the garrison, and the strength of the besieging army, give the place for lost, unless NICIAS makes some brisk and speedy effort to raise the siege; but that, his enemies affirm, is not to be expected, from the timidity of his nature, and the slowness of his resolutions.

As I am now writing, noble scribe, I am told, that an express, who with great hazard has escaped through the besiegers' lines, is arrived from Pylus, and gone directly to the Prytanes. The multitude begin to fill the streets, and require with clamours an immediate summons to the assembly.

I am just returned from it, and can assure thee, that he brings an account of a most desperate assault sustained by the garrison the thirteenth of this moon. The Lacedæmonians attacked the fort by sea with good hopes of success; for though the rocks and roughness of the waves were no small hindrances to their design, the fortifications in that part were weakest. DEMOSTHENES put himself at the head of three hundred heavy-armed soldiers, and a few archers, whom he drew up on the shore; and after animating them by a short but spirited harangue, determined his brave followers to stand the assault. The enemy made their attack by different squadrons, which succeeded each other; but they met with so warm a reception, that none of the ships were able to disembark their men. BRASIDAS, the Spartan, obliged his pilot to run him a-ground, and attempted to land his soldiers; and though no one could behave with more personal bravery than that gallant officer, killing several of those who defended the place with his own hand, yet after receiving several wounds, which disabled him from giving orders, be put back to sea with great difficulty. His buckler, which was dropt in the fight and taken, was set up by DEMOSTHENES, as a trophy of his success, when the action was over; which, for the time it lasted,

the

the express says, all confessed was the hottest they ever were engaged in.

As the siege of Pylus seems likely to collect the main force both of Athens and Sparta,, and the former are not less eager to preserve, than the latter are to recover, their possession of the fort, some decisive stroke, it is imagined, must ensue.

Thou wilt receive from CRATIPPUS the certainty of what I am here told, that the ruling party of Sparta are hastening away their embassadors to the sublime court. Whilst they are uncertain how this affair will end, the king may obtain advantageous terms; but good fortune will render them insolent, and adversity oblige them to strike up a sudden accommodation. There are a set of men in this republick, potent lord, who would not be displeased to anticipate Sparta in the project of a Persian league. PYTHON presses the necessity of it in all his dispatches; and in his last, after acquainting the senate with the conference, of which thou sentest me a relation, assures them," that the ministry of the great king are resolved to "make the best use of the dissensions in Greece; that no remon"strances or softening speeches he can frame, will prevent their assisting the party which offers the most profitable conditions; that "the point is not now, whether it would be honourable for the "Greeks to unite with Barbarians, but whether Athens or her ene"mies shall reap the benefit of the Persian arms." This measure is, notwithstanding, so disagreeable at present to the majority of the people, who think their own strength sufficient to carry them through all difficulties, and would give such a handle to NICIAS and his friends to complain, that there was an intention to perpetuate the war, that those who are in their hearts the greatest advocates for it, dare not openly propose it in the assembly. ZoPYRUS, whose ar

rival

rival here I signified in my last letters, has collected a body of adventurers of different nations, Corcyreans, Rhodians, and Athenians, with whom he intends to make a settlement at Caunus; and, by his intelligence in the place, hopes to become master of it without much difficulty. The expences of this expedition are defrayed by a society of Athenian merchants, who are tempted to come into it, by the convenient situation of Caunus for trade, and the commodiousness of its port and arsenal. ZOPYRUS carries with him ten ships, having five hundred men on board, and will sail in a few days. I have already put AMORGES, governor of Caria, on his guard, and exhorted him to reinforce the castle of Imbrus, and to seize all suspected persons. It grieves me, generous GOBRYAS, that the son of my illustrious patron should behave himself in a manner so disreputable to his name, family and fortunes. But we often see that ARIMANIUS takes a malignant pleasure in clouding the memory of an eminent person with disgrace, by leading into vice, or overwhelming with calamities, his degenerate or unhappy posterity.

P.

THE HE capricious Athenians, among whom thou sojournest, cannot even sacrifice to the exigencies of the commonwealth, their insatiable thirst and unaccountable eagerness after news. How often hast thou heard them in their porticos, when their fate and fortunes seemed to be in imminent hazard, idly inquisitive, and preposterously solicitous about the trivial and domestick occurrences of private men and families, hardly worthy the attention of the most disengaged inhabitant of that potent city? And can thy brother then want an excuse for diverting a while, in this way, the course of thy sage meditations; whose humble and obscure station setteth him far below such anxiety for the publick, which in him would be intolerable affectation; while yet the love of his country inspireth him with the most ardent wishes for its prosperity, and engageth him in never-ceasing supplications to the divine OROMASDES, for the continuance of the health of ARTAXERXES, and the success of his wise and able ministers? Yet before I turn to the peculiar subject of this letter, let me assure thee, that thy last dispatch, of the sixth day of the preceding moon, was transmitted to the noble GOBRY AS, with the fidelity and expedition which I have ever observed, since I was honoured with the charge of receiving thy informations, and forwarding them to the Persian court. The city in which I live, regardless in great measure of the bustle and havock which agitate the opposite coasts of Greece, and only intent on schemes for the im

provement

provement of trade and encouragement of arts, hath suffered itself to be called off, for a little while, even from these important contemplations, and is now almost universally taken up in discoursing and debating on a late event, which hath amazed them all; and which, how uninteresting soever it may be to others, is not so to thee, from a long and intimate acquaintance with the persons to whom it relates.

You must remember when you were last at Ephesus, with how much warmth and eagerness of love the young and lively HELIODORUS pursued the eldest and fairest of the charming offspring of the venerable DIOPHANES, the priest of JUPITER. Thou canst not forget with how much inoffensive pleasantry, and genuine Attick wit, thou wast wont to accuse the amorous and gay servant of APOLLO, of almost giving up his duty to his passion; and making the cloisters of that temple in which he constantly resideth, resound much more and oftener with the praises of the beautiful ANTIOPE, than even with those of the far-beaming god, whose altar is day and night illuminated with a thousand burning tapers, in faint and feeble emulation of his enlivening rays, and at the foot of whose resplendent shrine innumerable votaries repose themselves nightly, hoping to obtain from the father of oracles some prophetick impulses concerning their future lives and fortunes. Every one here seemed to wish, and even to augurate success to so well-grounded an affection; and declared by almost an unanimous suffrage and judgment that the gods themselves had, as it were, designedly formed the charms of ANTIOPE, to bless her agreeable adorer; and the natural gaiety and easy vivacity of HELIODORUS, to complete the happiness of his beloved mistress. Thou mightest have seen them often together, soon as the radiant MITHRAS had withdrawn his

sultry