LIII. In procefs of time, as Periander advanced in years, he began to feel himself inadequate to the cares of government; he fent therefore for Lycophron to Corcyra, to take upon him the adminif tration of affairs: his eldest fon appeared improper for fuch a station, and was indeed dull and stupid. Of the meffenger who brought him this intelligence Lycophron difdained to take the smallest notice. But Periander, as he felt his affection for the young man to be unalterable, fent to him his fifter, thinking her interpofition moft likely to fucceed. When fhe faw him, "Brother," said fhe, " will you fuffer "the fovereign authority to pass into other hands, "and the wealth of our family to be difperfed, rather than return to enjoy them yourself? Let oracle to bring Æfculapius to Rome; they accordingly difpatched ambaffadors to Epidaurus to accomplish this. The Epidaurians refufing to part with their god, the Romans prepared to depart: as their veffel was quitting the port, an immenfe ferpent came fwimming towards them, and finally wreathed itself round the prow; the crew, thinking it to be Æf culapius himself, carried him with much veneration to Rome. His entrance is finely defcribed by Ovid : Jamque caput rerum Romanam intraverat urbem Colla movet: fedefque fibi circumfpicit aptas. Which defcription, fully confidered, would perhaps afford no mean fubject for an hiftorical painting. Epidaurus was alfo famous for its breed of horses.-See Virgil, Georgic iii. 43, 4. Vcc at ingenti clamore Citharon Taygetique canes, domitrixque Epidaurus equorum. The fame is alfo mentioned by Strabo, book viii.-T. me "me entreat you to punish yourself no more; re"turn to your country and your family: obfti<c nacy like yours is but an unwelcome gueft, it only "adds one evil to another. Pity is by many pre ferred to juftice; and many, from their anxiety to "fulfil their duty to a mother, have violated that "which a father might expect. Power, which many fo affiduously court, is in its nature preca"'rious. Your father is growing old, do not there"fore refign to others honours which are properly "your own." Thus inftructed by her father, she ufed every argument likely to influence her brother; but he briefly answered, "that as long as his father "lived he would not return to Corinth." When the had communicated this anfwer to Periander, he fent a third meffenger to his fon, informing him, that it was his intention to retire to Corcyra; but that he might return to Corinth, and take poffeffion of the fupreme authority. This propofition was accepted, and Periander prepared to depart for Corcyra, the young man for Corinth. But when the Corcyreans were informed of the business, to prevent the arrival of Periander among them they put his fon to death.-This was what induced that prince to take vengeance of the Corcyreans. LIV. The Lacedæmonians arriving with a powerful fleet, laid fiege to Samos, and advancing towards the walls, they paffed by a tower which stands in the suburbs, not far from the fea. At this juncture Polycrates attacked them, at the head of a confiderable force, and compelled them to retreat. He He was instantly seconded by a band of auxiliaries, and a great number of Samians, who falling upon the enemy from a fort which was behind the mountain, after a fhort conflict effectually routed them, and continued the purfuit with great flaughter of the Lacedæmonians. LV. If all the Lacedæmonians in this engagement had behaved like Archias and Lycopas, Samos must certainly have been taken; for thefe twó alone entered the city, with thofe Samians who fought fecurity within the walls, and having no means of retreat were there flain. I myself one day met with a perfon of the fame name, who was the fon of Samius, and grandfon of the Archias abovementioned; I faw him at Pitane ", of which place he was a native. This perfon paid more attention to Samians than to other foreigners; and he told me, that his father was called Samius, as being the 61 61 Pitane.]This proper name involves fome perplexity, and has afforded exercise for mach acute and ingenious criticifm. Martiniere, from miftaking a paffage of Paufanias, affèrts that it was merely a quarter, or rather fuburbs of Lacedæmon, and is confequently often confounded with it. This mistake is ably pointed out and refuted by Bellanger, in his Critique de quelques Articles du Dict. de M. la Martiniere. This word is found in Hefychius, as defcriptive of a diftinct tribe; in Thucydides of a small town; and in Herodotus of a whole people:→→ See book ix. chap. 52, where he fpeaks of the cohort of Pitane, which in the glorious battle of Platea was commanded by Amompharetus. It is certain that there were feveral places of this name; the one here specified was doubtlefs on the banksof the Eurotas, in Laconia.-See Effais de Critique, Sc. 316. T. immediate immediate defcendant of him, who with fo much honour had loft his life at Samos. The reafon of his thus diftinguishing the Samians, was because they had honoured his grandfather by a public funeral 62 LVI. The Lacedæmonians, after remaining forty days before the place without any advantage, returned to the Peloponnefe. It is reported, though 62 Public funeral.]-The manner in which the funerals of those who had died in defence of their country were folemnized at Athens, cannot fail of giving the English reader an elevated idea of that polished people. On an appointed day a number of coffins made of cypress wood, and containing the bones of the deceafed, were expofed to view beneath a large tent erected for the purpose; they who had relations to deplore, affembled to weep over them, and pay the duties dictated by tenderness of enjoined by religion. Three days afterwards the coffins were placed upon as many cars as there were tribes, and were carried flowly through the town, to the Ceramicus, where funeral games were celebrated. The bodies were deposited in the earth, and their relations and friends paid for the last time the tribute of their tears; an orátor appointed by the republic from an elevated place pronounced a funeral oration over his valiant countrymen; each tribe raised over the graves fome kind of column, upon which was inscribed the names of the deceased, their age, and the place where they died. The above folemnities were conducted under the inspection of one of the principal magiftrates. The most magnificent public funeral of which we have any account, was that of Alexander the Great, when his body was brought from Babylon to Alexandria; a minute description of which is given by Diodorus Siculus. For a particular defcription of the ceremonies observed at public and private funerals, amongst the Romans, confult Montfaucon.-T. VOL. II. F abfurdly abfurdly enough, that Polycrates ftruck off a great number of pieces of lead cafed with gold, like the coin of the country, and that with thefe he purchafed their departure.-This was the first expedition of the Dorians of Lacedæmon into Afia. LVII. Those Samians who had taken up arms against Polycrates, when they faw themfelves forfaken by the Lacedæmonians, and were diftreffed from want of money; embarked for Siphnos 64. At this 3 Lead cafed with gold.]Similar to this artifice, was that practised on the people of Gortyna in Crete, by Hannibal, as recorded by Juftin. After the defeat of Antiochus by the Romans, Hannibal retired to Gortyna, carrying with him an immenfe treafure. This circumftance exciting an invidiousness against him, he pretended to depofit his riches in the temple of Diana, to which place he carried with much ceremony feveral veffels filled with lead. He foon took an opportunity of paffing over into Afta with his real wealth, which he had concealed in the images of the gods he affected to worship.-T. 64 Siphnos. This was one of thofe fmall iflands lying oppofite to Attica: They were feventeen in number, and called, from their fituation with respect to each other, the Cyclades ; they were all eminently beautiful, and feverally diftinguished by fome appropriate excellence. The marble of Paros was of inimitable whitenefs, and of the fineft grain; Andros and Naxos produced the most exquifite wine; Amengos was famous for a die made from a lichen, growing there in vast abundance. The riches of Siphnos are extolled by many ancient writers; it is now called Siphanto. The following account of the modern circumftances of Siphnos, is extracted principally from Tournefort, It is remarkable for the purity of its air; the water, fruit, and poultry are very excellent. Although covered with marble and granite, it is one of the most fertile islands of the Archipe lago |