that the sources of information concerning him are not more clear as well as more copious. I would not trifle with my reader, by leading him through the mazes of a labyrinth, where a few intervals of light and beauty would but ill compensate for the tediousness and uncertainty of his way; I have rather chosen to place before him a plain uninterrupted path, from which he may discern at one view the clearest prospect I could present to him, as well as the materials of which it is composed.

HERODOTUS.

CLIO.

I. To rescue from oblivion the memory of former incidents, and to render a just tribute of renown to the many great and wonderful actions, both of Greeks and Barbarians, Herodotus 3 of Halicarnassus produces this historical essay.'

Among other things, it will be necessary to investigate the sources of the hostilities which The more subsisted between these people. learned of the Persians assert the Phoenicians to have been the original exciters of contention. This nation migrated from the borders of the Red Sea to the place of their present settle

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1 The simplicity with which Herodotus commences his history, and enters immediately on his subject, has been much and deservedly adinired, and exhibits a strik-ment, and soon distinguished themselves by ing contrast to the elaborate introductions of modern their long and enterprising voyages. They writers. It is not, however, peculiar to Herodotus; it was the beautiful distinction of almost all the more ancient authors.-T.

2 Barbarians.]-As this word so frequently occurs in the progress of our work, it may be necessary, once for all, to advertise the English reader, that the ancients used it in a much milder sense than we do. Much as has been said of the pride of the old Romans, the word in question may tend to prove, that they were in some instances less tenacious of their national dignity than the Greeks. The appellation of Barbarians was given by the Greeks to all the world but themselves; the Romans gave it to all the world but the Greeks.-T.

3 Herodotus.]—It has been suggested as a doubt, by many of the learned, whether it ought not to be written Erodotus. For my own part, as I am able to remember no proper name terminating in dorus and dotus, as Diodorus, Diodotus, Heliodorus, &c. which is not derived from the name of a divinity, I have no scruple in asserting my belief, that it must be Herodotus, compounded of dotus and the Greek name of Juno.-T.

demonstrated to him, and what he learned by the information of others. According to this interpretation, the first words of Herodotus might be rendered thus:

"Herodotus of Halicarnassus produces this work, the result both of his own researches, and of the enquiries made by him of others."

This is certainly paraphrastical, but the criticism is ingenious, and appears to be well founded. The material point to be established from it is, that in the time of Her. odotus, irregi did not signify history, the word then used in that sense was vyeuon. -T.

5 From the borders of the Red Sea.]—When Herodotus speaks, for the first time, of any people, he always goes to their original source. Some authors make the Phoenicians to have originated from the Persian Gulf; which opinion, though reported, is not believed by Strabo. Voltaire, taking it for granted that they migrated by sea, ridicules the idea of their coming from the Red Sea to Phoenicia; as well he might. Larcher proves, in the most satisfactory manner, that his misconception arose from his ignorance of Greek. It is evident from another passage in Herodotus (Book vii. chap. 89.) that the Phoenicians, when they changed their place of resi

There is hardly any author, ancient or modern, who has been more warmly commended or more vehemently censured than this eminent historian; but even the severe Dionysius declares, he is one of those enchanting writers, whom you peruse to the last syllable with plea-dence, passed over by land.—Larcher (principally ) sure, and still wish for more. Plutarch himself, who has made the most violent attack on his veracity, allows him all the merit of beautiful composition.-Hayley.

4 In my version, as it now stands, I have not satisfied a friend, whose opinion I respect no less than I value his esteem. This gentleman considers the expression of "historical essay," as not conveying an adequate explanation of the original Greek. He approves of the criticism in Jortin's Remarks on Ecclesiastical History, vol. i. p. 59, to which I refer the reader.

6 Long and enterprising voyages.]—The first among the Greeks who undertook long voyages were the lonians. Upon this people, Mr Wood, in his Essay on Homer, has the following remark: "From the general character by which Homer constantly distinguishes the Phoenicians, as a commercial and seafaring people, it has been naturally supposed, that he was indebted to that nation for much of his information with regard to distant voyages. I think we cannot be at a loss to account for the poet's acquiring, at home, all the knowledge of this

History, in the Greek, is derived from a verb, signify-kind which we meet with in his works. We know the ing to enquire minutely; and it is the opinion of Kuster, as well as of other eminent critics, that the word history itself, in its original sense, implies accurate enquiry, and stands properly for what the author's own researches

Ionians were amongst the earliest navigators, particularly the Phocæans and Milesians. The former are expressly called the discoverers of Adria, Iberia, Tuscany, and Tartessus."—Wood on Homer.

A

exported to Argos, amongst other places, the
produce of Egypt and Assyria. Argos, at
that period, was the most famous of all those
states which are now comprehended under the
general appellation of Greece. ' On their ar-
rival here, the Phoenicians exposed their mer-
chandise to sale; after remaining about six
days, and when they had almost disposed of
their different articles of commerce, the king's
daughter, whom both nations agree in calling
lo, came among a great number of other wo-
men, to visit them at their station. Whilst these
females, standing near the stern of the vessel,
amused themselves with bargaining for such
things as attracted their curiosity, the Phoeni-
cians, in conjunction, made an attempt to seize
their persons.
The greater part of them es-
caped, but Io remained a captive, with many
others. They carried them on board, and di-
rected their course for Egypt.

:

Greeks replied, that they should make no re1 paration in the present instance, as the violence formerly offered to Io' remained still unexpiated.

III. In the age which followed, Alexander, the son of Priam, encouraged by the memory of these events, determined on obtaining a wife from Greece, by means of similar violence; fully persuaded that this, like former wrongs, would never be avenged.

Upon the loss of Helen, the Greeks at first employed messengers to demand her person, as well as a compensation for the affront. All the satisfaction they received was reproach for the injury which had been offered to Medea; and they were farther asked, how, under circumstances entirely alike, they could reasonably require, what they themselves had denied.

IV. Hitherto the animosity betwixt the two nations extended no farther than to acts of personal and private violence. But at this period, continue the Persians, the Greeks certainly laid the foundation of subsequent contention: who, before the Persians ever invaded Europe, doubtless made military incursions into Asia. The Persians appear to be of opinion, that they who offer violence to women must be insensible to the impressions of humanity and justice, but that such provocations are as much beneath revenge, as the women themselves are undeserving of regard: it being obvious, that all the females thus circumstanced must have been more or less accessary to the fact. They as

II. The relation of the Greeks differs essentially but this, according to the Persians, was the cause of lo's arrival in Egypt, and the first act of violence which was committed. In process of time, certain Grecians, concerning whose country writers disagree, but who were really of Crete, are reported to have touched at Tyre, and to have carried away Europa, the daughter of the prince. Thus far the Greeks had only retaliated: but they were certainly guilty of the second provocation. They made a voyage in a vessel of war to Ea, a city of Colchos, near the river Phasis; and, after having accomplish-serted also, that although women had been fored the more immediate object of their expedition, they forcibly carried off the king's daughter, Medea. The king of Colchos despatched a herald to demand satisfaction for the affront, and the restitution of the princess; but the

1 Greece]-The region known by the name of Hellas or Greece, in the time of Herodotus, was, previous to the Trojan war, and indeed long afterwards, only discriminated by the names of its different inhabitants. Homer speaks of the Danaans, Argives, Achaians, &c. but never gives these people the general name of Greeks.-Larcher.

2 Thus far the Greeks had only retaliated.]-The editor is in possession of a translation of the two first books of Herodotus, published in London so early as the year 1584. It is in black letter, and may be considered as a great curiosity. The above passage is thus rendered: "It chaunced afterward, that certaine Greekes, whose names they knew not, taking shore and landing at Tyrus, in like manner made a rape of the kinges daughter, named Europa. These were the people of Crete, otherwise called the Cretenses. By which meanes yt was cardes and cardes betweene them, the one beyng full meete and quit with the other."-The first Booke of Clio, London, 1584.

3 In a vessel of war.]-Literally in a long vessel.-The long vessels were vessels of war, the round vessels, merchantmen and transports.-T.

cibly carried away from Asia, they had never

that the king of Colchos had nothing to do with the vio4 Violence formerly offered to Io.]-It may be urged lence offered to lo; she was carried off by the Phœnicians. But, according to the Persians, all the nations of Asia composed but one body, of which they were the head. Any injury, therefore, offered to one of the members, was considered as an hostility against the whole, Thus, as we see in a succeeding paragraph, the Persians considered the Greeks as their enemies, from the time of the destruction of Troy.-Larcher.

5 More or less accessary, &c.]—Plutarch, who has writ. ten an essay expressly to convict Herodotus of malignity, introduces this as the first argument of the truth of his accusation. The Greeks, says he, unanimously affirm, that Io had divine honours paid her by the Barbarians; that many seas and capacious harbours were called after her name; that to her many illustrious families owe their original: yet this celebrated writer does not hesitate to say of her, that she suffered herself to be enjoyed by a Phoenician mariner, with whom she fled, from the fear of being disgraced by the publication of her crime. He afterwards endeavours to throw an odium on the most illustrious actions of his countrymen, by intimating that the Trojan war was undertaken on account of a profli gate woman. "For it is evident," says he, "that these women would have been never carried away except with their own consent."-Plutarch on the malignity of Herodotus.