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their wives and children upon the neighbouring eminences, to be fpectators of the battle, and caufed a great number of carriages to follow them, to be laden with the booty they fhould take from the enemy; fo fully did they affure themselves of the victory.

Never was there a more rash or ill-founded confidence. The faction had removed from the fervice and counfels all fuch as were capable of commanding the troops, or conducting affairs, and had fubftituted others in their room, without either talents or ability, in order to their being more abfolute masters of the government, and ruling without oppofition. The chiefs, without military knowledge, valour, or experience, had no other merit than a blind and frantic rage. They had already committed an excefs of folly in hazarding a battle, which was to decide their fate, without neceffity, instead of thinking of a long and brave defence in so ftrong a place as Corinth, and of obtaining good conditions by a vigorous refistance. The battle was fought near * Leucopetra, and the defile of the ifthmus. The conful had posted part of his horfe in an ambuscade, which they quitted at a proper time, for charging the Achæan cavalry in flank; who, furprised by an unforeseen attack, gave way immediately. The infantry made a little more refistance; but as it was neither covered nor fuftained by the horse, it was foon broke and put to flight. If Diæus had retired into the place, he might have held it fome time, and obtained an honourable capitulation from Mummius, whofe fole aim was to put an end to the war. But, abandoning himself to his defpair, he rode full speed to Megalopolis, his country; and having entered his houfe, fet fire to it, killed his wife, to prevent her falling into the hands of the enemy, drank poison, and in that manner put an end to his life, worthy of the many crimes he had committed.

After this defeat, the inhabitants loft all hope of defending themselves. As they found they were without counfel, leaders, courage, or views, nobody had any thoughts of rallying the wrecks of the army, in order to

*This place is not known.

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make any further refiftance, and oblige the victor to grant them fome fupportable conditions: So that all the Achæans who had retired into Corinth, and most of the citizens, quitted it the following night, to fave themfelves where they could. The conful having entered the city, abandoned it to be plundered by the foldiers. All the men who were left in it were put to the fword, and the women and children fold; and after the statues, paintings, and richest moveables, were removed, in order to their being carried to Rome, the houses were set on fire, and the whole city continued univerfally in flames for feveral days. From that time the Corinthian brafs became more famous than ever, though it had been in reputation long before. It is pretended, that the gold, filver, and brafs, which was melted and ran together in this conflagration, formed a new and precious metal. The walls were afterwards demolished, and razed to their very foundations. All this was executed by order of the fenate, to punish the infolence of the Corinthians, who had violated the law of nations in their treatment of the ambaffadors fent to them by Rome.

Thus was Corinth ruined, the fame year Carthage was taken and destroyed by the Romans, nine hundred and fifty-two years after its foundation by Aletes, the fon of Hippotes, fixth in descent from Hercules. It does not appear that they had any thoughts of raifing new troops for the defence of the country, or summoned any affembly to deliberate upon the measures it was neceffary to take; nor that any one took upon him to propose any remedy for the public calamities, or endeavoured to appeafe the Romans, by fending deputies to implore their clemency. One would have thought, from this general inactivity, that the Achæan league had been entirely buried in the ruins of Corinth; fo much had the dreadful deftruction of that city alarmed, and univerfally dismayed the people.

The cities that had joined in the revolt of the Achæans were alfo punished by the demolishing of their walls, and by being difarmed. The ten commiffioners fent by the fenate, to regulate the affairs of Greece, in conjunc

tion with the conful, abolished popular government in all the cities, and established magiftrates in them, who were to have a certain revenue out of the public funds. In other refpects, they were left in poffeffion of their laws and liberty. They abolished also all the general affemblies held by the Achæans, Boeotians, Phocæans, and other people of Greece; but they were re-established soon after. Greece, from that time, was reduced into a Roman province, called the province of Achaia; because, at the taking Corinth, the Achæans were the most powerful people of Greece; the Roman people fent a prætor thither every year to govern it.

Rome, by destroying Corinth in this manner, thought proper to show that example of severity, in order to deter others, whom its too great clemency rendered bold, rash, and presuming, from the hope they had of obtaining the Roman people's pardon for their faults. Befides. which, the advantageous fituation of that city, where fuch as revolted might canton themselves, and make it a place of arms against the Romans, determined them to ruin it entirely. * Cicero, who did not disapprove of Carthage and Numantia being used in that manner, could have wished that Corinth had been spared.

The booty taken at Corinth was fold, and confiderable fums raised from it. Amongst the paintings, there was a piece drawn by the moft celebrated † hand in Greece, (o) reprefenting Bacchus, the beauty of which was not known to the Romans, who were at that time entirely ignorant in the polite arts. Polybius, who was then in the country, as I fhall foon obferve, had the mortification to fee that painting serve the foldiers for a table to play at dice upon. It was adjudged to Attalus, in the fale made

of

(0) Strab. 1. viii. p. 381. Plin. 1. vii. c. 38. & 1. xxxv. c. 9. & 10. Majores noftri-Carthaginem et Numantiam funditus fuftulerunt. Sed credo illos fecutos opportunitatem leci maximè, ne poffet aliquando ad bellum faciendum locus ipfe adhortari. Cic. de Offic. l. i. n. 15.

† This painter was called Ariftides. The picture mentioned here was in fuch estimation, that it was commonly said, All paintings are nothing in comparison to the Bacchus,

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of the booty, for fix hundred thousand fefterces, that is, about three thousand fix hundred and twenty-five pounds Sterling. Pliny mentions another picture of the fame painter's, which the fame Attalus purchased for an hundred talents, or an hundred thousand crowns. That prince's riches were immenfe, and were become a proverb: Attalicis conditionibus. Nevertheless, those fums feem repugnant to probability. However it were, the conful, furprised that the price of the painting in question fhould rife fo high, interpofed his authority, and retained it, contrary to public faith, and notwithstanding the complaints of Attalus; because he imagined there was fome hidden virtue in the piece, unknown to him. He * did not act in that manner for his private intereft, nor with the view of appropriating it to himself, as he sent it to Rome, to be applied in adorning the city. In doing which, fays Cicero, he adorned and embellished his houfe much more effentially, than if he had placed that picture in it. The taking of the richeft and moft opulent city of Greece did not enrich him one farthing. Such noble difinterestedness was at that time common in Rome, and feemed lefs the virtue of private perfons, than of the age itself. To take the advantage of office, and command for enriching a man's felf, was not only fhameful and infamous, but a criminal abufe. The painting we speak of was fet up in the temple of Ceres, whither the judges went to fee it out of curiofity, as a mafter-piece of art; and it remained there till it was burnt with that temple.

Mummius was a great warrior, and an excellent man, but had neither learning, knowledge of arts, nor taste' for painting or sculpture; the merit of which he did not. diftinguish, not believing there was any difference between picture and picture, or statue and statue, nor that the name of the great mafters in those arts gave them

their

Numquid Lucius Mummius copiofior, cum copiofiffimam urbem funditus fuftuliffet? Italiam ornare, quam domum fuam, maluit. Quanquam Italia ornata, domus ipfa mihi videtur ornatior. Laus abftinentiæ non hominis eft folum, fed etiam temporum.Habere quæftui remp. non modo turpe eft, fed fceleratum etiam et nefarium. Cic. de Offic. 1. i. n. 76, 77.

their value. This he fully explained upon the prefent occafion. *He had ordered perfons to take care of tranfporting many of the paintings and ftatues of the moft excellent mafters to Rome. Never had lofs been fo irreparable, as that of fuch a depofit, confifting of the mafter-pieces of thofe rare artists, who contributed, almoft as much as the great captains, to the rendering of their age glorious to pofterity. Mummius, however, in recommending the care of that precious collection to those to whom he confided them, threatened them very feriously, that if the ftatues, paintings, and other things, with which he charged them, fhould be either loft, or fpoiled upon the way, he would oblige them to find others at their own coft and charges.

Were it not to be wifhed, fays an hiftorian who has preferved us this fact, that this happy ignorance still subfifted? and would not such a groffness be infinitely preferable, in regard to the public good, to the exceeding delicacy of taste of the prefent age for fuch fort of rarities? He fpoke at a time when that tafte for excellent paintings amongst the magiftrates was the occafion of their committing all manner of frauds and robberies in the provinces.

I have faid, that Polybius, on returning into Peloponnefus, had the affliction to fee the deftruction and burning of Corinth, and his country reduced into a province of the Roman empire. If any (p) thing was capable of giving him confolation in fo mournful a conjuncture, it was the opportunity of defending the memory of Philopomen, his master in the fcience of war. I have already obferved, that a Roman, having taken it into his head to have the statues erected to that hero taken down, had the imprudence to profecute him criminally, as if he had

(p) Polyb. in Excerpt. p. 190-192.

Mummius tam rudis fuit, ut capta Corintho, cum maximorum artificum perfectas manibus tabulas ac ftatuas in Italiam portendas locaret, juberet prædici conducentibus, fi eas perdidiffent, novae eas reddiNon tamen puto dubites, Vinici, quin magis pro republica fuerit, manere adhuc rudem Corinthiorum intellectum, quam in tantam ea intelligi; et quin hac prudentia illa imprudentia decori publico tre. rit convenetior. Vell. Paterc. 1. i. n. 13.

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