LETTER XLIX.

CLEANDER to ORSAMES. From Athens.

AS I find nothing more agreeable, ORSAMES, during my refidence at Athens, than the conversation of intelligent men, I endeavour to inform myself on fubjects of literature and ingenuity, without neglecting the weightier business of my station and character. It is not long fince I troubled HYDASPES with an account of fome curious particulars concerning the Grecian poets and hiftorians, which I had gathered from a careful perufal of their works, and the accurate relations of the learned. The humanity of my patron PHILEMON is never so much exerted to my advantage, as when he introduces me with his ufual politenefs to the familiarity of persons, whose company I should have made my choice, could I otherwise have hoped for it. To the kind recommendation of my friend it is wholly owing, that I am lately admitted to the acquaintance of THUCYDIDES, a man of fuperior quality and wisdom, by whofe means I fhall extend my insight into the conftitution of Greece in general, and the policy of Athens in particular. He was employed fome years ago by the city in conducting a fecond colony of Athenians to Thurium; and though he does not engage in the administration of public affairs, he hath served in the armies of the state, and made feveral campaigns. I am told, he is originally poffeffed of a fair paternal inheritance, and is derived from a very noble family, both which are augmented by his marriage with a rich wife, the daughter of a king of Thrace. He feems however to confider thefe happy circum

ftances in life with the impartial eyes of a philosopher, and values the former only as it enables him to diffuse the effects of his benevolence, and the latter, as the memory of it perpetually excites him to emulate his anceftors in virtue. At the fame time, he is so far from thinking himself raifed above the reft of his countrymen, that he lives with all the elegant fimplicity of an Athenian, while he enjoys the opulence of a Perfian fatrap. His inftitution in the ftudy of eloquence and philofophy hath been conformable to the nobility of his birth and fortune. In philofophy, he was the scholar of ANAXAGORAS; in rhetoric, he was inftructed by ANTIPHON, an orator of fingular abilities, and revered by the people for his eloquence. If I may form a judgment of his fentiments in government from the tenour of his difcourfe, he appears leaft of all to approve of a democracy. The generosity of his temper makes him averse from the envy and contention of demagogues; the steadiness of his politics, from the inconftancy of popular refolutions; and the integrity of his heart, from the selfish counfels of those, who are willing to acquire or maintain an authority with the multitude. He could wish for a larger mixture of ariftocracy in the Athenian commonwealth; and yet such was his opinion of PɛRICLES, that as long as he continued alive and in fupreme power, he used to fay, "the administration was nominally "democratical, but in fact monarchical." As he is pleased to indulge me in some share of his confidence, I took the liberty to afk him one day in private, "How it happened, "that he, who joins to great natural endowments a fur"prizing compass of knowledge and long observation, had "never exprefs'd any defire to be placed at the helm of the "republic, nor had entered into the artful management of "popular affemblies." He anfwer'd me, "That he for"bore coming into the affembly, because he would neither "be an acceffary or a witness to their iniquitous proceed

"ings: That prosperity had infatuated the minds of his "unthinking countrymen; and the only men who ruled "them, were thofe, who foothed them with fond hopes, "enflamed them by falfe notions, and put them on chimeri"cal schemes, and hazardous attempts; whereas he, who gave temperate advice, was injuriously branded as a "coward, and thought fo ignorant, as not to understand, "or fo malicious as to belie their power." He faid, "the "truest and most shining merits were looked upon as crimes "against the state; that they never pardoned him, who "served them with talents, which rendered him worthy to "command, and often deprived themfelves of real advan<< Stages to fhun an imaginary evil. For my own part "(continued he) I have mingled fo much of the difin"terested philofopher with my republican principles, as "to abhor those leaders of party, who cross each other's "counfels to the detriment of the whole; thofe flatterers, "who truckle to the humour of the people by the meanest " and most flavish compliances; thofe declaimers, who "drive us into strange undertakings, which their betters "either dare not oppofe, or, if they do, precipitately en"danger their own fafety. A prudent citizen therefore, "when perfons of this kind bear fway, will yield to the "torrent of the times, without fuffering himself to be loft "in the ftream. He will wait for a fairer opportunity of "engaging in the public business, or else not engage in it "at all. He will not enter on the important office of a "minifter, uncalled to it by the general voice of his country. “In a word, I have laid down these maxims to myself "which the politicians of our days feem utterly to despise, "viz. that a good man should be so zealous in his regards "for the community, as to exclude all thofe that are per"fonal, while a wife man remains indifferent in his choice "of public or private life, but ftudious to adorn both. Can

you then wonder (added he) if I have rather employed "myself in observing and recording what paffes, than in "directing and governing? And to speak fincerely, it "is with a view to the good of futurity, that I am now "compiling a history of these times, and shall spare no "expence of labour or money to procure fitting memoirs "for the purpose. The Lacedæmonian archives as well "as the Athenian will be ranfacked, that from the collections "of each the series of our tranfactions may be more im

partially laid open; and however fome men fhall cenfure "the manner of my writing, yet no man shall question the "truth of it. For it is not a work intended by way of "oftentation to the prefent age, but as a monument of "inftruction to our fucceffors, as a legacy to all pofterity."

Struck with the greatness of the reply, it was impoffible for me to forget, what I had often been told, of the generous fpirit he difcovered, and the memorable tears which he fhed, on hearing the Mufes of HERODOTUS recited in a celebrated feaft at Athens. I confidered this defign as a confequence of the fame emulation; nor could I avoid on the one hand congratulating the generations to come on that admirable hiftory, which the abilities of my friend THUCYDIDES will hereafter produce into the world; nor was it unnatural to reflect with an honeft indignation on the other, that while Greece is making large ftrides in policy and advancing in letters, Perfia too inglorioufly neglects the cultivation of both. The former, not content with her victories at Marathon and Salamis, is endeavouring to defeat us in that, which alone can immortalize the name of either: the latter, fo far from being animated by a fenfe of her fhame, to retrieve the advantages fhe has loft, is difregarding the judgment of futurity, and adding to their conqueft by indolence. But let us hope that this, oh ORSAMES, may not long be our cafe! Let us publish

an account of our actions to mankind, and not trust to the partial representation of the Greeks. Let us plead our own cause before the equitable tribunal of pofterity; and though the progrefs of our arms hath been checked, yet let not the palm in hiftory be taken from us. Adieu.

C.

LETTER L.

CLEANDER to GOBRYAS, Chief Scribe, &c. From Athens.

THE Athenians, noble scribe, are remarkable amongst their other distinguishing qualities for the great eagerness, with which they liften after news. Thou mayft imagine, that this curiofity finds fufficient employment by an account just arrived of a fecond engagement between the Peloponnesian fleet and PHORMIO's fquadron, in which the vast fuperiority of number on the fide of the former, balanced by the skill and bravery of the latter, has rendered the advantage and lofs pretty equal between both parties, as thou wilt be better able to judge from the following relation.

A reinforcement of twenty fail were immediately fitted out here, at the preffing inftances of PHORMIO; but instead of being sent directly to him, were ordered to take Crete in their way, on a fervice of no importance. They were detained fo long at that ifland by contrary winds, that they were not able to join him till the battle was over.

In the mean time, BRASIDAS and CNEMUS put to sea with a fleet of feventy fail well appointed, and came to an