A T T I C A. 
of their treatment of Cimori, recalled him after five years 
banifiiment. Soon after his return, that great man fuc- 
ceeded in bringing about a peace between his countrymen 
and the Lacedemonians; and, with a view of diverting the 
Athenians from making war on their neighbours, he re- 
folved to find occupation for their arms abroad. Depart¬ 
ing, therefore, for Cyprus with a fleet of 140 veffels un¬ 
der his command, and being joined by fixty more from 
Egypt, he attacked A rtabazus, the admiral of Artaxerxes; 
and took 100 of his (hips. He next made a defcent upon 
Cilicia ; and totally defeated Megabazus, another officer 
of that prince. He then returned to Cyprus to form the 
fiege of Citium. In the courfe of this fiege, Ciinon fell 
lick. Perceiving his end approaching, he befeeched his 
mean to keep his death a fecret. They followed his ad¬ 
vice ; and, proceeding v\ ith their operations, obtained a 
fignal victory, in which they took too of the enemy’s 
lhips, and then failed back in triumph to Attica. 
Cimon’s death was much regretted by the Athenians. 
Plutarch, among other lofty encomiums, defcribes him 
as having been an afteCtionate foil, a faithful friend, a 
zealous citizen, a mod fkilful commander, and fo ex¬ 
tremely liberal as never to be equalled in generality. We 
mud add, that he had a fliare in all the important exploits 
of his time, and that he very much increafed the naval 
power of Athens. It appears to have been a principal 
object with Cimon to keep his countrymen in unremitting 
aCtion, while at the fame time he readily admitted the 
flighted; pretences to excufe their allies from perfonal fer- 
vice. His motive for this is obvious. The Athenians 
daily became more warlike, while their allies grew effe¬ 
minate and unacquainted with the ufe of arms. When 
young, he was a great favourite of Aridides, who reclaim¬ 
ed him from his extravagancies ; and in the end Cimon 
imitated Aridides in difintereftednefs and love of juftice. 
A remarkable indance of Cimon’s difintereftednefs is re¬ 
corded by Plutarch. A Perfian of didinCtion, having in¬ 
curred the refentment of his king, withdrew with great 
riches to Athens. Here, to procure Cimon’s protection, 
having offered that illudrious Athenian a magnificent pre- 
fent, Cimon alked him, “whether he defired to have 
him for his friend or for his mercenary ?” “ For my friend 
unquedionably,” anfvvered the Perfian. “ Then, (/aid 
Cimon,) retain your prefent ; for, if I be your friend, I 
may command your money whenever I want it.” 
The Spartans having forcibly deprived the Phoceansof 
the fuperintendance of the temple of Delphos, the Athe¬ 
nians replaced them in it after beating the Boeotians. But 
in a fubfequent engagement the Boeotians, with the adif- 
tance of their neighbours, cut the Athenian army in pieces, 
and killed their general Tolmedes. Megara revolted, and 
the Spartans made an irruption into Attica. Pericles, 
anxious to bring the war to a conclufion, privately cor¬ 
rupted Plidonax king of the Lacedemonians ; and having 
by that means fecured the fafety of Attica, failed againd 
Euboea, and fubdued it. The dates of Greece, weary of 
liich an exhauding war, ufed their united endeavours to 
reftore peace ; which was at length concluded between the 
two republics of Athens and Lacedemon, and their ref- 
pective allies, for the fpace of thirty years. 
We mud now turn our eyes to the adminidration of 
Pericles. To counterbalance his exorbitant power in 
Athens, the better fort fet up in oppofition to him Thu¬ 
cydides, the brother-in-law of Cimon, who exerted his 
utinoft endeavours to curb Pericles, and to maintain the 
balance between the nobility and people. Pericles, on 
the other hand, to retain the affection of the populace, 
entertained them with diows and feads ; took into his pay 
a great number of them to ferve on-board of a fleet he 
was fitting out; and edablifhed feveral colonies in the 
Cherfonefe, both with a view to difburden the city of a 
great number of fuperfluous idle people, and likewife to 
hold the allies in awe. In all thefe undertakings he pro- 
feffed to have no other aim than the public good. After 
the example of Themidocles, he annually augmented their 
Vol. II. No. 86. 
5*3 
navy with fixty (hips, a policy that; by difplaying the 
power and flrength of the Athenians, rendered them for¬ 
midable to their enemies, and relpeclable among (hangers. 
He divided the lands conquered by the republic among the 
old difbanded foldiers. 
Pericles, by a judicious didribution of proper rewards, 
excited a noble fpirit of emulation among the profeflors of 
the fine arts; and adorned Athens with the mafter-pieces 
of the mod fkilful artids. It niull be acknowledged, to 
the honour of Pericles, that whatever works of Greece, 
either in architecture, feulpture, or painting, have at¬ 
tracted the admiration of after-ages, were the fruits of his 
government, and of the attention bellowed by him upon 
the mod elegant fubjeCts. For many of thofe mailer- 
pieces we are indebted to Phidias the celebrated ftatuary, 
of whom the famous fiatue of Pallas, fo highly valued by 
the bed judges, was a capital work. Pericles replenifhed 
the city of Athens with ornaments that attracted the ad.- 
nuration of ltrangers, and infpired them with an high idea 
of the Athenian genius and power. Athens affirmed a 
new face. Pomp and magnificence fupplied the place of 
its original fimplicity. But the bed and mod fenjible ci¬ 
tizens difeerned, in this fuperb difplay, the approach to 
its meridian fplendour, and confequent decay. 
The allies in the mean time, and the enemies of Pericles, 
complained loudly of his wantonly lavishing thofe funds 
that ought to remain appropriated for the exigencies of 
the war. Pericles anfwered, that the Athenians were by 
no means accountable for their conduct in this refpeCt to 
their allies, who ought to be fatisfied with the protection 
afforded them againd the irruptions of the barbarians. He 
added, that the works at which they were pleafed to take 
umbrage, furnifhed employment and fubfidence to a vaft 
number of citizens. But this was not all ; the orators of 
the oppofite faction attacked him with great acrimony. 
Thucydides, in particular, wliofe inveCtives were fhar- 
pened by perfonal animofity, harangued againd him with 
Angular keennefs and ability ; and the coined between 
Pericles and him rofe to fuch a height, that it became 
neceffary that the one or the other fliould be baniflied the 
city. Pericles’s audrefs prevailed, and brought about the 
banifliment of his rival. Become now foie matter in Athens, 
he difpofed of the whole power of the republic at his plea- 
fure, and reigned abfolate in its mod flouridling days. 
Pericles now perceiving his authority to be firmly ef- 
tablifhed, and that the favour of the people was lefs ne¬ 
ceffary to him, gave another turn to the government, an<J 
infenlibly circumfcribed the power of the democracy. In 
this undertaking lie met with his ufual fuccefs, by means 
of his admirable lkill in managing the minds of the mul¬ 
titude, and bringing them to the temper he defired, by the 
force of his eloquence ; his conduCt, too, was now per¬ 
fectly irreproachable ; and his only aim feemed to be the 
public advantage. He poffeffed indeed a noble dilinterefted 
foul : for, during the long fpace that he enjoyed the entire 
difpofal of the public money, his private edate did not 
appear to have been at all increafed ; and excepting the 
largeffes procured by him for the people, and his expen- 
ces in embellifhing the city, his management was guided 
by the mod wife and prudent economy. The fixed object 
oi Pericles’s whole conduCt was, to raife Attjca to an un¬ 
rivalled fuperiority over the other dates of Greece. But, 
though of didinguirtied perfonal bravery, lie appears on 
the whole to have been rather averfe to war, from the 
mod amiable of all motives, humanity : and when un¬ 
avoidably engaged in it, he feems to have been careful, 
from the fame motive, never to undertake doubtful or 
hazardous enterprizes, conducting his meafures fo pru¬ 
dently as hardly ever to venture an engagement without a 
certainty of fuccefs. All his warlike operations were ma¬ 
naged with confummate lkill; particularly his fuccefsful ex¬ 
pedition into the Cherfonefe, during which he fortified the 
Greek cities in that country, and by building a drong wall 
acrofs the Idhmus, fecured it againd the inroads of the 
Thracians. He led an expedition as far as the kingdom 
6 P of 
