Thrafybulus having thus freed his Country from the heavy Yoke of the Lacedæmonians, Conon eftablish'd it in all its ancient Privileges and Im munities, by another fignal Victory at Cnidus, wherein he gave a total Defeat to the Lacedæmonian Fleet. And having by this Means regain'd the Sovereignty of the Seas, they began again to take Courage, and aimed now at nothing less than the Restauration of Athens to her ancient Glory; and Fortune was not wanting in fome Measure to further their great Defign; for they not only reduc'd the Ifle of Lesbos, Byzantium, Chalcedon, and other Places thereabouts to their former Obedience, but rais'd Athens once more to be the most potent, and the principal City in all Greece.

In this State fhe continu'd for fome Years, till the Thebans, who had been rais'd from one of the most inconfiderable States in Greece to great Power, by the wife Conduct and great Courage of Epaminondas, put a ftop to her Grandeur, and disputed the Sovereignty with her; but this Contest was foon decided by the hafty Death of Epaminondas, at the fa mous Battle of Mantinea, which put an end to the Theban Greatness; which as it was rais'd, and maintain'd, fo it likewife perish'd with that great Man. So great Alterations are the Wisdom and Courage of one Man able to affect in the Affairs of whole Kingdoms.

The Death of Epaminondas prov'd no lefs fatal to the Athenians than the Thebans; for now there being none whofe Virtues they could emu-i late, or whofe Power they could fear, they Lorded it without a Rival, and being glutted with too much Profperity, gave themselves over to Idleness and Luxury; they flighted the Virtue of their Ancestors; their hard and thrifty way of living they laugh'd at; the Publick Revenues which us'd to be employ'd in paying the Fleets and Armies, they expended upon Games and Sports, and lavishly profus'd them in fumptuous Preparations for Festivals; they took greater Pleasure in going to the Theatre, and hearing the infipid Jefts of a Comedian, than in manly Exercises and Feats of War; preferr'd a Mimick, or a Stage-Player, before the moft valiant and experienc'd Captain; nay, they were fo befotted with their Pleasures, that they made it capital for any Man to propose the re-establishing their Army, or converting the Publick Revenues to the Maintenance of it, as Libanius obferves h.

This degenerate Difpofition of theirs, and the reft of the Greeks, who were alfo drown'd in the fame Security, gave Opportunity and Leifure to Philip, who had been educated under the Difcipline of Epaminondas and Pelopidas, to raise the Macedonians from a mean and obfcure Condition to the Empire of all Greece and Afia; as Justin hath obferv'di. And this Defign was projected and begun by Philip, but atchiev'd and perfected by his Son, Alexander the Great.

CHAP. V.

Of the State of Athens, from Philip of Macedon to its Delivery by the Romans.

HE Athenians and the reft of the Grecians, made fome Resistance

pitch'd Battle at Charonea, in the third Year of the CXth Olympiad. · This Defeat put an End to the Grecian Glory, and in a great Measure to their Liberty, which for fo many Ages, and against the most puiffant Monarchs, they had preferv'd entire till that time, but were never again able to recover it. However Philip, to the end he might be declar'd Captain General of Greece against the Perfians without any further Trouble, and to ftrengthen his Army by the Acceffion of their Forces, was content to forbear any farther Attempt upon the Athenians, and to permit them to enjoy a Shew of Liberty.

No fooner was Philip dead, than they revolted, and endeavour'd to free themselves from the Macedonian Yoke, but were easily brought into Subjection by Alexander, and as eafily obtain'd Pardon of him, being then very eager of invading Perfia, and unwilling to be diverted by taking Revenge upon thofe petty States, from a more noble and glorious Enterprize. And during his Life they continu'd quiet, not daring to move fo much as their Tongues against him. Only towards the latter End of his Reign, when he was bufied in the Wars with remote Countries, and not at Leisure to take Notice of every little Oppofition, they refus'd to entertain the banish'd Perfons, which Alexander had commanded should be restor'd in all the Cities of Greece. However they durft not break out into open Rebellion; but gave fecret Orders to Leofthenes one of their Captains, to levy an Army in his own Name, and be ready whenever they should have Occafion for him: Leofthenes obey'd their Commands, and as foon as certain News was brought, that Alexander was dead in Perfia, being join'd by fome others of the Grecian States, proclaim'd open War against the Macedonians, in Defence of the Liberty of Greece. But being in the End totally defeated by Antipater, they were forc'd to entertain a Garrison in Munychia, and fubmit to what Condition the Conqueror pleas'd to impofe upon them. He therefore chang'd their Form of Government, and inftituted an Oligarchy, depriving all those that were not worth two Thousand Drachms, of the right of Suffrage; and the better to keep them quiet, all mutinous and difaffected Perfons he transplanted into Thrace. And by this Means the fupreme Power came into the Hands of about nine Thousand.

About four Years after Antipater dy'd, and the City fell into the Hands of Caffander, who fucceeded in the Kingdom of Macedon. From him they made many Attempts to free themselves, and regain their beloved Democracy, but were in the End forc'd to fubmit themselves, in the third Year of the hundred and fifteenth Olympiad, and accept of a Garrison like to that which Antipater had impos'd upon them, to live under the fame Form of Government, and obey any Perfon that the Conqueror

queror fhould nominate to the fupreme Power in it. The Man appointed to be their Governor was Demetrius the Phalerean, who, ask Diogenes Laertius reports, was of the Family of Conon, and studied Philofophy under Theophraftus. He us'd them with all poffible Kindness and Moderation, enlarg'd their Revenues, beautify'd their City with magnificent Structures, and reftor'd it almost to its former Luftre; and they in Requital of thefe Favours, bestow'd on him all the Honours, which in fo poor a Condition they were able to give, erecting to him three Hundred Statues, according to the Number of Days in the Attick Year, moft of which were on Horfeback'. But all this was the Effect of Flattery and Diffimulation, rather than any real Refpect to him; all his Moderation, all the Benefits he had conferred on them, could not beget in them any fincere Affection for him; they still hated him, tho' they had no other Reason for it, than that he was fet over them by Caffander; and tho' their Power was gone, yet their Spirits were ftill too high to brook any thing that favour'd of Tyranny. And this in a few Years was made manifest, for when Demetrius Poliorcetes, the Son of Antigonus, took up Arms, as was pretended, in Defence of the Liberty of Greece, they receiv'd him 0 with loud Acclamations, and all poffible expreffions of Joy, compell'd the Phalerean to fecure himself by Flight, in his Abfence condemn'd him to die, and lay in wait to apprehend him, and bring him to Execution; and when they could not compafs his Perfon, vented their Rage and Malice upon his Statues, which they pull'd down with the greateit Deteftation and Abhorrence, breaking fome to Pieces, felling others, and drowning others; fo that of three Hundred there was none left remaining, except only one in the Citadel, as the forementioned Author had reported.

1

Demetrius Poliorcetes having gotten Poffeffion of the City, reftored to the Athenians their popular Government, befow'd upon them fifteen Thousand Measures of Wheat, and fuch a Quantity of Timber as would enable them to build an Hundred Gallies for the Defence of their City, and left them in full Poffeffion of their Liberty, without any Garrison to keep them in Obedience. And fo transported were the Athenians with this Deliverance, that by a wild and extravagant Gratitude, they bestow'd upon Demetrius and Antigonus, not only the Title of Kings, though that was a Name they had hitherto declin'd, but call'd them their Tutelar Deities and Deliverers; they inftituted Priefts to them, enacted a Law, that the Ambaffadors whom they fhould fend to them, should have the fame Stile and Character with thofe who were accuftom'd to be fent to Delphi, to confult the Oracle of the Pythian Apollo, or to Elis to the Olympian Jupiter, to perform the Gracian Solemnities, and make Oblations for the Safety and Prefervation of their City, whom they call'd spot. They appointed Lodgings for Demetrius in the Temple of Minerva, and confecrated an Altar in the Place where he first alighted from his Chariot, calling it the Altar of Demetrius the Alighter, and added infinite other Inftances of the moft grofs and fordid Flattery, of which Plutarch and others give us a large Account; for (fays a learned modern Author) the Athenians having forgotten how

Demetrias.

m

to employ their Hands, made up that Defect with their Tongues; converting to bafe Flattery that Eloquence, which the Virtues of their Anceftors had fuited unto more manly Arguments.

But afterwards, when Demetrius's Fortune began to decline, he was no longer their God, or their Deliverer, but in Requital of all his former Kindneffes, they bafely deferted him, deny'd him Entrance into their City, and by a popular Edict made it Death for any Person so much as to propofe a Treaty or Accommodation with him. Then the City being embroil'd in Civil Diffenfions, one Lachares feiz'd the Government, but upon the Approach of Demetrius, was forc'd to quit his new ufurped Authority, and preserve himself by a timely Flight.

Thus they were a fecond time in the Poffeffion of Demetrius, who notwithstanding their former fhameful Ingratitude, receiv'd them again into Favour, bestow'd upon them an hundred Thousand Bufhels of Wheat, and to ingratiate himself the more with them, advanc'd fuch Perfons to publick Offices, as he knew to be moft acceptable to the People. This unexpected Generofity tranfported them fo far beyond themfelves, that at the Motion of Dromoclides an Orator, it was decreed by the unanimous Suffrage of the People, that the Haven of Piraeus, and the Castle of Munychia fhould be put into the Hands of Demetrius, to difpofe of them as he pleas'd. And he having learn'd by their former Inconftancy not to repofe too much Truft in fuch humble Servants, put ftrong Garrifons into those two Places, and by his own Authority plac'd a third in the Mufæum, to the End (faith Plutarch) that thofe People, who had fhew'd fo much Levity in their Difpofitions, might be kept in Subjection, and not by their future Perfidies be able to divert him from the Profecution of other Enterprizes.

But all this Care was not fufficient to keep a People restless, and impatient of any thing that favour'd of Servitude, in Obedience; for Demetrius's Power being again diminish'd by divers bad Succeffes, they made another Revolt, expell'd his Garrison, and proclaim'd Liberty to all Athenians; and to do him the greater Disgrace, they displac d Diphilius, who was that Year the Prieft of the two Tutelar Deities, that is, Antigonus and Demetrius, and by an Edict of the People restor d the Priesthood to its ancient Form. Again, Demetrius having recover'd himself a little, and being justly enrag'd against them for their repeated Perfidies, laid close Siege to the City, but by the Perfuafion of Craterus the Philofopher was wrought upon to quit it, and leave them once more in Poffeffion of their Freedom.

Some time after this, Demetrius dy'd, and was fucceeded by Antigonus Gonatus, who again recover'd Athens, put a Garrifon into it, and left it in the Hands of his Succeffor: But upon the Death of Demetrius the Son of Gonatus, the Athenians made another Attempt to regain their Liberty, and call'd in Aratus to their Affiftance, who tho' he had been fignally affronted by them, and lain a long time Bed-rid of an Infirmity, yet rather than fail the City in a time of Need, was carry'd thither in a Litter, and prevail'd with Diogenes the Governor, to deliver up the Piraeus, Munychia, Salamis, and Sunium to the Athenians, in Confideration of an hundred and fifty Talents, whereof Aratus himself gave twenty to the City. Of all thefe Changes and Succeffes we have a large Account in Paufanias, Plutarch and Diodorus. Not

Not long after this Re-establishment, they quarrell'd with Philip, King of Macedon, who reduc'd them to great Extremities, laid waste their Country, pull'd down all the Temples in the Villages around Athens, deftroy'd all their stately Edifices, and caus'd his Soldiers to break in pieces the very Stones, that they might not be ferviceable in the Reparation of them; all which Loffes with a great many Aggravations are elegantly fet forth in an Oration of the Athenian Ambaffadors to the Etolians, in Livy. But the Romans coming to their Affiftance, Philip was forc'd to forfake his Enterprize, and being afterwards entirely defeated, left the Grecians in a full Poffeffion of their Liberty, which, at least some Shew of it, they enjoy'd many Years under the Roman Protection.

Of the State of Athens, from its Confederacy with Rome, to Conftantine the Great.

HE Grecians, and others that put themfelves under the Roman

Protection, though they gilded their Condition with the fpecious Name of Liberty, yet were no farther free, than it pleas'd those in whofe Power they were; they were govern'd indeed by their own Laws, and had the Privilege of electing their own Magiftrates; yet their Laws were of fmall Force, if they feem'd any way to oppofe the Roman Intereft and good Pleasure; and in the Election of Magiftrates, and ordering publick Affairs, though every Man might give his Voice which way he pleas'd, yet if he thwarted the Roman Defigns, or was cold in his Affection to them, or (which was all one) but warm in the Defence of the Liberties and Privileges of his Country, he was look'd upon with a jealous Eye, as a Favourer of Rebellion, and an Enemy to the Romans. And for no other Reafon a thoufand of the most eminent Achæans, without any Charge, or fo much as Sufpicion of Treachery, were fent Prifoners to Rome; where, notwithstanding all the Teftimonies of their Innocence, and the Sollicitations of their Country, which never ceafed to importune the Senate for their Liberty, they endur'd an Imprisonment of seventeen Years; which being expir'd, to the Number of thirty of them were releas'd, amongst whom was Polybius, from whofe impartial Hiftory we have an Account of all these Proceedings, which their own Hiftorians endeavour to palliate, though they cannot deny them; all the reft either died in Prifon, or upon attempting to make their Escape, fuffer'd as Malefactors.

And by these and fuch like Means, whilft fome fought by Flattery and Compliance to infinuate themselves into the Favour of the Romans, others out of Fear and Cowardice, refolv'd to fwim with the Stream, and those few that had Courage and Refolution to appear for their Country, were little regarded; every thing was carry'd on according

@ Lib. XXX. cap. XXXI,