S12 
G R. E 
fculptm-ed for the Palleiiian<5, Platjeans, and Lemnians, 
pi elent fo many alicmbJag.es of inimitable works, wJiich 
at once confound and lilence the voice of envy. During 
ilie fbort period of fifteen years he completed the Ode¬ 
um, or theatre of mulic ; the Parthenon, or temple of 
Minerva ; the Propyhea or veftihule, and the porticoes 
belonging to the citadel, together vvitlr the pnftiirefque 
ornunents of many other immortal works; which, 
when new, exprefl'ed the mellowed beauties of time and 
maturity ; and when old, Itill preferved the frefh charms 
and alluring graces of novelty. Even tlieir ruins have 
continued to be prized, up to the prefent day, as the 
bedt and rnoli: invaluable m.odels for modern artiils. 
By the luiire of the elegant arts, the magnificence of 
Pericles had dilplayed and ennobled the military glory 
of his country; and the pre-eminence of Arhens feemed 
efiabldhed on the lolid foundation of inteinial ftrength 
and external grandeur. But this abundant meafure of 
profperivy fatisfied neither the adlive ambition of tite 
republic, nor the enterprifing genius of its minifter. 
d he Greeks beheld and admired, but had not yet for¬ 
mally acknowledged, the full extent of Atitenian great- 
iK'fs. In order to extort this reltidtant tribute, Peri¬ 
cles difpatched ambalTadors to the different republics 
and colonies in Europe and in Afia, requiring the pre- 
fence of their deputies in Athens, to concert meafures 
for rebuilding their ruined temples, and fo^r performing 
the folemn vows to the immortal gods, who had won. 
derfully protected the Grecian arms, during their long 
and dangerous conflici: with the Perfian empire. This 
propofal, wJiich tended to render Athens the common' 
centre of deliberation and of union, was readily accept¬ 
ed in fiicli foreign parts as had already fubmitted to the 
authority of that republic. But in molt affemblies of 
the Peloponnefns the arnbafTadors-were heard with fe- 
cret difgult; and the pride of the Spartan fenate openly 
derided the iniqlence of their demands. When, at 
tlieir return home, they explained tlie behaviour of the 
fSpartans, Pericles exclaimed, in his bold fiyle of elo¬ 
quence, that he “beheld war advancing with wide and 
rapid Heps from the Peloponnefns.”. 
But before we relate the events wliich immediately 
occafioned this memorable war of twenty-feven years, it 
is impoflible, (if the calamities of our own times have 
taught us to compafiionate the miferable,) not to drop 
a tear over the continual difafters -tchich io long and lo 
cruelly afflicted the mofi: valuable and enliglitened por¬ 
tion of mankind, and whole immortal genius was def- 
tined to enlighten the remotefl: ages of the world, 
Vf hen rude illiterate peafants are fummoned to mutual 
iiofiility, and, unaffected by perfonal motives of interefl 
or honour, expend their Ifrength and blood to gratify 
the fordid ambition of their refpeCtive tyrants, we may 
lament the general Hupidity and wretchednefs of human 
nature without lympathifing with men who have lo lit¬ 
tle fenlibility, wiio feem unwilling or unable to relifii 
picalure. But the war of Peloponnefns prelents a dif¬ 
ferent fpedtacle. The adverfe parties took arms, not 
to fupport the nnjuft pretenfions of a tyrant, whom they 
had reafon to hate or to defpife, but to vindicate their 
civil rights, and to maintain their political indepen-’ 
deuce. The meanefl: Grecian foldier knew the duties 
of tlie citizen, the magifirate, and the general. Pis 
life had been equally divided between the moH agreea¬ 
ble amniements of leifure, and the moft honourable 
employments of activity. Trained to thofe exercifes 
and accompliflnnents which gave fhength and agility 
to the limbs, beauty to the fhape, and grace to the mo¬ 
tions, the dignity of his external appearance announced 
tlie liberal greatnefs of his mind ; and his language, 
the moft hannonioas and expreflive ever fpoken by 
man, comprehended all that variety of conception, and 
all thofe (hades of fentirnent, that charaCberife the moft 
ex.dted perfeiVion of human manners, 
Ennobled by Inch actors, the feene itfelf was higlily 
E C E. 
important, involving not only the Hates of Greece, but 
the greateH of the neighbouring kingdoms; and, toge¬ 
ther w ith the extent of a foreign war, exhibited the in- 
tenfenefs of domcHic fedition. As it exceeded the or- 
dinnry dnr-ation of human power or.refentrnent, it was 
accompanied with unufual circumHances of terror, 
winch, to tlie pious credulity of an unfortunafe age, 
naturally announced the wratii of lieavi n, juHly pro. 
yoked by liuman cruelty. While peHilence and fa¬ 
mine multiplied tiie adtual fuft'erings, eclipfes and 
earthquakes increafed the conHernation and horror, of 
that lamentable period. Several warlike communities 
were expelled Irom their hereditary poH'eflions; others 
were not only driven from Greece, but utterly extir¬ 
pated from the earth ; fome fell a prey to party rage, 
others to the vengeance of foreign enemies ; fome were 
Hovvly exhauHed by the contagion of a malignant at- 
mofptiere, otliers overwhelmed at once by fudden vio¬ 
lence ; vvliile the coinbihed weight of calamity allldled 
the power of Atiiens, and precipitated the downfal of 
that republic from the pride of profperous dominion, 
to the dejeilion of dep>endence and mifery. 
The general but latent hoflilify of the Greeks wasfirft 
called into abirion by a rupture between tlie ancient repub¬ 
lic of Corinth, and its Hourifliiiig colony Corcyra'. The 
origin and profperity of the Cariiuiginians have been al¬ 
ready detailed under the article Carthage, vol. iii. 
p. 836, to which the reader is referred. It appears that 
this ancient and celebrated people, even long before 
tlie invafion of Xerxes, were the moft powerful conuner. 
ciai nation in the world. Tlie centre of their empire 
was ftirrounded by a cluHer of colonies and tributary 
cities, which extended" above a tiioiifand miles along 
the coaH of Africa. They were malters of Sardinia and 
the northern coaH of Sicily. They had eflablifiied co¬ 
lonies in Corfica, in Malta, and the Balearian ifles; and 
their commercial ambition was diHinguifhed by an ex- 
cliilive and jealous fpirit, which fought to Hifle and de. 
prefs the growing improvements of the Grecian colo¬ 
nies in Italy, which, within the courfe of fixty years, 
had received Inch acceffions of Hrength and Iplendour, 
as entitled thofe countries to the appellation of Magna 
Grsecia, of vvliich the modern city of Naples was deem¬ 
ed the capital. See Magna Grjecia, p, 381, of this 
volume. 
Befides their powerful colonies in Corcyra, Leucas, 
Anadtoriiim, Ambracia, wliofe tranfaclions form Inch 
an important part of the hiHory of ancient Greece, the 
Corinthians had founded Syracufe, the capital of Sicily. 
Among all thefe eHablilliments, it liappened that liie 
haughty fpirit of Corcyra, elated with the pride of 
wealth and-naval greatnefs, difdained thofe marks of 
deference and refpeft which practice had exadted from 
colonies towards their mother-country. At the Olym¬ 
pic and other folemn feflivals, they yielded not the 
place of honour to the Corinthians; they appointed not 
a Corinthian high-prieH to prefide over their religion; 
and when they eHabliflied new fettlernents on dillant 
coaHs, they requeHed not the anfpicious guidance of a 
Corinthian conductor. This Avas the origin of a war, 
in Avhich Athens was induced to take a decided part 
againH the Corinthians, and in confequence laid fiege to 
Potidaca. While thefe hoHile tranfadtions w'ere carry¬ 
ing into effedt, the centre of Greece was Ihaken by tlie 
murmurs and complaints of the Corinthians and their 
Peloponnefian confederates, aa'Iio loH all patience wiie-n 
their citizens were blocked up by an Athenian army. 
Accompanied by the deputies of feveral republics be¬ 
yond the iHhmus, they had recoiirfe to Sparta, whofe 
adbual pov/er and ancient renown juHly merited a high 
rank in the confederacy, but whofe meafures were ren¬ 
dered flow and cautious by the forefight of Archida- 
mus, who exhorted his countrymen not to rufh blindly 
on war, without examining the refources of the enemy 
and their own. The Atlienians were powerful in fhips. 
