 
men and women, uled to alfentble ; the love of order, 
and of their country, with which he inflamed every 
bread ; the wife inftitutious, which united a whole na¬ 
tion fo clofely that they compofed but one family ; all 
thefe ties attached the Cretans to their native illand : 
and finding at home that happinefs which was the objeCt 
of their wilhes, they never thought of wandering abroad 
in fearch of an imaginary glory, or of extending their 
empire over other nations. Therefore, from the period 
at which that date aflumed a republican form, till the 
time when they were attacked by the arms of Rome, the 
nation was not once known to fend an hodile force into 
the territories of any of their neighbours. This indance 
of moderation is unparalleled in hidory ; no other nation 
can divide the glory of it with the Cretans. Indivi¬ 
duals indeed might leave their country to engage in any 
foreign fervice. Thofe princes and dates who knew 
their valour and Ikill in archery eagerly fought to take 
them into their pay; all the neighbouring monarchs 
were dedrous of having in their armies a body of Cretan 
archers. Over the whole world none were more cele¬ 
brated than they for bending the bow. 
Their paflion for war did not extinguifh in the breads 
<of the Cretans that exquillte fenfibility which is the 
mother and nrirfe of the fine arts. “The Cretans (fays 
Sozomen) gave an illudrious proof of their munificence 
to genius, by making Homer a prefent of a thoufand 
pieces of filver ; and to perpetuate the memory of this 
a£t of generofity, they recorded it by an infeription on a 
public column.” In Crete, adds Ptolemy, men are dill 
more defirous of cultivating their underdandings than 
of exercidng their bodily’ powers. Often when dillcn- 
iions arofc, the voice of wifdom and the charms of poefy 
recalled them to reafon and harmony. Thales of Gor- 
tynia, the preceptor of Lycurgus, was one of -their mod 
cel . ated philofophers. Being both a poet and legif- 
1 'ator, he made an happy ufe of his abilities and know¬ 
ledge to extinguifh among his countrymen the kindling 
J'parks of difeord. “His poems were moral difeourfes 
in verfe, which recalled the people to concord and fub- 
yniffion to the laws. Udnga regular meafure, he recoin-- 
mended the auderity of his fubject by the infinuating 
and powerful charm of fehtiment. So powerful were 
the effects of his verfes, addrefi’ed at once to the heart 
and underbanding, that their rage was gradually foft- 
•ened : they forgot intedine dilfentions, and ranged thern- 
felves around the ftandard of concord.” Men who felt 
fo drongly the influence of poetry and mufic, could 
fcarcely be enemies to pleafure. Accordingly they had 
a cudom of diftinguilhing their fortunate days with white 
dones, and their unfortunate days with black. At the end 
of the year they counted the number of their white dones, 
and reckoned that they had lived only fo many days as 
were didinguiflied for having been fortunate. They did 
not think mere exidence, without the enjoyment of 
pleafure, worthy of the name of life. For this reafon. 
T E. 
they caufed to be inferibed on their tombs: “He lived 
fo many days ; he continued in exidence fo long.” 
A paflion for glory is eafily awakened in a feeling and 
generous bread. The Cretans eagerly repaired to the 
famous folemnities of Greece, and were often crowned 
at tlte Olympic, Nentrean, and Pythian, games : others of 
them were favourites of the rnufes, and verfified the 
predictions of prophets, or celebrated the glorious deeds 
of their heroes. Several of them didinguiflied them- 
felves by hidorical compofitions. At the mod ancient 
games, a prize is faid to have been bedowed on the poet 
who fang the nobled hymn in honour of Apollo: Chry- 
fothemis of Crete fang and gained the prize. The ra¬ 
vages of time have deprived us of almod all their works: 
and if Pindar had not preferved the memory of fome of 
their crowns, we biould not know even the names of tire 
conquerors who wore them. The temple of Diana at 
Ephefus, built by the Cretan Ctclipon and his fon Me¬ 
tagenes, was not proof againd the frantic hand of the 
incendiary. Thofe ingenious architects’ had built it on 
the principles of the Ionic order : to the codiinefs of 
the materials, the elegance of the architecture, the fym- 
metry of the parts, and the rnajedy and perfection of 
the whole, they had added folidity and ftrength, without 
which the red mud have been of fmall value. Their 
names have defeendedto poderity, but the pillars of that 
monument which has perpetuated their memory have 
been difperfed or dedroyed. Scarce a vedige remains of 
that building which was edeemed one of the feven won¬ 
ders of the world. 
The republic of Crete, being edablidied on a folid 
bads, knew no foreign mader for a period of ten cen¬ 
turies. She bravely repelled the attacks of thofe princes 
who attempted to enflave her. At length the time ar¬ 
rived when the warlike and victorious Romans afpired 
to the empire of the world, and would differ none but 
their fubjeCts or daves to inhabit within tire reach of 
their arms. Floras does not fcruple to acknowledge, 
that the Romans had no other motives for invading 
Crete, but the ambitious delire of fubduing the renown¬ 
ed native country of Jupiter. “ If any perfon widi to 
know the reafons which induced us to attack Crete (fays 
he,) tire true reafon was our defire to fubdue fo cele¬ 
brated an idand. The Cretans had appeared to favour 
Mithridates, and the Romans thought proper to declare 
war againd them on that pretext. Mark Antony, father 
of the triumvir, attacked them with drong hopes of fuc- 
cefs ; but w r as feverely punidied for his prefumption and 
imprudence. The Cretans took a great part of his 
fleet, hung up his foldiers and failors on the mads amid 
the fails and cordage, and returned in triumph into their 
harbours.” 
The Romans never forgot nor forgave a defeat. As 
loon as tiie Macedonian war was brought to a conclu- 
fion, they again took arms againd the Cretans. QmntuS 
Metellus was fent to Crete with a powerful armament. 
He met with an obdinate and vigorous refidance. Pana- 
rns and Ladhenes, two experienced leaders, colleCling a 
body of 20,000 young warriors, all of determined cou¬ 
rage, employed their arms and arrows fuccefsfully againd 
the Romans, and protradted the fate of Crete for three 
years. Thofe conquerors could not make themfelves 
maders of the idand, beforededroying its braved leaders. 
However, their ufual good fortune at length prevailed. 
The fird care of the conqueror was to abolifli the laws 
of Minos, and to edablifh in their room thofe of Numa. 
Strabo, that enlightened philofopher, complains of this 
aft of feverity : and informs us, that in his days the ori¬ 
ginal laws of Crete were no longer in force, becaufe the 
Romans compelled the conquered provinces to adopt 
their civil code. 
From that era to the prefent time, including a period 
of near two thoufand years, the Cretans have no longer 
formed a feparate nation, nor made any figure among the 
kingdoms of the world ; their noble manners^ their arts 
& and 
