848 G R E 
forely affli£led with a peftilential diforder, occafioned by 
foine unknown malignity of the atmofphere. A great 
part of the army fell a prey to tlie increafing contagion. 
Anxious for the public fafety, the Amphiftyons had 
4 'ecourfe to the oracle, which direfted them to bring 
from the ifle of Cos the fawn wkh gold. Ainbalfadors 
were difpatched to that iifland, in order to unravel the 
meaning wrapped up in this veil of myftic obfcurity. 
They had no fooner explained their commifiion in the 
Coan alTembly, than an eminent citizen, named Nebros, 
rifing up, declared the fenfe of the oracle. “I am the 
fawn,” faid he, “ pointed out by Apollo,” (for Nebros 
in Greek fignifies a fawn,) “and my fon Chryfos” 
(which is the Greek word for gold) has carried oft' tlie 
prize of ftrength, courage, and beauty, from all his 
competitors.” The perfon who thus fpoke, w'as cele¬ 
brated on account of his anceftor Efculapius, of his de- 
Icendant Hippocrates, and of his otvn unrivalled fltill in 
the healing art. The knowledge of phyfic w'as become 
the hereditary honour of his family, by which it had 
been cultivated for many ages, and to whicli it is fup- 
pol'ed even at prelent to owe its principal improvement 
and perfeftion. Nebros obeyed with alacrity the in¬ 
junction of Apollo, the peculiar patron of the I’cience 
in which he excelled. At his own ex'pence he equip¬ 
ped a veH'el of fifty oars, loaded with valuable medi¬ 
cines, as well as with warlike llores, and accompanied 
by his fon Chryfos, let fail with the Amphiittyonic am- 
bafladors, in order to cure the confederates deltined to 
conquer the Crideans. 
His advice, his prudence, and his alTiduity, reftored 
the decaying health of the army. Their numbers, 
however, were fo much diminillied, that it leeined im- 
pollible by open force to put a fuccefsful end to the 
war. On this occalion the artful Coan employed a Itra- 
tagem, which would have appeared inconlifient with 
tile laws of aims, if it had not been the dictate of a di¬ 
vine admonition. The liorfe of Eiirylochus was ob- 
ferved for feveral days to roll on the land, and to Ifrike 
his foot witli great violence againll a particular fpot of 
ground. In digging under this ground, a wooden pipe 
was difeovered, whicli lupplied Crilfa with watcj'. 
The extraordinary, means by which this difeovery was 
made, convinced the ignorant credulity of the Greeks, 
that fome important advantage might, be derived from 
it ; and upon imiture deliberation it was concluded, 
that Apollo had thus fuggefted a contrivance for de- 
ftroying his own and their enemies. Agreeably to the 
intimation, Nebros poilbned the conduit of water; and 
the effect of this deteftable artifice was fooii difcernible 
in the languid efforts and diminillied reliftance of the 
belicged. Tlie beliegers, thus encouraged, carried on 
their operations witli redoubled vigour. A reward was 
propofed for the man who Ihould firll mount tlie wall.'., 
an honour obtained by the youthful ardour of Chryfos. 
The city was taken by affault ; the fortifications were- 
demoliflied, the houfes burnt, and the inhabitants treat¬ 
ed with a feverity proportioned to the facrilegious enor¬ 
mity of their own crimes, and the exafperated releiit- 
iiient of the viitors. 
The command of Apollo, however, was not com¬ 
pletely executed by the deftruction of the Crilfeaii ca¬ 
pital ; the maritime town of Cirrha was next to be re¬ 
duced; and tile mode of fiicceeding in it was only to 
be afeertained by again having recourfe to tlie oracle. 
The aiifwer delivered was involved in twofold obfcu¬ 
rity : “You (hall not overturn the lofty towers of Cir- 
riia, until the foaming billows of blue eyed Aiuphitrite 
beat againll the relbu.iiding Ihores of tiie Holy Land.” 
How could the fea be conveyed for feveral leagues over 
rocks and mountains, to dalh againff the craggy preci¬ 
pices which I'uiroiind the facred groves of Delphi ? 
This was an enigma which tlie Aiiiphictyoiiic council 
ac.knowledged thenilelves unable to explain. Solon, 
the Atiu’nian, alone ventured to propoimd the mean- 
E C E. 
ing. His fuperior wifdom tatight lllm the impiety ©f 
fuppofing that the god fliould require an impoflibility as 
the condition ot happily terminating a war, the firft mea- 
fures of w'liich he had himfelf fuggqfted and approved. 
It exceeded, indeed, human power to extend the fea to 
the boundary of Delphi; but by removing this bounda¬ 
ry, it was poffible to make that Holy Land communicate 
with the^fea. This might eafily be acconipliflied, llnce 
it only fufficed for tliat purpofe, to confecrate all the 
intermediate fpace with the fame ceremonies which had 
formerly been employed in dedicating the Delphian ter¬ 
ritory. Tlie opinion of Solon was Jionoured with the 
unanimous approbation of liis affociates. Preparations 
were made for carrying it into execution, and the pro¬ 
perty of the Cirrhean plain was furrendered to the god 
with the moll facred rites and pompous formality. 
When ihe fenators had performed the confecration, 
the foldiers alf'ailed the walls of Cirrha with the in- 
creafuig ablivity of re-animated hope. That place, as 
well as the dependent town of Anticirrha, fituate on 
the oppofite fliore, foon fubmitted to their arms. The 
devoted citizens were either put to the fword, or drag¬ 
ged into captivity. The Crillean coniimuiity, formerly 
lo rich and flourifiiing, was for ever extinguillied. 
Their lands were laid wafte, their cities deniolilhed, the 
proud monuments of their victories levelled witii tlie 
ground ; and the port of Cirrha, which was allowed to 
remain as a convenient liarbour for Delphi, fubfilted as 
the only veltige of their ancient grandeur. 
1 he luccelstul event of a war, begun, carried on, and 
concluded, under the fandtion of tlie Amphictyonic 
council, Was celebrated with all the pomp and fefiivity 
congenial to the Grecian charadter. According to an 
ancient inffitution, the feveral republics were accufloni- 
ed, by public fliows, to commemorate their refpedlive 
victories. V\ hen different communities had employed 
their joint efiorts in the lame glorious enterpril'e, the 
grateful triumph was exhibited with a proportional in- 
creale of magnificence; but the fortunate exploits of 
gods and heroes, whicli had exteiilively dignified the 
Grecian nawie, were dillinguifhed by fuch peculiar and 
tranlcendent honours as eclipled the fplendour of all 
otiier loleiiinities. While each republic paid the tri¬ 
bute ot provincial fellivals to the memory of its parti¬ 
cular benefactors, the whole nation were concerned in 
acknowledging the bountiful goodnefs of Jupiter, the 
protedting aid of Neptune, the iinernng wifdom of 
Apollo, and the unrivalled labours of Hercules. Hence 
tlie Olympian, Illhmian, Pythian, and Neniean, games, 
which, thougii alike founded on the fame principle of 
pious gratitude, were, from their firll ellablilhnient, 
dilti nguillied by different ceremonies, and refpedlively 
conlecrated to leparate divinities. 
From the TERMINATION of the FIRST SA¬ 
CRED war, to the final OVERTHR.QW of 
THE PERSIAN INVASION. 
The handful of Greeks who had eftablilhed theni- 
felves in Alia and Africa, wonderfully maintained and 
extended their poffefiionsin thofe quarters of the world. 
Wherever the Ipirit of enterprife diffufed their fettle- 
iiients, they perceived, on the flightell comparifon, the 
fuperiority of their own religion, language, inllitution^, 
and manners ; and the dignity of their charafter and 
fentiments eminently dillinguillied them from the gene¬ 
ral mafs of nations whole territories they conquered. 
Yet thefe advantages, inllead of conciliating good-will, 
tended only to exafperate hollility. The northern 
Greeks were perpetually haralfed by the fierce inroads 
of the Thracians : the fouthern were endangered by the 
united flrengtli of Egypt and Lybia. I'he colonies in 
Magsa Grajcia, having eafdy relilled the rude though 
warlike natives of that country, were called to contend 
with tlie more formidable power of Carthage. But tffe 
confequences.of all thefe wars extended not beyond the 
countries 
