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country, claimed the throne in virtue of his right of feniority, declared war against Tyndarus ", obliged him to give up the crown, and go to Sparta. Tyndarus retired to Theftius, and married his daughter Leda, fo well known in fable by her amours with Jupiter P. Hippocoon having fome time before drawn upon himself the wrath of Hercules, that hero maffacred him and all his children, and replaced Tyndarus upon the throne of Sparta 1. But he only ceded that crown to him on condition that he gave it up again to his defcendents when they fhould come and demand it of him ".

Tyndarus had, by his marriage with Leda, two fons twins, Caftor and Pollux, and two daughters, Helena and Clytemneftra. Authors are not agreed in what manner Caftor and Pollux perished. However it was, Tyndarus afflicted for the untimely lofs of his two fons, thought to repair it by chufing a fon-in-law worthy of his daughter, and capable of governing his kingdom. His defign was no fooner known, than all the princes of Greece offered themselves. They reckoned there were twenty-three rivals who afpired to the hand of Helen . This croud of competitors greatly embarraffed Tyndarus. He feared left the choice that he fhould make fhould bring on him the enmity of those who fhould be refused. Ulyffes, who was one of the number, then gave marks of that artifice which has always appeared in his conduct. He fuggefted to Tyndarus an expedient to get out of the difficulty without any difagreeable confe

Pauf. 1. 2. c. 18. p. 151.1.3. c. I.
Apollod. 1. 3. p. 173.;

3. c. 21. p. 263.
P Apollod. 1. 3. p. 173.;

Diod 1. 4. p. 278.; Strabo, 1. 10. p. 708.; Pauf. t.

Hygin. fab. 77.; Strabo, 1. 10. p. 709.

Apollod. 1. 2. p. 114.115.; Diod. 1. 4. p. 278.; Pauf. 1. 2. c. 18. p. 151. 1. 3. c. 15. p. 244.

Diod. 1. 4. p. 278.; Pauf. p. 151.

* Apollod. 1. 3. p. 174.; Hygin. fab. 78.

Apollod. 1. 3. p. 175.

It must have been that in thofe times the hopes of a crown furpaffed all other confiderations; otherwife the rape of Helen by Thefeus, had made too much noife in Greece not to have cooled the 'ardor of the pretenders, efpecially as he was fufpected to have to Thefeus, Iphigenia, whom her aunt Clytemnestra took care to bring up as if fhe had been her own daughter. Pauf. 1. 2. c. 32.; Auton. liberal métam. c. 27.

quences.

quences. He advised him to make all the lovers of Helen fwear folemnly, that they would agree to the choice of that princess, and that they would all join themselves to him whom the had chofen, to defend him against any one who would difpute her with him ". They all accept the propofition, each flattering himself that the choice of Helen will fall upon him. She determined in favour of Menelaus, brother of Agamemnon, who by that means became King of Sparta y. Scarce had he been three years with this prince, when she was carried off by Paris, fon of Priam. Every one knows that this rape occafioned the war of Troy z,

Before this event, Helen had had to Menelaus a daugh ter called Hermione *. This princefs, on marrying Oreftes her coufin-german, brought as a dower to the prince the kingdom of Sparta . It was under the reign of Tifamenes his fon, that the defcendents of Hercules entered into Peloponnefus, and made themselves mafters of it eighty years after the taking of Troy. This event, one of the most confiderable in the Grecian hiftory, totally changed the face of that part of Europe, and brought upon it a dreadful revolution. This was the occafion of it.

ARTICLE VI.

The HER A CLID A.

PERSEUS had had, by his marriage with Andromeda, Alceus, Sthenelus, Hilas, Maftor, and Electrion. Alceus having married Hippomene, daughter of Meneceus, had

Apollod. 1. 3. p. 176.; Hygin. fab. 78.; Pauf. 1. 3. c. 23.

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z Herodotus makes a very judicious reflection on this subject. The Afia✩ tics, fays he, look upon the taking away a man's wife as a most unjust action; but they think none but fools would try to revenge those that have been carried off, perfuaded that this could not have happened but with their own confent. 1. .n.4.

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two children by her, Amphytrion and his fifter Anaxo¿. Electrion married his niece Anaxo, daughter of Alceus, and by that marriage had Alcmena, who afterwards became the wife of Amphytrion, and was mother of Hercules.

Electrion enjoyed the throne of Mycene after the death of Perfeus. Amphytrion ought naturally to have fucceeded him. He was grandfon of Perfeus, and by his wife Alcmena, he was the fole heir of Electrion. But having had the misfortune involuntarily to kill his father-in-law, he was obliged to retire to Thebes. Sthenelus, brother of Electrion, availing himself of the public hatred which this accident had drawn upon Amphytrion, feized on the realms of his fugitive nephew, and gave them to his fon Euryftheus By this ufurpation Hercules was himfelf excluded from the crown of Mycena. We know to what dangers Euryftheus exposed this hero, with a view to destroy him. He without doubt apprehended that he would undertake fome time or other to dethrone him. Hercules at his death left many children. They were almost all brought up by. the care of Ceix, king of Trachine. Euryftheus fearing that they should one day unite to take the crown from him, threatened Ceix, to declare war against him if he did not drive them from his court. The Heraclidæ terrified by thefe menaces, quitted Trachine. In vain they fought an asylum in most of the cities of Greece. They found none who would receive them. The Athenians were the only people who durft give them a retreat. Euryftheus would not fuffer them to ftay there. Determined to deftroy them, he led against them a powerful army. The Heraclidæ fupported by the Athenians, and commanded by Iolaus, nephew of Hercules, by Hyllus his fon, and by Thefeus, they

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Id. p. 85.; Pauf. 1. 9. c. 11. h Apollod. 1. 2. p. 8ɔ. Id. ibid. p. 122.; Diod. 1. 4. p. 301.; Pauf. 1. 1. c. 32. p. 79. k Appollod. Diod. Pauf. locis cit.; Euripid. Heraclid. v. 19. 55. 145, &c. ; Ifocrat. p. 129.

gave battle to Euryftheus. They gained it. Euryftheus loft his life in it 1.

This happy fuccefs having drawn a great number of fol diers to the army of the Heraclidæ, they took almost all the towns of Peloponnefus m. But a violent plague having afflicted that province, they confulted the oracle upon it. They were informed, that having entered the country too foon, they could not make the plague to cease but by reti. ing. They obeyed, and abandoned Peloponnefus ".

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The oracle, according to custom, explained itself obfcurely as to the time that fhould elapfe before the Heraclida cught to make a new attempt. So Hyllus, their chief, who thought he had discovered the meaning, returned to Peloponnefus at the end of three years. Atreus who then reigned at Mycenae, affembled all his troops, ftrengthened him. felf by alliances, and advanced to difpute the paffage with the enemy P. The armies being in fight of each other, Hyllus remonstrated that it would not be fo well to expose the two parties to the chance of a general battle. He therefore proposed to Atreus and the other chiefs, to chufe among them a champion, and he offered to fight him, on condition that the event of their combat fhould determine that of the war. The offer was accepted. They came to this agreement, that if Hyllus was victor, the Heraclidæ fhould enter into their father's poffeffions; but if he was conquered, neither he nor any belonging to him should return into Peloponnefus for an hundred years 9. Echemus, King of Tegeates, on the fide of the allies, accepted the challenge of Hyllus, and flew him. The Heraclidæ, according to treaty, withdrew their troops, and abstained from all acts of hoftility .

1 Apollod. Diod. locis cit.; Strab. 1. 8. p. 579.
Apollod. et Diod. locis cit. n Apollod. I. 2. p. 122.

123.

• Id. ibid. p. 123. 124. The god had ordered them to wait for the third fruit; Hyllus believing that that expreffion meant three harvests, returned into Peloponnefus at the end of three years; whereas, according to the intention of the oracle, he ought to have understood by the third fruit, the third generation.

P Diod. 1. 4. p. 302.

Herod. 1. 9. n. 26.; Diod. 1. 4. p. 302. He is miflaken in fixing this term only fifty years.

Diod. 1. 4. p. 302.; Pauf. 1. 1. c. 41. He is mistaken in placing this event in the reign of Oreftes.

They

They kept their word; but when the term they had agreed upon was expired, Temenes, Chrefphontes, and Ariftodemus, defcendents of Hercules by Hyllus, made a last push to make themselves masters of Peloponnefus. This last trial fucceeded better than the preceding. After having equipped a fleet at Naupactus, the Heraclidæ, according to cuftom, confulted the oracle upon the fuccefs of their enterprife. The anfwer was, that they ought to take three eyes for the guides of their expedition". As they endeavoured to find the fense of these words, there happened a one-eyed man to ride by on a mule. He was an Ætolián, called Oxylus. Perfuaded that he was the guide defigned by the oracle, the Heraclidæ joined him in their enterprise, and promised him Elis for his share *.

The Achaians and Ionians then poffeffed the greatest part of Peloponnefusy. Tifamenes, fon of Oreftes, reigned over Argos, Mycena, and Lacedæmon. He took up arms, but was defeated, and perished in the battle that was fought . The Heraclide took Argos, Mycenæ, and Lacedæmon. They divided these three cities among them. They had their posfeffions by lot. Temenes had Argos. Lacedæmon fell to the children of Ariftodemus, who died during the course of the expedition. Mycenae fell to Crefphontes . Oxylus had Elis, as they had promised him. He was not fo eafily fet tled in it as they had flattered themfelves. Dius, who was the poffeffor, difputed it with him. According to the custom of those times, instead of expofing all their troops to the

f Pauf. 1. 2. c. 18.

Apollod. 1. 2. p. 124.; Pauf. 1. 5. c. 3. While they were preparing this fleet, Ariftodemus died. He left two children who fucceeded to his rights. Apollod. fupra; Pauf. l. 4. c. 3.

Apollod. 1. 2. p. 125.; Pauf. 1. 5. c. 3. x Apollod. Pauf. locis cit.

y These people had their names from Acheus and Ion, fons of Xuthus, grandfons of Helen, and great-grandfons of Deucalion.

z Apollod. loco cit.; Pauf. 1. 2. c. 18. only fays that this prince was obliged to retire with his children.

Apollod. 1. 2. p. 125. 126.; Pauf. 1. 4. c. 3. The original of this treaty remained in the time of Tiberius. Tacit. Annal. 1. 4. n. 43.

Plato de leg. 1. 3. p. 8-8.; Apollod. 1. 2. p. 126.; Pauf. 1. 2. c. 18. 1. 4. c. 3. • Strabo 1. 8. p. 548.

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