and Cleobis, two Argives, who proved victorious in the Olympic games, and died, in the temple of Juno, after exciting the public applause by an extraordinary respect to their mother. Cræsus appearing displeased with Solon for preferring the condition of these persons to that of a powerful prince, the philosopher observed, that it was impossible to judge of the happiness of any man before death, and that all things ought to be estimated by their termination.

Shortly after the departure of Solon, Cræsus lost his favourite son Atys, who was unfortunately killed, at the chase of a wild boar, by Adrastus. This loss proved a great alloy to his happiness; for he continued inactive and disconsolate for two years. But at the expiration of that time, the growing power of the Persians roused him from his lethargy, and induced him to oppose the rapid conquests of Cyrus. Accordingly he consulted all the oracles;* strengthened himself with alliances; and led a numerous body of forces into Cappadocia, then belonging to the Persians. Here he encamped in the vicinage of Sinope, and began to ravage the country. But Cyrus marched against him, and compelled him to retire to Sardis. This was soon after taken by assault. In the attack Croesus was exposed to the most imminent danger, and would certainly have been killed, had not his second son, who, till that time, had been speechless, cried out to the Persian, who was preparing to strike the decisive blow, "Soldier, spare Cræsus." Herodotus observes, that when the king was taken prisoner, Cyrus caused him to be loaded with fetters, and placed on a pile of wood, designing to offer him, and fourteen young Lydians, as a burnt sacrifice to the gods. As Cræsus mounted the pile he exclaimed in an agony of grief, "Ah! Solon, Solon." Cyrus, informed of this exclamation, sent for him, and enquired why he called upon Solon. Crœsus repeated to him the lesson he had received from the legislator of Athens. Cyrus, moved by what he had heard, and by the

*They according to custom gave an ambiguous answer: "If you make war or Cyrus, a great empire will be destroyed." Construing this in his favour, Croesus marched against them.

consideration of the instability of all human things, pardoned Cræsus; made him an attendant on his person; and ever after treated him as a friend; but did not restore him his crown, according to some authors, though others assert, that he replaced him on the throne. However this may be, with him ended the empire of the Lydians.

THE LYCIANS.

LYCIA was named after Lycus, the son of Pandion, king of Athens. It lay between the thirty-sixth and thirty-eighth degree of north latitude, and was bounded on the north by Phrygia Major; on the east by Pamphylia; on the south by the Mediterranean; and on the west by Caria. The soil was fertile; the water pure; and the air salubrious.

The principal cities of Lycia were Telmessus, Patara, Myra, Olympus, and Xanthus. The Lycians are said, by Herodotus, to have descended from the Cretans, and were once a warlike people. They had a roughness in their manners, very different from the mild character of the Phrygians, and other inhabitants of Asia Minor. They were famous for piracy, and to them is attributed the invention of brigantines adapted for sailing fast, and running close to shore. They appear to have possessed a ferocious courage, acquired by their sea-faring life, and sea engagements. We may form some judgment of it from the following incident.

Harpagus, a Persian general, had encamped in Lycia, with a powerful army. The inhabitants of Xanthus, one of the principal cities of the Lycians, though they were but a handful of men, attacked him with intrepidity, and were defeated, driven back into the city, and besieged. All resource, and all hope, being lost, they took the desperate resolution of dyVOL. II.

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ing; but resolved to sell their lives dearly. They shut up their women, children, slaves, and all their riches, in the citadel, to which they set fire, and then rushed headlong upon the Persians, of whom they made a great carnage, but were at length all killed to the last man.

In this country was said to be found the chimæra, which had the head of a lion, breathing forth flames, the body of a goat, and the tail of a serpent. Bellerophon, one of the kings of Lycia, slew this monster; that is to say, he cleared the summit of the mountain of wild beasts, with which it was infested; rendered proper for pasturage the declivities in the middle; and drained the marshes at the bottom, which bred. serpents, and other noxious animals.

The Lycians are highly commended by ancient historians for their temperance, and mode of administering justice. In latter ages, they had twenty-three cities, each of which sent deputies to a general assembly, where all matters of importance were fairly canvassed and determined by a majority of Here they elected the president of the council, and here they administered justice-declared war-concluded alliances; made peace, &c. The country was, at first, divided into several petty kingdoms; but in process of time it became subject to one prince.

votes.

This nation was first subjugated by Croesus, and afterwards by Cyrus. The Lycians continued under the government of their own kings, after they were reduced by Cyrus; but paid an annual tribute to Persia. Upon the decline of that empire, they fell into the hands of the Macedonians, and, after the death of Alexander, they were governed by the Seleucidæ. On the defeat of Antiochus the Great by the Romans, Lycia was granted to the Rhodians, and soon after declared a free country. However, in the reign of Claudius, it was reduced to a Roman province.

With respect to the trade and navigation of this people, ancient authors are totally silent. But their religion, and the generality of their customs, were similar to those of the Cretans. They had one custom peculiar to themselves, for they took their names from their mothers instead of their fathers,

so that if any one were questioned concerning his ancestry, he replied by adverting to the female line. Besides, if a free born woman married a slave, her children were entitled to all the privileges of citizens; but if a man of quality espoused a slave, his children were deemed incapable of enjoying any honorary or public lucrative employment.

The succession of the Lycian monarchs, and the length of their respective reigns, are enveloped in such clouds of fiction, and interrupted by so many chasms, that it is impossible to give any satisfactory account of them. There are but three kings of Lycia noticed in history, Amisodarus, Jobates, and Cyberniscus, the last of whom was one of the admirals who served in the Persian fleet at the time of the expedition of Xerxes against Greece.

BITHYNIA.

THE tract of country, anciently called Bithynia, was situated between the 41st and 43d degree of north latitude, and was opposite to Constantinople. It contained several handsome cities, particularly Bursa, which was the residence of the Ottoman emperors, before they established themselves at Constantinople. At present those cities are either laid in ruins, or dwindled to contemptible villages, and the greatest part of its once fertile soil is totally destitute of cultivation.

Bithynia, in the earliest ages, was inhabited by various nations, who differed essentially from each other in their manners, customs, and language. The government seems to have been monarchical, each nation living under its own princes; but nothing satisfactory can be advanced respecting their affairs, previously to the time when they became blended under the general name of Bithynians.

In the reign of Prusias, the first king of Bithynia noticed by historians, the country was conquered by Cræsus, king of Lydia, afterwards by the Medes, and next by the Persians, who retained it till the time of Alexander the Great. During this time the inhabitants were permitted to live under their ancient form of government; and they continued to do so tili Bithynia became a Roman province.

The reign of its first six kings afforded no important facts. The seventh, by name Nicomedes, on his accession, caused two of his brothers to be murdered, and maintained a sanguinary war with the youngest, who had saved himself by flight, till the death of the unfortunate exile put an end to his jealousy. He then applied himself to the enlarging and beautifying a city, which he called after his own name, Nicomedia, and spent the residue of his days in peace, leaving, at his death, the crown to Tibites, the son of his second wife, Eta

zeta.

Tibites was soon dethroned by his brother Zela, who enjoyed the kingdom for some time without molestation; but at length a party of Galatians, to whom he owed his crown, hearing that he had resolved to cut them off at a public banquet, turned his cruel purpose upon his own head, and slew him at the commencement of the festival.

This prince was succeeded by his son Prusias. During the Mithridatic war, he professed a warm regard for the Romans, yet he granted an asylum to their implacable enemy, Hannibal; and, at the request of that illustrious Carthaginian, invaded the territories of their faithful ally, the king of Pergamus.

These proceedings having roused the jealousy of the senate, T. Flaminius was sent into Asia in order to adjust the differences between the two kings, and to demand Hannibal. Prusias was, at first, unwilling to betray his aged guest; but, on the Roman envoy threatening to treat him as an enemy to the republic, he sent a party of soldiers to surround Hannibal's house, and execute the orders of the conscript fathers. This design, however, was rendered abortive by the Carthaginian, who, perceiving it impracticable to escape, implored