893 ' 
G R E 
thirteen thoufand GreeTca. His journey, towards Baby¬ 
lon, his defeat and death in the- plain of Cynaxa, the 
difperfion of his followers, and the memorable retreat 
of the Greeks to their native country, have been re¬ 
lated by the admired difciple of Socrates, with fuch 
defcriptive beauty, with fuch profound knowledge of 
war and of h.uinan nature, and with fuch inimitable elo¬ 
quence, as never were re-united in the work of any one 
man but that of Xenophon the Athenian, The retreat was 
principally condu( 5 fed by Xenophon himfelf; which has 
enabled him to adorn his narrative with fuch an.affeet- 
ing variety.of incidents and chara£fers, as will always 
ferve to prove that the force of truth and nature is far 
fuperior to the powers of the moft fertile fancy. For 
partic-ulars of this very interelling expedition of the 
Greeks into Babylonia, fee tlie article Attica, vol. 
ii.- P- 527-530* 
Trebizond, one of the ancient Greek colonies, was 
the firlt friendly city at which the Grecians arrived, af¬ 
ter I'pending more tlian a twelvemonth in almoft con¬ 
tinual travelling and war. The numerous inhabitants 
of this once flourilhing fea-port, now decayed into the 
neglebted harbour of Platana, received them with open 
arms, generoully i'upplied their necedities, and treated 
tliem with all the endearing hofpitality of kinfmen, who 
commiferated their fufferings and admired their virtue. 
The Grecians, on their part, difplayed a very becom¬ 
ing fenfe of the evils which they had efcaped, and of 
their actual fecurity. In the-fervour of religious grati¬ 
tude, they paid the folemn vows and facrificcs w hich 
they had promifed to Jupiter the Preferver, and the 
other gods and heroes, whofe bountiful protei 51 ion had 
hitherto condudled them through fo many known and 
fo many concealed dangers. It might be expeiiJed, 
that the arir.y, having reached the country of their 
friends and kinfmen, (hould have been difpoled peacear 
bly-to enjoy the fruits of their pall labours and dangers. 
But it is more eafy for men to repel the affaults of ex¬ 
ternal violence, than to elude the effects of their own 
ungovernable palfions. The Greeks were involved in 
real danger, in proportion as they attained apparent fe¬ 
curity. During the long courfe of their laborious jour¬ 
ney, tlie terror of unknown barbarians hanging over 
them, maintained their difeipline and their union. But 
the air of a Grecian colony at once dillblved both. 
They', who in remote regions of the Ealt had acted with 
one foul, and regarded each other as brethren, again 
felt the unhappy influence of their provincial diltinc- 
tions. The army was divided by I'eparate interefts, as 
well as by partial attachments. 1 hofe who had ac¬ 
quired wealth, defired to return home to enjoy it. 
Thofe who were deftitute of fortune, longed to plunder 
friends and foes, Greeks and barbarians. The com¬ 
manders defpifed and deceived the troops ; the troops 
clamoured againlt, and infulted, the commanders. Both 
were really.in tlie wrong; and both fiifpedted and ac. 
cufed eacl) other of imaginary crimes, of which none 
w-ere guilty. 
Xenophon, who, with wonderful addrefs, has jufti- 
fied himfelf from every reproach that can reflect either 
on his undeiilanding or his heart, does not deny an im¬ 
putation to whiclt he was expoled by difeovering (fome- 
what, perhaps, iinfeafonbly) the extenfive views of a 
philofopher. When he furveyed the fouthern fhores of 
the Euxine, covered with tall and majeltic foreft-trees, 
admirably adapted to Ihip-building j when he confider- 
ed tlie convenience of the harbours, and the produc¬ 
tions of the neighbouring territory, confilting in flax, 
iron, and every commodity necelfary in railing a naval 
power, he v..-as ambitions of eftablilhiiig a new fettle, 
merit, which the numbers, the valour, and the activity, 
of his followers, mult foon render luperior to the other 
Grecian colonies on the Euxine, or periiaps in any part 
of Afu, But this noble delign, wiiich might have 
proved fo iifeful and honourable to the army, was 
E C E. 
blalled by the jealoufy of hfs enemiesi Xenophotr was 
reproached with forming projedts equally romantic and- 
dangerous ; and accufed of an intention to keep the fol- 
diers from home, that tliey might continue dependent 
on himfelf, and that he might increafe his own fame 
and fortune at the rifk of the public fafety. 
The mutinous and diflradted fpirit of the troops ren¬ 
dered all their future meafures weak and wavering. 
The terror which they infpired, un i their wants, which 
it was necelfary to fupply, made them very unwelcome 
gnefts at Cotyora, Sinope, and Heraclea, at which 
places they continued fevera! months, under pretence 
of waiting for tranfports, but meanwhile plunderiivo-the 
neighbouring country, laying the cities under contribu¬ 
tion, and threatening them witii btirdens that exceedetf 
their, faculties. Meanwhile Clieirifophiis had procured 
foine velfels from Anaxibiiis, the Spartan admiral, but 
not fufficiently numerous to tranfpart lb great an army. 
The foldiers thus difappointed of their hopes, and dif- 
contented with their commanders, ralhly undertook, in 
feparate bodies, the dangerous journey through Bithy- 
nia, a country extending two hundred miles from Hera¬ 
clea to Byzantium, and totally inhabited by the Thy- 
r.ians, a Thracian tribe, the molt cruel and inhofpitable 
of the human race. In this expedition they loft above 
a thoufand men ; and the deftriicllon nnift have been 
much greater, had not the-generous activity of Xeno¬ 
phon lealonably led his own divifion to the alliftance of 
thofe who had deferted his ftandard. Cheirifoplms was 
foon afterwards killed by a violent medicine ; and tiie 
foie command devolved, on Xenophon ; not by appoint¬ 
ment, but by the volu.ntary fubmifiion of the troops to 
his fuperior mind. He at length taught them to de¬ 
feat the irregular fury of the Thy.iians ; and, after 
taking many Haves, and much booty, conducted them in 
fatety to Chryfopoiis, now known by the nameof Scutari 
and confidered as the Aliatic fuburb of Conftantinople! 
The neighbourhood of Greece leemed infe< 5 lious to* 
the temper of the troops. At Byzantium their muti, 
nous fpirits were again thrown into fermentation. Cle- 
ander, the governor of that city, who had come down 
to meet them, narrowly efcaped death during the fury 
of a military fedition. Their behaviour rendered them 
the objects of terror to all the inhabitants of thofe parts. 
The Lacedaemonians even dreaded tlie alliftance of fucli 
dangerous allies, though their own countrymen ; and 
Pharnabazus, alarmed for the fafety of his province 
prattifed with Anaxibius, who commanded in the Hell 
lefpont, to allure them, by.fair promifes, into Europel 
Gained by the bribes of the Perfian, not only Aiiaxl 
ibius, but Ins fuccelibr Ariftarchus, made propolals of 
advantage to the aimy, which he had not any intention 
to tulfil. The troops, enraged at‘this difappointment 
would have attacked and plundered Byzantium, had 
they not been reftrained by the wildom and authority 
of Xenophon, who, ftruggling like a Ikilful pilot a<^ainft 
the violence of a tempelt, prevented the execution of a 
meafure which muft have covered them with eternal 
infamy. 
The feafonable remonftrances of Xenophon faved By- 
zantiuni; but it is probable that neither the weight of 
argument, nor the power of eloquence, would have 
long reftrained the difeontented troops from attemptiim' 
other enterprifes of a limilar nature, if an opportunity 
had not prefented itfelf of employing their activity in 
the lervice of Seutlies, a bold and fuccelsfiil adventu¬ 
rer of Lower Tlirace. Mtefades, the father of Seuthes- 
reigned over the Melandeptans, the Thynians, and thi 
Thraniplans, who inhabited the European Ihores of the 
Propontis and Euxine fea. The licentious turbulence 
ot his iiibjeCts had driven him Irom his donuuions. He 
took refuge with Medocus, king of the Odryfians, the 
moft powerful tribe in Upper Thrace, with whofe fa¬ 
mily his own had long been connected by the facred 
ties of hofpitality. Medocus kindly received, and ge. 
neroully 
