the Body is confumed, there remains nothing of the Beast, but am empty Skin; fo it was in Athens, where all the ftately and magnificent Structures were turn'd into ruinous Heaps, and nothing but old decay'd Outfides left remaining (d). Theodofius II. is faid to have favour'd the Athenians, upon the Account of his Queen Eudocia, who was an Athenian by Birth. Juftinian alfo is reported to have been very kind to them; but from his Reign, for the Space of about seven hundred Years, either for want of Hittorians in Ages fo rude and barbarous, or because they lived in Peace and Obfcurity, without atchieving, or fuffering any Thing deferving to be transmitted to Pofterity, there is no Account of any Thing that paffed among them, till the thirteenth Century. At that Time, Nicetas tells us, Athens was in the Hands of Baldwin, and was befieged by one of the Generals of Theodorus Lafcares, who was then the Greek Emperor, but he was repulfed with Lofs, and forced to raise the Siege. Not long after, it was befieged by the Marquefs Bonifacias, who made himself Mafter of it (e). It was afterwards govern'd by one Delves, of the House of Arragon, and after his Death fell into the Hands of Bajazet, Emperor of the Turks (f). Afterwards it was taken by the Spaniards of Catalonia, under the Command of Andronicus Palæologus the elder (g). And these are the fame that Chalcocondylas calls Keλricnges, and reports they were difpoffefs'd of it by Reinerius Acciaioli, a Florentine, who, having no legitimate Male Iffue, left it by his last Will and Teftament to the State of Venice. The Venetians were not long Masters of it, being difpoffefs'd by Antony, a natural Son of Reinerius, who had given him the Sovereignty of Thebes and Baotia; and from this Time it continued some Years under the Government of the Acciaioli: For Antony was fucceeded by one of his Kinfmen, call'd Nérius; Nerius was displaced by his Brother Antony for his Infufficiency, and Unfitness to govern, and after Antony's Death recover'd it again; but leaving only one Son, then an Infant, was fucceeded by his Wife, who for her Folly was ejected by Mahomet, upon the Complaint of Francus, the Son of Antony the Second, who fucceeded her, and, having confined her fome Time in Prison, put her to Death, and was upon that Score accused by her Son to Mahomet II. who fent an Army under the Conduct of Omares to befiege him; Francus, upon this, made his Application to the Latins, but they refused to grant him any Affiftance, except he would engage his Subjects in all Things to conform to the Romish Superftition, and renounce all those Articles, wherein the Greek Church differs from them; which he not being able to do, was forced to furrender it to the Turks, in the Year of our Lord CIOCCCCLV (1⁄2), and in their Hands it continues to this Day. (d) Synefius Ep. CCXXXV. (e) Nicetas Choniates in Vita Balduini. (f) Laonic. Chalcocondylas lib. III. (g) Niceph. Greg. lib. VII. (b) Chalcocond, lib. VI. & IX. CHA P. CHA P. VIII. Of the City of Athens, and its Walls, Gates, Streets, Buildings, &c. T HE City of Athens, when it flourish'd in its greatest Splendor, was one of the fairest and largest Cities of all Greece, being, fays Ariftides, a Day's Journey in Compafs (i). But according to the most exact Computation, the whole Circuit of it contain'd about CLXXVIII Stadia, that is, fomething above two and twenty Roman Miles. But many were the Changes of Government and Fortune which it underwent, before it arrived to this Pitch of Greatnefs; for at the first, that, which was afterwards the Citadel, was the whole City, and was call'd Cecropia, from its firit Founder Cecrops, who, they fay, was the first that invented the Manner of building Cities, and therefore the Athenians, proud of every little Pretence to Antiquity, ufed to call it by way of Eminence arv, and woλis, as being the first City (k). Afterwards it changed its first Name of Cecropia, and was call'd Athens in Erichthonius's Reign, for which several Reasons are given; but the most common is, that the Name was taken from Minerva, whom the Greeks call Alúv, because she was the Protectress of the City; indeed almost all Towers and Citadels were facred to this Goddess, who is therefore by Catullus call'd, Diva tenens in fummis urbibus arces. Goddess that in Citadels doth dwell. And Euftathius hath remark'd the fame upon Homer's fixth Iliad, where he tells us, Minerva's Temple was in the Trojan Citadel, Νηὸν Αθηναίης γλαυκώπιδΘ εν πόλει ἄκρη (1). Cecropia was feated in the Midft of a large and pleasant Plain, upon the Top of a high Rock; for, as the fore-mention'd Author obferves, it was usual for the fi:ft Founders of Cities in thofe Ages, to lay the Foundations of them upon fteep Rocks and high Mountains; and this they did, partly for that fuch Places were a good Defence againf: Invaders, but more especially, because they hoped to be fecured by them from Inundations (m), which the People of thofe Times exceedingly dreaded, having heard and experienced the fad Effects of them under Ogyges, and Deucalion. Afterwards, when the Number of Inhabitants was increased, the whole Plain was fill'd with Buildings, which were call'd from their Situation narw góλs, or the lower City, and Cecropia was then nam'd av Toλs, or Axeons, the upper City. The Circuit of the Citadel was threefcore Stadia; it was fenced in with wooden Pales, or, as fome say, was fet about with Olive Trees ; (i) Panathen. (k) Stephanus V. Alñvdi. (1) Pag. CCCCLXXXIII. Edit. Bafil. (m) II, d ́. P, CCCLXXXIV. and 4 and therefore in Xerxes's Invafion, when the Oracle advised the Athe nians to defend themselves with Walls of Wood, fome were of Opinion, they were commanded to enter into the Acropolis, and there receive the Enemy, which some of them did; but, after a defperate Refiftance, were overpower'd by Numbers, and forced to fuffer the fad Effects of their fond Interpretation (n). It was fortified with a strong Wall, one Part of which was built by Cimon the Son of Miltiades, out of the Spoils taken in the Perfian War, and was call'd Kiμávrov Texos, being on the South-fide of the Citadel (2). The North Wall was built many Ages before by Agrolas, fays PauJanjas; or, according to Pliny, by Euryalus and Hyperbius, two Brothers, who firft taught the Athenians the Art of building Houses, whereas till that Time they lived in Caves. They were Tyrrhenians born, and by that Nation all Sorts of Building are faid to have been first begun in Greece, and from them Walls and Castles were call'd Túgoes (p). This Wall was nam'd Πελασγικόν, or Πελαργικὸν, becaufe the Founders of it were call'd Pelafgi, from their continual wandering, and removing from one Country to another, in the Manner of Storks, which the Greeks call λapfoí (q). Thucydides tells us, there was an Execration laid upon any that fhould build Houfes under this Wall, because the Pelafgi, whilft they dwelt there, entred into a Confpiracy against the Athenians (r). And Pollux adds, that it was unlawful to make Ditches, or fow Corn here, and if any Man was taken offending, he was apprehended by the Nomothete, and brought before the Archon, who was to lay a Fine of three Drachms upon him. (). It was beautified with nine Gates, and therefore is fometimes call'd EvveάTUλov; but though there were many leffer Gates, yet the Citadel had but one great ForeGate, or Entrance, to which they afcended by Steps, cover'd with white Marble, and it was built by Pericles, with fuch Magnificence, that the Expences of it amounted to above a thousand Drachms (t). The Infide of the Citadel was adorn'd with innumerable Edifices, Statues and Monuments, wherein all the ancient Stories were described at large, infomuch that Ariftides tells us, it look'd like one continued Ornament (u). The Defcription of all these would be tedious, and is already perform'd by Meurfius, who hath with vaft Industry collected into one Body all the Relicks of Antiquity, which lay dispersed here and there in ancient Authors. The most remarkable of them were these : The Temple of Minerva, call'd Ninn, or Victory, in which the Goddefs was reprefented, having a Pomegranate in her right Hand, and an Helmet in her left, and without Wings, in Memory of Thefeus's good Success in Crete, the Fame whereof had not reach'd Athens before his Arrival; but in other Places, Victory was ufually reprefented (n) Syrianus in Herm. Cornel Nep. (0) Plutarch, in Cimone. (p) Phavorin. V. Tépots. (9) Strabo lib. IX. Plin. lib. VII. LVI. & Paufanias Atticis. (r) Thucydides ejufque Scholiaft lib. II. (f) Pollux lib. VIII. c. IX. (t) Plutarchus Pericle. Paufan, Atticis, Harpocrat, &e Suidas V.IIpoжÚλasa. (u)Aristides in Panathenaica. |