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rally thought. And, befides the disadvantages, which are common to me with all others in eminent stations, my case, is, in this refpect, peculiarly hard; that, whereas a commander of Patrician rank, if he is guilty of a neglect, or breach of duty, has his great connections, the antiquity of his family, the important fervices of his ancestors, and the multitudes he has by power engaged in his intereft, to screen him from condign punishment; my whole fafety depends upon myself; which renders it the more indifpenfably neceffary for me to take care, that my conduct be clear and unexceptionable. Befides, I am well aware, my countrymen, that the eye of the public is upon me; and that, though the impartial, who prefer the real advantage of the commonwealth to all other confiderations, favour my pretenfions, the Patricians want nothing fo much, as an occafion against me. It is, therefore, my fixed refolution, to use my best endeavours, that you be not disappointed in me, and that their indirect defigns against me may be defeated. I have, from my youth, been familiar with toils, and with dangers. I was faithful to your intereft, my countrymen, when I ferved you for no reward, but that of honour. It is not my defign to betray you, now that you have conferred upon me a place of profit. You have committed to my conduct the war against Jugurtha. The Patricians are offended at this. But where would be the wisdom of giving fuch a command to one of their honourable body, a person of illustrious birth, of ancient family, of innumerable statues, but-of no experience? What service would his long line of dead ancestors, or his multitude of motionless statues, do his country in the day of battle? What could fuch a general do, but, in his trepidation and inexperience, have recourfe to fome inferior commander, for direction in difficulties, to which he was not

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himfelf equal? Thus, your Patrician general would, in fact, have a general over him; so that, the acting.com-mander would still be a Plebeian. So true is this, my coun-trymen, that I have myself known thofe, who have been chofen confuls, begin then to read the history of their own country, of which till that time they were totally igno-rant; that is, they first obtained the employment, and then bethought themselves of the qualifications neceffary for the proper discharge of it. I fubmit to your judgment, Romans, on which fide the advantage lies, when a comparifonis made between Patrician haughtinefs, and Plebeian expe-rience. The very actions which they have only read, I. have partly feen, and partly myfelf atchieved. What they know by reading, I know by action. They are pleased to › fight my mean birth: I defpife their mean characters. Want of birth and fortune is the objection against me: want of perfonal worth against them. But are not all men of the fame fpecies? What can make a difference between one man and another, but the endowments of the mind? Fore my part, I fhall always look upon the bravest man as the nobleft man. Suppose it were enquired of the fathers of fuch. Patricians as Albinus and Beitia, whether, if they had their choice, they would defire fons of their character, or of mine; what would they anfwer; but that they fhould wish the worthieft to be their fons? If the Patricians have reason to despise me, let them likewise despise their ancestors, whose nobility was the fruit of their virtue. Do they envy the honours bestowed upon me?. Let them envy likewise my bours, my abftinence, and the dangers I have undergone for my country; by which I have acquired them. But those worthless men lead fuch a life of inactivity, as if they defpifed any honours you can beftow; whilst they afpire to ho-

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nours, as if they had deferved them by the most induftrious virtue. They arrogate the rewards of activity for their having enjoyed the pleasures of luxury. Yet none can be more lavish than they are, in praise of their ancestors. And they imagine they honour themselves by celebrating their forefathers. Whereas they do the very contrary. For, as much as their ancestors were diftinguished for their virtues, fo much are they difgraced by their vices. The glory of anceftors cafts a light, indeed, upon their pofterity: but it only ferves to fhew what the defcendants are. It alike exhibits to public view their degeneracy and their worth. I own, I cannot boaft of the deeds of my forefathers: but I hope I may anfwer the cavils of the Patricians, by standing up in defence of what I have myfelf done. Obferve, now, my countrymen, the injuftice of the Patricians. They arrogate to themselves honours on account of the exploits done by their forefathers, whilft they will not allow me the due praise för performing the very fame fort of actions in my own perfon. He has no ftatues, they cry, of his family. He can trace no venerable line of ancestors.-What then! Is it matter of more praise to disgrace one's illuftrious ancestors than to become illuftrious by his own good behaviour? What if I can fhew no statues of my family? I can fhew the ftandards, the armour, and the trappings, which I have myself taken from the vanquished; I can fhew the fears of thofe wounds, which I have received by facing the enemies of my country. Thefe are my ftatues. Thefe are the honours I boast of; not left me by inheritance, as theirs; but earned by toil, by abstinence, by valour, amidst clouds of duft, and feas of blood; fcenes of action, where thofe effeminate Patricians, who endeavour, by indirect means, to depreciate me in your efteem, have never dared to fhew their faces.

SALLUST.

CHAP.

CHAP.

IV.

CALISTHENES'S REPROOF OF CLEON's FLATTERY TO ALEXANDER.

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F the king were prefent, Cleon, there would be no need of my answering to what you have juft proposed. He would himself reprove you for endeavouring to draw him into an imitation of foreign abfurdities, and for bringing envy upon him by fuch unmanly flattery. As he is abfent, I take upon me to tell you in his name, that no praise is lafting, but what is rational; and that you do what you can to leffen his glory, instead of adding to it. Heroes have never, among us, been deified, till after their death. And whatever may be your way of thinking, Cleon, for my part, I wish the king may not, for many years to come, obtain that honour. You have mentioned, as precedents of what you propofe, Hercules and Bacchus. Do you imagine, Cleon, that they were deified over a cup of wine? And are you and I qualified to make gods? Is the king, our fovereign, to receive his divinity from you and me, who are his fubjects? First try your power, whether you can make a king. It is, furely, easier to make a king, than a god? to give an earthly dominion, than a throne in heaven. I only wish, that the gods may have heard, without offence, the arrogant propofal you have made, of adding one to their number; and that they may fill be fo propitious to us, as to grant the continuance of that fuccefs to our affairs, with which they have hitherto favoured us. For my part, I am not ashamed of my country; nor do I approve of our adopting the rites of foreign nations, or learning from them how

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we ought to reverence our kings. To receive laws, or rules of conduct, from them, what is it, but to confefs ourselves inferior to them?

QUINTUS CURTIUS.

CHAP. V.

THE SCYTHIAN

AMBASSADORS

то ALEXANDER.

IF your perfon were as gigantic, as your defires, the world

would not contain you. Your right hand would touch the eaft, and your left the weft, at the fame time. You grafp at more than you are equal to. From Europe you reach Afia: from Afia you lay hold on Europe. And if you should conquer all mankind, you feem difpofed to wage war with woods and fnows, with rivers and wild beasts, and to attempt to fubdue nature. But have you confidered the ufual courfe of things? Have you reflected, that great trees are many years in growing to their height, and are cut down in an hour. It is foolish to think of the fruit only, without confidering the height you have to climb, to come at it. Take care left, while you ftrive to reach the top, you fall to the ground with the branches you have laid hold on. The lion, when dead, is devoured by ravens; and ruft confumes the hardness of iron. There is nothing fo strong, but it is in danger from what is weak. It will, therefore, be your wifdom, to take care how you venture beyond your reach. Befides, what have you to do with the Scythians, or the Scythians with you? We have never invaded Macedon: why fhould you attack Scythia? We inhabit vaft defarts, and pathlefs woods, where we do not want to hear of the name of Alexander. We are not disposed to submit to flavery ;

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