this head, that one of the victors in boxing, called Scopas, having agreed with Simonides for a poem upon his victory, the poet according to custom, after having given the highest praises to the champion, expatiates in a long digreffion to the honour of Caftor and Pollux. Scopas, fatisfied in appearance with the performance of Simonides, paid him however only the third part of the fum agreed on, referring him for the remainder to the Tyndarides, whom he had celebrated fo well. And he was well paid for their part in effect, if we may believe the fequel: for, at the feaft given by the champion, whilft the guests were at table, a fervant came to Simonides, and told him, that two men, covered with duft aud fweat, were at the door, and defired to fpeak with him in all hafte. He had scarcely fet his foot out of the chamber, in order to go to them, when the roof fell in, and crushed the champion with all his guefts to death.

Sculpture united with poetry to perpetuate the fame of the champions. Statues were erected to the victors, efpecially in the Olympic games, in the very place where they had been crowned, and fometimes in that of their birth alfo; which was commonly done at the expence of their country. Amongst the ftatues which adorned Olympia, were thofe of feveral children of ten or twelve years old, who had obtained the prize at that age in the Olympic games. They did not only raise fuch monuments to the champions, but to the very horfes, to whose swiftnefs they were indebted for the Agoniftic crown: And y Paufanias mentions one, which was erected in honour of a mare, called Aura, whofe hiftory is worth repeating. Phidolas, her rider, having fallen off in the beginning of the race, the mare continued to run in the fame manner as if he had been upon her back. She outftripped all the reft, and upon the found of the trumpets, which was usual toward the end of the race to animate the competitors, fhe redoubled her vigour and courage, turned round the goal; and, as if she had been fenfible of the victory, presented y Lib. vi. p. 368.

herself

herself before the judges of the games. The Alians declared Phidolas victor, with permiffion to erect a monument to himself and the mare, that had ferved him fo well.

The different taste of the Greeks and Romans, in regard to public fhows.

Before I make an end of obferving upon the combats and games, fo much in eftimation amongst the Greeks, I beg the reader's permiffion to make a reflec tion, that may serve to explain the different characters of the Greeks and Romans, with regard to this fubject. The most common entertainment of the latter, at which the fair fex, by nature tender and compaffionate, were present in throngs, was the combats of the gla. diators, and of men with bears and lions; in which the cries of the wounded and dying, and the abundant effufion of human blood, fupplied a grateful spectacle for a whole people, who feafted their cruel eyes with the favage pleasure of feeing men murder one another in cool blood; and in the times of the perfecutions, with the tearing in pieces of old men and infants, of women and tender virgins, whofe age and weakness' are apt to excite compaffion in the hardest hearts.

In Greece these combats were abfolutely unknown, and were only introduced into fome cities after their fubjection to the Roman people. The Athenians, however, whofe diftinguished characteristics were benevolence and humanity, never admitted them into their city; and when it was propofed to introduce the combats of the gladiators, that they might not be outdone by the Corinthians in that point, "First throw down," cried out an* Athenian from the midst of the affembly, "the altar, erected above a thousand years ago by our ancestors to Mercy."

It must be allowed, in this respect, that the conduct and wisdom of the Greeks were infinitely fuperior to that

• Lucian in vit. Demonact. p. 1014.

* It was Demonax, a celebrated philofopher, whofe difciple Lucian had been. He flourished in the reign of Marcus Aurelius.

of

of the Romans. I fpeak of the wifdom of Pagans. Convinced that the multitude, too much governed by the objects of fenfe, to be fufficiently amused and entertained with the pleafures of the understanding, could be delighted only with fenfible objects, both nations were ftudious to divert them with games and fhows, and fuch external contrivances as were proper to affect the fenfes. In the inftitution of which, each follows: its peculiar genius and disposition.

The Romans, educated in war, and accustomed to battles, retained notwithstanding the politenefs upon which they piqued themselves, fomething of their ancient ferocity; and hence it was, that the effufion of blood, and the murders exhibited in the public shows, far from infpiring them with horror, was a grateful

entertainment.

The infolent pomp of triumphs flows from the fame fource, and argues no lefs inhumanity. To obtain this honour, it was neceffary to prove, that eight or ten thou fand men at least had been killed in battle. The spoils which were carried with fo much oftentation, proclaimed, that an infinity of honeft families had been reduced to the utmoft mifery. The innumerable troop of captives had been free perfons a few days before, and were often diftinguishable for honour, merit, and virtue. The reprefentation of the towns that had been taken in the war explained, that they had facked, plun dered, and burnt, the moft opulent cities; and eitherdeftroyed, or enflaved their inhabitants. In fine, nothing was more inhuman, than to drag kings and princes in chains before the chariot of a Roman citi zen, and to infult their misfortunes and humiliation in that public manner.

a

The triumphal arches, erected under the emperors, where the enemies appeared with chains upon their hands and legs, could proceed only from a haughty fiercenefs of difpofition and an inhuman pride, that took delight in immortalising the shame and forrow of fubjected nations.

Plut, in Quæft, Rom. p. 273,

The

The joy of the Greeks after a victory was far more modeft. They erected trophies indeed, but of wood, a matter little durable, which would foon confume; and those it was prohibited to renew. Plutarch's reafon for this is admirable*. After time had destroyed and obliterated the marks of diffenfion and enmity, that had divided the people, it would have been the excess of odious and barbarous animofity, to have thought of re-eftablishing them, and to have perpetuated the remembrance of ancient quarrels, which could not be buried too foon in filence and oblivion. He adds, that the trophies of stone and brafs, fince substituted to thofe of wood, refle&t no honour upon those who introduced the custom.

I am pleased with the grief of Agefilaus's countenance, after a confiderable victory, wherein a great number of his enemies, that is to fay, of Greeks, were left upon the field, and to hear him utter, with fighs and groans, thefe words, fo full of moderation and humanity: "Oh! unhappy Greece, to deprive thy felf of fo many brave citizens, and to deftroy thofe who had been fufficient to have conquered all the Barbarians!"

The fame fpirit of moderation and humanity pre vailed in the public fhows of the Greeks. Their feftivals had nothing mournful or afflictive in them. Every thing in thofe feafts tended to delight, friendlhip, and harmony: and in that confifted one of the greatest advantages which refulted to Greece, from the folemnization of these games. The republics, feparated by distance of country, and diverfity of interefts, having the opportunity of meeting from time to time, in the fame place, and in the midft of rejoicing and feftivity allied themfelves more ftrictly with one another, ap prized each other against the Barbarians and the common enemies of their liberty, and made up their difi ferences by the mediation of fome neutral ftate in alliance with them. The fame language, manners, facrifices, exercifes, and worship, all confpired to unité

Plut. in Lacon. Ápophthegm. p. 211.

Ότι τα χρόνια τα σημεία της προς τις πολεμιός διαφορας αμαυρα 16 αυτός αναλαμβάνειν και κοινοποιειν επιφθηνες και τα φιλαπεχθημόν.

the

the feveral little ftates of Greece into one great and formidable nation; and to preferve amongst them the fame difpofition, the fame principles, the fame zeal for their liberty, and the fame passion for the arts and fciences.

Of the prizes of wit, and the fhows and representations of the theatre.

I have referved for the conclufion of this head another kind of competition, which does not at all depend upon the strength, activity, and addrefs of the body, and may be called with reafon the combat of the mind; wherein the orators, hiftorians, and poets made trial of their capacities, and fubmitted their productions to the cenfure and judgment of the public. The emulation in this fort of difpute was most lively and ardent, as the victory in queftion might juftly be deemed to be infinitely fuperior to all the others, because it affects the man more nearly, is founded in his perfonal and internal qualities, and decides the merit of his wit and capacity; which are advantages we are apt to aspire at with the utmost vivacity and paffion, and of which we are least of all inclined to renounce the glory to others.

It was a great honour, and at the fame time a moft fenfible pleasure, for writers, who are generally fond of fame and applause, to have known how to reconcile the voices in their favour of so numerous and select an af fembly, as that of the Olympic games; in which were prefent all the finest geniuffes of Greece, and all the best judges of the excellency of a work. This theatre was equally open to hiftory, eloquence, and poetry.

Herodotus read his hiftory in the Olympic games to all Greece, affembled at them, and was heard with fuch applause, that the names of the nine Mufes were given to the nine books which compose his work; and the people cried out wherever he paffed, "That is he, who has wrote our hiftory, and celebrated our glorious fucceffes againft the Barbarians fo excellently.'

Lucian, in Herod. p. 622.

All