G R E 
extenfive power in human life had its patron, and every' 
grove, and mountain, and river, its favourite inhabi¬ 
tants. Twelve divinities of fuperior rank preiided over 
the adtive principles of the univerfe, and the leading- 
virtues of the mind ; but even thefe dilfinguitlied beings 
■U’ere fubjedt to the unrelenting power of vengeance and 
the fates, “who purfue the crimes of men and gods, 
and never ceafe from their wrath till they have inflidted 
juft puniftiment on the guilty fonsof earth and heaven,” 
Hefiod. TJieog. 
11 would require a volume to illuftrate the falutary 
effedls of this ancient and venerable fuperftition, which 
was diftinguiftied above moll other falfe religions by the 
uncommon merit of doing much good, without feem- 
ingly occafioning any conliderablc iiarm, to fociety. 
The Grecian tenets, while they inculcated profound re- 
I'pedl to the gods, tended not to break the fpirit, or to 
reprefs the courage, of their warlike votaries. The 
ancient heroes addrelfed their heavenly protedlors in an 
eredt pofture, with the unfeigned fincerity of manly 
freedom. They expedled to avert the calamities threat¬ 
ened by the anger of their divinities, not by inflidting 
on themfelves fuch tortures as could be acceptable only 
to the mean refentment of weak and wicked beings, 
but by repairing the wrongs which they had committed 
againft their fellow-citizens, or compenfating by new 
attentions for the negledl ftiewn to the ceremonies of 
their national worftiip. The dangerous power of ora¬ 
cles, the abufed privileges of afylums, the wild rap¬ 
tures of prophetic enthufiafm, the abominable ceremo. 
nies of the Bacchanalia, and the horrid pradlice of hu¬ 
man facrifice, circumftances which cover with infamy 
the later periods of paganifm, were all unknown to the 
purity of the heroic age; nor is there to be difcovered 
the fmalleft veftige of any of thefe wild or wicked in¬ 
ventions, either in the writings of Homer, or of his con¬ 
temporary Hefiod. 
The perfedlion of civil- and political inftitutions, 
which was produced in Greece by the influence of re¬ 
ligion, is found in moft countries to be proportional to 
their improvements in arts, and their attainments in 
knowledge j while the happy eft’edls of domeftic union 
are frequently moft confpicuous among rude and Ample 
nations. The reciprocal duties of the governor and 
the governed, as vrell as tlie mutual obligations of fub- 
jebts, are gradually unfolded and enlaiged by the pro- 
greilive ideas of utility; but the tender connetlions of 
hulband and w ife, of father and fon, of brothers and 
kinl'men, excite, witliout refleftion, the warmelt feelings 
of the heart, and at once infpire the afteftionate fenti. 
ments of love and friendfitip, of kindnefs and gratitude. 
Agreeably to thefe obfervations, we find in the hiftory 
of the heroic age the moft interefting pidlures of con¬ 
jugal Ibve, of parental affection, and of filial duty. 
Two circumftances render it difficult to explain with 
certainty the rank and condition of women in the heroic 
age. The Greek word denoting a wife, is borrowed 
from a quality wliich equally applies to a concubine,- 
and the fame term is ufed indifferently to exprefs both. 
But the women who in ancient Greece fubmilted to the 
infamy of proftitution, were generally captives'taken in 
war, who were reduced by the cruel right of arms to 
the miferable condition of fervitude. Hence it has 
been erroneoufly inferred, that in ancient Greece, wives 
as well.;is concubines were the flaves of their hufbands. 
This miftaker. notion it has been attempted to confirm, 
not only by infifting on the humiliating condition of the 
fair lex in the later ages of Greece, but by exprefsly 
afferting, that, inancient times, they were purchafed by 
their hufbands. But this is to fupport one error by 
another. Before entering into the fiate of wedlock, it 
was cuftornary for a man to make a mutual exchange of 
prefeius with his intended father-in-law. The Greeks 
had particular terms to exprefs the prefent which he 
beflowed, as well as that which he received. The for- 
E C E. 83i 
mer, which has no correfponding term in the modern 
languages, is tranllated by the more general word 
“price,” v/hich has given rife to the falfe notion of the 
pur(fliafe and fervitude of women; but the latter, 
which may with propriety be tranllated dower,” was 
given as a provifion for the wife, both during marriage, 
and after its diffolution ; and was fufficient to deliver 
her from that fuppofed (late of dependence on the huf- 
band, which never had any exiftence but in the imagi¬ 
nation of f'uperficial writers. 
The attention of the Grecian ladies was chiefly con¬ 
fined to domeftic cares, or to the praftice of fuch arts 
as required neither ftrengtli, nor courage, nor wifdom, 
but only the patient exertions of female dexterity. Our 
natural refpedl for the honour of the fex might be of¬ 
fended at hearing them as much extolled for their (kill 
in the produdlions of the loom, as for their beauty and 
virtue ; but it deferves to be confidered, that weaving 
and embroidery being, like all other arts, lefs exten- 
fively diffufed in Greece than in improved commercial 
countries, were on this account more highly valued, 
and therefore better adapted to confer diftiiidlion on 
thofe wlio excelled in them. They were praClifed by 
ladies of the higheft rank, and even by queens, who 
alfo thought it an honour to be entrufted with the edu. 
cation of their children till they became fit for the I'o- 
ciety of their fathers. Befides thefe employments, the 
women were permitted to join in the celebration of re¬ 
ligious rites, and many of them were confecrated to the 
fervice of particular divinities. In the I'eafons of pub¬ 
lic feftivity, they mixed more freely in the fociety of 
the other lex. This was fometimes attended with fuch 
inconveniences as might naturally be expecled to arife 
in confequence of the ufual reftraints impofed on their 
behaviour. “The beautiful Polymela, (fays Homer,) 
dancing in the chorus of Diana, was embraced by Mer¬ 
cury ; but file had no fooner brought fortli a fon, than 
one of the principal citizens offered her his hand.” 
The inftitutions of the heroic age promoted, with ad¬ 
mirable propriety, the modeft referve of women, w'liile 
they permitted not one tranfient error to cover an amia¬ 
ble charadler with indelible infamy. The crime of hav¬ 
ing too tender a heart was not deemed inexpiable ; and, 
as the confequences of female weaknefs were imputed 
to the affectionate ardour of fome amorous divinity, 
they were fo far from obfeuring the charms of beauty, 
that they adorned it with liew graces and more confpi¬ 
cuous fplendour. 
The fentiments of parental affedlion in tlie heroic age, 
were pfoportionably flrong and ardent. The reverence 
of children for their parents approached their venera¬ 
tion for the gods. The moft violent and impetuous 
heroes fubmitred, -wfithout reluiSlance, to the fevered 
dictates of paternal authority. They relinquiflied their 
favourite inclinations, difavowed any will of their own, 
and committed their dearefl concerns to the experienced 
wifdom and goodnefs of their fathers. The amiable 
exprefiions of filial refpeCl were extended into a more 
general fentiment of regard for the infirm and aged. 
Even among brothers who were nearly of the fame age, 
the younger was obliged to yield in every inftance to 
the elder ; and it was an acknowledged principle of re¬ 
ligion, that the Furies defended, by their flern autho. 
rity, the facred rights of fuperior years. 
War was the principal employment of the heroic age ; 
and in tlie field they both difplayed their noblefl quali¬ 
ties, and difcovered the greatell defeds of their cha- 
rafler. They marched to the field in a deep phalanx, 
rufhed impetuouily to the attack, and bravely doled 
with their ehemies. Each warrior was firmly buckled 
with his aritagonift, and compelled by necdlity to the 
fame exertions uf valour, as if the fortune of the day 
had depended upon his fiiigle arm. Their principal 
weapon was the javelin or Ipear, which, thrown by tlie 
nervous vigour of a Heady hand, often penetrated the 
firmeft 
