appearance of a hare or a weasel. I have sometimes ventured to argue with, or banter the good old man on these occasions; but only found, that prejudices of this kind are impressed too deeply on the minds even of sensible and ingenious men, to be ever erased by reason or raillery. How much more agreeable to our nature and circumstances is the practice that is enjoined us in the pure and uncorrupted pages of the Zenda! "That we should take occasion every day, from the first animal we meet, to pay our grateful acknowledgments to the supreme source of light and happiness; "who has produced such an amazing variety of creatures, provided "sufficient means to make them happy, and yet made them all in "some degree subservient to the use, and conducive to the welfare "of man.

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66

G.

ON

LETTER CLV.

CLEANDER to GOBRYAS.

N the first of this moon Scirrophorion, PHILOCLES, the Trierarch, arrived here express from the generals at Pylus, with the news, that the Athenian forces had made a descent on the island Sphacteria, and after a brisk engagement obliged the Lacedæmonian garrison to surrender themselves prisoners at discretion.

I have enclosed the most authentick detail of the whole affair, in a copy of the dispatch sent by CLEON and DEMOSTHENES, which has been read more than once in the assembly with repeated acclamations. From several strokes in it, I am satisfied it could be drawn up by no one but the enterprising son of CLEANETUS, who, whatever share of merit he may justly lay claim to in planning out the action, seems determined not to lose one tittle of applause for want of rhetorick in describing it. The rejoicings on this occasion are now at their height, accompanied by all those marks of rioting which the multitude are apt to commit, when flushed with an unexpected success, which they ascribe to a general who stands high in their esteem. The transport of the populace has exerted itself upon the houses of those citizens who promoted the late negotiation; and their characters are made the subject of scholia or catches, adapted to the genius of the vulgar. Neither the humane superstition of PHILEMON, the formality of DIODOTUS, nor the caution of NICIAS, has escaped the low raillery of these political satirists, whose rough licentious writings give one a strong idea of the times, when the

VOL. II.

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great

great men of Greece were abused from the carts of THESPIS and his contemporaries.

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I can assure thee, noble scribe, that this event is looked upon as the most extraordinary one that has happened during the course of the war; for, in the first place, the most intelligent persons in Athens were so far from imagining that CLEON'S wild project would meet with success, that they rather expected every day to hear of his shameful repulse. In the second place, it was the universal opinion, that the Lacedæmonian detachment in Sphacteria, in imitation of the three hundred at Thermopylæ, were determined to die in their ranks, after selling their lives so dear, as would make the victory worth very little to the Athenians. But the issue of this affair has verified the old Grecian proverb, The fortune of war is ever 'productive of novelties;" since it is esteemed the most disgraceful blow the Lacedæmonians ever received, with the least loss to their. enemies; and CLEON, whose military qualifications were never reckoned the shining part of his character, is now put on a level, by his flatterers, with the most celebrated captains of Greece for bravery and conduct. He is expected to arrive from Pylus in a few days. I shall take the first opportunity of communicating to him the rupture of the Lacedæmonian treaty, and endeavour to discover whether the professions he made me before his expedition, of drawing this state into a closer alliance with ARTAXERXES, were sincere. If I find they were, I will persuade him to feel the pulse of the assembly upon that subject. His emissaries shall spread about the disposition into which the haughtiness of Sparta has thrown our monarch, to cultivate the friendship of Athens, and insist on the reasonableness of softening the rigour of CIMON's peace, in order to obtain a powerful assistance from Persia, which may in the present juncture, decide the fate of the war. By this method the Lacedæ

monian slowness may be quickened; and if the king perseveres in his design to take part with them, ARTAPHERNES will meet with the better reception. On the other hand, it will be seen, whether the Athenians really intended to make proposals of a strict confederacy to our court, or only contrive amusements, to prevent our joining with the Peloponnesian allies.

Thou mayest be satisfied, that the Lacedæmonians will not think themselves much obliged to their embassadors at Persepolis, for giving such entire credit to the first advices of an accommodation, as to break off the conferences in so abrupt and ridiculous a manner.

Instructions, which, like theirs, were to be interpreted according to the exigencies of affairs, should never be entrusted but to ministers of the greatest capacity and experience. And for my own part, I never thought negotiation the talent of the Spartans.

The republick of Athens is determined to push on the war vigorously this summer. A fleet of eighty gallies is equipping with the utmost diligence, which is to be put under the command of NICIAS. The assembly have passed a vote, that a thousand citizens, (who are to be chosen by lot out of the tribes,) and three hundred of the Hippeis, should hold themselves in readiness to embark at an hour's warning. They have likewise demanded assistance from several of their allies. The expedition is intended against Corinth, either to land and take the city by surprise, or to make an attempt upon the shipping in the harbour; both which undertakings, however plausible they appear in the scheme that has been laid before the people, some experienced officers have assured me to be extremely difficult, if not impracticable. Letters are arrived from SOPHOCLES and EURYMEDON, who were sent with a fleet to Corcyra the beginning

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ning of the summer. They give an account, that having landed some companies of Athenian soldiers, the revolters were beat out of their fastnesses; a fort they had built on the mountain Ithone stormed, and the greatest part of them obliged to surrender at discretion. The unfortunate men so taken were confined in a small island near Corcyra, till the people at Athens had pronounced sentence upon them, with an express condition, that if any attempted to escape, they should all be surrendered up to the Corcyrean magistrates. These terms were violated on the part of the captives; and the Athenian generals, without waiting for orders from hence, after putting them into the hands of the magistracy, pursued their voyage for Sicily. Advice is since come that the latter, glad of the opportunity to extirpate every remnant of the aristocratical faction in Corcyra, condemned them all to death, and delivered them over to the insults and barbarity of the multitude. Such is the blind violence of party wherever it prevails. May the extremes of it be avoided by every state that would preserve its good sense, its liberties, and its humanity!

Before this reaches thy hands, thou wilt have received the dispatches, of which CHARICLES is the bearer; and I will presume to hope, thou are not unmindful of the request I presumed to make in them, that thou wouldst intercede with the king for my return. Not to urge again the topick of the danger I run by a much longer continuance here, after practising with CLEON, I will just mention, that PYTHON has, in his last letters to the senate, informed them, that the Persian court has very exact intelligence, not only of the actions, but the views and designs of this state, and frequently earlier and more important advices, than himself. I am sensible thou communicatest my dispatches to none but those of the supreme council; but canst thou so well answer for the fidelity of those who