THERE was alfo a Decree made, whereby they recalled Ariftides, whom they had wrongfully banished, and all others that were then in Exile. Eurybiades a Lacedemonian was by the Allies chofen Commander in chief of their united Fleet, which the Athenians alfo yielded to him for the publick Good, and to prevent Divifions; though they were fully perfuaded that they themselves had an indifputable Right to name one, having furnifhed above two thirds of the whole Fleet.

PAGE 226. Our Author here enters into ȧ Description of the famous Battle of Thermopyla, where four thousand Lacedemonians gave a check to the whole Power of Afia, confifting of abové three millions, as the Infcription upon the Monument erected in the Field of Battle, to do honour to the Memory of thofe that died fo gloriously for the Liberty of their Country, expreffeth it. The very fame day that this Battle was fought, the Grecian Fleet, confifting of two hundred and feventy Ships only, gain'd a great Advantage of the numerous Fleet of the Perfians near Artemifia; and though the Battle was not decifive, yet it was of great fervice, in that it rais'd the Courage of the Greeks, and animated them for a fecond Battle.

THE People that inhabited the Peloponnefe, being refolved to fecure their own Country, formed a Defign to build a Wall from one fide. of the Ifthmus of Corinth to the other, and to a'bandon all on the outfide of it to the Enemy. The Athenians feeing themselves and their Country fo cowardly and treacherously forfaken, the Oracle which they had confulted, acquainting them, that there was no fafety but within their woodenRamparts, which was interpreted of their K 2

Ships;

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Ships; difpos'd of their Wives and Children in the City Trezene, a City of the Peloponnese, abandoned Athens, and went all aboard of the Fleet at Salamine.

Xerxes came afterwards with his Army, and meeting with no Oppofition, burnt the City to Afhes. In the mean time, the Allies in a Council of War, which was held before Salamine, could not agree about the Place where they fhould meet the Enemies Fleet to give them battle fome were for drawing near the Iftbmus of Corinth, that thereby they might be nearer the Land Army, and in better condition to defend the Peloponnefus in cafe of need; but Themistocles folidly convinced them, that it were much better to wait the Enemy in the Straits of Salamine, which the Event proved to be fo. The calm Behaviour, Presence of Mind, and Greatnefs of Soul of this great Man in the Dispute betwixt him and Eurybiades on this occafion, is admirable.

THE Perfian Fleet advanced, but Themiftocles, by whofe Advice every thing was then done, waited till a Wind which ordinarily blew at a certain Hour, and was contrary to the Enemy, came, and then gave the Signal for the Battle, which was begun with great Fury on both fides; but in the end the numerous Fleet of Xerxes was entirely beat, and a great number of his Ships burnt, funk, and taken by the Greeks, whofe Fleet confifted of no more than three hundred and eighty Ships. The fhatter'd Remains of the Perfian Fleet fled to the Coast of Afia Minor, and Xerxes himself being terrified left the Greeks fhould detach part of their Ships to destroy the Bridge he had left on the Hellefpont, and by that means cut off his Re

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treat, he fled with great precipitation out of Greece, leaving Mardonius behind with three hundred thoufand Men to continue the War. The Army of Xerxes fuffered very much in this Retreat by Sickness and Famine, being reduced to eat Herbs, Grafs, and even the Bark of Trees; and to crown his Misfortunes, when he came to the Hellefpont, he found the Bridge broke down by a Storm, and himself, whofe vaft Fleet a little before that time the Sea was fcarce fufficient to contain, obliged to pafs in a fishing Boat. There are feveral other very remarkable things in this Section, fuch at Aristides's Conduct in his firft Interview with Themiftocles after his Return from Banishment; Queen Artemifa's prudent Advice to Xerxes, not to venture a Sea-Engagement with the Greeks, and Themistocles's prudent Behaviour to Eurybiades in the Council of War, when he threatned to beat him with his Cane.

PAGE 265. The fame day that this Battle of Salamine was fought, the formidable Army of the Carthaginians, confifting of three hundred thousand, which was fent into Sicily in confequence of the League they had entered into with Xerxes, was utterly beat by Gelon Tyrant of Syracufe. Others place it on the day that the Battle of Thermopyla was fought.

Mardonius, who was now charged with the whole Care of the War against the Greeks, fent an Embaffy, at the head of which was Alexander King of Macedonia, to the Athenians with very advantageous Offers, in the name of Xerxes, to engage them to forfake the common Interest; but the Athenians wou'd by no means hear any Propofitions made to them on that Subject, nor did they fatisfy themselves

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with rejecting the Propofitions made to them at prefent; but in order to prevent any to be made for the future, they fwore an eternal Enmity against the Perfians: And at the fame time made their Priefts pronounce the moft dreadful Curfes upon all fuch as fhould at any time afterwards even make mention of any Accommodation with them.

NOTHING can excel the Harangue that Ariftides made to them on this occafion in the Name of the Athenians; it is full of noble, honeft and generous Sentiments, and fuch as became the Honour and Dignity of fo brave a People,

Le Spectacle de la Nature, ou Entretiens fur les Particularités de l'Hiftoire Naturelle qui ont paru les plus propres à rendres les jeunes gens curieux, & à leur former l'Esprit, Prémiére partie, contenant ce qui regarde les Animaux & les Plantes, A Paris chez la Veuve Etienne, & Jean Defaint.

That is,
;

NATURE display'd; or Conferences upon fuch Particulars in Natural HiStory as have feemed the most fit to excite young People's Curiofity, and to form their Minds. Part I. Containing an Account of Animals, and Plants Paris 1732. In 12mo. pp. 520. Preface, pp. xv. and a fhort Index.

B.

THE

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HE learned Mr. Rollin, fo defervedly efteem'd for the feveral judicious Works with which he has enrich'd the Common-Wealth of Letters, has recommended this in the Conclufion of his Preface to the fourth Vol. of his Hiftory of the ancient Perfians and Greeks. His Words are, " Every thing that may con"tribute to young People's Inftruction, affects me moft fenfibly. There will shortly be published a Book intitled, Le Spectacle de la "Nature, &c. wherein is difplay'd, in a diverting and ingenious manner, the moft cu"rious Phænomena in nature, with respect to "terreftrial Animals, Birds, Infects, and Fishes. "Were I to judge of the Succefs of this Book "by the pleasure the reading of it afforded "me, I might warrant beforehand, that the "Succefs of it will be great. It was at my Defire, and preffing Importunity, that the "Author has undertaken this Work, which may be very much enlarged, if the Publick "receives it kindly."

ONE cannot but acquiefce in this learned Author's Judgment, as foon as one has read these agreeable Conferences; and in order to acquaint our Readers with the Merit of this Book, we must now give him as particular an Account of the Contents of it, as the narrow Limits of an Extract will permit us.

THE Author in his Preface obferves, that as The Authe Defire of Knowledge is great in all Men, thor's Preand continues all their Lives, this Curiofityface. might be made fubfervient to very useful Ends, if it were directed to proper Objects; that none affords fo great, fo diverting, and fo diverfified Pleafures, as the great Book of Nature; the fitteft

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