THE

CRITICAL REVIEW.

For MARCH,

1786.

The Hiftory of Ancient Greece, its Colonies, and Conquefts; from the earliest Accounts till the Divifion of the Macedonian Empire in the Eaft. Including the Hiftory of Literature, Philofophy, and the Fine Arts. In Two Volumes. By John Gillies, LL.D.. 4to. 21. 2s. in Boards. Cadell.

WHerever learning diffufes its influence, the tranfactions

of ancient Greece will continue to be regarded as the most interesting in the annals of human kind. So great is the fplendour which illuminates this department of history, that it has excited the admiration of all fucceeding ages of the world. Nor even at prefent, when the fubjects of historical narrative are multiplied beyond the example of former times," feems any to be more happily adapted to the purposes of literary gratification. Both in our own and in foreign coun tries, the hiftory of Greece has lately employed the exertion: of feveral writers; and we now behold an additional candidate for the public favour, in this gymnafium, if we may ufe fuch a term, of historical abilities.

On a fubject fo often treated, however, it would be vain to expect any novelty from a writer, the most induftrious in his refearches. If he draws his materials from authentic fources of information; if, in dubious circumftances, he weighs with judgment the clashing teftimony of different hiftorians; if he arranges the various parts of the fubject with order and perfpicuity; if he preferves a juft proportion in the delineation of the feveral objects, and animates the whole with a uniform vigour of ftyle and fentiment; he performs whatever can af ford gratification to the most inquifitive reader of hiftory, or is neceffary to obtain the approbation of impartial criticism. VOL. XI. March, 1786.

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Dr. Gilliés commences his history with A View of the Pro grefs of Civilization and Power in Greece, preceding the Trojan War. It is not furprising, that on a fubject of fo remote antiquity we should meet with little fatisfactory information, when, after a lapfe of feveral centuries from this period, all the efforts of the diligent Thucydides proved infufficient to investigate, with any precision, the state of his country, during a long revolution of ages antecedent to the time in which he lived. Our author obferves in a note, and the remark cannot be invalidated by any pofitive authority, that, admitting the common chronology, there is reafon to believe that the fcattered fragments of Grecian hiftory were preserved during thirteen centuries by oral tradition. With the use of alphabetic writing, compositions in profe began not earlier than about fix centuries preceding the Chriftian æra; and though before this time, many tranfactions might be celebrated by the bards, who are known to have been numerous in ancient Greece, yet thofe rhapfodies, however founded in atchievements which had really exifted, were too much blended with fiction ever to be received implicitly as documents for hiftorical narrative. But, dark as is the cloud which hangs over this portion of Grecian hiftory, the materials, it is cer tain, are more copious than confiftent; and to reduce them to order and perfpicuity, is what those who are beft acquainted with the difficulty and drynefs of the fubject, will admit to be not an enviable task.

After reciting the hiftory of the Trojan war, the author takes a concife view of the religion, government, arts, manners, and character of the ancient Greeks; and in the fame chapter he makes fome obfervations on the rank of women in the heroic ages, concerning which we think his remarks are well founded.

Two circumstances chiefly have rendered it difficult to explain the rank and condition of women in the heroic ages. The Greek word denoting a wife, is borrowed from a quality which equally applies to a concubine, and the fame term is ufed indif ferently to exprefs both. But the women who in ancient Greece fubmitted to the infamy of prostitution, were generally captives taken in war, who were reduced by the cruel right of arms to the miferable condition of fervitude. Hence it has been erroreoufly inferred, that in ancient Greece, wives as well as concubines were the flaves of their husbands. This mistaken notion it has been attempted to confirm, not only by infifting. on the humiliating condition of the fair fex in the later ages of Greece, but by expressly afferting, that, in ancient times,

they

they were purchased by their husbands. But this is to fupport one error by another. Before entering into the state of wedlock, it was customary for a man to make a mutual exchange of prefents with his intended father-in-law. The Greeks had particular terms to exprefs the prefent which he bestowed, as well as that which he received. The former, which has no correfponding term in the modern languages, is tranflated by the more general word "price," which has given rife to the falfe notion of the purchase and fervitude of women; but the latter, which may with propriety be tranflated" dower," was given as a provi fion for the wife, both during marriage and after its diffolution, and was fufficient to deliver her from that fuppofed state of dependence on the hufband, which never had any existence but in the imagination of the fyftematic writers of the present age.'

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We cannot help expreffing a wifh that our author had taken a more comprehenfive view of the manners and cuftoms of the ancient Greeks, than we find he has done in the courfe of the chapter above quoted. A delineation of fome of them in particular, which he has totally omitted, would have greatly contributed towards affording a more clear and adequate idea of the genius of that celebrated people. We likewife with that he had attempted to trace the gradual decay of that generofity of character, which diftinguished the heroic ages, and shewn by what causes a nation, where commerce had not yet flourifhed to fuch an extent as to introduce any great degree of luxury, could degenerate fo much from the magnanimous fimplicity of their ancestors. With refpect to the latter of these, indeed, we meet with a few observations in a subsequent chapter, which are as follow:

As the fingular manners and events of the heroic ages naturally produced the lofty ftrains of the epic mufe, fo the ftate of fociety in Greece, during the immediately fucceeding periods, highly favoured the introduction of other kinds of poetry. The abolition of the royal governments gave free fcope to the activity and turbulence of democracy; and the rivalihips and enmities of neighbouring states, rankling in the minds of their citizens, prepared the imaginations of men for taking a malignant pleasure in works of invective and reproach. The innumerable caufes of alienation, hatred, and difguft, which operated alfo within the bofom of each little republic, opened an inexhaustible fource of fatire, The competitions for civil offices, for military command, and for other places of trust, profit, or honour, all of which were conferred by the free fuffrages of the people, occafioned irreconcilable variance between the ambitious members of the fame community, and fubjected the characters of men to mutual fcrutiny and remark.

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fentiments of the Greeks not being perverted by the habits of flavery, nor reftrained by the terrors of a defpot, they boldly expreffed what they freely thought; they might openly declare a juft contempt; and, while they extolled in the lofty ode and fwelling panegyric the heroes and patriots whom they admired, they lafhed the cowards and traitors whom they despised, with all the feverity of fatire.'

Our author's obfervations on the influence of the musical and poetical contefts, related in the fame chapter with the preceding extract, are likewife not unworthy of attention.

"In explaining the influence of the Grecian folemnities, we must not forget the mufical and poetical exhibitions, which, from being employed to reward the victors in the gymnastic exercifes, came to be themfelves thought worthy of reward. The martial lesions of Tyrtæus and Callinus admirably conspired with the effects which have already been defcribed, encouraging the firm and manly virtues both by the enthufiafm with which their precepts were conveyed, and by the lively impreffions which they gave of thofe objects for which it is important to contend. The courage depending on blood and nerves is uncertain and tranfitory in its existence, and even while it exifts, may be indifferently employed to purposes beneficial or deftructive. It belonged to the martial bards to determine its doubtful nature, to fix and illuftrate its genuine motives, and to direct it to the proper objects of its purfuit.

The mufical entertainments thus ttrengthened, refined, and exalted the manly principles infpired by all the customs and inftitutions of that warlike age. But as bravery is a hardy plant that grows in every foil, the most beneficial confequence of the arts confifled in infufing a proper mixture of foftness and senfibility into the Grecian character. This is well known to be their effect in every country where they are allowed to flourish The Greeks, in a peculiar manner, required their affiftance; nor could it have been poffible for that people, without the happy influence of the arts, to controul the barbarity naturally occafioned by their conflant employment in war, the favage cruelty introduced by the practice of domeftic fervitude, and the intolerable ferocity which feems effentially inherent in the nature of democratical government. Amidft thefe fources of degeneracy and corruption, the time and application neceffary to attain proficiency in the purfuits of genius, habituated the Greeks to gentle amufements, and innocent pleafures. The honours and rewards befowed on the fuccefsful candidates for literary fame, engaged them to feek happinefs and glory in the peaceful fhade of retirement, as well as on the contentioustheatre of active life; and the obfervations and difcoveries occafionally fuggefted by the free communication of fentiment, ftrength

trengthened and confirmed thofe happy prejudices which combat on the fide of virtue, and enforce the practice of fuch rules of behaviour as are most useful and agreeable in fociety.

If the mufical and literary entertainments acquired fuch an happy influence over the moral difpofitions of the heart, they produced a ftill more confiderable effect on the intellectual faculties of the mind. It is almost impoffible, in the prefent age, to conceive the full extent of their efficacy in improving the memory, animating the imagination, and correcting the judgment. As to the memory, indeed, there is a period in the progrefs of fociety preceding the introduction of writing, when the energies of this faculty have been exerted among many nations with a wonderful degree of force. Even among the barbarous Celtic inhabitants of our own island, the Druids could repeat an incredible number of verfes, containing the knowledge of their history, laws, and religion; and a period of twenty years was required to complete the poetical studies of a candidate for the priesthood.

But if the Greeks were equalled by other nations in the exercife of the memory, they have always been unrivalled in the delicacy of their taste, and the inimitable charms of their fancy. These excellencies, whether originally produced by natural or moral caufes, or more probably by a combination of both, were, doubtless, extended and improved by emulation and habitual exercife. To this exercife the public folemnities afforded a proper field; and, in the contefts of mufic and poetry, were difplayed the opening bloffoms of Grecian genius, bloffoms which afterwards ripened into thofe fruits of philofophy and eloquence, that will form the admiration and delight of the laft ages of the world.'

The public tranfactions of ancient Greece were so much influenced by the paffions of men, that the recital of them prefents us not only with the general history of the feveral ftates, but what is yet more inftructive to a philofophical reader, with that of the human mind. In different parts of the prefent work, Dr. Gillies has attempted to avail himself of this obfervation; and we frequently find him deducing moral reflections from the events which he defcribes. In the account which he gives of the Grecian philofophy, he has adopted the opinion of the most approved writers on the fubject; as he has likewife done, in delivering the literary character of the poets and other writers, whofe tranfcendent merits have immortalized the fame of their country.

The hiftory of Greece, fo far as it can now be collected, being already well known, we have hitherto confined our extracts to other parts of the narrative; but before we conclude

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Our