iiiiii: iiiifi i^fSif UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROUNA -^ - School oi Library Science UNIVERSITY OF N,C. AT CHAPEL HILL 00022229606 ^.^^%. ^^/^^^^' /^>-^ mm sT'ORiHi flU'ElEllf ttlSffiSI. V mM jii \ ?] s yj - y o B y. a C H A R L L .s ,S . F K A K C T S .'■: C ^). Digitized by the Internet Arciiive in 2012 witii funding from University of Nortii Carolina at Chapel Hil http://archive.org/details/truestoriesfromastri TRUE STORIES, FROM ANCIENT HISTORY CHROJ^OLOGIC^LLT ARRJi^OED, FROM THE CREATION OF THE WORLD TO THE DEATH OF CHARLEMAGNE. ^ '^ Y '' '1. '/.. ^ ' ;'" ' I • ^^ OY iL^ BY A MOTHER, "^ AUTHOR OF "ALWAYS HAPPY," "STORIES FROM MODERN HISTORY," &c NEW YORK: CHARLES S. FRANCIS & CO., 252 BROADWAY. BOSTON: JOSEPH H. FRANCIS, ]2S WASHINGTON STREET. 1851. PREFACE Many years ago, I made a memorandum to write a Sketch of Progressive History for my children, as soon as they were of an age to relish such reading. That period is arrived, and I have cheer- fully commenced the undertaking : it does not prove so easy as I anticipated. Ancient History is entangled with fable ; and Modern History is too abounding in events to admit so clear and simple a narrative as I had pro- jected : some incidents are too doubtful ; some indelicate ; some unintelligible : the most amusing are too often tainted with one or other of these defects. Yet it was imperative that my work should be amusing, or children would not read it ; 1* b PREFACE. that it should be accurate, or children would not profit by it. I have endeavored to meet this necessity, and to produce a composition as entertaining and as true as possible. The few remarks in the margin are for the information of parents and instructors, that they may readily discover the sources whence I derived the opinions and the facts I have collected. The chronology generally ob- served is that of Usher, as given by Dr, Tytler in his very useful publication, '' The Elements of General History." Let it be remembered, that this work is written rather to raise curiosity than to satis- fy it — a mere initiatory book for young readers. INDEX CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE B. C. Pago. 4004 Creation of the World, by the Mosaic Account . . . 11 2348 Universal Deluge 13 2245 Nimrod , Founder of Babylon 13 2188 Menes, Founder of Egypt 1(3 2075 Seiniramis , 13 1996 Abraham born 15 1822 Memnon, the Egyptian, Inventor of Letters 16 1577 Sesostris 16 1556 Athens founded by Cecrops 18 1546 Troy founded by Scamander 18 15)6 Lelex, Founder of Sparta 19 1 184 Troy taken and burnt 20 907 Homer flourished 20 884 Lycurgus gives Laws to Sparta 22 869 Dido, Queen of Carthage 26 776 The First Olympiad 28 753 Rome founded by Romulus 30 732 Syracuse founded by a Colony of Corinthians. ... 28 667 Combat of the Horatii and the Curiatii 40 629 Periander, Tyrant of Corinth , 51 624 Draco, the Athenian Lawgiver 44 599 Cyrus born 54 594 Solon gives Laws to Athens 45 588 Temple of Jerusalem destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar 54 585 Tliales, the Philosopher, flourished 46 685 iEsop, the Fabulist, flourished 50 562 Croesus, King of Lydia 45, 56 560 Pisistratus, Tyrant at Athens 50 538 Cyrus takes Babylon 56 520 Confucius, the Chinese Philosopher, flourished ... 57 510 The PisistratidjB expelled from Athens 65 509 Tarquin, seventh and last King of Rome, expelled 04 508 Junius Brutus, first Consul of Rome 69 497 Pythagoras, the Philosopher, died OS 8 INDEX. B. C. Page. 493 Tribunes of the People created at Rome 73 490 Coriolanus banished from Rome 72 490 Miltiades wins the Battle of xMarathon 67 485 Xerxes the Great. King of Persia 74 484 Aristides the Just'. 66, 79, 83 484 Themistocles, the Athenian 68, 78, 82 480 Leonidas at Thermopylffi 75 480 Battle of Salarnis . . . '. 80 4.^0 Gelon, King of Syracuse 81 480 Cimon, Son of Miltiades 78, 82 458 Cincinnalus, Dictator of Rome 86 451 Decemviri at Rome 88 449 Death of Virginia . - 89 431 Peloponnesian War begins 93 431 Socrates, the Athenian Philosopher 98 429 Death of Pericles 92 41o Alcibiades flees to Sparta 96 404 Lvsander takes Athens 98 401 Retreat of the Ten Thousand 103 400 Socrates put to Death 102 387 The Gauls sack Rome, Camillus defeats them .... 108 371 The Spartans defeated at Leuctra by Epaminondas 116 365 Aristippus, the Philosopher, flourished 103 363 Battle of Mantinea, and Death of Epaminondas . . 118 362 Marcus Curtius leaps into a deep Chasm 120 360 Philip of Macedon made King 126 3ul Titus Manlius Torquatus combats with a Gaul . . • 123 350 Plato, the Athenian Philosopher, flourished 133 348 Demosthenes, the Athenian Orator, flourished. ... 123 343 Dionysius expelled from Syracuse 136 340 Decius devotes himself for Rome 139 337 Death of Timoleon 133 335 Dioorenes, the Cvnic Philosopher, flourished 142 323 Alexander the Great dies 147 321 The Romans pass under the Yoke, at Caudium. . . 148 31 8 Phocion put to Death 130 312 8eleucus, King of Syria and Babylon 155 2tG The Library at Alexandria founded 154 284 The Sepluagint. or Greek Translation of the Old Testament 226 272 Pyrrhus killed by a Tile 163 270 Epicurus, the Philosopher, died 158 241 End of the First Punic War 168 240 Comedies first acted at Rome 168 216 Battle of Canns; Hannibal... 171 212 Fall of Syracuse, and Death of Archimedes. ..... 174 INDEX. y B. C. Page. 201 End of the Second Punic War : Scipio 173 183 Death of Fhilopoemen, General of the Achseans.. 175 167 Fall of Macedon : Perseus starves himself to Death 178 146 Fail of Carthage and Corinth 182 133 The Gracchi 183 106 Jugurtha, King of Numidia, starved to Death 185 88 Civil War between Marius and Sylla 187 82 Sylla Perpetual Dictator l'J2 63 Catiline's Conspiracy 1*J3 60 The First Triumvirate U)6 55 Britain invaded by Caesar 198 53 Death of Crassus 200 48 Battle of Pharsalia 202 46 Cato kills himself, at Utica 205 44 Julius Csesar murdered 209 43 Second Triumvirate : Cicero killed 213 42 Battle of Philippi : Death of Brutus 216 37 Herod, King of Judiea 220, 227 31 Battle of Actium, and Death of Mark Antony 222 31 Octavius, Master of Rome 223 5 Jesus Christ born, December 25 224 A.D. 14 Tiberius, Emperor 233 29 Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension, of our Lord aud Saviour Jesus Christ 225, 227 31 Sejanus put to Death 234 37 Caligula, Emperor 236 41 Claudius, Emperor 237 51 Caractacus carried to Rome 239 54 Nero, Emperor 241 61 Queen Boadicea conquered by the Romans 244 65 Seneca killed by Order of Nero 242 69 Otho, Emperor 247 69 Vespasian, Emperor 248 70 Jerusalem taken by Titus , 249 79 Herculaneum and Pompeii destroyed 250 79 Death of Pliny 250 79 Titus, Emperor 252 80 Agricola in Britain, Wales, Scotland 253, 255 81 Domitian, Emperor 254 98 Trajan, Emperor 257 109 Plutarch, the Biographer 257 117 Adrian, Emperor 259 121 Adrian's Wall across Britain, built 259 138 Antoninus Pius, Emperor 261 10 INDEX. A. D. Page. 189 The Saracens first mentioned in History 266 195 Byzantium taken by Severus 268 203 The Caledonians converted to Christianity ....... 268 271 Anton}-, the first Hermit 298 273 Zenobia defeated by Aurelian 273 283 Fingal, King of Morven, dies 273 284 Diocletian, Emperor 274 3t6 Constantine the Great, Emperor 276 325 First Council of ]N"ice, under Constantine 277 326 Death of Crispus, Son of Constantine 279 329 The Seat of Empire transferred to Constantinople. 279 361 Reign of Julian the Apostate 281 378 Theodosius the Great, Emperor. 286 395 Division of the Empire into Eastern and Western 288 400 Alaric the Goth ravages Italy 289 404 Fergus I. King of Scotland 293 408 Pulcheria, Empress 292 410 Alaric plunders Rome 290 420 Pharamond, first King of the Franks 293 426 The Romans finally quit Britain 294 439 Carthage taken by the Vandals . . . . > 295 444 Attila, King of the Vandals 296 447 Attila ravages France and Germany 297 449 The Saxons settle in Britain 301 452 Venice founded 303 476 Rome taken by Odoacer 306 476 Extinction of the Western Empire 306 493 Theodoric begins the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths in Italy . 307 496 Clovis and his Franks become Christian 309 496 St. Patrick in Ireland 309 565 Belisarius and Justinian die 313 570 Mohammed born, at Mecca 316 597 St. Augustine arrives in England 319 622 Era of the Hej'ra 317 756 The Moorish Kingdom of Cordova, in Spain, founded 317 774 End of the Lombard Kingdom in Italy 321 786 Reign of the Calif Haroun Alraschid 322 800 The Western Empire revived by Charlemagne . . . 321 814 Death of Charlemagne 322 TRUE STORIES CHAPTER I. CREATION OF THE WORLD. THE DELUGE. BABYLON, IN CHALD^A. We have long amused ourselves, my dear children, with tales of fiction ; suppose we now seek a nobler entertainment in the study of real characters and the knowledge of real events. I assure you, fancy can offer nothing more strange or more interesting than may be found in history ; and our best story-tellers and story-writers are those who speak from knowledge and experience. You can easily understand why true stories must be more affecting than fictitious tales ; why the actions of real human beings must be more instructive than the deeds of fancied heroes and heroines. In reading history, how- ever, especially ancient history, we must not too hastily believe all that is written. In the lapse of years, the means by which facts have been recorded, such as Medals, Pictures, Hi- eroglyphic Inscriptions, Statues, and Manu- 12 CREATION OF THE WORLD, scripts, must have been often lost, defaced, and altered. Hence the truth can scarcely be expected to reach us pure and genuine ; besides, different historians relate facts in dif- ferent modes, and view characters and events in different lights : we must, therefore, receive their records with diffidence and candor, and be always disposed to accept the kindest rep- resentation of our fellow-creatures. It is absolutely necessary to all well-edu- cated persons, to be acquainted with what is generally known and believed as the history of the various countries of the world. Such knowledge enables us to relish polite society, and join in intelligent conversation. It in- structs us, by what has happened, to judge Avhat may happen ; it develops to us the powers and capacities of human virtue and human talent ; and hence may teach us what we ought to do, and what we can do. We \vill now, therefore, take a view of events, in the order in Avhich they occurred ; and of persons, in the order in which they lived. The Bible gives us the account of what passed, and of the people who lived, in the earliest period of history. There, also, you will read of the great Flood ; when deep water covered all the earth, and only Noah and his family, and the animals he took with him into the ark, were saved ; all the rest of man- kind were drowned. THE DELUGE. BABYLON. 13 Well, this great Flood, or deluge, as it is sometimes called, took place about four thou- sand years ago. And even now, signs of the deluge — signs that the sea once covered what is now dry land — are to be found; for, in some high mountains, far from the ocean, the bones of fish and marine animals are dis- covered ; so that all sensible persons are sure a flood really did happen. Look into a map of the world for Asia. The first men and women of whom we read lived in Asia ; and the first city of any conse- quence was the famous city of Babylon — built in Asia. Nimrod, the great-grandson of Noah, a brave and clever man, fought many battles, and became the king of a large country, called Assyria ; among many other cities, he built the beautiful city of Babylon. After his death, a queen, named Semiramis, improved and ornamented it. I will tell you how Se- miramis became a queen. Nimrod * had a son, called Ninus : he also was a great conqueror, and gained many battles ; at last, he laid siege to a city called Bactria, but found it very difficult to obtain possession of this place. Now, one of his chief officers had a wife, named Semiramis : she was a woman of un- common courage, and had as much sense as courage ; her parents were obscure, but I sup- pose she had taken pains to improve herself, Rolli 14 BABYLON. SEMIRAMIS. and to make herself brave and skilful. Peo- ple can do more in teaching themselves than any body can do for them. Semiramis went to the king, and told him how she thought he might conquer the city of Bactria ; the king did as she advised, and he soon gained it. Ninus loved the woman who had shown him the way to gain what he desired ; and when the husband of Semiramis saw this, being afraid of the king's power, he went and killed himself When her husband was dead, Ninus married Semiramis : thus she became a queen ; and Ninus, at his death, left her all the countries he possessed. Semiramis was so fond of Babylon, that she almost built it anew, and added some fine palaces and temples ; so that it was long cel- ebrated for its grandeur and beauty. Semir- amis was also much admired for her sense and spirit, and for the clever manner in which she governed a great nation. She not only built cities, but she went out with a large army, and fought amidst her soldiers, and obtained many victories. One day, when she was dressing herself, word was brought that there was a tumult in the city ; she ran out instantly, with her hair half dressed, and never thought of finishing her dressing till she had restored peace to her people. Another time, when she was marching a great army against a king of India, as soon as he heard of her coming, he sent to ask her SEMIRAMIS. EGYPT. 15 who she was, and why she came against him. " Tell your master," replied Semiramis, '' I will soon let him know who I am." They met, and fonght ; and the king wounded Se- miramis in two places ; but he did not kill her, for she escaped with part of her army, and returned to Babylon. Soon after her return, her son rebelled against her ; and she, instead of punishing him, gave up the throne to him, and, retiring from court, passed the rest of her life in peace and privacy. The Assyrians always loved Semiramis for the good she had done for them. We are told that China, also a vast country in Asia, was well peopled, rich, and flourishing, so far back as the reign of Semiramis. Abraham, of whom you read in the Bible, was born in Ghaldaea, a part of Assyria, A. C. 1996, soon after the death of this celebrated queen. CHAPTER II. EGYPT. NILE. PYRAMIDS. LETTERS. SESOSTRIS. The second country of which we read is Egypt ; and here is the map. Egypt is in Africa, in the corner which joins it to Asia. 16 PYRAMIDS. LETTERS. SESOSTRIS. Menes was the first king of Egypt : he reigned about 160 years after Nimrod, but before Se- miramis. Egypt is famous for many things ; such as the River Nile, which overflows its banks once every year, and with the water carries a rich earth over the surrounding land, that not only moistens but improves it ; so that, when the water retires, the ground is in a fine state for tilling and sowing. You have heard of those wonderful build- ings, the Pyramids. They are to be seen at this day in Egypt, and are so old that nobody can find out when they were raised, or for what use ; but it is supposed they were meant for sepulchres, a kind of graves, for the dead. In Egypt, letters were first invented by a man called Memnon, more than 3000 years ago ; from that time, men have had signs with which to write down what they think and what they wish to remember. Egypt had also a very great monarch, named Sesostris, who reigned there long and happily; he was father to Amenophis, the Pharaoh under whom the Israelites departed out of Egypt, and who was drowned in the Red Sea, when pursuing them. Look into the map, and yoit*Vil] find the Red Sea be- tween Egypt and Canaan, in Assyria ; so that the shortest way for the Israelites to return home was by crossing it. I must tell you SESOSTRIS. 17 that Pharaoh was a royal title, common to all the kings who, in those times, reigned in Egypt. The father of Sesostris was resolved to ed- ucate his son so well that he should become a great and good man. By his orders, all the children born in Egypt on the same day as Sesostris were brought to court, and instruct- ed with the young prince. They were all treated alike : by these means, Sesostris not only made many friends, but many clever boys were educated, who proved able and faithful ministers to him. The prince and his com- panions were brought up very hardily ; they were never suffered to eat until they had run or ridden a race. They were taught the use of arms, and were made to bear hunger and thirst patiently. As soon as they were strong enough, they were sent to fight the enemies of their country. Whilst Sesostris was absent on such an expedition, his father died; and then he resolved to attempt the conquest of all the world. But, before he began this great un- dertaking, he tried to secure the safety of his own country, by choosing sensible ministers, and by gaining the love of his people. He conquered many nations ; but, after ob- taining from them whatever he thought most useful for his own country, he restored to them their freedom. We are told that in sev- eral places he erected pillars, with hieroglyph 2* IS SESOSTRIS. ic inscriptions to this effect upon them : ^' Se-» sostris, king of kings, and lord of lords, subdued this country by the power of his arms." On his return home, a wicked broth- er of his tried to destroy him, by setting fire to the palace in which he, his wife, and children, were sleeping ; but they all escaped the danger. Sesostris dug canals, encouraged commerce, and in so many ways benefited his subjects, that I am sorry truth obliges me to inform you of an instance of his pride and vain- glory. He was so puffed up with his con- quests, that, fancying himself more than man, he made the princes he had vanquished do him homage, and would go to the temple with those poor princes harnessed to his car instead of horses. This was shameful ; but he did still worse ; for, when he was old and blind, he wickedly put an end to his own life. In his reign, B. C. 1556, Cecrops led a colony out of Egypt, and built the city of Athens, of which place I have much to tell you ; and the brother who had sought his death, afraid of the punishment he deserved, took to flight. After many years' wandering, he repaired to Argos, and took possession of that city. About this time, also, Scamander built Troy, B. C. 1546, soon after the birth of Moses. SPARTA. 19 CHAPTER III. SPARTA. HELENA. PARIS. HOMER. Sparta was built soon after Athens. Lelex was its first king ; and it had another, called Lacedasmon, from whom the state was some- times called Lacedasmonia. The tenth king of Sparta, Tyndarus, had a daughter named Helena, who was so beautiful that every body who saw her admired her, and many princes desired to marry her. Tyndarus knew not whom to choose for her husband ; so he made them all take an oath to agree that the lady should choose for herself. Helena fixed upon Menelaus ; they were married, and lived together happily enough. It happened that a very handsome prince, Paris, the son of Priam, king of Troy, trav- elling that way, chanced to see Helena, and was so much struck with her beauty, that, as Menelaus was gone from home, he took the opportunity to run away with her. When Menelaus returned, and found he had lost his wife, he complained very loudly, and stirred up all the cities of Greece to assist him in recovering his Helena. Greece is in Europe, and was, at that time, full of cities, each governed by its own king. ^ HELENA. PARIS. Troy was in Asia. At the request of Mene- laus, all the Greeks united : it was the first * time they had united ; and they laid siege to Troy, where the beauteous Helena was living with the handsome Paris. For ten long years the Greek army strove to regain her ; and at the end of that period they took the city, burned it to the ground, and recovered Hele- na, B. C. 1184. It was by a cunning contri- vance that the Greeks entered Troy. They made a large wooden horse, and filled it with armed soldiers ; this horse they managed to get into the city ; and, at night, when all was still, the men within the hollow horse let themselves out, set fire to Troy, broke down the gates, and gave admission to the Grecian army, which was all in readiness to rush into the town. Most of this singular history is told in a poem composed by Homer, and called the Iliad. You will read it some day, and see how much bloodshed was caused by the crimes and follies of Helena and her lover Paris. Homer, who lived 900 years before Christ, is said to have been a poor blind man, who went about from place to place, singing his verses, and making them as he went along. I will tell you a pretty fable about Paris, the lover of Helena. A fable, you know, is a story that is not true. * Goldsmith. HELENA. PARIS. 2i Peleus, the father of Achilles, when mar- ried to Thetis, the mother of Achilles, invited all the gods and goddesses to his wedding, ex- cept the goddess of Discord, who was not asked ; this made her so angry, that, to spoil tlie pleasures of the feast, she threw among the guests a golden apple, with this inscription upon it : " To the fairest." Each goddess, fancying herself the prettiest, expected to re- ceive this curious fruit ; but, as all could not have it, Jupiter decided that Juno, Minerva, and Venus, should go with Mercury to Mount Ida, and have the contest there decided. Paris, who, though a prince, was also a shepherd, was there tending his father's flocks ; and, when desired to say which of these three goddesses was the fairest, after some hesitation, he adjudged the golden apple to Yenus. This decision so offended the other two goddesses, Juno and Minerva, that, to pun- ish him and his old father, Priam, they caused him to see and run away with Helena, and then urged the Greek princes to destroy Troy, under pretence of recovering the faithless princess. Almost all ancient history is entangled with fable, and it is now difficult to determine what is true and what is not. But you may be always sure that is false which describes gods and goddesses ; there is but One God, the Lord of heaven and earth. 22 LYCURGUSj CHAPTER lY. I LYCURGUS, AND HIS LAWS. For many years. Sparta was governed by a single king ; afterwards, two reigned together. One of these kings left two sons, Polydectes and Lycurgns. Polydectes died, and then Lycurgus might have been king, for the widow of Polydectes offered to kill the only son of that prince as soon as it was born, if he would promise "to marry her. But Lycurgus, disdaining so dishonorable a proposal, and wishing to save the child, de- sired she would send it to him, that he might dispose of 'i. Accordingly, the boy, as soon as he was born, was sent to his uncle. Ly- curgus was at supper with a large party, when the babe arrived : but he instantly took it into his arms, and. holding it to the view of his company, exclaimed, '•' Spartans, behold your king ! " As all the people were delighted to see the son of their deceased monarch, Ly- curgus named the boy Charilaus, which, I believe, signifies '-'the joy of the people."' Lycurgus now governed the kingdom until the prince should be old enough to govern for himself; but he found the nation so full of folly and vice, that he resolved to travel into AND HIS LAWS. 23 Other countries, and discover the best means of government. In his travels, he met with the poems of Homer ; he collected these with great care, and took them with him when he returned to Sparta, to which place he was soon recalled by the people. Things were now much worse in this city than when he left it ; and he re- solved to set about a reformation of the man- ners of the people. Charilans at first opposed his plans, but he had sense enough to find they were good, and then he cheerfully for- warded them. Lycurgus began his labors by instituting a senate, that is, an assembly of the best and wisest men, to make laws, and, see that they were obeyed ; this senate was composed of thirty members, the two kings being of the number. He next made an equal division of all the land, so that all the Spartans shared it fairly among them. When he tried to do the same with the movables, the furniture, clothes, (fcc, he found the rich, who possessed a great deal, very averse to his proposals ; so he went another way to work. He took away the value of gold and silver, by ordering the money in future to be made of iron. As this iron money was despised by all the neighbor- ing countries, the Spartans could no longer buy foreign showy articles, so that luxury was at once banished from among them. The workmen, also, not being employed in making 24 LFCURGUS, useless finery, had more time to give to useful articles, so that the conveniences of life (the things that are necessary) were very neatly and completely made and finished. He then commanded that all persons should eat at public tables, and that those tables should be served with plain food. This reg- ulation vexed the rich Spartans more than any other, so much were they devoted to eat- ing and drinking. They rose in a body and assaulted Lycurgus; and one of them cruelly struck out his eye with a stick. Lycurgus no otherwise punished this ofi'ender, Alcander, than by ordering him to become his page and attendant. Alcander, having a good heart, was so touched by this mildness, that he resolved to be more orderly, and learned in future to govern his passions. In time, these public dinners came to be much relished, and very pleasant discourse often enlivened them. I never can enough admire one part of the ceremony observed at them. When the com- pany were assembled, the oldest man present, pointing to the door, said, ''Not one word spoken here goes out there." This wise rule produced mutual confidence, and prevented all scandal, misrepresentation, and foolish or ill- natured prating. You will laugh when I tell you, that, at these public dinners, they served up a kind of soup called black broth, which the Spartans enjoyed very much, but which the people of AND HIS LAWS. 25 Other countries thought sad stuff. The truth was, the Spartans were healthy, and had good appetites, so that any food was acceptable to them. When you are hungry, you know, you can relish the plainest viands, just as they did their black broth. The children were taught in large public schools, and were made brave and hardy ; all the people were accustomed to speak in short, pithy sentences, so that that style of speaking is even now called after them — laconic ; La- conia being one of the names of Lacedse- monia. I could tell you much more of this warlike people, but you will read of them in other and better books, when you are older ; so I will only add that, when Lycurgus had firmly established his new laws, he took a curious mode of insuring their continued observance. He left Sparta, after having made the people solemnly swear, that they would abide by his laws until he should return. As he intended not to return, this was making them swear they would keep his laws forever. Lycurgus died in a foreign land. Some say he killed himself; but I hope he was not so Avicked. His death happened when Solo- mon had been dead 100 years, about the S74th year before Christ. The Helots, of whom you will read in the history of Sparta, were a people conquered by 3 ' 26 CARTHAGE. DIDO. the Spartans, and not only deprived of their liberty and made slaves, but often otherwise cruelly used. CHAPTER V. CARTHAGE. DIDO. iENEAS. I HAVE now to inform you of the origin of the magnificent city of Carthage, in Africa. It is said to have been built before the Trojan war ; but if so, it was certainly much enlarged and improved by Clueen Dido. About the time that Lycurgus died, Dido, or Elissa, (as she is sometimes called,) being ] rovoked at the tyranny of her brother Pyg- malion, (v/ho had murdered her husband Sichsgus,) fled with a party from Tyre, in Asia, and settled on the coast of Africa. There she bargained for the purchase of as much land as the hide of an ox could enclose ; then very artfully cutting the hide, or skin, into narrow strips, she claimed as much ground as those strips would surround. Virgil has written a charming poem, the JE7ieid, Avhich gives a very interesting narra- tive of Dido, and, as it may have been founded on facts,* I will tell you his story. You remember that Troy was taken, after * Gibbon. DIDO. «NEAS. CARTHAGE. 27 ten years' siege, by the Greeks. Among the Trojans who escaped that bloody day, was a prince, ^neas, who, with his father Anchises, his son A scan i us, and a few followers, fled by sea from the ruins of Troy. iEneas and his little party were long driven about by contrary winds ; and at last a tem- pest threw them on the coast of Africa, near the city of Carthage. Dido received them with great kindness ; gave them food and clothing, and behaved so compassionately, that jEneas fell in love with her. He soon gained the affections of the queen, and they lived very happily together for many months; but at last ^neas either became tired of her, or his conscience accused him of spending an idle and useless life. In spite of the prayers and tears of the ten- der and faithful Dido, who had done so much for him and his followers ; who had refused, for his sake, to marry a great king, and thus drawn upon herself the fury of that king, — ^neas hoisted his sails, and hastened far from Carthage. Dido, broken-hearted at his ingrat- itude and desertion, resolved to die, according to the barbarous usage of those days, when true religion was unknown ; she raised a high pile of wood, and, mounting upon it, stabbed herself, and was burned to ashes with the wood on which she had laid herself. Carthage was long celebrated for its com merce and wealth ; and hereafter I shall have 28 THE OLYMPIADS. to inform you of some great men, who fought her battles and enlarged her power. This city measured twenty-three miles in circum- ference. It had a noble park and fine fortress ; altogether, it was one of the finest cities that was ever erected ; though, at present, the spot on which it stood is scarcely known. So, the period may come when ruins alone shall mark the spot where London, the metropolis of England, — London, still more celebrated than Carthage for riches and commerce, — now proudly stands. CHAPTER VL THE OLYMPIADS. There are many ways of measuring time : we say such an event occurred in such a year of the world. Anno Mundi ; marked thus, A. M. : that is, when the world was so many years old. Or, we say, it happened Before Christy B. C, or A7ite Christum^ A. C. ; that is, so many years before Christ was born. Or, we say, a circumstance came to pass in such a year of such an Olympiad ; you shall hear what is meant by this last exijression. Every four years, at Olympia, or Pisa, both towns of Greece, certain public games were THE OLYMPIADS. 29 celebrated in honor of the heathen god Jupi- ter. Tliese games consisted of chariot races, horse races, wrestling, tin-owing the disc or coit, and boxing with the cestus ; the cestus was a gauntlet, or glove, made of an ox-hide. One of the wrestlers being once entangled by his dress, the men from that time wrestled naked, with their bodies greased, or oiled, to prevent their being held firmly by their an- tagonists. The reward of the victor was a simple wreath of the wild olive ; hence it seems they fought for glory, not for riches. The conquerors were talked of all over Greece and the neighboring states, so that young men flocked from all parts to contend at these games ; and, as they caused the candidates to practise manly exercises, and thence to become robust and daring, these games were very con- siderable. Women were not allowed to be present : indeed, few would have desired it. There was once a female, who, wishing to see her two sons perform, put on man's attire, and mixed with the crowd. It happened that her sons were declared to be the victors ; and when she heard this, the joy of the mother overmatched the prudence of the woman She ran from her place, jumped over the cord that was fixed to keep back the specta- tors, and, throwing ofi*her manly robe, declared her sex. The people were amazed ; but, in consideration of the merit of her sons, the fault of the mother ^vas pardoned. 3* 30 ROME. From that time, however, a stricter vigilance was used to prevent the entrance of females. The Olympic Games were first instituted about 1453 A. 0. ; but having fallen into dis- use, they were restored by Pelops, 1307 A. C. But the Olympiads, from which history is sometimes reckoned, were established 776 A. C. ; an epocha you must be careful to re- member, not only as the period from which ancient history is generally dated, but because it is very near the time when the far-famed city of Rome was built. CHAPTER VIL ROME There are many accounts of the first build- mg of Rome ; the most generally accepted I will give you ; but you will find, though very entertaining, it is by no means certain. I told you that, after the sacking of Troy, ^neas fled to Carthage, and, after staying there some time, deserted Queen Dido, and sailed away. After many adventures, he landed with his little party on the coast of Italy, in Europe. There he married, and built a city, and reigned in it, and his sons after him. ROME. 31 Numitor, a descendant of his, the fifteenth king from ^neas, many years after his death, was deposed (that is, removed from his throne) by his brother AmuUus ; his son was killed ; and his daughter Rhea Silvia was obliged to become a vestal virgin, that she might not marry and have children. Rhea, however, happened to have twin sons ; and as soon as Amulius heard of their birth, he ordered Rhea to be buried alive, and her children to be thrown into the River Tiber. The poor babes were put into a basket ac- cordingly, and placed by the water, that, when the river rose, it might carry tliem away and drown them. However, the in- fants were so light, that the basket floated. 32 ROME. and the children were saved. — Some say a wolf suckled them — an almost incredible thing ; for wolves, you know, are remarkably fierce and bloodthirsty. Other writers relate, that the woman who preserved and nursed them was called Lupa ; and, as Lupa is the Latin word for she ivolf. this caused the mis- take. Be that as it may, the two boys throve, and grew strong and bold. They were called Romulus and Remus : became shepherds, and were fond of hunting the wild beasts. At last, they were told of their high birth, and that, in right of their mother, they ought to be kings of the country. They therefore collected their friends, fought against their wicked uncle, and killed him : so that then their old grandfather Numitor came again to his throne. After forty-two years' exile, to be sure, he Avould be happ}^ to return to his crown ; and he would be proud to owe it to the bravery of his grandsons. Romulus and Remus persuaded him to build a new city. Cities in those days were not what they are now ; I suppose, a few, low-built houses, with mud walls, erected near each other, were thought a very fine city ; for Europe was then as barbarous as some part of America is now. These young men had nearly quarrelled m deciding where this city should stand : but Numitor advised them to watch the flight of ROME. 33 birds — a custom common in that age, when any debated point was to be settled. They took their stations on different hills. Remus saw six vultures ; Romulus twice as many. Remus said he was victorious, because the birds first appeared to him ; Romulus insisted that, as he had seen the greater number, he was the conqueror. From words they came to blows ; and, I am sorry to tell you, Remus was killed by his brother.* Romulus now became sole master ; and at eighteen years of age, laid the founda- tion of a city which was to give laws to all the world. It was named Rome after him, was built in a square form, and contained one thousand houses. Some of the laws he made were excellent. He had a senate, of one hundred men, to assist him to govern. They were called Patricians, from patres, the Latin for fathers ; and the common people were called Plebeians, from plebes, the commonalty. They had priests to perform religious cere- monies ; for you will observe, as you read history, that the most rude and ignorant na- tions worship God, in some form or other, ''believe in Him, fear Him, love Him." The Romans had also an army, composed of horse and foot soldiers ; and great numbers of men flocked to them from the little tov\rns * Livy. 34 THE SABINES. near Rome : thus every day the city increased in power and extent. About the time that Rome was founded, B. C. 753, Sparta changed its form of gov- ernment, and, instead of thirty senators; liad only five magistrates, called Ephori. CHAPTER YIII. THE SABINES. I DO not know how it happened that Rome was in want of women ; either they had not any, or they had too few. So Romulus sent to the neighboring cities, to ask permission for his people to marry their young virgins. These cities, however, scornfully refused the proposal ; so Romulus determined to gain by cunning what he could not obtain by fair and honorable means. He therefore gave notice that, on a certain day, there would be public games, and shows, and feasts, in his city of Rome. Then the proud inhabitants of the adjacent towns came in crowds to see the sights and partake of the festivities. Among the rest, it is said that all the nation of Sa- bines, men, women, and children, visited Rome. In the m.idst of the shows, at a cer- tain signal given, the young Romans rushed upon the strangers, and ran away with the THE SABINES. 35 fairest maidens, each taking the one he Hked best, and making her his wife. The parents of the young girls, you may be sure, were very angry, but, in the confusion, could not find out their children ; so they left the city, vowing vengeance on the perfidious Romans ; and, indeed, this was a breach of hospitality that no necessity could justify. A war ensued, and the Sabines gained some advantages, as also did the Romans. At last the two armies met, each resolved to conquer or die. Just before the battle began, the wo- men, who had been the innocent cause of this animosity, with their hair dishevelled, and their garments torn, rushed in between the contending troops: some tried to soften their husbands ; others strove to melt the hearts of their fathers and brothers. They wept, en- treated, caressed; — declared themselves to be very kindly treated by their husbands, and prayed that peace might be established be- tween relatives so near and dear. Their prayers were granted. The Sabines consent- ed to forgive the Romans, and the Romans were willing to be reconciled to the justly offended Sabines. To obtain and preserve concord is woman's true province. Peace and confidence were restored, and the nations lived in mutual love and harmony for many years. After having brought his city into a state of great power and comfort, Romulus died. 36 NUMA. ATHENS. and was succeeded by Numa Pompilius, a Sa- bine, the second king of Rome. It has been said that Romulus was killed ; and it has also been said that he was taken up alive to heaven. Leaving these marvels, I shall have more pleasure in telling you of Numa. He was a wise and virtuous man, living contentedly in privacy. When the throne was offered to him, he wished to decline it ; and it was not until his friends had repeatedly urged him to accept it, that he gave up his own wishes to theirs, and, for the public good, consented to be made king of Rome. He proved as excellent a monarch as he had been a simple citizen, and reigned forty-three years in profound peace, doing every thing possible for the improvement of Rome and the advantage of its inhabitants. It was in the time of Romulus, about B. C. 732, that a colony from Corinth, a city in Greece, passed over to the island of Sicily, and laid the foundati-ons of Syracuse. CHAPTER IX. ATHENS. THESEUS. Athens was the most famous city in Greece. I have already told you that Cecrops, with a ATHENS. THESEUS. 37 colony from Egypt, built it a few years before Sparta was founded. You must know, Greece is a large tract of country in the eastern corner of Europe ; and formerly it was covered with cities, each of which had its territory. Of some of these cities you have already heard : Sparta was one of them, Corinth another, Argos another, and Athens, perhaps the most celebrated of them all. The country belonging to Athens was called Attica. Theseus was the most renowned of its kings; he reigned there before the Trojan war, and was the son of iEgeus. When he was young, it was a , custom in Athens to send seven youths and seven maid- ens to Minos, king of Crete, as a kind of trib- ute ; and it is said he put those victims into a place called a labyrinth, to be devoured by the Minotaur, a strange monster, partaking of the form of a man and a bull. This was done once every ten years. When the time of the third tribute came, and the poor young people were going to be chosen by lot. Prince Theseus came forward, and vol- untarily offered himself for one of the victims, without taking his chance. You may suppose the old king, his father, did not approve of this self-devotion, though at last he consented to it. The ship that took out these hapless creatures had a black sail, as an emblem, or sign, of its melancholy office; but Theseus 4 38 ARIADNE. THESEUS. persuaded ^Egeus to give them a white sail likewise ; and he promised, if he escaped the monster, and returned in safety, to hoist the white sail instead of the usual black one. When he arrived at Crete, a young vir^n, named Ariadne, fell in love with him, and gave him a clew of thread, with the help of which he could find his way out of the laby- rinth. He therefore boldly entered it, killed the Minotaur, and then, guiding himself by the thread, came safely forth, and, with Ari- adne and the young victims he had rescued, set sail for Athens. When they drew near to Attica, they were ail in such raptures of joy, that they quite forgot to hoist the white sail : so vEgeus, who was anxiously watching for the ship, concluded that his beloved son was dead, and, throAving himself from the rocks, was instantly dashed to pieces. Two great faults caused this sad calamity : Theseus had broken a promise sol- emnly given, and ^geus was too impatient mider trial. The gratitude of the people for being res- cued from so dreadful a custom, did not com- pensate to the brave son for the death of his affectionate father. Theseus fought many battles with a race of women called Amazonians. Surprising sto- ries are told of the courage of these valiant females ; but of what is related of those dark times so little can be depended upon, that I do CODRUS. 39 not wish to say much of what is so strange and incredible. I suppose, however, there was a race of women singular for their cour- age and strength, as that is very possible. ifrter Theseus, many kings reigned in Ath- ens : the last of them, Codrns, deserves to be remembered. He was told that Athens would not flourish until its monarch should die by the hand of an enemy ; he directly went in disguise into the enemy's camp, and picked a quarrel with one of the soldiers, on purpose to rouse him to kill him, which the man soon did. It is truly brave to die in the hope of ben- efiting our country. Codrus so died. Saul was then king of Israel. After this gallant action, Athens was gov- erned by a magistrate, called an archon ; and Medon, the son of Codrus, was the first archon. Medon and a few of his immediate follow- ers were archons during life. Afterwards, this magistrate governed' only ten years ; and last- ly, he was chosen annually. We have now brought the history of Athens from its build- ing, B. C. 1556, to the time of the foundation of Rome, B. C. 753. 40 COMBAT BETWEEN CHAPTER X. COMBAT BETWEEN THE HORATII AND CURIAfll. The Romans were always trying, by every means in their power, by force of arms or art- ful schemes, to extend their dominion. Their king, Tiillus Hostilius, under pretence that the peasants of the nation of Alba had plun- dered his subjects, sent ambassadors to demand restitution of the goods they had taken away. He knew that the Albans would refuse satis- faction, because the Romans had also robbed them ; and it turned out as he expected. War was therefore declared between the two na- tions. When the opposing armies met, the general of the Albans, Mitius, averse to the shedding of so much blood, proposed that some other method of settling the dispute should be chosen. It happened that in each army there were three brothers born at a birth. Those on the Roman side were called Horatii, and those on the Alban side, Curiatii. The kings proposed to these young men to fight, each for his own country ; and whoever conquered, should be deemed to have obtained the victory for his nation. THE HORATII AND CURIATII. 41 A treaty to this eflfect was signed, and it was solemnly resolved, ^^ That the nation, whose champions should come off conquerors in the combat, should reign peaceably over the other." By the by, this is the most ancient treaty recorded in history. The armies were placed in due order ; the brothers took their arms ; their hearts, no doubt, beating high with the hope of victory, and happy in the assurance that, at all events, their prowess would save the lives of hundreds of their fellow-creatures. That is the only true courage, which risks personal danger in the expectation and inten- tion of obtaining good to our country and our fellow-creatures. Boldly these gallant young heroes stood be- fore their own armies, and heard the prayers of their fellow-soldiers for their success. The signal was given. The youths rushed forward to the encounter. Presently they were engaged hand to hand, and, in the des- perate conflict, felt not the wounds they re- ceived, although the spectators, with aching hearts, saw them soon covered with blood. But the glorious spirit of patriotism prtwented the heroes from feeling pain ; they were insen- sible to every thing but honor. The three Albans were desperately wound- ed, and loud shouts ran along the Roman army. In a few seconds, two of the Romans 4* 42 COMBAT BETWEEr? fell, and expired. The acclamations were now heard among the Albans : such is the fate of war. The surviving Roman saw that all depend- ed upon him ; it was an awful moment. But he did not despair ; he manfully roused his spirits to meet the exigence of the hour. He saw that force could not avail, for three to one were fearful odds ; but he had presence of mind enough to think upon what was best to be done. How valuable is presence of mind ! Horatius drew back, as if fleeing from his enemies. I suppose you will cry out, as the Roman army did, " Shame ! Shame ! " But Horatius was too brave to trouble himself about what was said ; he was only thinking of what was to be done. The Curiatii pursued the retreating hero, and, as Horatius expected, one came up be- fore the others : this was what he wanted. When the Roman hero found one of the Albans near him, he turned about, and, ex- erting all his skill and bravery, he soon laid him dead at his feet. By this time another of th^ brothers had arrived ; him, too, Hora- tius quickly despatched. Only one remained on each side. The hisses of the Romans were turned into cheerings. But what was their joy, when they saw the last of the Curiatii stretched THE HORATII AND CURIATII. 43 lifeless on the ground ! Can you not imagine the joy of the victor when he returned trium- phant to his friends ? What followed, it is painful to relate. When Horatius reached Rome, he saw his sister bitterly lamenting the death of the Curiatii, one of whom she was engaged to marry ; and, in the dreadful moment of ungoverned rage, he killed her on the spot. Alas ! to what crimes does not passion lead ! Horatius was condemned to die. His aged father implored the judges to show some mer- cy to his son ; that son, whose valor had late- ly obtained for Rome the dominion of a new state, whose valor had saved the lives of many Romans ; that son, whom • he himself would have punished, had he overlooked the conduct of his weak, complaining sister. The people could not withstand the tears and pleadings of the old father. The life of Horatius was spared. But, no doubt, he deeply lamented that his rash anger had made him tarnish the honors he had so dearly pur- chased. A little before this interesting combat took place in Italy, Holofernes, the Assyrian gen- eral, was killed by Judith, as related in the book which bears her name. M ATHENS. DRACO. CHAPTER XI. ATHENS. DRACO. SOLON. The Athenians wished much to have writ- ten laws ; that they might more steadily gov- ern, and more readily know what to obey. They therefore desired Draco, a wise and honest, but a very stern man, to write out a set of rules for them. Draco did so ; and these were the first written laws which history records. But they were most severe'; very trifling ofli'ences being punished with death, "because," said Draco, "small crimes deserve death, and I have no higher punishment for the greatest transgressions." This was a strange way of talking ; and Draco certainly showed neither mercy nor wisdom by such a remark. Laws are to prevent crimes as well as to punish them. A person chastised moderately for a small oflfence may be cured of his wickedness, and become virtuous and happy. Draco's laws were so very harsh that no- body liked to resort to them for the correction of errors and crimes : hence Athens was as badly oflT as if she had been without laws ; and for many years disorder and licentious- ness reigned. SOLON. 45 One hundred and fifty years after the death of the stern Draco, the Athenians chose Solon for their archon, and entreated him to make them some just laws, A. C. 594. Solon was one of the seven wise men of Greece, and gave a clever answer to Croesus, king of Lydia. Croesus was so rich, that even now it is common to say, '^as rich as Croesus." This king showed his wealth to Solon, and then asked him, if he did not think the possessor of so much gold the hap- piest of men. — "No," replied the philoso- pher ; " I know a happier man, an honest laborer, who has just enough to live on." — " And who is the next happiest ? " said the king, expecting himself to be named. " The next happiest," answered Solon, " are two virtuous sons, who were remarkable for their duty and kindness to their mother." — ''And think you not that I am happy ? " exclaimed the disappointed monarch. " No man can be deemed happy till his death," said the sage. When Croesus, afterwards, was taken prisoner by Cyrus, and about to be burnt, he recol- lected this conversation, and cried out, '' Oh ! Solon ! Solon ! " Cyrus inquired wherefore this exclamation ; and, when the cause of it was explained, he set Croesus at liberty, and owned himself instructed by the hint of Solon. — Thus the philosopher saved the life of one king, and benefited another. When setting about altering the laws, the 4G SOLON. THALES first thing that Solon did was to repeal the laws of Draco ; that is, to declare them no longer binding. Next, he endeavored to in- troduce more equahty of rank and property, by giving power to the lower classes. He reestablished the Areopagus. This court had subsisted before, but had fallen into disrepute. Solon, by confining its members to those who had been archonS; raised the reputation of the body so much, that it was afterwards greatly venerated. The Areopa- gus was the highest tribunal in Athens ; and took its name from being held upon a hill near the city, called Areopagus ; that is to say, the Hill of Ares, the ancient name of Mars. Many were the useful laws instituted by this wise legislator ; and, as they were all mild and reasonable, they were faithfully act- ed upon ; so that Athens greatly improved in virtue £ind in wisdom from the archonship of Solon. You see how much can be done by the exertions of a single man ; not only a whole country informed, but a very licentious people rendered remarkably civilized and inteUigent. Solon was intimate with Thales, the most celebrated of the seven Grecian sages.* He * The names of these seven remarkable personages were, Thales, of Miletus; Solon, the Athenian; Pittacus, of Mitylene; Periander, of Corinth; Bias, of Priene ; Cleo- bulus, of Lindus, in Rhodes ; and Chilo, the Spartan : they were mostly contemporaries; and lived between A. C. 665 and 542. SOLON. THALES. 47 was of Phoenician origin, and a reputed de- scendant of Cadmus. But his parents had removed to Miletus, a town of Ionia, where Thales was born, A. C. 643. Like others of the ancients, he travelled in quest of knowledge, and visited Crete, Phoenicia, and Egypt. In the latter country, he was taught by the priests geometry, astronomy, and phi- losophy ; in return he is said to have shown them how to measure the vast height and ex- tent of a pyramid by its shadow — a problem which, at that period, was deemed astonishing, but now has nothing difficult in it beyond the labor of calculation. On his return to Miletus, his reputation for wisdom was very great, and deservedly so ; for he was the first who calculated with accuracy a solar eclipse ; he examined the origm of the winds, and the cause of thunder and lightning ; he discovered the solstices and equinoxes, arranged the order of the seasons, and fixed the number of days in the year at 365. That nothing might interfere with his sci- entific pursuits, he abstracted hrmself as much as possible from society ; and, when his moth- er urged him to marry, he replied, '^ Before my travels, I was too young ; I am now too old : between these two extremes a philosopher has no time to think of it." Solon thought otherwise : he was married, and, when he visited Thales, at Miletus, he frequently ral- lied him on the uncomfortableness of a single 48 SOI.GN. THALES. life. By way of retaliation, Thales engaged a stranger to come into the room while he was conversing with Solon, and to pretend that he was just arrived from Athens. So- lon, being an Athenian, naturally asked what news he brought. The stranger replied, " A promising young man is just dead, for whom the whole city is in mourning." — " What is his name ? " inquired Solon, eagerly. '' I cannot tell," answered the stranger: ''all I know is, that his father is a great philosopher, and is at present travelling at a distance from home." — "Alas! alas!" cried Solon, who doubted not that it was his own son, of whom the stranger spoke ; and he began to weep and. tear his hair. " Moderate your grief," said Thales, smiling. " You now perceive one of the advantages of a single life. Such grief as you now feel can never assail the man who refuses to marry. Be comforted ; for this news is not true : your son still lives." Some lonians, one day, bargained with a party of Milesian fishermen for the next draught of fishes they should catch. When the net was hauled up, it was found to contain a golden tripod, which, it was reported, Helen had thrown into the sea as she returned from Troy. This, you know, must be a fable. A dispute, as might be expected, arose^ as to whom the tripod belonged — to the fishermen, or to the lonians ; and, as they could not set- SOLON. THALES. 4^ tie the matter themselveSj they referred the question to the Delphian oracle. The answer assigned the prize "to the wisest.^'^ The Milesians, thinking their own philosopher, Thales, the wisest man in the world, sent the tripod to him. But Thales, too modest to deem himself perfect, forwarded it to Bias, another of the Grecian sages ; who, for sim- ilar reasons, sent it to Pittacus ; and thus it went round, till it came to Solon, whose de- cision was, that '' God alone is truly wise ; " and therefore he sent it to Delphi, to be con- secrated to the deity of the place. Thales rendered an important service to Croesus, when he was at a loss how to get his army across the River Halys ; having neither bridges nor boats for the purpose. The phi- losopher ordered the men to cut a trench be- hind the camp, in the form of a crescent, and to make it join the river at its two extremities. The water was thus diverted into another channel, and the river became fordable. Thales lived to the advanced age of ninety- six years ; and died respected for his virtue and admired for his wisdom. The Milesians celebrated his funeral with great pomp, and erected a statue to his memory. Thespis was the first poet who performed comedies at Athens. He and his immediate successors had no playhouses, but used to act upon an open cart, somewhat as our itinerant 5 50 SOLON. ^SOP. PISISTRATUS. show-folks do now. Solon did not disapprove of these shows, and even went himself to see them. But when the play was over, he called Thespis, who had been acting various charac- ters, and asked him if he were not ashamed to speak so many lies? Thespis replied, "It was all in jest." Admire, I beseech yon, the answer of Solon : striking his staff on the ground violently, he cried, " If we encourage ourselves to speak falsely in jest, we shall run the chance of acquiring a habit of speaking falsely in serious matters." Had he never uttered any other words than these, he would have deserved the character of a wise man. ^sop, who wrote so many ingenious fables, was much caressed by King Croesus ; whilst Solon, for his bluntness, was little noticed. iEsop therefore said, " A man should not converse with kings, unless he says what is agreeable." But Solon nobly answered, " He should not speak, unless he says what is use- ful." You will observe that all wise and good persons are equally remarkable for truth. In- deed, there can be no virtue where there is no truth : none but fools and knaves condescend to be false and cunning. Pisistratus, an Athenian, desiring to gain power, wounded himself; then ran into the market-place, and said his enemies had hurt, him. Solon, with contempt, said to him, PERIANDER. 51 " Son of Hippocrates, you act Ulysses badly : he hurt himself to deceive his enemies ; you have done so to cheat your friends. ^^ The populace being, as is generally the case, deaf to the voice of reason, Pisistratus became tyrant, or king, of Athens ; and Solon retired to Cyprus, where he died at a good old age, A. C. 558, happy in the consciousness of having done much for his native country. Whilst Solon and Thales were improving their respective countries of Attica and Ionia, by virtue, wisdom, and science, the republic of Corinth was doomed to suffer under the cruel despotism of Periander ; who, though reckoned among the sages of Greece, rather usurped the title by his power, than deserved it by meritorious deeds. His father had been chief magistrate of the republic ; and, when he succeeded him, the first years of his govern- ment were mild and popular. But, soon showing a desire to make himself absolute, the people became disaffected, and he sent to Thrasybulus, tyrant, or prince, of Miletus, for advice as to the best means of establishing himself. Thrasybulus, instead of sending any reply, took his messenger into a corn- field, and lopped off the heads of all such ears as overtopped the rest. — You recollect a sim- ilar story of Tarquin. Periander in this case, as Sextus in the Roman story, understood the symbolical purport of this act ; and, sur- rounding himself with a numerous guard, put 53 PERIANDER. ARION. to death the richest and most powerful citi- zens of Corinth. Nor was it towards his sub- jects only that Periander proved severe and rigorous ; he was a cruel husband and a bad father. The only thing that can be said in his favor is, that he was a friend to learning and learned men. He invited the other wise men to his court, and entertained them with respect and hospitality. He was fond of peace, and patronized the fine arts. His ap- ophthegms, or wise sayings, are beautiful, and so contradictory to the actions of his life, that many historians insist that Periander the ty- rant was a different person from Periander the wise man. It may be observed, however, that the accounts we have of him were trans- mitted by his political enemies. He died, as it is said, by his own contrivance, after a reign of forty years, in the eightieth year of his age, A. O. 585. Notwithstanding his cru- elty, his subjects honored his learning, and erected a monument to his memory. The marvellous adventure of Arion is placed in the time of Periander. Arion, the most famous lyric poet and musician of his day, made a voyage to Italy in company with Pe- riander ; and, remaining behind, amassed im- mense wealth by his profession : at length, wishing to return to his native country, Les- bos, he hired a Corinthian vessel at Tarentum, thinking he might safely trust himself and his riches to Corinthian sailors. As soon, how- ARION. 53 ever, as the vessel was out at sea, the sailors resolved to throw him overboard, and divide his riches among themselves. Arion entreat- ed them to spare his life ; but, finding them inflexible, begged permission to play one tune upon his lute before he died : this was granted : the sailors retired to the middle of the vessel to listen ; while Arion, mounting the stern, struck up the ''Morning Hymn." As soon as he had finished, he threw himself, with all his jewels, into the sea; and the ship, with its dis- appointed crew, sailed on to Corinth. So far is probable ; what follows, if not altogether fab- ulous, has been rendered so by the embellish- ments the story has received. It might be, that Arion was picked up by some other ves- sel, and conveyed in safety to land ; but the legend is, that a immber of dolphins had been attracted round the ship by the melody of his music, and that Arion was carried on the back of one of them to Tsenarus, in Laconia, whence he again set sail, and, arriving at Corinth before the sailors, related to Perian- der all that had happened. When the sailors came, they were questioned as to the fate of Arion ; and they boldly replied that they had left him well at Tarentum ; upon v^^hich a door was thrown open, and Arion appeared, clad just as when he made his leap into the sea. This unexpected appearance confounded the guilty sailors ; and Periander ordered them all to be crucified. 5* 54 CYRUS. About this time the temple of Jerusalem was taken and burnt by Nebuchadnezzar, A. C. 588 ; and Sappho, the lyric poetess, flourished. CHAPTER XII. CYRUS. A FEW years before Solon was chosen ar- chon of Athens, a prince was born very wor- thy of being noticed and admired. This was Cyrus, the son of Cambyses, king of Persia, and grandson of Astyages, king of the Medes. This Astyages is called Ahasuerus in the Bible. The manners of the Persians were excellent in those days : great simplicity in dress, food, and behavior, universally prevailed ; so that Cyrus was plainly and wisely educated, and learnt to be modest in his demeanor, and mod- erate in his wishes. When he was yet a boy, his mother, Mandane, took him to visit his grandfather ; and the pride and luxury of the court of Media quite surprised and disgusted him. Astyages was so charmed Avith the sen- sible conversation and artless manners of the prince, that he loaded him with rich presents, and made a grand entertainment ; but Cyrus gave away all the fine things to the coUxtiersj CYRUS. && a present to one, because he instructed him ; to another, because he was kind to his moth- er ; to a third, because he took care of his old grandfather. All this showed, not only that he was generous, but that he reflected, and gave gifts with judgment, and from motives of gratitude. Sacas, the cup-bearer, he neglected, because he did not let him visit Astyages when he pleased ; and when Astyages lamented this neglect of so good an officer, ^^O," said the young prince, " there is not much merit in being a good cup-bearer ; I can do as well myself." He accordingly took the cup, and handed it to his mother with great modesty and gracefulness. Astyages admired his skill ; but laughingly observed, '' The young, waiter had forgotten one thing." — " What have I for- gotten ?" asked Cyrus. ''To taste the wine before you handed it to me and your mother." ■ — "I did not forget that ; but I did not choose to swallow poison." — "Poison!" exclaimed the king. " Yes ; there must be poison in the cup ; for they who drink of it sometimes grow giddy and sick, and fall down." — " Then do you never drink in your country ? " inquired Astyages. " Yes ; but we only drink to sat- isfy thirst, and then a little water suffices." I dare say many children must have thought like Cyrus ; I only Avish, when they grow up, they would remember their thoughts ; and then they would not drink strong wine and 56 CYRUS. fiery spirits, which do indeed often cause sick- ness and loss of sense, and, when too freely swallowed, prove a poison. How many are killed by drinking strong liquors ! Soon after this discourse, Cyrus returned home, and was remarkable for his obedience to his father Cambyses, who, in his turn, gave his son very good advice. The prince fought many battles, and was as brave towards his enemies as he was merciful to his prisoners. Do you recollect the anecdote I told you of his pardoning Crcesus, and giving him his life? Well, when this Croesus, who, you know, prized money above all other things, asked Cyrus where he kept his wealth, Cyrus wrote a short note, and sent it to the lords of his coui't, a,nd presently a large sum of money was brought to him. " Observe," said this noble youth ; " the chests in which I keep my riches, are the hearts of my subjects." He knew that, by his wise and amiable conduct, he had so entirely gained the love and confidence of his people, that he had only to ask, and they would give him all he de- sired. I should never have done, were I to tell you all the clever and noble acts that this great prince performed. You must read the full history of his life in RoUin, and you will find it more amusing and instructive than all the novels that were ever written. I will only add, that, after a long and in- CYRUS. CONFUCIUS. 57' tferesting siege, he took the city of Babylon, and put an end to the Assyrian monarchy, which had subsisted from the time of Nimrod. Belshazzar was then king of Babylon ; and I dare say you have read the account given in the Bible of his seeing a hand-writing on the wall ; of Daniel explaining to him that he was about to lose his kingdom; and of the strange manner in which Babylon was en- tered, and the king taken and killed. The prince who thus conquered was Cyrus the Great. He soon after, by the death of his father, grandfather, and uncle, became sole monarch of Media and Persia, besides other states which he had acquired by his victories. He died at the age of seventy, in the midst of his family and friends, after a life remark- able for virtue and glory, A. C. 529, two years before the death of Pisi stratus, tyrant of Athens. CHAPTER Xni. CONFUCIUS. CHINA. I HAVE already told you of two great law- givers, Lycurgus of Sparta, and Solon of Athens ; I have now to tell you of a third, Confucius, the legislator of China. Confucius was born just before Solon died, when Cyrus 58 CHINA. CONFUCIUS. the Great was in the height of his power, and the prime of his life. The Chinese pretend that Noah (whom they call Fo-hee) settled in the north part of China, and that therefore their nation is derived from him ; certain it is, that the empire of China is of high antiquity. Confucius was a very grave child, not fond of play, very studious, and very devout. When only twenty-three years of age, he be- gan to attempt the reform of his countrymen, who were immersed in dissipation and extrav- agance. The virtue and ability of Confucius caused him to be much respected, and he was chosen to fill offices of high dignity. He was very happy to accept the situation of a magistrate, because he hoped to be more useful to his fellow-citizens ; and he exerted himself very much, until, finding that, in spite of all his exertions, the people were little amended, he gave up places that he only valued as extend- ing his capacity of doing good. He then travelled about different parts of this vast em- pire ; and, on his again settling in his native province, he was invested with an important office in the government. At that time, China was composed of many kingdoms, each gov- erned by its own sovereign. Confucius wished a king to reign amidst his subjects as a father amongst his children, and wrote many books, and took many journeys, CONFUCIUS. 59 to bring about so desirable a form of govern- ment. No doubt, he did much good, but cer- tainly not so much as he desired and deserved. He was wont to say to his followers, " There are four things that make me uneasy : 1st, my small progress in virtue ; 2d, my want of en- thusiasm in study; 3d, my defects in the ad- ministration of justice ; 4th, my insufficient regulation of my temper." These were the modest sentiments of a man renowned for his virtue, his learning, his jus- tice, his self-control. We plainly see that the best people are the most humble ; the wisest are the most diffident. A few days before his death, he said to his friends and attendants, " Kings refuse to at- tend to my precepts : then let me die, since I can no longer be useful to the world." He peaceably expired in the arms of his friends, gray-headed, and enriched by wisdom and by worth. After his death, his true value was known ; and his memory, from that hour, has been honored and respected by the Chinese. Many temples have been inscribed with his name, and many ceremonies are performed in his honor. They worship him as the greatest legislator and wisest man that ever lived. The history he wrote is venerated ; the pre- cepts he strove to inculcate are held most precious. Thus, it seems, worth and excellence are 60 ZOROASTER. KINGS OF ROME. sure to be duly prized, if not during the life of the individual, yet after his death. At the same time that Confucius flourished m Chma, Zoroaster is by some supposed to have lived in Persia. Zoroaster taught the Persians to reverence the sun and fire, as representatives of the one true God. By many writers, how- ever, the era of Zoroaster is carried back as far as the time when Abraham was called out of Ur of Chaldeea, A. C. 1926. CHAPTER XIY. TARQUINIUS SUPERBUS, SEVENTH AND LAST KING OF ROME. Of 1. Romulus; % Numa; 3. TuUus, you have already heard: of 4. Ancus Martins ; 5 Tarquinius Priscus ; 6. Servius Tullms; and r. Tarquinius Superbus, the remaining kings of Rome, you have yet to hear. After the combat of the Horatn and Curiatn, TuUus reigned several years, and died, it is said bv treason. Ancus Martins, the grand- son of Numa, succeeded to the throne : nothing remarkable happened in his reign, except that a stranger, named Lucius, came to live at Rome, and was made guardian of the two sons of Ancus. TARQUINIUS PRISCUS. 61 When Ancus died, the governmentj as usual, fell into the hands of the senate, and Lucius, by cunning and dissimulation, contrived to be made king. He said his wife had prophesied that he should reign, because, when approach- ing Rome on his first journey to it, as he was riding in an open car, an eagle caught off his cap, and, after much noise and fluttering, put it on again. In those days, little accidents, which we now think of no consequence, were dwelt upon and explained as boding strange events. You know, when the result is known, it is very easy to fancy that some trifle pre- dicted it. A crown so unjustly obtained was not long possessed, and probably never enjoyed ; for conscience is too busy to let the unjust relish their ill-gotten advantages. Lucius Tarquini- us Priscus was murdered, and the sons of Ancus were supposed to have ordered his murder. They fled from Rome, which cer- tainly looked as if they were guilty ; inno- cence does not shun inquiry. The ambitious wife, who had foreboded Tar- quin's elevation, concealed his death until she had caused her son-in-law to be chosen king. This was Servius Tullius : of him, too, she told a strange story, that, when he was a boy and asleep, a bright flame of fire had been seen blazing around his head. Servius was a good man, and married his 6 62 8ERVIUS TULLIUS. two daughters to the two * sons of Tarquinius •, and then, having estabHshed peace and good government among the Romans, he was pre- paring to quit the throne and live in retire- ment. But these intentions were frustrated. Tullia, one of his daughters, loved her sister's husband better than her own ; and he returned her love, if such wicked wretches could feel love. Tullia killed her husband, as did young Tarquinius his wife, and then they married. As one wickedness paves the way for another, these shameless persons next plotted the death of the good Servius. You will read with horror, that the cruel Tullia re- joiced when she heard that Tarquinius had murdered her father. When she rode forth in her fine chariot to congratulate the base mur- derer, her driver, seeing the bleeding body of Servius lying in the street, was going to turn down another road, thinking, very rationally, that his mistress would be shocked to behold the mangled corpse of her poor old father. But Tullia had expelled from her heart all natural feeling, and angrily bade the man drive on ; he did so, and the chariot- wheels of the daughter's car were stained with the blood of her gray-haired father. Although the wicked son-in-law was made king, and, from his pride, was entitled Tar- quinius Superbus, (Tarquin the Proud,) yet * Livy. TARQUINIUS SUPERBUS. 63 you may be sure all men detested him. He made his children as bad as himself ; for he sent his son Sextus to a city called Gabii, and commanded him to feign that his father had used him very ill, therefore he had run away. The citizens believed the deceitful Sextus, and were very kind to him, and at last made him their general. This was what Tarquin expected. When his son sent a messenger to know what he must do next, Tarquin gave no answer, but, before the messenger, cut off the heads of the tallest poppies that grew in the garden where he was walking. No doubt he was afraid of writing or speak- ing, lest the messenger should betray him ; for the wicked always live in the misery of expecting a retaliation of the treachary and cruelty they practise. Sextus, knowing his father's perfidious artifices, understood what he was to do, and without hesitation cut off the heads of all the greatest men in Gabii. The city, no longer protected by brave and prudent citizens, fell an easy prey to the Romans ; the treacherous Sextus assisting to betray the nation which had hospitably re- ceived him. Such wicked courses were soon to have an end. Prince Sextus Collatinus, a noble Ro- man, and some officers, when with the army besieging Ardea, a small town not far from Rome, as they were all drinking and carous- ing, were boasting what excellent wives each 64 TARQUINIUS SUPERBUS. possessed. Collatinus was certain that his was the best ; so, in a frolic, the young men mounted their horses, and set off for Rome, to discover whose wife was most properly employed in the absence of her husband. The ladies were found visiting and passing the time in mirth and amusement, all but Lucretia, the wife of Collatinus ; and she was spinning wool among her maidens at home. Sextus was so charmed with the good sense and right behavior of Lucretia, that he fell in love with her, and wished her to quit her husband, and go away with him. Lucretia, shocked at his vile proposals, killed herself for grief, which so distracted Collatinus, that, with Junius Brutus and other friends, he raised an army, and drove Sextus and his infamous father from Rome. The people had suffered so much under the tyranny of this king, that they resolved not only that he should never come back, but that they would have no more kings. They therefore appointed two magistrates, called consuls^ who were to be elected annually ; and Collatinus, the husband of Lucretia, and Junius Brutus, her avenger, were the first two consuls who were chosen. MARATHON. MILTIADES. 65 CHAPTER XV. MARATHON. MILTIADES. It is curious that Athens should expel her tyrants, the Pisistratidae, (the two sons of Pisistratus,) just about the same time that Rome expelled the Tarquins. The cause, too, was nearly the same — the bad treat- ment of a woman. The sister of Harmodius was ill used by Hipparchus, one of the Pis- istratidae ; Harmodius and his friend Aristo- giton succeeded in delivering Athens from her tyrants, but unhappily died themselves, when engaged in destroying Hipparchus. Hippias, the other brother, who tried to con- tinue in power, arrested a beautiful woman, named Leona, who, as he thought, knew of the conspiracy, and ordered her to be tortured till she disclosed the truth. But this brave woman bore all her agony in silence ; and at last, afraid that extreme pain might force her to speak, she bit off the end of her tongue, to prevent any such weakness, and died faith- ful to her friends — a noble instance of cour- age and fidelity. Hippias was soon compelled to quit Athens. Statues were erected to the memory of Le- ona, Aristogiton, and Harmodius ; and the 6 g5 ARISTIDES. government was, shortly after, restored to the state in which Solon had left it. Callisthenes, a rich Athenian, strove, in- deed, to possess the power he had himself helped to subvert ; and, whilst popular, made a few regulations, among which one is well worth notice. He instituted the Ostracism, which was, that every man of sixty years of age should have the privilege of Avriting on a tile, or an oyster-shell, the name of any person he de- sired to have banished from the city. It was then that Aristides, a person so excellent that he was always entitled '^ Aristides the Just, was exiled. One of those who voted against him, met Aristides, and, not knowing him, asked him, as he could not write himself, to be so kind as to write on the oyster-shell for him "What name shall I write?" said Aristides. "Write Aristides," replied the strancrer. "And what harm has Aristides done^to you, friend, that you should desire his banishment ? " asked Aristides. " He has done me no harm," answered the man ; " but I am tired of hearing of Aristides the Just. Aristides smiled at the folly of the applicant, and doubtless felt well pleased that he was innocent of all offence. He very quietly wrote his own name on the oyster-shell, and thus conduced to his own sentence of exile. But, before he was exiled, —before he was ungratefully sent away from his own country, MABATHON. 67 — he had performed for that country many eminent services. Miitiades was much older than Aristides, and was sent with an army to fight against Darius, king of Persia. Darius was the third king of Persia after Cyrus ; and Datis was the Persian general whom Darius had sent, with a large army, to take Athens and burn it to the ground. Datis met the Athenian forces at Marathon, a little town by the sea-side. The Athenians were commanded by ten generals, each of whom, in rotation, commanded for one day ; and Miitiades was obliged to take his turn with the others, although he was chief gen- eral. Aristides had sense enough to see the evil of such a plan, and generosity enough to give up his honors for the benefit of his country. When it was his day to command, he resigned it to Miitiades, because, he said, *' Miitiades was the best general." How much benefit a good example may produce ! The other generals, seeing the propriety of this conduct, admired its merit, and imitated what they approved and applauded. Miitiades, however, thought it his duty not to act till his proper day came round ; on the other days, as he had the power, he had the sense to make every necessary preparation. The armies engaged in a fierce and obstinate battle ; Themistocles, a brave man, and the compeer of Aristides, fought nobly by his 68 ARISTIDES. side J- from the skill with which Miltiades had placed his troops, as much as from the valor of those troops, the battle of Marathon was won by the Athenians, B. C. 490. A soldier, covered with the blood of the enemy, ran to Athens with the news, and had just strength enough left to say, '•' Rejoice ! the victory is ours!"' and then fell down dead from fatigue and wounds. I am ashamed to tell you that, after this glorious conduct, Miltiades died in prison, where he was put by the Athenians, because he could not pay a fine which they levied on him. On a false pretence of treachery to his country, this excellent general had been con- demned to death ; and afterwards the sentence of death was changed to a fine. Aristides, you have heard, was banished ; so, it seems, the Athenians were a most un- grateful people. When Aristides was quitting the city, instead of expressing any anger or revenge, he prayed to the gods that nothing might happen to make his country regret his absence. This was returning good for evil ; this was the behavior of a truly noble mind. Themistocles, from jealousy of the merit of Aristides, voted for his banishment ; but, although so unkind in that action, on other occasions he acknowledged and praised the virtues of Aristides. The Athenians had the sense to recall Aris- tides ; and by and by you shall hear more BRUTUS. 69 about him. I will now finish with an Anec- dote about Themistocles. When he was in power, he laughingly said, that his son was greater than any man in Greece. — " How is that ? " said a friend. '^ Why," replied The- mistocles, " the Athenians govern Greece ; / command the Athenians ; his mother com- mands me ; and this boy commands his mother ! " Pythagoras died about this time ; he thought that when the soul quitted the body of man, it passed into the bodies of animals. This is called the '^ transmigration of souls ; " of course, none of his sect ate flesh, for fear they should devour their friends and relations. CHAPTER XVI. BRUTUS MUTIUS SC^VOLA. CORIOLANUS. I HAVE now to tell you a most pathetic story. You remember, the first two consuls of Rome were Junius Brutus and CoUatinus. Brutus had tv/o sons,*Titus and Tiberius : these youths engaged with others of the young no- bility in a conspiracy to restore Tarquin to the throne. This conspiracy was discovered, by a slaye, who informed the consuls of it. All the conspirators were directly taken, and. 70 BRUTUS. being put in chains, were condemned