ATT 
duft of the war, he never offered to difpute with him the 
glory of the fuccefs, but flittered him to enjoy it without 
a rival. Ariftides was in all refpedts the perfect model of 
a good citizen. 
The reader cannot fail to be anxious to know the cir- 
cumftances attending the laft part of the life, and the final 
exit, of this great man. But hittorians have left us alto¬ 
gether in the dark on that point. It is probable, however, 
that he ended his days in peace. Hittory only informs us, 
that, after poffefling for a long while the foie management 
of the public money, he died in fueh abfolute poverty, as 
not to leave fufiicient funds to bury him. But the repub¬ 
lic charged itfelf with this latt duty to its bell citizen; and 
likewife with the care of providing fuitable matches lor 
his daughters; and his fon Lyfimachus was maintained in 
the Prytaneum at the public expence. It w as nearly about 
this time, i. e. 44.5 years before Chl ift, that the Romans, 
having heard of the w ifdom of the Greek inftitutions, fent 
ten of their citizens to Athens, to inform themfelves of 
the different laws there eftablillied. It was from the col¬ 
lection made at Athens by thofe ten citizens, that the laws 
of the twelve tables were compofed, which formed the 
bafis of the after fvitem of Roman jurifprudence. 
Let us once more look back to Themiftocles. The A- 
thenians, refolved not to per nit him to remain in quiet 
under the protection of Admetus, required that prince to 
deliver him up, under pain of their difplealure. The¬ 
miftocles, informed by Admetus of the dilemma into which 
he had brought himfelf on his account, determined, with¬ 
out hefitation, to retire to a greater diftance (till from his 
cruel and ungrateful countrymen. He went on-board a 
fhip ; and, after efcaping feveral dangers, arrived at Cumes 
in Armenia. The Perfian monarch Artaxerxes, having 
heard of his being proferibed by his countrymen, had al¬ 
ready fet a price on his head ; and ilfued orders, that all 
perlons who arrived in any part of the coaft of his domi¬ 
nions thould be ftriCtly examined. Themiftocles, howe¬ 
ver, found means to reach Eolia undilcovered ; and, by 
the friendftiip of his hoft, a man of conftderable fubftance 
in that country, he was from thence condufted in a co¬ 
vered waggon to Suza ; the conductor of the waggon 
telling thole he met, that the perfon conveyed in the wag¬ 
gon was an Ionian lady, whom he was conducting to a 
nobleman at court. He was permitted therefore to pafs 
without further inquiry, the ladies in Perlia being always 
carefully guarded from public view. As loon as he came 
to the court of Artaxerxes, he told that he was a Greek, 
and begged an audience of the king. Being admitted into 
the royal prefence, he proflrated himfelf, as ufual, before 
the monarch, and made a molt moving fpeech to obtain 
his protection. You fee at your feet, fays he, Themifto¬ 
cles; a man who has indeed done much harm to the Per- 
fians, but who has it in his power to render them important 
fervices. My life is in your power. If you fave it, you 
will eternally oblige a man who begs it at your hands ; if 
you deprive me of it, you will deftroy the greateft enemy 
of Greece. Artaxerxes was aftonilhed at his intrepidity, 
and could not help admiring him. He made him no an- 
fwer for the prefent ; but, on being left alone, he gave 
himfelf up to the higheft tranfports of joy, crying out 
from time to time, “ I have Themiftocles in my power!” 
Next day, however, after deliberating coolly on this un- 
forefeen event, he refolved to aft the generous part, and 
to bind Themiftocles to his interefts by loading him with 
favours. He therefore called him into his prefence ; re¬ 
ceived him in the kindeft and molt obliging manner; pre- 
fented him with 200 talents, and queftioned him much 
about the affairs of Greece. Themiftocles, that he might 
be able to converfe more freely with Artaxerxes, applied 
himfelf to the ftudy of the Perfian language, and foon 
learned to fpeak it. In the mean time, the Perfian mo¬ 
narch was daily giving him ftjll greater and greater marks 
of favour, and on all occafions teftified a particular efteem 
for him. He married him to a Perfian lady c|" the higheft 
birtl?, made him his companion in all his pleafures, and 
converfed w ith him with great familiarity. His credit was 
fo high, that he was himfelf amazed at it. It is faid, that 
being one day at table with his children, and reflefting on 
the magnificence with which he was treated, he could not 
refrain from exclaiming, “ We had perifhed, my children, 
if we had not perifhed.” He fixed his refidence at Mag- 
nefia, a city of Afia Minor, and continued there for the 
remainder of his life. The revenues of three cities were 
aftigned him as a fund of fubfiftence. 
After Cimon had gained over the Perfians the viftories 
already mentioned, he returned to Athens, and employed, 
part of the fpoils taken from the enemy in fortifying Pi- 
reus, and embelhfiiing the city. Being chofen to conduft 
another expedition againft the Perfians, he expelled them 
from the Thracian Cherfonefe, and laid fiege to Thafus, 
whofe inhabitants had revolted againft the Athenians. 
1 his fiege is remarkable for its having continued three 
years; and for the obftinate reliftance of the befieged, 
whereby they expofed themfelves to the fevered misfor¬ 
tunes of war. It was declared capital for any perfon to 
talk of furrendering ; and the women feconded the efforts 
of the men, even cutting off their hair to make ropes. The- 
city, accordingly, flood out till famine carried off moft of 
its inhabitants. Cimon next fubdued all the country op- 
polite to Thrace, as far as Macedonia, of which kingdom, 
too, he was on the point of attempting the conqueft. Un¬ 
der thefe favourable circumftances, the number of inhabi¬ 
tants in Attica appears to have been greatly increafed. 
For, notwithftanding a great lofs of men in the courfe of 
the war, they lent out large colonies, to Eion on the ri¬ 
ver Strymon, to Amphipolis in Macedonia, and to the 
iftand of Sciros. 
Artaxerxes, hearing of thefe important fucceffes of Ci¬ 
mon, and of the increafe thence derived to the Athenian 
power, propoled to Themiftocles to take the command of 
a powerful army, which he had refolved to fend againft 
Attica. Such a propofal threw that illuftrious exile into 
the greateft perplexity. Agitated on the one hand by the 
ftrong affeftion ftill retained by him for his native coun¬ 
try, and the thoughts of the dilhonour he fhouid draw on 
himfelf by bearing arms againft it; and, on the other 
hand, by the powerful fentiments of gratitude towards a 
prince who had loaded him with the higheft favours ; he 
perceived that death alone could deliver him from his 
diftrefsful fituation. He refolved therefore to facrifice his 
life to his duty to his country, and to his gratitude to Ar¬ 
taxerxes. Affembling his friends, he bade them a moving 
farewell; fwallowed a draught of bull’s blood, and died 
at the age of fixty-five years. Artaxerxes was ftruck with 
admiration at this inftance of magnanimity, and highly re¬ 
gretted his dying fo prematurely. But, according to Thu¬ 
cydides, he did not die by poifon, but by a natural difeafe 
About this time, the moft violent earthquake ever felt 
before in Greece happened in Laconia. Not only were 
moft of the houfes thrown down by it, but'the earth open¬ 
ed and fwallowed up feveral fpots of ground in that neigh¬ 
bourhood. The Helots, taking advantage of this cala¬ 
mity, attempted to alfert their liberty ; and, joining the 
Meffenians, made war on the neighbouring cities. The 
Lacedemonians were reduced to the necelTity of begging 
affiftance of the Athenians. Cimon, thinking it ungene¬ 
rous to take advantage of the misfortunes of a rival city,, 
perftiaded the Athenians to affift them ; and, marching 
himfelf into Laconia at the head of 4000 men, he dilperL 
ed the Helots. 
At this time the celebrated Pericles began to acquire 
great influence in the adminiftration. Animated with a 
more ardent defire of glory than Cimon, he was become 
jealous of the reputation of that illuftrious Athenian; 
who, by his fervices to the ftate, and his liberality to his 
fellow-citizens, had gained their higheft efteem. Pericles,, 
therefore, refolved to oppofe him. Cimon was connected 
with the nobleft families of Athens. Pericles, on the other 
hand, in imitation of the political conduct of Themifto¬ 
cles, embraced the party of the people ; and omitted no¬ 
thing 
