prove the victory he had gained over the enemy; by the help of which they fell so furiously on them, that they quickly broke and totally defeated the shattered remains of Alexander's army. Hereupon he was forced to sue for peace, and to accept it on such conditions as the conquerors thought fit to impose. He was at length despatched in his bed by his wife Thebe, assisted by her brothers, about seven years after his defeat. His body was afterwards dragged along the streets, trodden under foot, and left a prey to the dogs. All this while the Thebans were watching to improve every commotion that happened, every success they met with, to the forwarding of their then favorite project, of increasing their power, and to give laws to Greece. Their late success in Thessaly, and the rupture between the Arcadians and Mantineans at the same time, about some consecrated money which the former had taken out of the temple of Olympia to pay their troops employed against the Eleans, and which the latter called a downright sacrilege, besides other discords in the other states of Greece, gave fresh encouragement to Thebes to set up for arbitress in those disputes; and so much the more, as those who had embezzled the sacred money, and wanted rather to embroil matters than to have them brought to light, sent that republic word that the Arcanians were just upon the point of revolting to the Spartans, and advised them to come and put an immediate stop to it. At the same time they despatched some private directions to a Theban officer at Tegea, to apprehend several of their own people as disturbers of the peace. This was accordingly done, and several eminent persons were confined as prisoners of state; they were soon after discharged, and loud complaints were made against such arbitrary and unjust proceedings. The officer was accused before the Theban senate for having intermeddled in their affairs, and endeavoured to interrupt the good correspondence between the two states. It was even insisted on, by some of the Tegeans, that he should be indicted and proceeded against by his principals; whilst the more moderate, who foresaw the consequences that were likely to attend such appeals, and that it would infallibly bring the Thebans upon them, loudly protested against their marching into their territories, ` and did all they could to prevent it. The Thebans, however, were become too powerful and ambitious to miss so fair an opportunity of getting once more footing in Peloponnesus; and Epaminondas was so far from making a secret of their design that he told the Arcadian deputies, in justification of it, that as it was on their account that the Thebans engaged in the war, they had acted treacherously with them in making peace with Athens without their consent. This speech alarmed them greatly; so that even those who were best affected to the Thebans disliked it; and all who had the welfare of Peloponnesus at heart agreed with the Mantineans, that there was no time to be lost to use all proper means to prevent the impending storm. Athens and Sparta were accordingly applied to, and were easily prevailed upon to assist the Mantineans against the Thebans; and, to pre

vent all disputes about the command of the army, it was agreed that each state should have it in its own territories. But Epaminondas set off in full march at the head of his Baotian troops, with some Eubœan auxiliaries, and a body of stout Thessalian horse; and was joined by the Messenians, Argives, and several other nations, as soon as he had entered Peloponnesus. The confederate army against him had ordered their rendezvous at Mantinea, the place which they concluded would be first attacked, as being the chief seat of those who had revolted from the Thebans. But, whilst they were securing themselves on that side, Epaminondas, who wisely considered how far this confederacy and expedition must have drained Sparta of its main strength, broke up privately from Nemaa, where he had lain for some time encamped, and marched all that night to surprise that important capital; but, his project being discovered, the vigilant king took care to disconcert it; so that, though the Theban general made several vigorous assaults on that city, he was so stoutly repulsed, and the Spartans behaved with such intrepid valor, that he was forced to retire and turn his arms against Mantinea, which he judged to be quite defenceless; and indeed it was not only drained of its troops, but likewise of its inhabitants, who took that opportunity to gather in their harvest, and were scattered all over the country; so that he would not have met with any difficulty in gaining the town, had not the Athenian auxiliaries come unexpectedly to its relief, and given him a fresh repulse. These two last defeats greatly exasperated the Theban general; and what added to his difficulties was, that the time allotted him for his expedition was almost expired. He was moreover got far into the enemy's country, and saw how narrowly they watched all his motions, and how well prepared they were to oppose him. Under all these difficulties, he considered that he must immediately resolve upon a decisive battle. In this engagement Epaminondas made the wisest disposition of his troops, attacked and fought with the most intrepid courage and conduct, and had opened himself a way through the Spartan phalanxes, thrown them into the utmost confusion, and made a terrible slaughter of them, insomuch that the field of battle was covered with their wounded and slain; when in the heat of the fight, having ventured too far, to give them a total overthrow, the enemy rallied again, pouring three volleys of darts at him, some of which he drew out and returned to them, till at length, being covered with wounds, and weakened with the loss of blood, he received a mortal wound from a javelin, and was with great difficulty rescued from the enemy by his brave Thebans, and brought alive, though speechless, into his tent. As soon as he had recovered himself, he asked his friends what was become of his shield; and, being told that it was safe, he beckoned to have it brought to him. He next enquired which side had gained the victory; and, being answered the Thebans, he replied, then all is well; and, upon observing some of his friends bewailing his untimely death, and his leaving no children, he answered, Yes; I have left two fair daughters, the victory

of Leuctra, and this of Mantinea, to perpetuate my memory. Soon after this, upon drawing the javelin out of his body, he expired.

Thebes, until its total destruction by Alexander. -The consequence of this great general's fall, and of this bloody fight, in which neither side could boast any great advantage over the other but a great loss of men on both sides, insomuch that Xenophon makes it a drawn battle, was, that both parties agreed on a cessation of arms, and parted, as it were by consent, to take care of their wounded and slain. The Thebans indeed thus far gained the greater share of glory, that they renewed the fight, and, after a most desperate contest, gained the victory over those Spartans that opposed them, and rescued the body of their dying general out of their hands. However, an effectual end was put to this bloody war, and a general peace agreed on by all but Sparta; who refused it only because the Messenians were included in it. But as to the Thebans, they had no great reason to boast of this dear bought victory, since their power and glory began to decline from that very time; so that it might be truly said that it rose and set with their great general. On the death of Epaminondas, the Thebans relapsed into their former state of inactivity and indolence; and at last having ventured to oppose Alexander the Great, their city was taken, and the inhabitants slaughtered for several hours, after which the buildings were destroyed. See MACEDON. Thebes was rebuilt by Cassander, but never afterwards made any considerable figure among the states of Greece. About the year 146 B. C. it fell under the power of the Romans, under which it continued till the extinction of their empire by the Turks.

The glory of Thebes belongs to a period prior to the commencement of authentic history. In proportion as Egypt was modernised, her capital was transferred nearer to the Mediterranean; a change connected with the convenience of trade and subsistence, and perhaps with changes in the physical structure of the valley of the Nile. At the time of the Persian invasion, Memphis, a little above Cairo, had supplanted Thebes. The Ptolemies transported the seat of empire to Alexandria. In the reign of Ptolemy Philopater, Thebes revolted, and being taken, after a siege of three years, was so plundered and ransacked, that ever after it was scarcely considered an Egyptian city. Yet, under the name of Diospolis, such magnificent descriptions of its monuments were given by Strabo and Diodorus, as caused the fidelity of those writers to be called in question, till the observations of modern travellers confirmed their accounts. Thebes, in the earlier periods of the Christian era, was the residence of two bishops at present its site presents only a few scattered villages, consisting of miserable cottages, built in the courts of the temples. The ancient structures, however, still remain, in a state of wonderful preservation, extending for seven or eight miles along the banks of the river. Almost the whole of this space is covered with magnificent portals, obelisks decorated with the most beautiful sculpture, forests of columns, and long avenues of colossal statues.

The eastern side is distinguished by the temples of Carnac and Luxor, the western by the Memnonium, or palace of Memnon, and by the sepulchres of the kings. The largest of these temples, and of any in Egypt, is that at Carnac. Diodorus describes it as thirteen stadia, or about a mile and a half in circumference, which agrees sufficiently with the observation of Denon, that it may be walked round in half an hour. Notwithstanding its immensity, however, Denon prefers to it, in point of grandeur of execution, those of Edfu and Tentyra. He supposes it to have been constructed at that earlier period, when architectural grandeur was supposed to consist chiefly in magnitude. The obelisks, and some of the ornaments upon the exterior gates, present a chasteness and elegance which appear to him to indicate a later origin. Mr. Hamilton, however, appears to estimate this temple more highly, and to consider it as upon the whole the most wonderful of the Egyptian edifices. It has twelve principal entrances, each of which is composed of several colossal gateways or moles, besides other buildings attached to them, in themselves larger than most other temples. The sides of some of these moles are equal to the bases of many of the pyramids, and are built like them, sloping inwards, each layer of stone projecting a little beyond the one which is above. One of the gateways is entirely of granite, adorned with the most finished hieroglyphics. On each side of many of them have been colossal statues of basalt, breccia, and granite, from twenty to thirty feet high, some in an erect, others in a sitting position. Avenues of sphinxes lead in several directions to the entrances, and one of them is continued the whole way across the plain to Luxor. The body of the temple (which is preceded by a large court, at whose sides are colonades of thirty columns in length, and through the middle of which are two rows of columns fifty feet high) consists first of a prodigious hall or portico, the roof of which is supported by 134 columns, some twenty-six, others thirty-four feet in circumference; four beautiful obelisks then mark the entrance to the shrine, which consists of three apartments, built entirely of granite. The principal room, which is in the centre, is twenty feet long, sixteen wide, and thirteen high. Three blocks of granite form the roof, which is painted with clusters of gilt stars on a blue ground, and the walls are covered with painted sculptures. Beyond this are other porticoes and galleries, continued to another entrance, distant 2000 feet from that at the western extremity of the temple. The sculptures, of which the most interesting are those on the northern wall of the temple, not only display considerable skill, but throw light on the art and system of war in these remote ages. An Egyptian conqueror, with the hawk flying over his head, and his standard marked by the ring and cross, the Egyptian type of divine power, is seen trampling over heaps of slaughtered enemies. The fugitives are variously either flying, calling aloud for quarter, or receiving their death wounds. Close to the scene is a party of captives, with the same dresses they wore in the battle, but with their

hair and beards suffered to grow, as a mark of servitude, and employed in felling trees in the midst of a wood. This action takes place amid mountains and precipices, which are represented with more boldness than ingenuity. Another piece represents a battle on the plain, where the force, consisting of chariots and cavalry, is equally put to flight by the hero. These battles represent such a variety of wounds and situations, and the representation is so excellent, both in regard to the disposition of the whole, and the expression of particular parts, that it is supposed Homer either did or might have borrowed from them many of those varied images and ideas, which form the ornament of his poems. In other representations, the chief is presenting to his deities, captives and other trophies of his victory. The deities most frequently represented are Osiris Ammon, who seems to be the same with Jupiter; Priapus, sometimes called Mendes; Isis, with the head of a lioness; and Hermes, crowned with the crescent and dark disk of the moon. Two of the porticoes appear to have consisted of columnar statues in the character of Hermes, thirty-eight in number, and the least of them thirty feet high. The numerous gateways which form the principal ornaments of the Theban temples are supposed to be the remains of the hundred gates commemorated by Homer. If the military rendezvous were in the courts of the temples, as may very well be supposed, they might easily send out the number of horsemen and chariots described by the poet. There are still nearly fifty of these gateways remaining, in a greater or less state of preservation, each from 100 to 400 feet in length, eighty feet high, and forty feet deep.

About a mile and a quarter above Carnac are the village and temple of Luxor, the entrance to which probably surpasses every thing else that Egypt presents. In front are the two finest obelisks in the world, formed of rose colored granite, and rising, as Denon supposes, after allowing for the portion buried in the ground, to the height of 100 feet. They are composed each of a single block from the quarries of Elephantine, and are between seven and eight feet square at the base. Behind the obelisks are two colossal statues of the same granite, which, though buried in the ground to the chest, measure twenty-one and twenty-two feet thence to the top of their mitres. The propylon or gateway itself is of the greatest magnificence, 200 feet in length, and the top of it fifty-seven feet above the present level of the soil. But the object which above all attracts the attention of the intelligent spectator consists in the sculptures which cover the east wing of the northern front. They contain a representation on a great scale, of a victory gained by one of the ancient kings of Egypt over his Asiatic enemies. The moment chosen for the representation, is that in which the troops of the enemy fly back in confusion to their fortified station, which the victorious Egyptians are on the point of entering. The number of human figures introduced amounts to 1500, of whom 500 are on foot, and 1000 in chariots. The conqueror is represented of colossal size, in the attitude of discharging

VOL. XXII.

an arrow. There is uncommon life and spirit in the attitude of the horses, which are in full gallop, with feathers waving over their heads. Crowds of dead and dying, extended or falling in various attitudes, are seen under the wheels of the car, and under the hoofs and bellies of the horses. On the enemy's side appears every thing that can characterise a host flying in confusion; terror is expressed to the life in their countenance and attitudes. The dying horses are admirable, whether they appear fainting from loss of blood, or rearing up and plunging in the excess of torture. Part of the fugitives seek safety by plunging into the river, in which are mingled horses, chariots, arms, and men, floating or sunk, all expressed in the most faithful manner. The hero is represented as carried by his impetuosity beyond the main body of his own army, and surrounded by enemies, who sink beneath his valor. The Egyptians use the bow and arrow, still the most common arms in Nubia; while the enemy are provided with spears and javelins. In a compartment at the extremity of the west wing of the gateway, the conqueror appears, after the victory, seated on his throne, while eleven of the principal captive chieftains are lashed together in a row, with a rope about their necks, on the point of being led to execution. The captive monarch himself is fastened to a car, the horses of which are only restrained by the attendant, till the monarch shall mount and drag behind him, in ruthless triumph, the illustrious victim. Several other examples are afforded of that barbarous use of victory which prevailed in those early ages. In all these representations, such spirit is exhi bited, that had the artist been better acquainted with perspective, he might have rivalled the most splendid productions of classic or modern art. The above gateway leads to a ruined portico, of very large dimensions: from this a double row of seven columns, with capitals representing the lotus, leads into a court 160 feet long and 140 wide, terminated on each side by a row of columns, beyond which is another portico of thirty-two columns, and then the adytum, or interior apartments of the building. Part of it has here been converted into a Greek church, as appears by the plaster and Christian paintings on the walls, and by circular niches and doorways that are built up. There are many plausible reasons for the conjecture that the sculptures in this temple, tomb, or palace, relate to the birth, reign, and death, of some one of the monarchs of Egypt. These, with a small temple at Medmout, which presents nothing remarkable, are the principal monuments of Thebes on the eastern side of the river.

On the western, the mountains here approach very close to the Nile, and the edifices are built along their foot, and sometimes within their recesses. At El Gournou, the canals, which directed and carried off the overflowings of the Nile, are now so out of repair, that the inhabitants seek their abode in the caves of the neighbouring hills. About midway between this village and that of Medinet Abu is the edifice called the Memnonium, being commonly supposed the palace of Memnon, one of the

C

early sovereigns of Egypt. Norden has delineated it with great care, and considers it eminently calculated to give an idea of the grandeur of Egyptian architecture. The capitals of the columns consisted of large blocks of stone, covered with hieroglyphics, and encrusted with the most lively colors. This sort of painting has neither shade nor degradation. The figures are encrusted like the cyphers on the dial plates of watches, with this difference, that they cannot be detached. This incrustated matter appears to be more durable than fresco or Mosaic work; and it is surprising what brilliancy is still retained by the gold, ultra marine, and other colors. These indeed appear to be better preserved here than in the temples of Carnac and Luxor, and enable the spectator to distinguish the red color and the blue harness of the horses, the blue, green, red, and white of the Egyptian and Bactrian garments, and of the cars of the Egyptians and their adversaries, as well as the fainter blue of the water into which the fugitives have fallen. The sculptures here represent the same subjects as at Luxor, and one wing of the gateway is a complete counterpart of the representation there. Another exhibits, in the most lively manner, the surprise and sack of a town. The victorious troops are entering the houses, laying their hands on the money bags, opening the wine skins, and eagerly swallowing their contents. War chariots and other carriages seem to block up the streets; some of the victors are contending for the plunder, others throwing the helpless inhabitants over the walls. The prisoners are treated in the same barbarous manner, and the captive monarch appears fastened to the conqueror's chariot, for the purpose of being dragged, like Hector, round the walls. Others represent mystical and religious cere

monies.

At some distance from the Memnonium is the temple of Medinet Abu, inferior only in size and massiveness to that at Carnac, being fully equal to it in the richness and variety of its sculptures. One outward enclosure, or brick wall, encloses three distinct though connected buildings, the principal of which is that usually called the Temple. The great gateway is 150 feet long, and sixty feet high, and conducts into a court which is about 120 feet square. On each side of it runs a colonnade, from the first gateway to the next, of equal size and richness. The colonnade on one side consists of eight pilasters, to each of which is affixed a statue of Hermes, with a mitre. The other colonnade consists of as many coluinns, each richly sculptured. The soffites and walls of these colonnades are crowded with mystical sculptures, the forms and colors of which are well preserved. The king, who is generally presenting offerings to Isis, Osiris, or Priapus, is in some instances standing alone, dressed in the most magnificent garment, and seemingly honored with the joint characteristics of Isis and Osiris. Other parts represent the initiation of the prince into the sacred mysteries. Elsewhere appears a procession in honor of Priapus, perhaps the original of the Dionysiaca of the Greeks, but which does not exhibit those Bacchanalian dances, or immo

dest gestures, by which the latter were disgraced. The bulk of the representations, however, consists still of battles and victories, with displays of the most shocking cruelty towards the captives.

Besides these two magnificent edifices, there are several others of less importance on this side of the river. The temple at El Ebek, the most northern of all, is remarkable as being constructed on a very different plan from that of the other Egyptian temples. It has a single row of columns in front, and the rest of the building is distributed into a variety of comparatively small apartments. About a mile westward from the Memnonium, high among the wilds of the desert, is a small temple of Isis, the paintings and sculptures on which are exceedingly well preserved. From this circumstance, and from some peculiarities in its architecture, it has been conjectured to be of later date than some of the others. Nothing can exceed the dreary barrenness of the scene in which it is placed. In the interior of the mountains which rise behind these monuments, on the western bank of the Nile, are found the tombs of the kings of Thebes. Strabo enumerates forty, of which Mr. Hamilton found only ten accessible, but the site of several others could be easily determined, the entrances of which had been choked up by the loose stones that had fallen down from the slopes of the mountain. M. Belzoni, however, conceives that no number approaching to forty could be found in this place. Entering one of these tombs by a plain door, covered with a few slight hieroglyphics, the traveller is astonished to find himself in a long gallery, twelve feet wide and twenty feet high, adorned with sculpture, covered with stucco and paintings. The hieroglyphical figures are innumerable, elegantly formed, and richly colored. The passage terminates in a spacious and lofty apartment, in the centre of which is the sarcophagus, in which the king's body was deposited. The decorations of these sepulchral chambers are uncommonly elegant, and are covered with fine white stucco. The ceilings are finished with yellow figures upon a blue ground, in a style of excellence which would not disgrace the most sumptuous modern palace; and the colors, unless in a very few instances, retain all their original brilliancy. The sarcophagi are composed of red or gray granite, circular at one end, and square at the other: they are all empty, and the lids removed or broken. The innumerable hieroglyphics with which the walls are covered relate to religious mysteries, and are of very difficult interpretation. In front of the entrance is always the representation of a globe, in which is a figure of Osiris Ammon. All sorts of birds and other animals, human figures with wings, and rows of painted forms of mummies, are largely introduced. In one of the tombs, Osiris, seated on a high throne, appears to judge the dead. In others are seen rows of captives, many of them with their heads cut off, or their throats cut; while others are lashed to posts, preparatory to being beheaded. In one of these is found the representation of the Harpers, first given, though in a flattering manner, in Bruce's

Travels. Bruce, however, has the credit of having first drawn the attention of the public to the merits of Egyptian sculpture and painting. The sepulchral monuments of the private inhabitants of Thebes, though they do not display the same pomp as those of the kings, are more instructive, by the picture which they give of the manners and economical pursuits of the ancient Egyptians. They are excavated in the solid rock, chiefly along the sides of the mountains; and many of them appear to have served as habitations, though now deserted. In some of those paintings, feasts are represented. Here the company sit on chairs, closely resembling those of Europe, and the wood of which is painted of a mahogany color. Each guest has a lotus flower or nosegay in one hand, and the more distinguished are seated in pairs, on small sofas, distinct from the rest. The servants bring dishes from a table which is placed in the middle. In some parts an agricultural scene is introduced: here men are sometimes represented as yoked to the plough, drawing with their hands thrown back on their shoulders. In reaping, the men cut off the ears, the boys and girls pick them from the ground in small baskets, which the women carry away. At the corner of the field, one of the laborers is taking care of the water jars, and cooling the water with a large leaf. In one we see a farm-yard and the stock of a rich land proprietor and breeder of cattle; while, in a neighbouring compartment, bull-fights are presented. In the same grotto is an Egyptian hunt, where the proprietor of the estate rides in a car drawn by two horses, exactly resembling the war-chariots, and is armed with bow and arrows, while his servants attend on foot. The mountains of the desert before him are crowded with ostriches, stags, wolves, leopards, and porcupines. Fishing and fowling scenes are also described; in the latter of which decoy birds appear to have been used. One of these tombs contains the picture of an ornamented farm. Here the proprietor appears to have laid out his grounds with considerable taste. There appears a well stocked vineyard, below which the vintners are treading the wine-press; regular avenues of sycamores; a large piece of water which surrounds the park; a smaller one with aquatic plants; and a rushy bank, typified by the lotus, to supply the lord with water-fowl and fish; the whole commanded by a very neat summer-house.

Such was our knowledge of these tombs, previous to the researches of M. Belzoni. This ingenious gentleman succeeded in opening several of the tombs, which had been hitherto inaccessible. They were found, therefore, in a more complete state of preservation, and with mummies in the sarcophagi, as well as dispersed through the chambers. But his most important discovery consisted in opening one much more extensive and more splendid than any that had been hitherto seen. Its situation was so unpromising that only the resolute determination of M. Belzoni, founded upon symptoms which appeared to him promising, could induce the laborers to undertake it. A magnificent entrance was discovered; but it soon led to a deep pit, which obstructed farther advance, and was evidently intended to appear

The

as the termination; but a breach in the opposite wall showed that there was still a passage; and, by beams laid across the pit, they succeeded in penetrating. A series of apartments were now found, all decorated with painting and sculpture, representing the same subjects as the other tombs, but presenting examples of superior splendor and skill. The plates in M. Belzoni's work afford the best specimens yet conveyed to Europe of Egyptian art. It is evidently rude in many of its features. There is no light and shade, so that every object appears as a flat surface; and, when a man's legs are in contact, they appear as one. There is no variety or blending of tints, only four or five simple colors are presented, always of the same degree of intensity. The drawing also is often inaccurate. beauty consists in the brilliancy of the simple colors, and in the expression of the heads. But the most remarkable object of all consisted of a sarcophagus of the finest alabaster, or rather aragonite, nine feet five inches long, and three feet five inches wide. Its thickness is only two inches, and it is transparent when a light is placed in the inside. It is minutely sculptured, within and without, with several hundred figures, which do not exceed two inches in height, and appear to represent the whole of the funeral procession and ceremonies relating to the deceased. While writing this, we find it stated that this sarcophagus has been successfully removed and is conveying to Britain. Some of the processions are marked by the appearance of Jewish, Ethiopian, and Persian captives. The Jews are distinguished by their physiognomy and complexion, the Ethiopians by their color and ornaments, and the Persians by their dress. This confirms the discovery made by Mr. Young, from the hieroglyphics, that the drawings in this tomb contain the names of Nichao and Psammuthis his son (usually called Necho and Psammeticus). The former of these is well known to have conquered Jerusalem and Babylon, while the latter made war against the Ethiopians. We may therefore conclude, that in this remarkable tomb we have the cemetery of these two powerful monarchs.

The

Among the wonders of Thebes its statues must not be forgotten. The chief attention seems to have been drawn to those attached to the Memnonium. The largest of these is one which has been broken off at the waist, and the upper part laid prostrate on the back. It measures six feet ten inches over the front, and sixty-two or sixty-three feet round the shoulders. face is entirely obliterated, and indeed the labor and exertion that must have been employed in its destruction are most astonishing. Two other colossal statues, about fifty feet high, are also seated on the plain. Antiquaries have eagerly contested which of these was the vocal statue of Memnon reported by so many of the ancients as emitting a musical sound at sunrise, or when struck. Norden was at the pains to give a blow, but could hear nothing except the ordinary noise produced by concussion upon granite. It appears to us evident that the whole was a trick, an opinion which Strabo, who heard the sound, unequivocally avows, though he did not ascertain the nature of the deception. The at