SCO LITER 
of Hanno belongs alfo to this period. It was written in 
Punic, but was tranflat-ed into Greek, in the author’s life¬ 
time. The firft mathematical knowledge was limited to 
aftronomy, geometry,- and arithmetic. Aftronomy was. 
firft cultivated by the Chaldseans. Egypt was the birth¬ 
place of geometry. Naval architefiure, if not invented, 
■was improved, by the Phoenicians. From Egypt and Chal- 
dcea, the Greeks borrowed the find principles of thofe fci- 
ences which were cultivated by Thales, Pythagoras, 
Anaximander, Anaxagoras, Euphorbus, Plato, and his 
fcholars. What we now call phiiofophy was, in early 
times, among all nations, an abfurd mixture of a few juft 
obferVations with numerous errors, groundlefs fuppofitions, 
and falfe conclufions. To call the wifdom of the Hebrews 
phiiofophy is an abufe of words; and that of the Chaldees, 
Perfians, and other eaftern nations, was no more deferving 
of the name. Of the phiiofophy of the Indian Gymnofo- 
philts and Brachmans, we know too little to form a com¬ 
petent idea of it. The boalted high phiiofophy of the 
Chinefe has of late been reafonably doubted. It is there¬ 
fore among the Greeks that we are to look for philofophical 
knowlege, in this period. The firft phiiofophy in Greece 
was a wild mythology, fometimes religious, fometimes 
moral, and fometimes political. Such it is to be found 
in the Orphics, and in Homer and Hefiod. The Gno- 
mifts followed ; commonly called the Seven Wife Men of 
Greece. Thales, the founder of the Ionic phiiofophy, was 
born 600 years before Chrilt. His fcholars and fucceffors 
were Anaximander, Anaximenes, Pherecides, Hermoti- 
snus, Diogenes of Apollonia, and Archelaus of Athens. 
The founder of the Italic fchool was Pythagoras : and his 
moll renowned followers were Empedocles, Alcmaon, Ti- 
mxus, Ocellus Lucanus, Epicharmus, Theages, Archy tas, 
Philolaus, and Eudoxus- The Eleatic fchool, fo called 
from Elea in Magna Grtecia, was founded by Xenophanes ; 
contemporary with Pythagoras. His principal followers 
were Parmenides, Melifl'us, and Zeno. Heraclitus, al¬ 
though a difciple of the fame fchool, was in fome degree 
the founder of a new fed; and his contemporary Leucip¬ 
pus was the father of the atomic phiiofophy, improved by 
Democritus. His moil celebrated fcholars were Protago¬ 
ras of Abdera, Diagoras of Melos, and Anaxarchus. 
The Greek phiiofophy was now about to undergo a great 
revolution. De ccslo dcfcendit yvuQt aeaurov, and Socrates 
was the mortal commifiioned to make it known on earth. 
It is true that he himfelf wrote nothing; but his difciples 
were careful to collect all his layings-, and to tranfmit them 
to pofterity in the molt enchanting drefs. Thefe were 
Xenophon and Plato. ZEfchines, Cebes, and Crito, were 
alfo Socratills. After the death of Socrates, his followers 
were divided into five different fchools. 1. The Cyrenaic, 
founded by Ariftippus. 1. The Eretrian, by Phaedo. 3. 
The Megaric, by Euclid. 4. The Cynic, by Antifthenes. 
5. The Platonic, by Plato; called after his death the 
Academic School. 
Mofes is the oldeft poet, as well as the molt ancient hif- 
torian. Belides fome hiftorical fragments which he quotes, 
we have three odes or fongs of his own compofition. The 
reigns of David and Solomon were the poetic age of the 
jews. They had, however, neither drama nor epopcea, 
urilefs the book of Job may come under the latter deno¬ 
mination. 
The poetry of Greece is fo old, that it is loll in remote 
antiquity.. Orpheus, Mufseus, and Linus, were antece¬ 
dent to Homer; but he is the true father of genuine poe¬ 
try and tafte, the poet of all ages and nations. The works 
of Homer were to the Greeks a book of elements, which 
was put into the hands of youth, and whence they drew 
knowledge of every kind. ' Not only pollerior bards 
learned their art from this great mailer, but prole-writers, 
the^h’tftorian, the philofopher, and the orator, had him 
continually in view. The llatuary and the painter took 
their fubjedls from him; kings and generals made him 
their conltant companion; and Homer was the darling of 
' 'tli'fi world. 
ATU.R E. 
Contemporary with, or perhaps a little before Homer, 
was Hefiod; and after Homer and Hefiod we meet with 
the names of feveral lyric poets, as Archilochus, Aleman, 
Arion, Terpander, Alcseus, Sappho, Erinna, Stefichorus, 
Ibycus, Anacreon, Corinna, Lafus, Pindar, and Bacchy- 
lides ; of all whom, except Anacreon and Pindar, we have 
only fragments. The principal elegiac Greek poets, dur¬ 
ing this period, were Mimnermus of Colophon, Theognis 
of Megara, and Simonides. The dramatics were Thelpis, 
Sufarion, fEfchylus, Sophocles, Euripides, in tragedy ; 
and in comedy, Cratinus, Crates, Eupolis, and Arifto- 
phanes. 
The orators of Greece, during this period, were Solon, 
Pififtratus, Themillocles, Alcibiades, Afpalia, and Pericles. 
The oratorical art was greatly improved by Ifocrates, An- 
docides, Lylias, Ifseus, ZEfchines, Hyperides, Donarchus, 
and above all by Demolthenes. The rhetors, Empedocles, 
Corax, and Tilias. The fophilt.s, Protagoras, Gorgias, 
H*lppias, Prodicus, Callias, Polus, and Thrafymachus. 
From obvious caufes, priefts were generally the firft 
phyficians. The Egyptians are fuppoled to have been 
{killed in anatomy. They certainly knew the art of em¬ 
balming to great perfection. Solomon was acquainted 
with the virtues of every herb that grows. Ifaiah alfo 
feems to have had fome experience in the healing art. In 
Greece, the fcience was early cultivated, and greatly ef- 
teemed. Its father was faid to be Efculapius; whofe 
principal followers were Chiron, Alcmaon of Crotona, 
Empedocles, Iccus of Tarentum, Prodicus, and the di¬ 
vine Hippocrates, whofe fons Thellalus and Draco fuc- 
ceeded to his medical knowledge. Befides thefe, we find 
the names of Philiftion, Callimachus, Petronius, Eudoxus, 
Chryfippus, and Praxagoras. 
No written laws exiited prior to thofe of Mofes. Other 
legiflatois, fince him, were Dejoces of Media, Minos of 
Crete, Phoronxus the Argolian, Pittacus of Lefbia, Ce- 
crops, Draco, and Solon, of Athens, Lycurgus of Sparta ? 
among the Perfians, Zoroafter; among the Locrians, Za- 
leucus; and among the Romans, Numa. 
Except the Hebrews, who had a particular religion and 
divinity under a fingular national God, the reft of the 
world was plunged in polytheifm blended with obfeenity 
and fuperftition. 
II. From Alexander the Great to the Death of Augujlus ; 305 
years. 
Learning, during this period, made great progrefs un¬ 
der the Macedonian king Alexander, and under his fuc- 
cefiors; particularly the Ptolemies of Egypt. From 
Greece, learning was brought to Rome, where the fciences 
and fine arts were cultivated with ardour and fuccefs; until 
excefiive luxury, and degrading fervility, began to dete¬ 
riorate the public tafte; and at length, after the death of 
Auguftus, entirely vitiated it. The principal promoters 
of learning, during this period, were, Alexander, the three 
Ptolemies, Eumenes II. king of Pergamus, Julius Casfar, 
Maecenas, and Auguftus. The individuals whofe exam¬ 
ple had the greatell influence on literature, were, Arifto- 
tle, Eratofthenes, Varro, Cicero, and Julius Caefar. 
The Jews had fchools and fynagogues at Jeru/alem, 
Alexandria, Babylon, and. other places. The Chaldieans 
had fchools at Babylon and Barfippe; the Perfians at 
Balch and Sulk ; the Phoenicians at Tyre and Sidon, and 
perhaps at Carthage. In Egypt, the Mufgum of Pto¬ 
lemy Philadelphus was the moil renowmed. In Greece, 
the Lycaeum and the Stoa. At Rome, the more ancient, 
grammar-fchools were thofe of Spurius Carvilhis and 
Crates Mallotes ; the former contemporary with the firft, 
the latter with the fecond, Punic war. The firft fchool of 
rhetoric was founded by L. Plotius Gallus. Of libraries, 
that of Alexandria was the richeft. There was alfo a ce¬ 
lebrated one at Sufa, in Perfia, Alfo, the libraries of Pi- 
fillratus at Athens, and of Clearchus at Heraclea. The 
firft public library at Rome was founded by L. iEmilius 
Pa ulus; it was e’nriched by Lucullus from the fpoils of 
1 Pontus; 
