and the merit of the Philofopher. He caufed Stagira, the city which gave birth to Ariftotle, and which had fhared the common fate of the Olynthian territories, to be rebuilt, and the inhabitants, who were now flaves or fugitives, to be reftored to their original fettlements and privileges: and there fet apart a spacious park, laid out into fhady walks, and ornamented with ftatues and feats of marble, for the use of the Peripatetic Sages, who were there at full liberty to pursue thofe exercises which gave the title to their fect. Hiftory has thought it worthy to tranfmit to us an account of all the perfons concerned in the nurture and education of this Prince. Hellani

con

ca, the nurse of Alexander, hath not been forgotten, the fifter of Clitus, a woman to whom the grateful Prince fhewed the • utmost attention in the midst of all his conquefts. A Governor, named Leonidas, had ever attended him; a man naturally auftere, but virtuous and brave; rigidly fcrupulous, and careful of the moft minute particulars relating to his charge. Nothing fuperfluous, nothing that adminiftered to vanity or luxury, was ever fuffered to approach the Prince's apartment by this exact infpector. In fome religious rite, Alexander was • obferved by Leonidas to make use of more incenfe than feemed neceffary on the occafion, and told, with fome feverity, "that it would be time enough to be thus lavifh of perfumes, "when he was mafter of the country that produced them :" ⚫ which occafioned the Prince, when he had afterwards quered Arabia, to fend Leonidas a large quantity of thefe perfumes," to engage him (as he faid) to make his offer"ings to the Gods with a more liberal hand." He had another Governor, Lyfimachus of Acharnania, who feems to have been recommended by his age and attachment to his Pupil. He called Alexander Achilles, Philip Peleus, and • himself Phoenix. This flattering application recommended and endeared him to the King of Macedon, who had that pater⚫nal tenderness which made him feel a fenfible delight in all prefages that feemed to promise that his fon fhould furpafs him in the glory of his actions. Ariftotle, on his part, laboured to improve and adorn the mind of Alexander with every kind of knowlege fuitable to a Prince. That logic, for which his feet was famous, was neither wholly neglected nor minutely inculcated. What the Philofopher more infifted on, was to give the Prince a perfect knowlege of the human mind, to explain all the objects which affected it, and the motives by which it is determined. The three books of rhetoric, which he after• wards dedicated to Alexander, were an abridgment of thofe lectures on eloquence, which he had given to the Prince, to compleat him in that branch of knowlege, of which he had already received the rudiments from Anaximenes of Lampta

'cus.

Thus the first care of his teachers, was to form this Prince to speak with grace, propriety, and force. Nor is it probable, that they had lefs attention to teach him an equal propriety of action and conduct, in the elevated ftation in which he was at fome time to appear. But those studies, which might infpire him with great and exalted ideas of glory and heroifm, feem to have been the particular delight of Alexander, if we may judge from that remarkable veneration ' which he ever expreffed for the works of Homer.'

The learned Writer once more leads his Hero forth to conqueft. He gives an account of his Scythian expedition, &c. defcribes his intrigues in Greece during that time, and the oppofition and check which he met with from the Athenian Orator.

Here he takes occafion to cenfure fome reflections of the Lord Bolingbroke, who, fpeaking of Demofthenes, fays, "Haran"guing was, no doubt, the leaft part of his business, and elo

quence was neither the fole nor the principal talent, as the "file of Writers would induce us to believe, on which his "fuccefs depended." From this fentiment our Author appears to differ, in our judgment, without reafon; and he concludes, that we may fafely concur with the general voice of Hiftorians, in afcribing the fuccefs of Demofthenes to his abilities as a public Speaker.'

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But this conclufion feems to us altogether equivocal, and neither to acquiefce with, nor contradict, his Lordship's reflection, For though it is true, that the Orator's fuccefs was, in a great meafure, owing to his abilities as a public Speaker, yet it appears equally true, that eloquence was neither the fole, nor principal talent on which it depended. He muft, as the noble Writer obferves, have poffeffed an immenfe fund of knowlege." Eloquence is but the channel to convey it. He must therefore have been mafter of other previous arts, fuch as a thorough knowleg of his own and other States, with their difpofitions, interefts, &c. before he could have an opportunity of difplaying his eloquence; and thefe were certainly the principal and effential talents which contributed to his fuccefs, fince without them he could never have exerted the other.

Our Historian having drawn a spirited defcription of Philip's laft victory, which decided the fate of Greece, is led to the following admirable reflections.

Thus fell the great and illuftrious nation of Greece; and, in one fatal day, faw her honours and liberties wrefted from her by a people, who had, for ages, acknowleged her fuperiority, and courted her protection. The virtues of her fons

had

had raised them to the full meridian of glory; thence had they gradually declined by their corruptions, and, having for a while retained fome degree of ftrength and fplendour, now fet for ever. That vital heat which animated them, which called forth and cherifhed their abilities, and inflamed and invigorated their minds with great and generous fentiments, was low extinguished. Some faint glimmerings were, for a n 6 while, to remain, till darkness and barbarity, which now be'gan their reign, gradually advanced and prevailed, and, at length, totally overfpread their once happy land. An alarming example to all future nations, who may, like Greece, boaft their liberty, and, like Greece in its degenerate ftate, retain only the fhadow of that liberty; and, while they fondly triumph in the actions of their fathers, and are vainly elevated by a dangerous national pride, fuffer luxury, venality, ⚫ and licentioufnefs, to deftroy the fpirit, and prey upon the vitals, of their conftitution. Thefe hath Providence ever made 'their own severe punishment, from which the yet unextinguifh'ed remains of bravery and public fpirit in a people can by no ' means fecure them. Bravery and public fpirit never were ⚫ more eminently displayed than in thofe Greeks who fought at Chaeronea; but they were exerted too late, and their vices and corruptions had deprived them of the neceflary conduct and direction: fo that the very remains of their virtue compleated their ruin. They were led on rafhly to flaughter, by 'wretches infenfible to the ineftimable value of their lives; and thus the ardour for Liberty, which ftill inflamed them, only ferved to load the field of battle with carnage. But let pofterity regard the faults of thefe illuftrious men with an humane ⚫ tenderness and compaffion, and learn a juft value for thofe noble principles, which, even in a degenerate ftate, could pro'duce fuch glorious effects: and, while they admire the policy ' and abilities which thus fubdued them, let them alfo learn to regard, with juft deteftation, that infatiable ambition, that unwarrantable luft of power and grandeur, which cafts a false ' and flattering luftre round the great fcourges of mankind.'

Thefe concluding reflections are worthy of their Author. But though here, in general, he expreffes a juíf and noble abhorrence of that unwarrantable luft of power and grandeur, which cafts a falfe and flattering luftre round the great fcourges of man'kind,' yet he himself feems fo far dazzled with this falfe luftre, that notwithstanding he has been juft in reprefenting the vices and imperfections of his Hero, he neverthelefs appears fomewhat anxious to palliate and excuse them.

After Philip had triumphed over the States of Greece, and, by one important victory made himfelf head of that body, he

H 4

afpired,

aípired, fays our Author, to lead the powers of Greece into Afia; elevated with the mighty hopes of fhaking the throne of the great King of Perfia. His obfervations on the state of Perfia merit attention.

The weak and injudicious attempt of Xerxes to conquer i Greece, had infpired its feveral inhabitants with the warmest refentment and impatience for revenge; which the Perfians themselves, by their corruptions, contributed to keep alive. When Princes, either through inattention, defect of judgment, or the want of virtue, fuffer their fubjects to fink into all the excefles of effeminate luxury; from fuch fubjects they are not to expect generous fentiments, or great and gallant actions. Ruin and flavery, the natural and neceflary confe< quences of fuch corruptions, muft, at laft, fall with all their < weight to crush the men who abandon themselves to the selfish and fenfual paffions. Politicians may, for a while, fufpend thefe fatal effects, by introducing foreign forces to defend those who have loft that fpirit which fhould prompt them to fight their own battles: but this, although it may delay, only ferves to render their deftruction furer. Such was the cafe of the Perfians: they hired Greek troops; they maintained them in the exercise of their difcipline; they made them intimately acquainted with their country and their manners, witneffes of their errors, their corruptions, and their weakness. When at any time these Greeks returned into their own country, they • never failed to expatiate on these with contempt and indignation; and were eternally prompting and encouraging their fellow-citizens to march against their old enemy, and to fubvert that unwieldy empire, which was already on the point of finking under its own weight.'

A war against the Perfians, fays our Author, who had profaned and deftroyed the Grecian temples, was confidered as a kind of religious war, which feemed naturally to devolve to a Prince who had already been crowned with fuch extraordinary fuccefs in his attempts to vindicate the honour of the Gods'; nor could any man of his time be fuppofed fo capable of undertaking the conduct of this arduous enterprize, as the renowned King of Macedon. All the Grecians were fenfible, and fome by melancholy experience, that in the knowlege of military affairs, no man could ftand in competition with Philip. Vigilance, addrefs, quicknefs in execution, authority in commanding, the art of forming and difciplining forces, deep penetration, indefatigable vigour, and confummate valour, were all fo confpicuous in this exalted character, that it was impoffible for them to hefitate a moment in the choice of a Commander.

Here

Here the Author has obliged us with an excellent Note, in which he has done justice to the magnanimous King of Pruffia, and drawn a kind of parallel between him and Philip.

A fcrupulous regard,' fays he, to fyftematical rules, and pedantically reducing war to a fcience, fometimes proves a fatal enemy to that enthufiaftic ardour, fome fpark of which muft neceffarily have a fhare in greatnefs of all kinds, and ⚫ particularly in military greatnefs. Where the lively sense of honour is wanting, and the true patriot-spirit which should < animate a foldier, it may ferve to extinguifh the fenfe of shame, and the fear of difgrace, by affording a fair pretence for juftifying an inftance of inactive conduct, or the declining an hazardous and dangerous enterprize. But, when an exact knowlege of the military art is united with more elevated. qualities, then it becomes really valuable. Of this the prefent age hath an illuftrious inftance in a Prince, who must be acknowleged to bear a ftrong and ftriking resemblance to the • Macedonian, in all the bright and glorious parts of his cha⚫racter; to poffefs the fame exalted genius, the fame penetra

tion, the fame indefatigable vigour, the fame firmness and • greatness of mind, the fame boldness in enterprize, the fame taste for the polite arts, and the fame regard to learning and its profeffors. Like Philip, in his moft diftreffed condition, his abilities have been employed in bearing up, with an un• conquered spirit, against the united powers of many different enemies, furrounding him with their formidable numbers.But, as his difficulties have been infinitely greater, fo his abilities, in triumphing over them, have hitherto appeared unparalleled. The prefent age beholds them with aftonishment: pofterity muft fpeak of them with delight and admiration.'

We shall conclude this article with the ingenious Writer's fummary of Philip's character.

In a word, his virtues and vices were directed and proportioned to his great defigns of power: his moft fhining and exalted qualities influenced, in a great measure, by his ambition: • and even to the most exceptionable parts of his conduct was he principally determined by their conveniency and expediency. If he was unjuft, he was like Cæfar, unjust for the fake of empire. If he gloried in the fuccefs acquired by his virtues, or his intellectual accomplishments, rather than in that which the force of arms could gain, the reafon, which he himself afligned, points out his true principle. "In the "former cafe," faid he, "the Glory is entirely my own; in "the other, my Generals and Soldiers have their fhare."

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