Pyrrhus, being recalled by his subjects at the age of twelve years, first shared the sovereignty with Neoptolemus, but having afterwards divested him of his dignity, he reigned alone. This history will treat of the various adventures of this prince. He died in the city of Argos, in an attempt to make himself master of it.* Helenus his son reigned after him for some time in Epirus, which was afterwards united to the Roman empire. TYRANTS OF HERACLEA. HERACLEA is a city of Pontus, anciently founded by the Boeotians, who sent a colony into that country by the order of an oracle. When the Athenians, having conquered the Persians, had imposed a tribute on the cities of Greece and Asia Minor, for the fitting out and support of a fleet, intended for the defence of the common liberty, the inhabitants of Heraclea, in consequence of their attachment to the Persians, were the only people who refused to acquiesce in so just a contribution.† Lamachus was therefore sent against them, and he ravaged their territories; but a violent tempest having destroyed his whole fleet, he beheld himself abandoned to the mercy of that people, whose natural ferocity might well have been increased by the severe treatment they had lately received. But they had recourse to no other vengeance but benefactions; they furnished him with troops and provisions for his return, and were willing to consider the depredations which had been committed in their country as advantageous to them, if they acquired the friendship of the Athenians at that price.‡ Some time after this event, the populace of Heraclea excited a violent commotion against the rich citizens and senators, who having implored assistance to no effect, first from Timotheus the Athenian, and afterwards from Epaminondas, the Theban, were necessitated to recal Clearchus, a senator, to their defence, whom themselves had banished; but his exile had neither improved his morals, nor rendered him a better citizen than he was before. He therefore made the troubles in which he found the city involved, subservient to his design of subjecting it to his own power. With this view he openly declared for the people, caused himself to be invested with the highest office in the magistracy, and assumed a sovereign authority in a short time. Being thus become a professed tyrant, there were no kinds of violence to which he had not recourse against the rich and the senators, to satiate his avarice and cruelty. He proposed for his model Dionysius the Tyrant, who had established his power over the Syracusans at the same time. After a hard and inhuman servitude of twelve years, two young citizens, who were Plato's disciples, and had been instructed in his maxims, formed a conspiracy against Clearchus, and slew him; but though they delivered their country from the tyrant, the tyranny still subsisted. Timotheus, the son of Clearchus, assumed his place, and pursued the same conduct for the space of fifteen years. He was succeeded by his brother Dionysius, T who was in danger of being dispossessed of his authority by Perdiccas; but as this last was soon destroyed, Dionysius contracted a friendship with Antigonus, whom he assisted against Ptolemy in the Cyprian war. He espoused Amastris, the widow of Craterus, and daughter of Oxiathres, the brother of Darius. This alliance inspired him with so much courage, that he assumed the title of king, and enlarged his dominions by the addition of several places which he seized on the confines of Heraclea. * A. M. 3733. Ant. J. C. 271. † Justin. 1. xvi. c. 3-5. Diod. 1. xv. p. 390. Heraclienses honestiorem beneficii, quam ultionis occasionem rati, instructos commeatibus auxiliisque dimittunt: bene agrorum suorum populationem impensam existimantes, si, quos hostes habuerant, amicos reddidissent.-Justin. A. M. 3640 Ant. J. C. 36-4. A. M. 352. Ant. J. C. 352. Diod. 1. xv. p. 435. TA. M. 3667. Ant. J. C. 337 Diod. 1. xvi p. 478. He died two or three years before the battle of Ipsus, after a reign of thirty-three years, leaving two sons and a daughter under the tutelage and regency of Amastris.* This princess was rendered happy in her administration by the affection Antigonus entertained for her. She founded a city, and called it by her name; after which she transplanted thither the inhabitants of hree other cities, and espoused Lysimachus, after the death of Antigonus.† KINGS OF SYRACUSE. HIERO, and his son Hieronymus, reigned at Syracuse; the first fifty-four years, the second but one year. Syracuse recovered its liberty by the death of the last, but continued in the interest of the Carthaginians, which Hieronymus had caused it to espouse.§ His conduct obliged Marcellus to form the siege of that city, which he took the following year. I shall enlarge upon the history of these two kings in another place. OTHER KINGS. SEVERAL kings likewise reigned in the Cimmerian Bosphorus, as also in Thrace, Cyrene in Africa, Paphlagonia, Colchis, Iberia, Albania, and a variety of other places; but their history is very uncertain, and their successions have but little regularity. These circumstances are very different with respect to the kingdom of the Parthians, who formed themselves, as we shall see in the sequel, into such a powerful monarchy, as became formidable even to the Roman empire. That of the Bactrians also took its rise about the same period; I shall treat of each in their proper places. CATALOGUE OF THE EDITIONS OF THE PRINCIPAL GREEK AUTHORS CITED IN THIS WORK. HERODOTUS.--Francof. An. 1608. THUCYDIDES.--Apud Henricum Stephanum, An. 1588. XENOPHON.-Lutetiæ Parisiorum, apud Societatem Græcarum Editionum, An. 1625. POLYBIUS.-Parisiis, An. 1609. DIODORUS SICULUS.-Hanoviæ, Typis Wechelianis, An. 1604. STRABO.-Lutetiæ Parisiorum, Typis Regiis, An. 1620. PAUSANIAS.-Hanoviæ, Typis Wechelianis, An. 1613. PLATO.-EX nova Joannis Serrani interpretatione. Apud Henricum Stephanum, An. 1578. ARISTOTELES.-Lutetiæ Parisiorum, apud Societatem Græcarum Editionum, An. 1619. ISOCRATES.-Apud Paulum Stephanur, An. 1604. DIOGENES LAERTIUS.-Apud Henricum Stephanum, An. 1594. • A. M. 3700. Ant. J. C. 304. Dod. I xx. p. 833. A M. 3791. A. M. 3735. Ant. J. C. 269. A. M. 3739. Ant. J. C. 215. THE ANCIENT HISTORY OF THE EGYPTIANS. PLAN. & shall divide what I have to say upon the Egyptians into three parts. The first contains a concise descrip tion of the different parts of Egypt, and of what is most remarkable in it; in the second, I treat of the customs, laws, and religion of the Egyptians; and in the third, I give the history of their kings. PART FIRST. DESCRIPTION OF EGYPT; WITH AN ACCOUNT OF WHATEVER IS MOST CURIOUS AND REMARKABLE IN THAT COUNTRY. EGYPT comprehended anciently, within limits of no very great extent, a prodigious number of cities, and an incredible number of inhabitants.* It is bounded on the east by the Red Sea and the Isthmus of Suez, on the south by Ethiopia, on the west by Libya, and on the north by the Mediterranean. The Nile runs from south to north, through the whole country, about two hundred leagues in length. This country is enclosed on each side with a ridge of mountains, which very often leave, between the foot of the hills and the river Nile, a tract of ground of not above half a day's journey in length,† and sometimes less. On the west side, the plain grows wider in some places, and extends to twenty-five or thirty leagues. The greatest breadth of Egypt is from Alexan dria to Damietta, being about fifty leagues. Ancient Egypt may be divided into three principal parts; Upper Egypt, otherwise called Thebais, which was the most southern part; Middle Egypt, or Heptanomis, so called from the seven Nomi or districts it contained; Lower Egypt, which included what the Greeks call Delta, and all the country as far as the Red Sea, and along the Mediterranean to Rhinocolura, or Mount Casius. Under Sesostris, all Egypt became one kingdom, and was divided into thirtysix governments or Nomi; ten in Thebais, ten in Delta, and sixteen in the country between both.‡ The cities of Syene" and Elephantina divided Egypt from Ethiopia, and, in the days of Augustus, were the boundaries of the Roman empire; Claustra alim Romani imperii, Tacit. Annal. lib. ii. cap. 61. CHAPTER I. THEBAIS. THEB om whence Thebais had its name, might vie with the noblest ci ties in the universe. Its hundred gates, celebrated by Homer, are universally *It is related, that under Amasis, there were twenty thousand inhabited cities in Egypt.-Herod. I. ü € 177. A day's journey is 24 eastern, or 33 English miles and a quarter. E Strab. 1. xvii. 787. P. |