There is something in Themistocles which strikes exceedingly; and the single battle of Salamis, of which he had all the honour, gives him a right to dispute glory with the greatest. He there shewed invincible courage, a perfect knowledge in the art of war, an extraordinary greatness of soul, joined to a wisdom and moderation, which very much exalt their merit; especially in the instances of his prevailing with the Athenians to resign the general command of the fleet to the Lacedæmonians, and his bearing the injurious treatment of Eurybiades, with a patience and temper beyond his years.

But what is most admirable in the character of Themistocles is, that penetration and presence of mind, which let nothing escape him. After a short and hasty deliberation, he could immediately point out the best measures that were to be taken; and was extremely dextrous in discerning what was most suitable to the present occasion; and could foretel by almost infallible conjectures the events of things. The design he laid and executed of making the Athenians strong at sea, shewed he had a superior genius, capable of the greatest views, of looking into futurity, and laying hold of the decisive point in affairs. As they possessed but a barren territory of small extent, he saw they had no other means of increasing their riches and power, of making themselves necessary to their allies, and formidable to their enemies Now this project may be justly considered as the source and cause of all the great events, which afterwards rendered the republic of Athens so flourishing

But it must be owned, the black and perfidious design [d] Themistocles proposed, of burning the Grecian fleet in a time of peace, to increase the Athenian power, must take off infinitely from the good opinion we should otherwise have of him; for, as we have often observed, it is the heart, i. e. probity and integrity, which constitute and determine real merit. And so the people of Athens judged. I question whether [4] Cornel. Nepos. & Plut.

in all history we have a fact more deserving our admiration than this. We have not here a body of philosophers, who can easily lay down excellent maxims in their schools, and teach sublime rules of morality, to shew that the useful ought not to take place. But here an entire people, interested in the proposal made to them, and admitting it very advantageous to the state, without a moment's hesitation, reject it unaniə mously for this only reason, because it is unjust.

The great talents of Themistocles were also very much sullied, by an excessive desire of glory, and an unbounded ambition, that he could never keep within just bounds, which led him to oppose the merit of all such as could dispute glory with him, and occasioned the banishment of Aristides, and made him end his days in a dishonourable manner in a foreign land, and amongst the enemies of his country.

Pericles, when he undertook the management of public affairs, found the city in the most flourishing condition of power and greatness to which it had ever attained; whereas his predecessors had rendered it so. And if it be any diminution of his glory to say, that his business was only to support it in the condition, to which others had raised it; we may observe on the other hand, that this was rather a circumstance to his advantage, as it must have been very difficult to rule, and keep within the bounds of their duty, a body of haughty citizens, that were become almost untractable through prosperity.

He supported himself at the head of affairs, and with an almost absolute power, not for a few days, or a small compass of time, but during forty years, though he had a great many illustrious adversaries to contend with; which is almost unexampled. And this circumstance alone is enough to convince us of the extent, superiority, and force of his genius, the solidity of his virtue, and the variety of his accomplishments, especially, if we consider, he had to do with a democracy, very jealous, very seditious, and abounding in persons of merit. Plutarch seems to point out

the

the cause, and gives us his character in a few words, when he says, that Pericles, like Fabius, made himself very useful to his country, by his mildness, his justice, and the resolution and patience with which he bore the imprudent and unjust behaviour of his colleagues and fellow-citizens. His enemies, who during his life took offence at the excessive credit he had acquired, were obliged to own after his death, [e] that never man knew better how to temper authority with moderation, nor to exalt mildness and humanity with a majestic gravity than he; and his power, which had raised their envy against him, and was called by the odious name of tyranny, seemed then to have been the surest defence and strongest bulwark of the state; so much wickedness and corruption crept afterwards into the government, which durst not shew themselves during his administration, but were ever kept under restraint, and never suffered to grow up to an excess without remedy, through licentiousness and impunity.

Pericles, by the force of his eloquence, and the asscendant he had gained over the minds of the people, several times disconcerted the projects of a war, by which means he did a signal service to his country, and would have saved it abundance of misfortunes, if he had continued the same conduct to the end. He had honest views in ruling, but would rule alone; and this led him into banishing the best subjects of the republic, and such as were most capable of serving it, because they were a counterbalance to his authority. And lastly, being apprehensive of the like treatment himself, and finding his credit daily decline, for his own security he kindled a war, which was attended with very fatal consequences to his country.

The magnificent works, wherewith he adorned Athens, are highly extolled; but I fear not altogether justly. For was it reasonable to employ [f] such im

[ε] ̓Ανωμύλογον τὸ μετριώτερον ἐν ἄγκω καὶ σεμνότερον ἐν πραότητι, μὴ φύναι τρόπον.

[f] They amounted to above ten millions.

mense

mense sums, as were designed only for the support of the war, in superfluous buildings and vain decorations? And would it not have been better to have eased the allies of a part of their contributions, which under the government of Pericles were raised near one-third above what they were before?

Cimon also took care to adorn the city. But besides that the money he laid out was part of the booty he had taken from the enemy, and was not the heart's-blood and substance of the people; the expence was very moderate, and confined either to such works as were absolutely necessary, as the port, the walls, and fortifications of the city; or of very great use to the citizens; such as the porticos and public walks; the places of exercise, as the academy, the usual residence of the poets, and celebrated retreat of the philosophers. This place he took a peculiar care to make more commodious and agreeable; and by this slight expence gave occasion to those learned discourses, which were so deserving of a free people, and derived so much honour to the city of Athens from all after-ages.

He had heaped up immense riches, but made such an use of them as might make the Christians ashamed; giving largely to all the poor he met with, distributing clothes to such as wanted them, and inviting the necessitous citizens of Athens to eat at his table. What comparison is there, says Plutarch, between the table of Cimon, which was plain, frugal, popular, and at a small expence fed every day a great number of citizens; and that of Lucullus, which was magnificently served, and more worthy of a Persian grandee than a citizen of Rome, being designed to gratify at a vast expence the sensuality of some professed debauchees, whose only merit was a nice palate, and doubtless the art of highly commending the master of the house.

By his military expeditions Cimon was equal in glory to the most eminent commanders among the Greeks; for no body before him ever carried their arms and conquests so. far, and to the bravery and

courage he had in common with the rest, he added a prudence and moderation, which were of no less service to his country.

His youth indeed was not unblamable; but the rest of his life covered, and abundantly made amends for his former faults; and where can we find a virtue without blemish?

If such a thing were possible among the heathens, it would be the virtue of Aristides. An extraordinary greatness of soul made him superior to every passion. Interest, pleasure, ambition, resentment, jealousy, were extinguished in him by the love of virtue and his country. He was a man born for the republic. Provided that was well served, he was unconcerned by whom it was done. The merit of others, instead of offending him, became his own by the approbation he gave it. He had a share in all the great victories obtained by the Greeks in his time, without being at all the more haughty on that account. His inclination was not to rule in Athens, but to make Athens rule. And this he effected, not as we have already observed, by fitting out great fleets, and sending vast armies into the field, but by rendering the government of the Athenians amiable to the allies by his mildness, goodness, humanity, and justice. The disinterestedness he shewed in the management of the public treasure, and the love of poverty, which he carried, if I may venture to say, almost to an excess, are virtues so far superior to the practice of our age, that they scarce seem credible to us. In a word, and we may hence judge of the real merit of Aristides, if Athens had always been governed by commanders like him, and had been content to enjoy the honour of being mistress of Greece, and with preserving the peace and happiness of her neighbours, she would have been at the same time the terror of her enemies, the delight of her allies, and the admiration of the whole world.

Themistocles made no scruple to use tricking and subtlety in compassing his designs, and was not always firm and constant in his undertakings. But for Aris