and he was the mafter of the paffions of his audi
tors by his eloquence, and of his own by philo-
fophy. With this truly great man Pelopidas was
joined as colleague, who, when he could not
prevail upon his friend Epaminondas to share the
enjoyment of his own fortune with him, copied him
in the humbler virtues of private life. Thus both
became the admiration of their countrymen for
their temperance and moderation, as well as
their plainness in drefs, and frugality at their
table. But the most striking part of their character,
was that unexampled union and perfect harmony
which fubfifted between these two great men,
and ended only with their lives. They filled at
one and the fame time the two highest pofts in
the state. The whole management of public af-
fairs was intrufted to their conduct, and all bufi-
ness paffed through their hands. Yet during all
that time, no latent fpark of envy, jealoufy or
ambition, no private or selfish views or difference
of fentiments (the fatal, but too general fources
of disunion amongst statesmen) could in the least
affect their friendship, or ever make any impref-
fion upon an union, which was founded upon
the immoveable basis of public virtue. Animated
as Plutarch obferves, and directing all their
actions by this principle only, they had no other
intereft in view but that of the public; and in-
stead of enriching or aggrandizing their own families,
the only emulation between them was, which
fhould contribute moft to the advancement of

t

the dignity and happiness of his country. To crown all, they both died gloriously in defence of that independency which they had acquired and preferved to the ftate, and left the Thebans free, great and flourishing.

It is natural to think, that men of fuch fuperior merit, and fo eminently disinterested, could never poffibly be the objects of party-refentment. Yet we are affured in hiftory, that they were frequently perfecuted by a virulent faction compofed of the selfish; thofe leeches whom these two virtuous men prevented from fattening upon the blood of the public; and of the envious from that strong antipathy which bad men naturally bear to the good. For envy, that paffion of low uncultivated minds, has a greater share in party-oppofition than we are apt to imagine. A truth of which we have ftrong proof in that celebrated paffage, recorded by Plutarch,

Plutarch, Juftin, Corn. Nepos.

* When Ariftides had acquired the firname of Juft, he became the object of the Athenian envy, and the Oftracifm was demanded against him. Whilft the peo. ple were preparing their fhells, a country - voter, who could neither read nor write, brought his shell to Aristides, and defired him to write the name of Aristides upon it. Ariftides, not a little furprised at his requeft, afked him what injury that Ariftides had done him. « Me! none, replied the fellow, for I don't fo much as know the man by fight; but it galls me to the foul to hear him every where called the Juft.” Plut. in Vit. Aristid. P. 322, 323.

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between Ariftides and the Athenian countryman. Though the virtue of these great men triumphed over all the malicious efforts of thefe domeftic enemies; yet they had power enough at one time to impeach and bring them both to a public trial for a breach of formality relative to their office, though that very act had enabled them to render the moft fignal fervices to their country. They were tried however, but honorably acquitted. At another time, whilft Pelopidas was detained prifoner by Alexander the Pherean, this malignant faction had weight enough to exclude Epaminondas from the office of Polemarch or General, and to procure for two of their friends, the command of that army which was fent to punish the tyrant for his treachery. But the new Generals made fuch wretched work of it, when they came to face the enemy, that the whole army was quickly thrown into the utmoft confu fion, and compelled for their own prefervation to put Epaminondas at their head, who was prefent at the action only as a volunteer: for the malice of his enemies had excluded him from the leaft fhadow of truft or power. This able man, by a manœuvre peculiar to himself, extricated the Theban troops out of thofe difficulties in which the ignorance and incapacity of their

They kept the field and attacked Sparta, when the time of their office was near expired, by which meas they were in office more than the regular time.

generals had involved them, repulfed the enemy, and by a fine retreat brought the army fafe to Thebes. His countrymen, now fenfible of their error, and how greatly they had been impofed upon by the faction, immediately recalled him to the highest offices in the state, which he continued to execute till his death, with the greatest honor to himself, and emolument as well as glory to his country. As the management of public affairs, after the death of these two illuftrious patriots, fell by the intrigues of faction into the hands of men of a quite different character, we need not wonder that the Thebans funk alike in power and reputation, till Thebes itself was totally deftroyed by Alexander the Great; and their country, with the rest of Greece, fwallowed up at last by the insatiable ambition of the Romans.

CHAP.

1

CHA P. IV.

OF CARTHAGE.

OF all the free ftates whofe memory is preserved

to us in history, Carthage bears the nearest refemblance to Britain, both in her commerce, opulence, fovereignty of the fea, and her method of carrying on her land-wars by foreign mercenaries. If to thefe we add the vicinity of the Carthaginians to the Romans, the most formidable and most rapacious people at that time in Europe, and the specific difference, as I may term it, of the respective military force of each nation, the fituation of Carthage with respect to Rome, feems greatly analogous to that of Britain with refpect to France, at least for this laft century. Confequently, the dreadful fate of that Republic, once the most flourishing state in the univerfe, and the most formidable rival Rome ever had to cope with, muft merit our highest attention at this juncture: both as the greatness of her power arose from and was fupported by commerce, and as the owed her ruin more to her own inteftine divifions, than to the arms of the Romans.

We know very little of this opulent and powerful people till the time of the first Punic war. For as not one of their own hiftorians has reached our times, we have no accounts of them but what are tranfmitted to us by their

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