was wont to pass a large river, on his return from the chase, in a boat which waited for him, they caused one to be built of such construction as to break in pieces before it reached the opposite shore. Entering his boat, he and his attendants soon went to the bottom.

Ching, the second emperor of the fourth dynasty, left a inonument of his power, which still astonishes those that behold it, viz. the famous wall, 500 leagues long, which separates China from its northern neighbours. He suppressed the tributary kingdoms, and reduced them to their former state of provinces.

Elated with his success, he became ambitious of being thought the first sovereign of China. With this view he ordered all the historical writings and public records to be burned, and many of the learned men to be buried alive, that past events might not be transmitted to posterity.

Distinguished Characters in Period VIII.

1. Plato, an eminent Grecian philosopher, called the Divine.

2. Apelles, the greatest of the painters of antiquity.

3. Alexander the Great, conqueror of most of the world known to the ancients.

4. Demosthenes, the prince of orators.

5. Aristotle, the ablest logician and philosopher of antiquity. 6. Euclid, the greatest master of mathematical science. 7. Theocritus, the father of pastoral poetry.

8. Zeno, the founder of the Stoic school of philosophy. 9. Archimedes, a famous geometrician of Syracuse.

1. Plato was born about 429 years B. C. His name, Aristocles, was changed to Plato, from the largeness of his shoulders. He was 8 years the pupil of Socrates, after whose death, he travelled into foreign countries. When he had finished these, he retired to the groves of Academus, where he was attended by a crowd of noble and illustrious pupils.

His learning and virtues were topics of conversation in every part of Greece; he was elegant in his manners, and partook of innocent pleasures and anusements. He died in his 81st year, about 348 B. C.

The works of Plato are numerous; they are all in the form of a dialogue, except twelve letters. The ancients and even the learned moderns have highly respected and admired the writings of this great philosopher. They display unusual depth of thought, and singular elegance, melody, and sweetness of expression. Among other truths, he maintained by many powerful arguments the immortality of the soul. 2. Apelles was born in the island of Cos, and lived contemporary with Alexander, who would suffer no other to draw his picture. His Venus rising out of the sea, was purchased by Augustus, and placed in a temple at Rome. The lower part had sustained some injury, which no artist could repair. He wrote some pieces which were extant in the age of Pliny

One of his pictures of Alexander exhibited the conqueror with a thunderbolt in his hand. The piece was finished with so much skill and dexterity, that it used to be said that there were two Alexanders: one invincible, the son of Philip: the other inimitable, the production of Apelles. The date of his death does not appear.

3. Alexander was born at Pella in Macedonia, 355 B. C. At the age of ten years he was delivered to the tuition of Aristotle, and early followed his father to the field. When he came to the throne, he invaded Asia, as has been already described, defeating Darius in three great battles, reducing Egypt, Media, Syria, and Persia, and spreading his conquests over a part of India.

On his return from India he stopped at Babylon, where he died in his 32d year, from excess in drinking, or as some think, from poison. He aspired to be thought a demigod, but was humane, liberal, and a patron of learning. With many valuable qualities, much is it to be regretted that he should have been the scourge, by being the conqueror of the world.

His tender treatment of the wife and mother of Darius, who were taken prisoners, has been greatly praised. The latter, who had survived the death of her son, killed herself when she heard that Alexander was dead. He was guilty of many extravagant and profligate actions; yet amidst them all he was fond of candour and truth, and after any act of wickedness, appeared to be stung with grief and re

morse.

When one of his officers read to him as he sailed on the Hydaspes, a history which the officer had composed of his wars with Porus, and in which he had too liberally praised him, Alexander snatched the book from his hand, and threw it into the river saying, “What need is there of such flattery? Are not the exploits of Alexander sufficiently meritorious in themselves, without the colouring of falsehood?"

The death of his friend Clitus, of which he was the author, while it might be in a degree palliated, shewed how capable he was of regret for a wrong action. Clitus had greatly abused Alexander; they were both heated with wine and passion. The monarch after bearing the abuse for some time, ordered Clitus to be carried out of his presence.

The latter, however, soon returned, and renewed his invectives. Alexander giving loose to his indignation, stabbed the veteran; but was so immediately shocked with what he had done, that he was about to kill himself on the spot, and was only prevented by his friends.

4. Demosthenes was only seven years old when his father died, and his guardians, proving unfaithful to their trust, squandered his property, and neglected his education. He was therefore indebted to his own industry and application, for the discipline of his mind.

By unwearied efforts, and by overcoming the greatest obstacles, such as weakness of the lungs, difficulty of pronunciation, and uncouth habits of body, he became the greatest orator in the world. That he might devote himself the more closely to his studies, he con

fined himself to a retired cave, and shaved half of his head, so that he could not decently appear in public.

His abilities as an orator soon placed him at the head of the government, and in this capacity he roused and animated his countrymen against the ambitious designs of Philip. He also opposed Alexander, and made every effort to save his country. When the generals of Alexander approached Athens, he fled for safety to the temple of Neptune, and there took poison to prevent himself from falling into their hands, in his 60th year, B. C. 322.

5. Aristotle possessed one of the kecnest and most inventive original intellects ever known. His writings treat of almost every branch of knowledge in his time ;-moral and natural philosophy, metaphysics, mechanics, grammar, criticism, and politics, all occupied his pen. His eloquence also was remarkable. He was moderate in his meals, slept little, and was indefatigably industrious. That he might not oversleep himself, Diogenes Laertius tells us, that he lay always with one hand out of the bed, holding in it a ball of brass, which, by its falling into a basin of the same metal, awaked him.

Though educated in the school of Plato, he differed from his master, and at length formed a new school. He taught in the Lyceum. He had a deformed countenance, but his genius was an ample compensation for all his personal defects. As he expired, he is said to have uttered the following sentiment. "I entered this world in impurity, I have lived in anxiety, I depart in perturbation. Cause of causes, pity me!" If he lived in scepticism, as is affirmed, he hardly died in it. His death occurred in his 63d year.

6. Euclid was a mathematician of Alexandria. He flourished about 300 years B. C. He distinguished himself by his writings on music and geometry, but particularly by 15 books on the elements of mathematics, which consist of problems and theorems, with demonstrations. His elements have gone through innumerable editions. He was greatly respected by antiquity, and his school, which he established at Alexandria, became the most famous in the world, for mathematics.

7. Theocritus flourished at Syracuse in Sicily, 282 years B. C. He distinguished himself by his poetical compositions, of which 30 Idylia, and some epigrams, are extant, written in the Doric dialect, and admired for their beauty, elegance, and simplicity.

He excelled in pastorals. He clothes his peasants with all the rusticity of nature, though sometimes speaking on exalted subjects. It is said he wrote some invectives against Hiero, king of Syracuse, who ordered him to be strangled.

8. Zeno was a native of Cyprus. In early life he followed commercial pursuits; but having been shipwrecked, to divert his melancholy, he took up a book to read. The book was written by Xenophon, and so captivated was he, that from this time he devoted himself to philosophy.

Becoming perfect in every branch of knowledge, he at length opened a school in Athens, and delivered his instructions in a porch, in Greek called stoa. He was austere in his manners, but his life was

an example of moderation and sobriety. He taught philosophy 48 years, and died in his 98th year, B. C. 264. A stranger to diseases and indisposition, virtue was his chief good.

9. Archimedes was born at Syracuse. At the siege, by Marcellus, he constructed machines which sunk some of the Roman ships, and others he set on fire with burning glasses. These glasses are supposed to have been reflectors made of metal, and capable of producing their effect at the distance of a bow shot.

He was killed at the taking of the place, 208 B. C. by a soldier, who was ignorant of his character, and while the philosopher was engaged in his studies. Some of his works are extant.

PERIOD IX.

The period of the civil war between Marius and Sylla, extending from the destruction of Carthage, 146 years B. C. to the first campaign of Julius Cæsar, 80 years B. C.

ROME.

SECT. 1. This period, as well as that which follows, properly begins with the affairs of the ROMANS-a people, already possessing vast power and resources, and destined to become in a short time, the conquerors of the whole civilized portion of the human family.

Following the course of their victories, we next light upon their final conquest and destruction of Carthage, the most formidable rival Rome ever possessed. That city fell under the hands of the conquerors 146 years B. C. The war, of which this was the result, had commenced four years before. The Romans were the aggressors, having invaded Africa at a favourable juncture, when the Carthaginians were engaged in a war with another power.

Carthage fell, notwithstanding the desperate efforts of its inhabitants, and was converted into a pile of ruins, with the extinction of the Carthaginian name.

§ When the indications of Roman hostility appeared, the Carthaginians, who had suffered so severely in the last war, recoiled at the idea of another contest with the conquering Romans. They therefore sent a deputation to Rome to settle the matter pacifically, if possible. The Senate gave no decisive answer.

A second deputation followed, but it sought in vain to avert the threatened evil. The demands made upon the Carthaginians were in the highest degree disgraceful to Rome. They were commanded

to promise implicit obedience, and to send 300 hostages as a security for their future good conduct. The promise was given, and the Carthaginians yielded up their children, as the required hostages.

They were next ordered to give up all their arms; this order was also obeyed: and to consummate their degradation and the cruelty of the Romans, they were required to quit their beloved city, and allow it to be levelled to the ground. The Carthaginians, as might have been expected, were fired with indignation, and resolved unanimously that if they could not save their capital, they would perish with it.

Despoiled, however, of their arms, they could at first effect but little, although they exerted every nerve, in meeting the foe. Their women cut off their long fine hair to be twisted into cords for bows, they brought out all their gold and silver vessels to be converted into arms, for these were the only metals they had left.

The Romans were astonished at the resistance they experienced, many times were they repulsed from the walls, and many were the soldiers slain in e various attacks. Indeed, it is thought by some, that Carthage wod not finally have been taken, had not one of her own officers bay gone over to the enemy. The affairs of the Carthaginians decked from that time.

Scipio Emilianus cut off their supplies of food, and blocked up the haven. The persevering citizens cut out a new passage into the sea. He next attacked and cut to pieces the army they had stationed without the walls, killing 70,000 men, and taking 10,000 prisonAfter this he broke through the walls, and entered the city, pulling or burning down houses and temples, and public buildings, with indiscriminate fury.

ers.

Asdrubal, the Carthaginian general, delivered himself and citadel to the conquerors; but his wife and children, with numbers of the citizens, set fire to the temples, and rushing into them, perished ir the flames. So completely was this once beautiful city destroyed, that the place on which it stood cannot be discovered; it was burning 17 days, and was 24 miles in circumference.

All the cities which befriended Carthage, shared her fate; and the Romans gave away the lands to their friends.

2. Soon after the ruin of Carthage, viz. 137 years B. C. the Numantines, a people of Spain, overcame the Romans in battle; but three years after this defeat, Numantia, the finest and largest city in Spain, was taken by the Romans, and the inhabitants, to escape falling into the hands of these cruel conquerors, set fire to their city, and all of them perished in the flames. Thus Spain became a province of Rome 134 years B. C.

§ Previously to the defeat of the Romans by the Numantines, there had been a war between the Romans and Spain, which lasted 9 years. Fabius, who was sent to manage this war, gained a victory over one