not, I think, called Battus till after his arrival in Africa; he was then fo named, either on account of the answer of the oracle, or from the fubfequent dignity which he attained. Battus, in the African tongue, fignifies a prince; and I should think that the Pythian, foreseeing he was to reign in Africa, distinguished him by this African title. As foon as he grew up he went to Delphi, to confult the oracle concerning the imperfection of his voice: the an

fwer he received was this:

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323

Hence, Battus! of your voice enquire no more;

But found a city on the Lybian fhore.

This is the fame as if fhe had faid in Greek,
"Enquire no more, Oh king, concerning your
"voice." To this Battus replied,
"Oh king,
"I came to you on account of my infirmity
"of tongue; you, in return, impofe upon me
"an undertaking which is impoffible; for how

can I, who have neither forces nor money, establifh a colony in Africa?" He could not, however, obtain any other anfwer, which, when he found to be the cafe, he returned to Thera.

CLVI. Not long afterwards he, with the rest of the Thereans, were vifited by many and great calamities; and not knowing to what cause they should impute them, they fent to Delphi, to confult the oracle on

Battus here mentioned be confounded with the Battus whom
Mercury turned into an index, and whofe ftory is fo well told by
Ovid.-T.

the

323

the fubject. The Pythian informed them, that if they would colonize Cyrene in Africa, under the conduct of Battus, things would certainly go better with them; they accordingly difpatched Battus to accomplish this, with two fifty-oared veffels. These men acting from compulfion, fet fail for Africa, but foon returned to Thera; but the Thereans forcibly preventing their landing, ordered them to return from whence they came. Thus circumftanced, they again fet fail, and founded a city in an island contiguous to Africa, called, as we have before remarked, Platea 54; this city is faid to be equal in fize to that in which the Cyreneans now refide.

CLVII. They continued in this place for the fpace of two years, but finding their ill fortune ftill pursue them, they again failed to Delphi to enquire of the oracle, leaving only one of their party behind them: when they defired to know why, having established themselves in Africa, they had experienced no favourable reverfe of fortune, the Pythian made them this answer :

Know'st thou then Lybia better than the God,
Whofe fertile fhores thy feet have never trod?
He who has well explor'd them thus replies;
I can but wonder at a man fo wife!

154 Platea.]-This name is written alfo Platea: Stephanus Byzantinus has it both in that form, and alfo Platea or Plateia. Pliny fpeaks of three Plateas, and a Plate, off the coaft of Troas; but they must have been very inconfiderable spots, and have not been mentioned by any other author. The beft editions of Herodotus read Platea here; but I suspect Plateia to be right, for Scylax has it fo as well as Stephanus.-The place of the ceJebrated battle in Boeotia was Platæ.

Or

On hearing this, Battus, and they who were with him, again returned; for the deity still perfevered in requiring them to form a settlement in Africa, where they had not yet been: touching, therefore, at Platea, they took on board him whom they had left, and established their colony in Africa itself. The place they felected was Aziris, immediately oppofite to where they had before refided; two fides of which were enclosed by a beautiful range of hills, and a third agreeably watered by a river.

CLVIII. At this place they continued fix years; when at the defire of the Africans, who promised to conduct them to a better fituation, they removed. The Africans accordingly became their guides, and had fo concerted the matter, as to take care that the Greeks fhould pafs through the most beautiful part of their country by night: the direction they took was weftward, the name of the country they were not permitted to fee was Trafa.-They came at length to what is called the fountain of Apol lo 155" Men of Greece," faid the Africans, "the "heavens are here opened to you, and here it will for you to refide,"

"be proper

CLIX.

During the life of Battus, who reigned forty years, and under Arcefilaus his fon,

135 Fountain of Apollo.]-The name of this. fountain was Cyre, from which the town of Cyrene had afterwards its name. Herodotus calls it, in the fubfequent paragraph, Theftis, but there were probably many fountains in this place.-Larcher.

who

431

who reigned fixteen, the Cyreneans remained
in this colony without any alteration with re-
fpect to their numbers: but under their third
prince, who was alfo called Battus, and who
was furnamed the Happy, the Pythian, by her
declarations, excited a general propenfity in the
Greeks to migrate to Africa, and join them-
felves to the Cyreneans. The Cyreneans, indeed,
had invited them to a fhare of their poffeffions,
but the oracle had also thus expressed itself:

Who feeks not Libya 'till the lands are fhar'd,
Let him for fad repentance ftand prepar'd.

The Greeks, therefore, in great numbers, fettled
themselves at Cyrene. The neighbouring Africans,
with their king Adicran, feeing themselves injuriouf-
ly deprived of a confiderable part of their lands,
and expofed to much infulting treatment, made
a tender of themselves and their country to
Apries, fovereign of Egypt: this prince af-
fembled a numerous army of Ægyptians, and
fent them to attack Cyrene. The Cyreneans
drew themselves up at Irafa, near the fountain
Theftis, and in a fixed battle routed the Ægyp-
tians, who till now, from their ignorance, had
defpifed the Grecian power. The battle was fo
decifive, that very few of the Ægyptians returned
to their country; they were on this account fo
exafperated against Apries, that they revolted
from his authority.

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CLX. Arcefilaus, the fon of this Battus, fucceed-

ed

30

6

MEL POMENE.

ed to the throne; he was at firft engaged in fome
contest with his brothers, but they removed them-
felves from him to another part of Africa, where,
after fome deliberation, they founded a city. They
called it Barce, which name it ftill retains. Whilst
they were employed upon this business, they en-
deavoured to excite the Africans against-the Cyre-
neans. Arcefilaus without hesitation commenced
hoftilities both against those who had revolted from
him, and against the Africans who had received
them; intimidated by which, thefe latter fled to
their countrymen, who were fituated more to the
eaft: Arcefilaus perfevered in pursuing them till
he arrived at Leucon, and here the Africans dif-
covered an inclination to try the event of a battle.
They accordingly engaged, and the Cyreneans were
fo effectually routed, that feven thoufand of their
men in arms fell in the field. Arcefilaus, after this
calamity, fell fick, and was ftrangled by his brother
Aliarchus, whilft in the act of taking fome me-
dicine. The wife of Arcefilaus, whofe name was
Eryxo 156, revenged by fome ftratagem on his mur-
derer the death of her husband.

CLXI. Arcefilaus was fucceeded in his authority by his fon Battus, a boy who was lame, and had otherwise an infirmity in his feet. The Cy

156 Eryxo.]-The ftory is related at confiderable length by Plutarch, in his treatife on the virtues of women. Inftead of Aliarchus, he reads Learchus; the woman he calls Eryxene; and the murderer he supposes to have been not the brother, but the friend of Arcefilaus.-T.

VOL. II.

Y

reneans,

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