834 
G Pt E 
liiftre of Helen needed not the aid of foreign ornament, 
feven in the tender age of childhood, her opening 
charms had inflamed the heart of Thefeus, the molt 
virtuous and magnanimous of the Grecian chiefs. The 
fame ot her beauty increafed witlt her ripening years, 
and her perfon became an objebt of contention among 
tliofe who, by birth or merit, were entitled to afpire at 
the invaluable prize. The princely mien and inflnna- 
ting manners of Menelaus were preferred to tlie more 
folid qualities of his numerous competitors. Having 
married the heirefs of Tynda.reus, he fucceeded, in her 
tight, to the Spartan thj^one. The graceful pair had 
not long enjoyed tlie fvveets of conjugal union, when 
their happinefs v/as Mafted by the anival of Paris, the 
handfomeft man of his.age, and I’ormed to captivate the 
weaknei^ of a female mind. Though a foldier of no 
reiiown, Paris had imbibed the romantic I’pirit of gal- 
lantiy, an'd was diftinguiflied by an ardent paflion for 
beauty, v/iiich, notwithftanding thc.fofrnefs of his cha- 
radter, prompted him to brave every danger i.n purluit 
of his favourite objeft. Animated by this view, he 
feized the opportunity of a voyage of Menelaus into 
Crete ;—he vi/ited the dominions of his hereditiuy 
enemies, and folicited the riglits of liofpitulity at the 
Spartan court. Plis perfon, his accompliflimen.ts, his 
addrefs, and, dill more, the voluntary hardfliips which 
he profelfed to have long endured for her fake, foon I’e- 
duced the atfeefions of the Grecian queen. Enamoured 
ot the elegant ftranger, the unfeelingly abandoned her 
country and lier hutband ; and having tranfported her 
moft valuable treafures within the vvalls of Troy, defied 
the refentment of Greece, and the vengeance of heaven. 
^Menelaus, difirtifted and enraged, now called for the 
dipulated ailiflance of liis ancient rivals ; and his de¬ 
mands were entorced by the authority of Agamemnon. 
At the tummons of the two brothers, the confederates 
alfembled at .(Egium, the capital of Achaia ; confirmed 
the obligation of their former promife; lettled the pro¬ 
portion of troops to be raifed by each prince; deter¬ 
mined the time and place of their departure ; and named 
Agamemnon to the chief command. Aulis, a fea-port 
ot Bceotia, was appointed for the place of embarkation. 
But before the armament failed from thence, Ulylfes 
king of Ithaca, and the injured Menelaus, undertook a 
foiemn embaii'y to Troy, in order to demand reftitution 
and reparation ; but they returned highly difgulted 
with their reception and illiberal treatment. Some of 
the Trojan council had the audacity to propofe putting 
them to death. Their julf indignation increafed the 
warlike ardour of their alfociates ; but contrary winds 
long retarded their departure. I he Trojans had time 
to firengthen tlieir ramparts, to coiled! arms and provi- 
lions, and to fummon the affiftance of their uiflant al¬ 
lies. The martial Ipirit of the age brought tnany pow¬ 
erful au-siliaries to Priam. His caufe was defended by 
the hardy mountaineers, who covered the back of his 
kingdom ; by the Carians, Lycians, and other nations 
of Afia Minor, extending from tire mouth of the river 
Halys to the foutheru extremity of Cilicia ; and by the 
Pelafgi, Thracians, and Pxonians, barbarians who inha¬ 
bited the European fide of the Hellelpont and Propon¬ 
tis. Tlie debarkation of the Greeks was purchafed by 
much blood, Having effedfed a d'ei'cent, they encamped 
on the Trojan plain, in the year before Chrifi 1193; but 
loft tlic only opportunity which at rirft prefented itfelf, 
of crufhing at once the power of their enemies ; who 
immediaielv fhut thcmfelves up within their impene¬ 
trable walls, leaving the city open only on the fide of 
wiount Ida, from which they received corn, cattle, and 
other neceli'ary fupplies. 
Agamemnon had been more induftrioiis in colledling 
a great army, than provident in contriving means by 
wliich it might keep the field. The provifions were 
I'peedily conl’umed, while' the operations of the liege 
ju-oaiiled little hopes of I'ucccfs, the Greeks being iiu- 
E C E. . 
acquainted with any military engines fitted to make an 
imprelTion on the Trojan vvalls. Nine fummers and win¬ 
ters elapled, w'ithont affording any profpedt of a deci- 
lion to the conteft ; but, in the tenth year of the war, 
the Greeks precipitated the downfal of the city. A 
dreadful peffilence had invaded the camp of the be- 
fiegers, and long continued to rage with uaabating fury^ 
This calamity w'as follow'ed by the ill-timed quarrel 
between Agamemnon and Achilles, which deprived the 
Grecian army of its principal hero. The Trojans de¬ 
rived new fpirits from thefe contentions among their 
enemies ; they ventured tp ab'.indon the protection of 
their walls ; they boldly afl'ailed the Grecian camp, 
and rilked feveral engagements, in moft of winch they 
w-ere victorious. In the iaft of thefe, Patrocliis, the be¬ 
loved friend of Acliilles, was llain by HeClor, the brav- 
eltof the-'I'rojan race, 'i'his event, which was infinitely 
more dreadful than death to the affectionate ardour of 
Achilles, llified his hitherto inexorable refentment 
againli the tyranny of Agamemnon.' His return to the 
camp reftored the declining fortune of tlie Greeks ; and 
the indignant lury of bis rage could only be quenched 
by the blood ot Hector, whole patriotic valour was tlie- 
chief bulwark of his father’s kingdom. The deftruc- 
tion ot Troy foon followed the death of this hero. 'I'he 
city, whether taken by ftorm, or by ftratagem, was let 
on fil e in the night; moft of the citizens periflied by 
the Iword, or were dragged into captivity ; and a rem¬ 
nant only efcaped through the confufed horror of raging 
flames and expiring kinfmen. 
The deffruction of Troy happened eleven hundred 
and eighty-four years before the birth of Chrift. Nei¬ 
ther the city nor territory everalfumed, in any fucceeding 
age, the dignity of independent government. The fea- 
coaft was planted eighty years after the Trojan war, by 
new colonies from Greece ; and the inland parts I'ub- 
mitted to the growing power of the Lydians, whole 
arms overfpread and conquered all the fineff provinces 
of Lefler Afia. The Greeks recovered poffeflion of the 
admired Helen ; they had taken complete vengeance on 
the family and nation of her feducer; but the misfor 
tunes which were the confequence of tlie Trojan expe¬ 
dition, left them little reafbn to boaft of their viftory. 
Ot five Bceotiaii commanders, only one remained ; and 
the liege had been proportionably fatal to the leaders 
of other tribes, as well as to their followers. Thofe 
who lived to divide the rich fpoils of Troy, were im¬ 
patient to let fail with their newly-acquired treafure, 
notwithlianding the threatening appearance of the Ikies. 
Many of them perifhed by Ihipwreck ; otliers were long 
tofled on unknown fetis ; and when they expeCted -to 
find in their native country a happy termination of their 
calamities, they were expofed to fuft'er greater misfor¬ 
tunes there, than any which they had yet endured. 
The thrones of feveral of the ablent princes had been 
ufurped by violence and intrigue ; the lands of various 
communities had been occupied by the invafion of huf- 
tiie tribes ; even the leaf! unfortunate of thofe adven¬ 
turers found their domains uncultivated, or tiieir terri. 
tories laid walte ; their families torn by difeord, or their 
cities fhaken by f'editioii. And thus the moft celebrated 
enterprife of the combined provinces of Greece, tended 
to plunge tiiat delightful country .into barbarifm and 
niifcry. 
Tlius Greece triumphed over Troy ; but it was a 
melancholy triumph. '1 he victorious Agamemnon had 
fcarcely let foot on his native land, when ire was cut 
olf by an adulterous fpoufe and a perfidious alfalTin* 
His fon Orefies found protection in Atiiens againlt the 
pefentment of an ufurper. In the eighth year of his 
exile lie returned with his pai til'ans, and took ample 
vengeance on tlie unfeeding Egyftheiis and Clyteni- 
neftra. He reig.ned in Argos, but with far lels glory 
than his father; nor did that kingdom ever again al- 
ftuuc its ande^ijt pie-eniinence. I'he wauderiags and 
