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Commen

dation.

terrors to restrain them. The sagacity of governors appears in their shewing, that they have the address to plant their laws in the hearts of a tractable and obedient people. The most tremen- Instruction. dous sanctions will be incurred by men of ungovernable dispositions; but those, whose minds have received from education and good police, a proper bent, will behave well, though left to themselves. The business, therefore, is not so much, to find ways of punishing offenders, as to form the minds of the people, so that they shall have no disposition to offend.

Apology.

I hope no Athenian, who hears me this day, Self defence will shew such malice, as to accuse me of attempting to promote innovations. To advise, that we should return to the institutions of our ancestors, is, surely, a very different matter from proposing. innovations. And to propose the re-establishment of those arts of government, which we know to have been judicious, from their producing the most desirable effects, is far enough from shewing a love of novelty. Experience may teach us, if we be disposed to learn, what we have to expect, if we go on in the track we are now in ; and what the

Alarm.

consequences will be, if we restore the common- Encourage. wealth to the condition in which our wise ancestors established and maintained it. Let us attend Instruction. to the effects which our conduct will have upon those, we are most concerned with, viz. The other states of Greece, our rivals, and the Persians our enemies. The truth is too notorious to be dissembled; we have, by our misconduct, and neglect of the public concerns, brought matters to such a pass, that part of the rival states despise, and part hate us. And, as for the Persian monarch, we have his sentiments of us in his letters.

Reproof.

I have, in perfect sincerity, declared to you, Apology. Athenians, as far as my judgment reaches, the precarious state of the commonwealth at present; with its causes and cure. You will shew your

Advifing, wisdom and your patriotism, by taking into your serious consideration these important objects; and setting yourselves with speed and diligence to find out, and carry into execution, the most proper and effectual means of redressing those evils, which otherwise will draw after them the most ruinous consequences.

Alarm.

Bold reproof.

LXXVIII.

BLUNT REPROOF.

WARNING.

OFFERING FRIENDSHIP.

The Speech of the Scythian ambassadors to ALEXANDER, who was preparing war against them. [Q. CURT. xii.]

IF F your person were as gigantic as your desires, the world would not contain you. Your right hand would touch the east, and your left the west, at the same time. You grasp at more than you are equal to. From Europe you reach Asia: from Asia you lay hold on Europe. And if you should conquer all mankind, you seem disposed to wage war with woods and snows, with rivers and wild beasts, and to attempt to subdue nature. Warning. But have you considered the usual course of things?

The

Have you reflected, that great trees are many years a growing to their height, and are cut down Contempt. in an hour. It is foolish to think of the fruit only, without considering the height you have to Warning. climb, to come at it. Take care lest, while you strive to reach the top, you fall to the ground with the branches you have laid hold on. lion, when dead, is devoured by ravens; and rust consumes the hardness of iron. There is nothing so strong, but it is in danger from what is weak. It will, therefore, be your wisdom to take care how you venture beyond your reach. Besides, Remonftr what have you to do with the Scythians, or the

Courage.

Scythians with you? We have never invaded Macedon: Why should you attack Scythia? We inhabit vast desarts, and pathless woods, where we do not want to hear of the name of Alexander. We are not disposed to submit to slavery, and we have no ambition to tyrannise over any nation. That you may understand the genius of the Scythians, we present you with a yoke of oxen, an arrow, and a goblet. We use these respectively in our commerce with friends, and with foes. We give to our friends the corn, which we raise by the labour of our oxen. With the goblet we join with them in pouring drink-offerings to the gods; and with arrows we attack our enemies. We have conquered those, who have attempted to tyrannise over us in our own country, and likewise the kings of the Medes and Persians, when they made unjust war upon us; and we have opened to ourselves a way into Egypt. You pretend to be Accufing. the punisher of robbers; and are yourself the general robber of mankind. You have taken Lydia

you have seized Syria: you are master of Persia: you have subdued the Bactrians: and attacked India. All this will not satisfy you, unless you lay your greedy and unsatiable hands upon our flocks and our herds. How imprudent is your Remonstr. conduct? You grasp at riches, the possession of which only increases your avarice. You increase your hunger by what should produce satiety : so that the more you have, the more you desire. But have you forgotten how long the conquest of the Bactrians detained you? While you were subduing them, the Sogdians revolted. Your victories serve no other purpose, than to find you employment by producing new wars. For the busi- Instruction. ness of every conquest is two-fold; to win and to preserve. And though you may be the greatest Warning. of warriors, you must expect that the nations conquer, will endeavour to shake off the yoke as fast as possible. For what people chooses to be

you

Courage.

under foreign dominion? If you will cross the Tanais, you may travel over Scythia, and observe how extensive a territory we inhabit. But to conWarning. quer us is quite another business. Your army is loaded with the cumbrous spoils of many nations. You will find the poverty of the Scythians, at one Threatning time, too nimble for your pursuit ; and, at another time, when you think we are fled far enough from you, you will have us surprise you in your camp. For the Scythians attack with no less vigRemonftr. cur than they fly. Why should we put you in mind of the vastness of the country you will have to conquer? The desarts of Scythia are commonly talked of in Greece; and all the world knows that our delight is to dwell at large, and not in towns Advice. or plantations. It will therefore be your wisdom to keep, with strict attention, what you have Warning, gained. Catching at more, you may lose what

you have. We have a proverbial saying in Scythia, "That fortune has no feet; and is furnished only with hands, to distribute her capricious favours, and with fins to elude the grasp of Reproof. those to whom she has been bountiful. You give Contempt. yourself out to be a god, the son of Jupiter Ham

mon. It suits the character of a god to bestow favours on mortals, not to deprive them of what Advice. they have. But, if you are no god, reflect on the Reproof precarious condition of humanity. You will thus shew more wisdom than by dwelling on those subjects which have puffed up your pride, and made Remonstr. you forget yourself. You see how little you are likely to gain by attempting the conquest of SeyOffering thia. On the other hand, you may, if you please, friend/hip. have in us a valuable alliance. We command Instructing, the borders of both Europe and Asia. There

Offering.

is nothing between us and Bactria but the river Tanais; and our territory extends to Thrace, which, as we have heard, borders on Macedon. If you decline attacking us in a hostile manner, you may have our friendship. Nations, which

Offering.

have never been at war, are on an equal footing, But it is in vain that confidence is reposed in a Warning. conquered people. There can be no sincere friendship between the oppressors and the oppressed. Even in peace, the latter think themselves entitled to the rights of war against the former. We will, if you think good, enter into a treaty with you, according to our manner, which is, not by signing, sealing, and taking the gods to witness, as is the Grecian custom; but by doing actual services. The Scythians are not used to promise, Bluntness. but to perform without promising. And they think an appeal to the gods superfluous for that those who have no regard for the esteem of men, will not hesitate to offend the gods by perjury. You may therefore consider with yourself, whether you had better have a people of such a character, (and so situated, as to have it in their power either to serve you or, to annoy you, according as you treat them) for allies, or for enemies.

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SELF DE

FENCE. CHIDING. LAMENTATION.

THREATENING. REFUSAL. RELUC

TANT COMPLIANCE.

(See Moliere's L'AVARE.)

Scrapely. THIEVES

Advice

Outery.

Lamenta

tion.

HIEVES! Robbers! Thieves ! Robbers! Thieves! Robbers! Traitors! Murderers! Justice! Help! I am robbed! I am ruined! I am dead! I am buried! O my money, my money! My guineas! My golden guineas! My thousand guineas! My precious treasure! My comfort! My support! My life! My all is Extravagant gone, plundered, robbed, carried off, strong-box distress. and all! O that I had never been born! O

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