849 
GREECE. 
countries in which they firft arofe. The memorable 
conflift between the Greek colonies in the Eaft, and the 
great nations of Alia, forms a fubjeft more ej^tenfively 
interefting. 
Through the fupine negle£t of their neighbours re- 
fpe( 5 ting maritime affairs, the Afiatic Greeks acquired 
without contell, and enjoyed without moleftation, bc- 
•fides feveral valuable illands, the whole weffern coaft of 
the continent, extending, in a waving line, above fix 
hundred miles in length, beautifully diverfified by hill 
and dale, interfe6t;ed by rivers, and adorned by the 
nobleft profpcfts and fineft climate in the world. Its 
inhabitants, having convenient and capacious harbours 
before them, and behind, the wealthy and populous na¬ 
tions of Afia, whofe commerce they enjoyed and en- 
grofled, attained Inch early and rapid proficiency in the 
arts of navigation and traffic, as raifed the cities of Mi¬ 
letus, Colophon, and Phocasa, to an extraordinary pitch 
of opulence and grandeur. Their population increafing 
with their profperity, they diffufed new colonies every 
where around them. Having obtained footing in Egypt, 
in the eighth century before Chriff, they acquired, and 
thenceforth preferved, the exclulive commerce of that 
ancient and powerful kingdom. Such multiplied ad¬ 
vantages could not languiffi in the hands of men who 
had genius to conceive, and courage to execute, the 
moft arduous defigns. With the utmoff induftry and 
perfeverance they im.proved and ennobled the ufeful 
and elegant arts, which they found already pracUfed 
among the Phrygians and Lydians. 
The firrt formidable enemies with whom the Afiatic 
Greeks had to contend, were the barbarous Cimmeri¬ 
ans, who, being driven from the banks of the Euxine, 
by a Scythian horde ftill fiercer than themfelves, over¬ 
flowed, with irreliftible violence, the fined: provinces of 
Afia Minor. But the invafion of the Cimmerians was 
a predatory incurfion, not a regular plan of enterprile. 
The hurricane loon fpent its force; the Greeks reco¬ 
vered from the terror infpired by thefe delultory ra- 
vagers, and, within a few years after their departure, 
the Ionian and Eolian colonies, totally forgetting their 
common danger, engaged in cruel domedic wars. Thefe 
unnatural dilfeniions were at length repred'ed by the 
growing power of the Lydians. The kingdom of Lydia 
was anciently fubjedl to a race of princes, dyled Atya- 
tidas, from Atys, the great founder of their houfe. To 
the family of Atys fucceeded that of Hercules, which 
liad obtained tlie government before the wav of Troy, 
and continued to reign five hundred and five years, till 
their honours expired in the unhappy Candaules. Tlie 
dory of Candaules, of his beautiful wife, and of his for¬ 
tunate fervant, has been adorned by the father of hidory 
with the inimitable charms of his Ionic fancy. The 
vain, credulous prince, injudicioufly dilplaying the 
beauty, offended the modeliy, of his injured fpoufe. 
Gyges, the mod favoured of her hulband’s attendants, 
to. whom his weak malter had prodituted the fight of 
her naked charms, was involuntarily employed as the 
indrument of her relentment. As a reward for taking 
away the life of Candaules, he was honoured with the 
hand of the queen, and from the rank of captain of the 
guard, was advanced to the throne of Lydia. 
Ti’iis revolution, wliich happened feven hundred and 
eighteen years before Chrid, was felt by the neigh¬ 
bouring nations, who foon diicovered in the enterpriling 
character of Gyges, the difference between adventurers 
who acquire, and princes who inherit, a crown. The 
Ionian cities of Afia offered a tempting prize to the va¬ 
lour of Gyges, and the valuable mines diicovered be¬ 
tween the cities Atarneus and Pergamos, enabled him 
to hire Inch a number of troops as feemed neceffary to 
acconiplilh his ambitious deiigns. The citizens of Mi¬ 
letus and Smyrna were haralfed by a long war; but of 
all the Ionic fetdements, Colophon alone fubmitted to 
his arms, B.C.680. Ardys his fuccelfor, following 
VoL. Vlll. Ho. 549. 
the military example of Gyges, dormed the city of 
Priene, and invaded the territories of the Milefians, 
He tranfmitted his enmity againd that people to his fou 
Sadyattes, from whom it delcended to his more warlike 
grandfon. Alyattes, grandfonof Ardys, annually iii» 
vaded the country of Miletus, cut down the trees, 
burnt the danding corn, ravaged and defolated the 
whole territory. In this manner he continued, during 
eleven years, to harafs, but was unable to conquer, the 
Milefians. The inhabitants of the country retired at 
his approach, and Ihut themfelves up in their capital, 
the wallsof which bade defiance to his aflaults ; nor was- 
it poflible to reduce by blockade a city that had long 
been, and dill continued, midrefs of the fea. But Aly¬ 
attes perfided in didreifing thole whom it feemed impof- 
fible to fubdue ; and he w'as carrying on his twelfth au¬ 
tumnal incurfion with fire and fword, when the flames of 
the danding corn, intpclled by the violence of the wind, 
communicated with the temple of Aflefian Minerva. 
That facred edifice was burnt to the ground. Alyat¬ 
tes, who was attended on his march by pipes, harps, 
and flutes, did not immediately confider, amidd the 
noife of military triumph, the fatal confequences of 
this enormous impiety. But falling fick foon after at 
Sardis, he had leifure to reflett on the horror of his 
crime; and, prying into futurity, he difpatched melfen- 
gers to the temple of Delphi, to confult the Grecian 
god concerning the means of mitigating the didrefs of his 
prefent date of mind. Apollo refilled giving an anfwer 
to his petition, until he had rebuilt the temple of Mi¬ 
nerva. The Lydian prepared to comply with this con¬ 
dition, and immediately fent ambalfadors to Miletus, 
to propofe a fufpenfion of arms, until the great work 
diould be completed. That city was then governed by 
Thrafybulus, who, by one of thofe revolutions not un¬ 
frequent in the Grecian republics, had attained the rank 
ot tyrant, as it was then called, in a Itate ulually go¬ 
verned as a democratical community. Similarity ot 
views and difpolitions had introduced a friendly con- 
neiition between Thrafybulus and the celebrated Peri- 
ander of Corinth, who was no fooner acquainted with 
the advice of Apollo, than he fent immediate intima¬ 
tion of it to the Milefian prince, counfeliing him at tlie 
fame time to avail hiinfelf of the prefent conjuncture to 
promote the intereft of his country. When the Lydian 
ambafladors arrived at Miletus, tliey were treateddvith 
fuch generous hofpitality, that returning to Sardis, 
they reprefented in very aff'efting language the prince¬ 
ly condudl of a people, whom it had been the great ob- 
jebl to afflidf and to annoy. Alyattes, aftebted by the 
intelligence, confented to an immediate peace with the 
Milefians; and to compenfate tor his paft injuries and 
impiety, he pi'oinifed to dedicate to Minerva two new 
edifices, the magnificence of which Ihould far ecliple 
the Iplendour of her ancient temple. 'I'he promife was 
performed, the new temples were confecrated, Alyattes 
recovered from his diffemper, and peace was eil.iblilhed 
between the two nations. 
This prince was fucceeded five hundred .and fixty- 
two years before Chriff, by his fon Creefus, whofe un¬ 
interrupted profperity, in the firft years ot his reign, tar 
eclipfed tire glory of all his predeceifors. But the fplen- 
dour of Creclus was that of a palling meteor, which 
dazzles for a moment, and difappears tor ever. Under 
various unjuft pretences he attacked the Grecian cities 
of Afia Minor,, which being undifturbed by foreign war, 
had unfortunately engaged in domeffic tends. While 
jealouiy prevented the Greeks, ignorance hindered the 
barbarians, from forming a contederacy luflicient to re- 
fiff the Lydian power. The Carians, Mylians, and 
Piirygians, fighting fingly, were fucceiiively tubdued ; 
and the whole penintulaot Lelfer Alia (except only the 
little territory of the Lycians and Cilicians,) extending 
ealtward as far as the river Halys, and inhabited by 
three nations of Grecian, and eleven oi barbar.an ex- 
10 G trabfion, 
