G R E 
of hiftorical detail. The defigiis of the Argo¬ 
nauts are veiled under tlie allegorical phrafe, “of car¬ 
rying off the golden fleece;” which, though cafily ex¬ 
plained, If we admit the report that the inliabitants of 
the eaftern banks of the Euxine extended fleeces of 
wool, in order to colledl the golden particles which 
were carried dovvn by the torrents from Mount Cau- 
cafus, is yet defcribed in fuch various language by an¬ 
cient writers, tnat almofl: every modern who examines 
the fubjett, thinks hinifelf entitled to offer, by way of 
explanation, Ibme new conjeOhire of his own. But in 
oppofition to the mofl: approved of thefe conjeiflures, 
we may venture to allirm, that the voyage to Colchis 
was not undertaken with a view to eftabiifli plans of 
commerce, or to fearch for mines of gold. The real 
objett of the expedition may be difccrned in its eft'effs. 
The Argonauts fought, conquered, and plundered ; 
they fettled a colony on the fliores of the Euxin^ ; and 
carried into Greece a daughter of the king of Colchis, 
tlie celebrated Medea, a princefs of Egyptian extrac¬ 
tion, wliofe crimes and enchantments are condemned to 
infamy in tiie clafiic lines of Euripides. 
. Notwithflanding the romantic fictions whicli disfigure 
the flory of the Argonauts, their undertaking appears 
to have been attended'with a happy effeift on the man¬ 
ners and charadfer of the Greeks. From the era of 
this celebrated expedition, tve may difeover not only a 
more daring and more enlarged fpirit of enterprife, but 
a more deci/ive and rapid progrefs, tow'ards civilization 
and huiiiarity. When this new field firft opened to the 
amotion of th.e Greeks, they cultivated it vvitli a de¬ 
gree of induftry equally ardent and fuccefsful. Innu¬ 
merable were tlie cxjiloits of Hercules, of Thefeus, 
and of tlie lens of Leda, to promote the intereft and 
iafety, not of their particular tribes, but of the general 
confederacy. The Grecian woods and mountains abound¬ 
ed in lions, boars, and other fierce animals, that often 
roamed trom their haunts, and I'pread terror and defohi- 
tion through the adjoining vallies. The vallics them- 
felves teemed with men o-f brutal llrength and courage, 
who availed ihenilelves of the weaknefs of the.govern¬ 
ment to perpetrate horrid deeds of violence and cruelty. 
The firft heroes of Greece, animated rather with the 
daring and uleful, than witli tlie romantic, fpirit of chi¬ 
valry, fet themlelves with one accord to remedy evils 
which threatened the very exiltence of Ibciety. Their 
adventures have, doubtlefs, been eiiibellifiied by the 
fancy of poets and orators ; but, ncverchelefs, they wdll 
remain eternal mominients of that generous magnani¬ 
mity, which facrifices the love of eal'e and pleafure to 
a thirlf for glory and renown. 
The firft grand enterprife which fucceeded the expe¬ 
dition of the Argonauts, proves that whole communi¬ 
ties, as well as individuals, had begun to refpecd the 
virtues moft elfential to public liapphiefs. The war of 
Thebes lias deferved, therefore, to be recorded ; while 
the more ancient hoftilities between the Hellenic tribes, 
of which jiiftice was not even the pretence, but luft or 
avarice tlie only c,.ufe, are upiyerlally condemned to 
oblivion. Contempt of an ancient oracle, the involun¬ 
tary crimes of Oedipus, and tlie unnatural cruelty of 
his fons, involved the royal family of Thebes in tliofe 
calamities, whicli werC'Chofen by Sophocles as impor¬ 
tant hiftoriCal fubjefts for the tragic mufe. Eteocles and 
Polynices, Ions of Oedipus, having haftened the death, 
and drawn down the inaledibtions, of tlieir unhappy fa¬ 
ther, agreed to fway, by turns, the 1 hebaii feepure. 
Eteocles the eider, reigped during the firft year ; but 
his ambitious temper, corrupted by a luft for royalty, 
refufed to relign the throne at tire appointed time. His 
rival, Polynices, married the daughter of Adraftus 
king of Argos, who enabled his fon-in-Iaw to alfert, by 
force of arms, his claim of alternate inheritance. The 
allied princes, reinforced by Tydeus, Capaneus, and 
three otJier chiefs, marched to Thebes, attd invefted the 
VOL. Vill. No. 548. 
E C E. 825 
feven gfiites of the city, in the year before Chrift 1225. 
'I he Thebans, impatient of confinement, yielded to the 
martial ardour of Eteocles, and repelled the affailants 
by a vigorous fally, in which the moft illuftrious com¬ 
batants fell on both fides, and the wretched brothers 
poriftied by mutual wounds. H lie caufe of the v.'ar 
being removed by this fatal cataftroplie, the Argives 
begged leave to bury tlieir dead ; but the Thebans, 
exafperated againft the invaders of their country, re- 
fufed tlifem even fo natural an indulgence. Iii tliis ex¬ 
tremity, Adraftus, the only chief who furvived the 
battle, had recourfe to the Athenians, who, uninflu¬ 
enced by motives of ambition or intereft, took arms in 
defence of public juftice, and compelled the cruel ob- 
-ftinacy of the Thebans to grant tiie laft melancholy ho¬ 
nours to the allies of their deceafed enemies. At the 
diftance of ten years, the fons of the chiefs who had 
fallen before Thebes, relented the indignities that had 
been tiuis offered to the manes of tlieir fathers, and 
again laid fiege to the city, deftroyed the lives and pro¬ 
perty of many of the inhabitants, dragged others into 
captivity, and compelled the remainder to acknowledge 
the foil of the injured Polynices as their king. 
In their piogrcfs toward.s civilization, the Greeks 
foon perceived the advantages of political confederacy. 
Summoned to arms againft foreign enemies, tiiey readily 
flocked to the flandard of tlieir king, and received with 
implicit rubmiftion his comniands in tlie field ; but wlien 
no common caufe excited their valour, the inhabitants 
of each townlliip afpired at independent j'arifdiction, 
and the nominal fubjeOfs of the lame prince often ter¬ 
minated their dift'erences by an appeal to tiie fword. 
To ameliorate fuch diforderly communities by munici¬ 
pal laws, required an example from fome civilized peo¬ 
ple, among whom the efteiShs of good government hap¬ 
pily prevailed. Such an example occurred in the wife 
inftitutions and policy of the Cretans, which are repre- 
fenled not only as the moft ancient, but the beft fegii- 
lations that ever were eftablilEed in any portion of the 
Grecian territory. Tiiis celebrated illand, which fable 
lias dignified with the imaginary honour of giving birth 
to I'ome of the gods, pofTeffed the merit of communi¬ 
cating to Greece many ufeful improvements, Rhada- 
mantlius, and others of its early kings, wliom intereft 
or curiolity carried into Egypt and the call, appear to 
have had fagacity to obl'erve, and dexterity to employ, 
feveral of the inventions and inftitutions of thole civi¬ 
lized kingdoms, for the piirpofe of confirming their own 
authority, and bridling the intemperate paflions of tlieir 
countrymen. Tlie elder Minos is particularly diftip- 
guiftied for promoting this beneficial defign. The ap¬ 
pellation of “ Son of the Ocean,” which he probably 
derived from his numerous voyages, leaves it uncertain 
whether he was a native Cretan, or a foreigner. But 
however this may be, lie appears to have had fuflicient 
addrel's to perfiiade the Cretans that he was admitted to 
the familiarity of the gods. From them he pretended 
to have derived a I’yftem of laws, which he was enjoined 
to engrave on tables of brafs. The arrangement of this 
political code ftruck the difeerning eye of Tliefeus, in 
his celebrated expedition to Crete, during the reign of 
the fccond Minos, who had fubdued feveral of the cir¬ 
cumjacent ifles, and checked the piratical depredations 
of the Carians, Lycians, and Phenicians, Athens itlelf 
experienced the eft'edfs of his pov;er and ambition, and 
reludfantly fubmitted to a dilgraceful tribute ot leven 
youths and feven virgins, thus cruelly exa£led by a na¬ 
tion fubfilfing from tlie labour of (laves. The tribu¬ 
tary captives were drawn by lot from the body of tiie 
people, wlio trembled at the annual return of the Cretan 
■H^elTei. Dilcontents arofe againft the fupine government 
of iTigeus king of Atliens, when Thefeus, his heroic 
foil, generoufty ofl'ered his life in thefervice of his coun¬ 
try. The fame of Thefeus had already reached the 
ears of Minos, who was ftruck with admiration on be- 
10 B holding 
