The Ancient History of the Egyptians, Carthaginians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes & Persians, Macedonians, and Grecians

* About 20 years before, a like affair had happened to Protagoras, for having only treated the same question by way of problem. He had said in the beginning of one of his books, "Whether the gods do or do not exist, is a question which I "know not whether I ought to affirm or deny: for our un"derstandings are too much clouded, and the life of man is "too short for the solution of so nice and difficult a point." But the Athenians could not bear to have a subject of this nature made a doubt; and for this reason, they ordered proclamation to be made by the public crier, for all persons who had any copies of this book to bring them to the magistrates: after which they were burnt as infamous pieces, and the au. thor was banished for ever from all the territories of the Athenians.

Diagoras and Protagoras had been the disciples of Demoeritus, who first invented the philosophy of atoms. I shall speak of him in another place.

From the departure of Alcibiades, Nicias had possessed the whole authority: for Lamachus his colleague, though a man of bravery and experience, was however in no credit, because of his extreme poverty, for which he was despised by the 'soldiers. But the Athenians were not always in this way of thinking; for we have seen that Aristides, poor as he was, was not less esteemed and respected on that account. But in this last expedition, the people in general had imbibed a passion for luxury and magnificence; the natural consequence of which is a love of riches. As Nicias therefore governed all affairs solely, all his actions were of the same cast with his disposition, that is, of a slow and fearful kind; he suffered every thing to languish, sometimes either by lying still and undertaking nothing, sometimes by only sailing along the coast, or losing time in consulting and deliberating; all which soon suppressed, on one side, the ardour and confidence the troops expressed at first; and on the other, the fear and terror with which the enemy had been seized, at the sight of so terrible an armament, He besieged Hybla; and though it was but a small city, he was however obliged to raise the siege some days after, which brought him into the highest contempt. He retired at last to Catana, after having performed but one exploit, viz. the ruining of Hyccara, a small town inhabited by barbarians; from which place, it is said that Lais the courtesan, at that time

* Diog. Laert. in Protag. Joseph. contr. App. Cic. l. i. de Nat. Deor. n. 62.

†Thucyd. p. 452, 453. Plut. in Nic. p. 533.

very young, was sold with the rest of the captives, and carried to Peloponnesus.

In the mean time, Alcibiades, having left Thurium, was arrived at Argos; and as he quite despaired of ever being recalled home, he sent a messenger to the Spartans, desiring leave to reside among them', under their guard and protection. He promised in the most solemn manner, that if they would consider him as their friend, he would perform greater service for their state than he before had done injuries to it. The Spartans received him with open arms, and soon after his arrival in their city, he gained the love and esteem of all its inhabitants. He charmed, and even enchanted them, by his conforming himself so easily to their way of living. Such people as saw Alcibiades shave himself to the skin, bathe in cold water, eat of the coarse heavy cakes, which were their usual food, and be so well satisfied with their black broth, could not persuade themselves that a man who submitted so cheerfully to this kind of life, had ever kept cooks in his palace, had used essences and perfumes, had wore the rich stuffs of Miletus; in a word, that he had hitherto lived in the midst of voluptuousness and profusion of all things. But flexibility was the characteristic that chiefly distinguished Alcibiades. Cameleon-like, he could assume all shapes and colours, to win the favour of those among whom he resided. He immediately assumed their manners, and adapted himself to their taste, as if they had been natural to him; and though he inwardly had an aversion to them, he could however cover his disgust with an easy, simple, and unconstrained air. With some he had all the graces and vivacity of the gayest youth, and with others all the gravity of old age. In Sparta, he was laborious. frugal, and austere; in Ionia, enjoyment, idleness, and plea sure, made up his whole life; in Thrace, he was always on horseback, or carousing; and when he resided with Tissaphernes the satrap, he exceeded all the magnificence of the Persians in luxury and profusion.

But he was not barely satisfied with gaining the esteem of the Lacedæmonians. He insinuated himself so far into the affection of Timea, the wife of king Agis, that he had a son by her, who in public went by the name of Leotychides; though his mother in private, and among her women and female friends, did not blush to call him Alcibiades; so violent was her passion for that Athenian. Agis was informed of this intrigue, and therefore refused to own Leotychides for his Son; for which reason he was afterwards excluded the throne.

* Plut in Alcib. p. 230.5

SECTION XI.

DESCRIPTION. OF SYRACUSE.

As the siege of Syracuse is one of the most considerable in the Grecian history, the particular circumstances of which I thought proper to relate for that reason, in order to give my readers an idea of the manner of besieging by the ancients, I judge it necessary, before I enter into that detail, to give the reader a description and plan of the city of Syracuse, in which he will also find the different fortifications both of the Athenians and Syracusans mentioned in this siege.

* Syracuse stood on the eastern coast of Sicily. Its vast ex tent, its advantageous situation, the conveniency of its double harbour, its fortifications built with the utmost care and la bour, and the multitude and wealth of its inhabitants, made it one of the greatest, the most beautiful, and most powerful among the Grecian cities. † We are told its air was so pure and serene, that there was no day in the year, how cloudy soever it might be, in which the sun did not display its beams.

It was built by Archias the Corinthian, a year after Naxos and Megara had been founded on the same coast.

When the Athenians besieged this city, it was divided into three parts, viz. the Island, Achradina, and Tyche. Thucydides mentions only these three divisions. Two more, viz. Neapolis and Epipola, were afterwards added.

The Island, situated to the south, was called Noos, Na sos, signifying in Greek an island, but pronounced according to the Doric dialect; and Ortygia. It was joined to the continent by a bridge. It was in this island that the Syracu sans afterwards built the citadel and the palace of their kings, This quarter or division of the city was of very great importance, because it might render those who possessed it master of the two ports which surround it. It was for this reason the Romans, when they took Syracuse, would not suffer any Syracusans to inhabit the island.

There was in this island a very famous spring called Are

Cic. Verr 6. n. 117-119.

↑ Urbem Syracusas elegerat, cujus hic situs atque hæc natura esse Joci cœlique dicitur, ut nullus unquam dies tam magna turbulentaque tempestate fuerit, quin aliquo tempore solem ejus diei homines videCic. Verr. 7. n. 26.

rent.

A M. 3295. Ant. J. C. 709. Strab. 1. 6. p. 269. I Cic. Verr. 7. n. 97.

¶ Strab 1. vi. 270. Senec: Nat. Quæst. 1. iii. c. 26.