house of Ahab, he sought Ahaziah, who was hid in Samaria, and slew him.

Joash reigned with justice as long as Jehoiada, the high priest, lived. After his death, having fallen into idolatry, Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, reproved him for this sin, and was stoned by the king's order. God then raised against him the king of Syria, who plundered Jerusalem. His own servants also conspired against him, and slew him in his bed.

Uzziah made successful wars against the Philistines and Arabians Intoxicated with prosperity, he went into the temple to burn incens upon the altar, and the Lord struck him with leprosy for his presumption.

Jotham, a pious prince, fought and overcame the Ammonites, and rendered them tributary.

GREECE.

5. GREECE, at the commencement of the present period, was in an unsettled state. By the emigration of many of its inhabitants, colonies had been formed, particularly in Lesser Asia. Afterwards colonies were sent to Italy and Sicily. These, owing to the freedom of their governments, soon rivalled their parent states; a circumstance which induced the latter to put an end to despotism, and to adopt popular constitutions. In this work of reformation, Lycurgus, the legislator of Sparta, was distinguished.

6. It may be mentioned, in connexion with this subject and previously to an account of the reformation of Sparta, that the poems of Homer were introduced from Asia into Greece by Lycurgus. He met with them in his travels in that region, carefully preserved them, and brought them home on his return, 886 years B. C. Their effect on the national spirit and literature of the Greeks, was at length highly propitious.

Homer flourished about 900 years B. C. He was a poor blind man, and used to travel from place to place, singing his verses, But his genius was transcendant. All succeeding ages have bowed to it; and his poems have been taken as the model of all epic productions of any note written since his day.

The present form of his poems is supposed not to have been the ancient form. They were probably produced in separate pieces and ballads; and were united into continuous poems, it is said, by certain learned men, under the direction of Pisistratus, king of Athens.

The era of Grecian splendour was several centuries after the time of Homer; but by the preservation of his poems, the progress of the Greeks in arts and literature was effectually secured.

7. Lycurgus, by his peculiar institutions, raised Sparta

from a weak and distracted state, to superiority in arms over the other republics of Greece. Sparta became truly republican in its government, though the form of royalty was retained. Its kings were merely the first citizens in the state, and acknowledged the superior authority of the Ephori and the people, to whom they were accountable. Their privileges, however, sufficiently distinguished them from the mass of the citizens.

With many things in his institutions that were commendable, there was much that was pernicious. His sole object seems to have been, to render the Spartans fit only for war. The chronological date of the commencement of this reformation, is 884 years B. C.

§ After the return of the Heraclidæ, Sparta was divided between the two sons of Aristodemus, Eurysthenes and Procles, who reigned jointly. The occasion of this was, that Aristodemus having been killed while his children were infants, their mother was unable to tell which of them was the first born, since they were twins. The Spartans consequently agreed that they should be joint kings.

This double monarchy continued in the one line under 30 kings, and in the other line under 27 kings, during a period of about 880 years. Polydectes and Lycurgus were the sons of one of these kings. Upon the death of his brother, the crown devolved on Lycurgus; but his sister-in-law being with child, he resigned it.

She however intimated to Lycurgus that if he would marry her, the child should be destroyed immediately upon its birth. Lycur gus, with a view to save it, desired that she would send it to him, and he would dispose of it. Accordingly, the boy, as soon as he was born, was sent to his uncle.

Lycurgus was at supper with a large party when the royal infant arrived, but he instantly took it into his arms, and holding it to the view of the company, exclaimed, "Spartans! behold your king.” The people were delighted, and the boy was called Charilaus.

Lycurgus, with a view to suppress the calumnies published against him by the faction of the queen, determined upon a voluntary exile, In his travels, he made it an object to acquire knowledge, and especially to ascertain the best means of government. It was during this journey that he discovered the poems of Homer, as above menjoned.

Upon his recall to Sparta, he found things in so bad a condition, that he set about a reformation of the manners of the people. He began his labours by instituting a senate to make laws, and see that they were executed; this senate was composed of 30 members, the kings being of the number

He next made an equal division of the lands, so that all the Spartans shared it fairly between them. When he endeavoured to do the same with the furniture, clothes, &c. he found the rich very averse to

his proposals. He therefore took another course. iron for gold and silver, as the medium of exchange.

He substituted

As this iron money was of no account among the neighbouring countries, the Spartans could no longer indulge in luxury, by purchasing foreign costly articles. The necessary arts of life he allowed to be practised only by slaves.

He then commanded that all persons, even the kings themselves, should eat at public tables, and that these tables should be served only with plain food. This regulation, more than any other, offended the rich citizens. They rose in a body and assaulted Lycurgus; and one of them, pursuing him to a sanctuary, struck out his eye with a stick.

Lycurgus no otherwise punished this offender, than by making him his page and attendant. In time, these dinners, at which they served up a kind of soup, called black broth, came to be much relished, and very pleasant discourse often enlivened them.

An admirable part of the ceremony at these public meals was the following. When the company were assembled, the oldest man present, pointing to the door, said, "Not one word spoken here, goes out there." This wise rule produced mutual confidence, and prevented all scandal and misrepresentation.

The children were taught in large public schools, and were made brave and hardy. All the people were accustomed to speak in short pithy sentences, so that this style of speaking is even now called after them, laconic; Laconia being one of the names of Lacedæmon.

When Lycurgus had firmly established his new laws, he ensured their observance by the following contrivance. He left Sparta, after having made the people swear, that they would abide by his laws, until he should return. As he intended not to return at all, this was to swear that they would keep his laws for ever.

Lycurgus died in a foreign land. By some it is asserted, that he starved himself to death. His laws continued in force 500 years, during which time the Spartans became a powerful and conquering people.

The institutions of this legislator were impaired by many blemishes. The manners of the Lacedæmonian women were suffered to be shamefully loose. The youth were taught to subdue the feelings of humanity. The slaves were treated with the greatest barbarity. Even theft was a part of Spartan education.

The object of this was to prepare their minds for the stratagems of war. Detection exposed them to punishment. Plutarch tells us of a boy, who had stolen a fox and hidden it under his coat, and who rather chose to let the animal tear out his bowels, than to discover the theft.

SECT. 8. The first of the Olympiads, an era by which the events in Grecian history are reckoned, occurred 776 vears B. C. The Olympic games were first instituted about 1 150 years B. C., but having fallen into disuse, were restored

at different times, and from the period above mentioned, form a certain epoch in history.

The nature of these games will be described under the "General Views," at the close of this work.

MACEDON.

SECT. 9. MACEDON, a kingdom in Greece, and sometimes considered distinct from it in its history, was founded by Caranus, an Argive and descendant of Hercules, about 795 years B. C. The government continued in his line 647 years, i. e. till the death of Alexander Ægus, the posthumous son of Alexander the Great.

§ The history of Macedon under its first kings is obscure, and presents only some wars with the Illyrians, Thracians, and other neighbouring nations. It became, as we shall hereafter learn, very powerful, and under Philip overturned the liberties of the other states of Greece.

ASSYRIA.

SECT. 10. After a chasm of 800 years in the history of the first kingdom of ASSYRIA, we find a few particulars respecting one or two of its last sovereigns. Pul, who is mentioned in scripture, subdued Israel in the reign of Menahem, who became his tributary. This Pul is supposed to be the king of Nineveh, who, with his people, repented at the preaching of Jonah. If this be the fact, he flourished about 800 years B. C.*

§ The object of Jonah's preaching was to denounce the divine judgements against this people on account of their wickedness. The prophet after great reluctance to obey the command of God, and a signal chastisement for his disobedience, repaired at length to Nineveh, and executed his commission.

The Ninevites took the alarm, and humbled themselves before Jehovah, in consequence of which they were delivered at that time from destruction. The Assyrian empire, of which Nineveh was the capital, ended, however, soon afterwards, as we shall now learn.

Sect. 11. Sardanapalus was the last and the most vicious of the Assyrian monarchs. In his reign a conspiracy broke out, by which the kingdom was destroyed, 767 years B. C. Three monarchies rose from its ruins, viz. Nineveh, which

We have here followed Usher, and not the authors of the Universal His tory. Usher, as we think, more consistently, supposes Pul to be the father of Sardanapalus.

preserved the name of Assyria, Babylon, and the kingdom of the Medes.

§ Sardanapalus was the most effeminate of mankind. He never left his palace, but spent all his time with his women and his eunuchs. He imitated them in dress and painting, and spun with them at the distaff. Being besieged in his city, by Arbaces, governor of the Medes, he at length set fire to his palace, and consumed himself, with his women, eunuchs, and treasures.

EGYPT.

SECT. 12. EGYPT continued to be governed by a race of kings, concerning whom the common accounts seem not to be very satisfactory. The most considerable or the best known of them were Shishak, Rhamses, Amenophis IV. and Thuoris. Shishak is mentioned in scripture, and he is by some authors considered the same as Sesostris. But we are disposed to consider Sesostris as much more ancient, and have accordingly spoken of him in a former period.

§ Concerning Shishak, it appears that he built many temples and cities, dug canals, and among other conquests, took Jerusalem and spoilt the temple.

Rhamses possessed a very avaricious disposition. Diodorus informs us, that he was never at any expense either for the honour of the gods, or the welfare of his people; but that his sole delight was in the augmentation of his private treasure, which, at his decease, amounted to no less than 400,000 talents.

Amenophis IV. is thought to be the same with Memnon, whose famous statue was said to utter a sound at the rising of the sun. The monument in which he was buried, is much celebrated for its magnificence. He acquired great renown by his expedition against the Bactrians.

Thuoris lost the Egyptian possessions in the East; and after his death, Egypt, reduced within its natural boundaries, was divided among several little kingdoms for about 44 years.

PHOENICIANS.

SECT. 13. The PHOENICIANS, during this period, were governed by the successors of Hiram, of whom the first was Baleazar, his son; and the seventh from him was Pygmalion, the brother of the celebrated Dido. The cruelties of Pygmalion obliged her to flee to Africa, where she founded a mighty sovereignty, as will now be mentioned.

CARTHAGE.

SECT. 14. According to the most probable accounts, it was 869 years B. C. when Dido arrived at Africa. The history