moments to open himself to him. He reprefented, That the kingdom of Pergamus, weak of itself, and but very lately established, had subfifted, and been improved folely by the union and good understanding of the brothers who poffeffed it: That only one of them, indeed, enjoyed the name of king, and wore the diadem; but that they all reigned in effect: That Eumenes, having no male iffue (for the son he had afterwards, and who fucceeded him, was not then in being), he could leave his throne only to his next brother. That his right to the fucceffion of the kingdom was therefore inconteftible; and that, confidering the age and infirmities of Eumenes, the time for fuch fucceffion could not be very remote. And wherefore then should he anticipate and haften, by a violent and criminal undertaking, what would foon happen in a just and natural manner? Did he defire to divide the kingdom with his brother, or to deprive him of it entirely? If he had only a part of it, both of them, weakened by fuch divifion, and expofed to the enterprises of their neighbours, might be equally undone in the confequence: That if he propofed to reign alone, what would become of his elder brother? Would he reduce him to live as a private perfon, or send him, at his years, into banishment? Or, in a word, would he cause him to be put to death? That he did not doubt but fuch thoughts must give him horror: That, not to speak of the fabulous accounts of the tragical effects of fraternal difcord, the recent example of Perfeus might remind him of them: That that unfortunate prince, who had torn the fceptre from his brother, by fhedding his blood, pursued by the divine vengeance, had lately laid down the fame fceptre at the feet of a victor, in the temple of Samothracia, and in a manner before the eyes, and by the order of the gods who prefide there, the witneffes and avengers of his guilt: That he was affured, the very perfons who, lefs out of friendship for him, than ill-will for Eumenes, gave him at present such pernicious counfels, would be the first to praise his tender and conftant affection for his brother, if he continued faithfully at

tached to him to the laft. Stratius added the extreme danger to which Attalus would expose the kingdom of Pergamus in the prefent conjuncture, when the Gauls were preparing to invade it.

How unworthy was it of the Romans to kindle and blow up the fire of discord in this manner between brothers! Of what value muft a fincere, prudent, and difinterested friend appear at such a time! What an advantage is it for a prince to give those who approach him the liberty of fpeaking freely, and without referve to him; and of being known by them in that light! The wife remonftrances of Stratius had their effect with Attalus: That prince, having been introduced into the fenate, without speaking against his brother, or demanding a divifion of the kingdom of Pergamus, contented himfelf with congratulating the fenate, in the name of Eumenes and his brothers, upon the victory gained in Macedonia. He modeftly displayed the zeal and affection with which he had ferved in the war against Perfeus. He defired that they would fend ambassadors to check the infolence of the Gauls, and to reduce them to their former ftate; and concluded with requefting, that the inveftiture of Enus and Maronæa, cities of Thrace, might be given to him, which places had been conquered by Philip, father of Perfeus, and the poffeffion difputed with him by Eumenes.

The fenate, imagining that Attalus would demand another audience, in order to fpeak in particular of his pretenfions upon part of his brother's dominions, promifed beforehand to fend ambaffadors according to his demand, and made the prince the ufual prefents. They promifed befides to put him into poffeffion of the two cities, as he defired. But when it was known that he had left Rome, the fenate, offended to find that he had done nothing they had expected from him, and not being able to be revenged upon him in any other manner, revoked the promise they had made him; and, before the prince was out of Italy, declared Ænus and Maronea free and independent cities. They fent, however, an embafly

4

embaffy to the Gauls, at the head of which was P. Licinius; but with very different inftructions to those demanded by Attalus. The Roman policy took off the mafk entirely at this time, and fhowed an afpect very unlike the franknefs and probity of their ancestors.

He

The fenate fome days (u) after gave audience to the Rhodians, which made a great noife. They were at first refused to be heard, as having rendered themselves unworthy of that honour by their conduct, and even a declaration of war against them was talked of. Rhodes, alarmed at it, sent two new deputies. Having obtained admittance to the fenate with great difficulty, they appeared there as fuppliants, dreffed in mourning habits, and with their faces bathed in their tears. Aftymedes fpoke, and with a voice interrupted with fighs, took upon him the defence of his unfortunate country. took great care not to fhow at first his defire to justify it. He knew that it had juftly incurred the anger of the Roman people; he confeffed its faults; he called to mind the indifcreet embaffy, which the infolent pride of the orator who spoke had rendered still more criminal: but he begged the fenate to make fome difference between the entire body of the nation, and a few private perfons difavowed by them, and whom they were ready to deli ver up. He reprefented, that there was no republic nor city that did not include fome bad members. That after all, there were no other crimes objected to them but words; foolish indeed, rash, extravagant (which he confeffed to be the characteristics and failings of his nation) but fuch as wife perfons feldom lay much stress upon, or punish with exceeding rigour, no more than Jupiter aims his thunders at all that fpeak with little refpect of his divinity. "But (faid he) the neutra"lity obferved by us in the late war, is looked upon as a certain proof of our enmity in regard to you. "there a tribunal in the world, wherein the intention,

F 3

* Is

"when

(u) Poly. Legat. xcii-xcix, c. et civ. Liv. 1. xlv. n. 20-25. Nejue moribus neque legibus ufus civitatis ita comparatum, effe, ut fiquis vellet inimicum perire, fi nihil fecerit quo id fiat, capitis damaetur. Liv.

"when without effect, is punifhed as the action itfelf? "But let your feverity be carried to that excefs, at most "the punishment can only fall on those who have had "this intention, and then the majority of us are inno"cent. Admitting even that this neutrality and in"action make us all criminal, ought the real fervices <( we have rendered you, in the two preceding wars, to "be deemed as nothing, and will they not cover the "omiffion imputed to us in the laft? Let Philip, An

tiochus, and Perfeus, bear witness now in our cause. "The voices of the two firft will certainly be for us, " and abfolve us; and, for the third, at moft, and in "the fevereft fenfe, the fentence muft appear doubtful "and uncertain. Can you then, according to this ftate "of the question, pass a fatal decree against Rhodes; "for you are now upon the point of deciding, whether "it fhall fubfift any longer, or be entirely deftroyed? "You may declare war against us; but not a single "Rhodian will take up arms against you. If you per

fift in your refentment, we demand time to go and "report our deputation at Rhodes, and at that moment

66

our whole city, men, women, and free perfons, will "embark, with all our eftates and effects; we will "abandon our household gods, as well public as pri<< vate, and come to Rome, where, after we have thrown "our gold and filver, and all we have, at your feet, we "will deliver up ourselves, our wives, and our chil"dren, to your difcretion. We will fuffer here before your eyes, whatever you fhall think fit to inflict upon us. If Rhodes is condemned to be plundered and fet on fire, at least we fhall spare ourfelves the fight of "that calamity. You may by your refolves declare yourselves our enemies; but there is a secret sense in "the bottom of our hearts that declares quite the contrary, and affures us, that whatever hoftilities you 66 may act against us, you will never find us otherwife "than friends and fervants."

66

After this difcourfe, the deputies proftrated themselves upon the earth, and held out their hands towards the fe

nators,

nators, with olive branches in them, to demand peace. When they were withdrawn, by order of the fenate, they proceeded to vote upon the affair. All who had ferved in Macedonia, in quality of confuls, prætors, or lieutenants, and who had most experienced their foolish pride and enmity to the Romans, were very much against them. M. Portius Cato, the celebrated cenfor, known by the severity of his character, which often rofe to hardnefs of heart, was foftened at this time in favour of the Rhodians, and fpoke for them with great warmth and eloquence. Livy does not repeat his difcourfe, becaufe it was then extant in a work of Cato's own, intituled, De Originibus, where he had inferted his own orations.

The world has reason to regret the lofs.of so valuable a collection. Aulus Gellius (6) has preferved fome fragments of this difcourfe of Cato's; by which it appears, he made ufe of almoft the fame reafons with the ambaffadors of Rhodes. I fhall cite fome paffages of it at the bottom of the page, to assist the reader in knowing and distinguishing the manly and energetical style which characterized the Roman eloquence in thofe ancient times, when more attention was had to the force of thoughts, than to the elegance of words.

Cato* begins his difcourfe by reprefenting to the Romans, that they ought not to abandon themselves to the extravagance of exceflive joy: That profperity generally excites pride and infolence: That he apprehends, in the prefent cafe, they may form refolutions, which may draw fome misfortune upon Rome, and cause the frivolous joy, to which they give themselves up, to vanish F4

(0) Liv. I. vii. c. v.

like

*Scio folere plerifque hominibus rebus fecundis atque prolixis atque profperis animum excellere, fuperbiam atque ferociam augefcere atque crefcere quod mihi nunc magnæ curæ eft, quia hæc res tam fecunde proceffit, nequid in confulendo adverfi eveniat, quod noftras fecundas res confutet; neve hæc lætitia nimis luxuriofe eveniat. Adverfæ res fe domant, & docent quid opus fit facto: fecundæ res lætitia tranfver: fum trudere folent a recte confulendo atque intelligendo. Quo majore opere edico fuadeoque uti hæc res aliquot dies proferatur, dum ex tanto gaudio in poteftatem noftram redeamus..