He married the

tica, and reigned over part of the country. daughter of a Grecian prince, and was deemed the first founder of Athens. He taught his subjects to cultivate the olive, and was the first who raised an altar to Jupiter, in Greece, and offered him sacrifices.

After a reign of 50 years, spent in regulating his newly formed Lingdom, and in polishing the minds of his subjects, Cecrops died, and was succeeded by Cranaus, a native of the country.

6. Cadmus was a Phoenician. He laid the foundation of Thebes. This fact is very much invested with fable, which needs not to be detailed. If Thebes, according to some, sprang up at the sound of Amphion's lyre, i. e. by encouraging the workmen, still Cadmus built a citadel which he called Cadmea, and thus formed the com mencement of a city.

Cadmus was the first who introduced the use of letters into Greece, though some maintain that the same alphabet was in existence among the native inhabitants. This alphabet consisted only of 16 letters, to which 8 were afterwards added. The worship of several of the Egyptian and Phoenician deities was also introduced by Cadmus. His era is reckoned to be 1519 years B. C.

PERIOD IV.

The Period of the Trojan War, extending from the de parture of the Israelites from Egypt, 1491 years B. C. to the dedication of Solomon's temple, 1004 years B. C.

ISRAELITES.

SECTION 1. The history of the ISRAELITES at this era assumes a very marked character. Oppressed by the Egyp tian monarch, they cried unto God for deliverance, and a divine deliverance they experienced.

Moses, selected as the instrument of saving his countrymen, was in due time called to his work; and, after a series of miracles, which he performed by the divine assistance, he led the people out from before Pharaoh, into the borders of the promised land.

The consequence to many of the Egyptians was their destruction; for Pharaoh and his army pursuing the Israelites through the Red Sea, were overwhelmed with its waters.

After wandering in the wilderness 40 years, and frequently rebelling against God, the Israelites were conducted by the hand of Moses in sight of Canaan, when he died, without en⚫ering it himself, 1447 years B. C.

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§ The story of Moses, and of his agency in delivering the Israelites, is very interesting and instructive; but we have no room for its particulars. We will, however, mention some incidents, subsequent to the retreat of the Israelites from Egypt.

The Israelites were no sooner delivered from the Egyptians, than they murmured against Moses, on account of the want of food; to satisfy them, God sent first a great quantity of quails, and the next morning manna, which fell regularly every day, except on sabbath days, during the 40 years they remained in the wilderness.

Again the people murmured for water, and Moses, by the Lord's command, made a supply to issue from a rock. At this junc ture, the Amalekites attacked Israel, and were defeated by Joshua. The people soon after arriving at Mount Sinai, God gave them his law. During, however, the absence of Moses in the mount, they fell into idolatry, in consequence of which 3000 of them were put to death.

In the course of the second year after the retreat from Egypt, Moses numbered the children of Israel from 20 years old and upwards, and there were found 603,550 men able to go to war, besides the Levites.

About this time, 12 men were sent to spy the land of Canaan, who, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, reported unfavourably which caused the people to murmur. Upon this offence, God condemned all those who were twenty years old and upwards when they came out of Egypt, to die in the wilderness, except Joshua and Caleb.

As a punishment for their murmurs, the Israelites began to trave in the wilderness 1489 years B. C. At this time Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, revolting against Moses, were swallowed by the earth, with 250 of their associates. In 1452 years B. C., the Israelites began their conquests, by the defeat of the kings of the Amorites, Bashan, Moab, &c.

At the age of 120 years Moses died on Mount Nebo, in the land of Moab, having first taken a view of the promised land.

2. The successor of Moses was Joshua, who conducted the people into the promised land, having, by the divine command, mostly destroyed the wicked nations that inhiabited it.

After this event, the Israelites, with some intermission, were directed by leaders, called Judges, for the space of 356 years. They paid a high respect to these officers, and also to the priests, but they acknowledged no other king than God.

As the people at length became weary with this state of things, and desired a king, so as to be like the nations around them, a king was, in the divine displeasure, granted to thein.

Joshua having led the Israelites to the banks of the Jordan, whose waters divided to afford them a passage, conducted them safely over

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it. He conquered 31 cities in the course of six years. He died 1426 years B. C.

The people were perpetually inclined to forsake the worship of Jehovah, and to pollute themselves with the abominations of the heathen. For this they were repeatedly brought into bondage, and consequent distress. Their Judges were the instruments of delivering them on these occasions.

One occasion was as follows. The Israelites, being brought into the power of the Midianites, after seven years of suffering, they cried unto the Lord, who sent an angel to Gideon to announce to him that he was chosen to deliver Israel from their oppressors.

By divine direction, Gideon retained of 32,000 men whom he had collected, only 300 men, and with them, each carrying a lamp concealed in an earthen vessel, to be broken at a proper opportunity, he so terrified the Midianites, that they fled in confusion, and turned their swords against one another.

Samson also, on another occasion, delivered his countrymen by a series of extraordinary efforts of strength and courage which we cannot particularly recount. It may be only mentioned, that, at the conclusion of his course, having been betrayed by his wife, and deprived of his strength-upon its return, he pulled down, by a single exertion of his muscular energy, the temple of Dagon on the heads of his enemies, the Philistines, with whom he perished in the general ruin.

Samuel, the last and most eminent of these leaders, and a prophet also, rendered signal service to his countrymen, especially by the moral influence which he exercised over them. When old, however, he took for his assistants in the government, his two sons, whose mismanagement occasioned murmurs among the people, and a desire to have a king.

3. Saul, the son of Kish, was the first king of Israel. Having been privately anointed by Samuel, he was afterwards publicly proclaimed, 1079 years B. C. His reign was prosperous at first, but at length was characterized by crime and ill He perished miserably.

success.

He was succeeded by David, who, though he erred in several instances, was a man of distinguished talents, bravery, and piety; he raised his people to the highest pitch of national prosperity and happiness. The wise and rich Solomon was his son and successor. He laid the foundation of a magnificent temple, 1011 years B. C.

§ Saul, having spent an unhappy life, and being at war with the Philistines, had his army routed, and three of his sons slain, and he himself, having received a wound, and fearing to fall into the hands of his enemies, took a sword and fell upon it.

David had been previously anointed king, but he at first reigned only over the tribe of Judah. But after the death of Ishbosheth, a

son of Saul, who had assumed the government of the tribes, he reign ed over the whole of Israel.

He spent a very active and perilous life, and among the conquests he made were the Philistines, the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the Syrians. He had at length some domestic troubles, and was in danger from an insurrection of his subjects, but he lived to see his enemies destroyed, and he left a rich and flourishing realm to his

son.

CANAANITES.

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4. The history of the CANAANITES, and some of the neighbouring nations or tribes, is involved in that of the Jews during this period. They were mostly subdued by Joshua, but seemed to revive at different times, to the great annoyance of the Israelites. From the time of Solomon, they can scarcely be said to have had a national existence. The remnants of them, except the Canaanites, properly so called, who afterwards went under the appellation of Phoenicians, were swallowed up in the great monarchies that successively existed in Asia.

PHOENICIANS.

5. The PHOENICIANS are known in history principally as a navigating and commercial people, among whom the arts were early cultivated. Their country was divided into several small kingdoins; but the most considerable of their sovereignties were the cities of Sidon and Tyre. We know nothing of the kings of Sidon till the present and succeeding pe riods. Hiram was king of Tyre, and contemporaneous with David and Solomon.

§ Sidon, according to Josephus, was built by Sidon, the eldest son of Canaan. Tyre was founded by the posterity of Sidon. Herodotus gives to the older Tyre a great antiquity. The new city, reared opposite to the ancient, on an island, is said, by Josephus, to have been built in the year B. C. 1255.

The Phoenicians are regarded as the earliest navigators, merchants, and workmen, of the world. We learn from ancient records, that they carried on trade, not only over all the coasts of the Mediterranean, but even over the ocean, as far as England, whence they exported tin.

The early kings are not known, except those who had some commerce with the Jews. To Hiram, king of Tyre, both David and Solomon applied when proposing to build a temple to the Lord. He helped them by furnishing, not only precious materials, but also a great number of workmen. After a glorious reign, Baleazar, his son, succeeded him.

GREECE.

6. The history of GREECE during this period is pursued first in a few details, respecting some of its different sovereignties.

The kings already named, who had governed Athens, had raised it to a considerable degree of civilization. But the king who laid the principal foundation of Athenian greatness, was Theseus. He united the 12 cities of Attica into one confede

racy.

Theseus is said to have founded a more perfect equality among the citizens, in consequence of which, the state rather resembled a republic than a monarchy. Owing to the inconstancy of the people, he was banished from the country, notwithstanding his many virtues.

7. Codrus, the last Athenian king, devoted himself to the good of his subjects. With him royalty was abolished, since the people thought no man worthy of succeeding him. This change occurred towards the close of the present period, viz. 1069 years B. C.

§ Codrus being engaged in a war with the Heraclidæ, was told by the oracle that the army would be victorious whose chief should perish. He, therefore, with a chosen band, threw himself into the hottest of the battle, and turned the fortune of the day in favour of his countrymen, at the expense of his own life.

A dispute for the succession arose between two of his sons, and before they could accommodate their difference, the Athenians abolished royalty altogether, but placed Medon, one of the claimants, at the head of the state, with the title of Archon. This office was for life during more than 3 centuries; afterwards it was reduced to 10 years, and finally to one year.

8. Corinth, having been seized by Sysyphus, was governed in his family 250 years. The last king of this race was deposed by the Heraclidæ, 1099 years B. C.

9. The first great enterprise of the Greeks was the Argonautic expedition, 1263 years B. C. It was led by Jason, and is supposed to have been both a military and a mercantile adventure. Its destination was to Colchis, the modern Mingre lia, in Asia Minor.

§ According to some, the object was to open the commerce of the Euxine sea, and to secure some establishment on its coast. According to others, Jason wished to avenge the death of his kins man Phryxus, and to recover his treasures, which had been seized by the king of Colchis. Hence, in the language of fiction or figure, it was the Golden Fleece" that was the object to be re

covered.