Search -
Pinnock's improved edition of Dr. Goldsmith's History of Greece
Pinnock's improved edition of Dr Goldsmith's History of Greece Author:Oliver Goldsmith Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: SECTION III SECOND MESSENIAN WAR. 1. The Messe'nians rose up as one man, and at once expelled the Spartans from their dominions. The leader of the insu... more »rrection was Aristom'enes, a youth descended C B. c. from the ancient line of Messe'nian kings, adorned £ 682. with the most extraordinary qualities of mind and body. 2. The first engagement was fought at De'rae with doubtful success ; but so conspicuous was the valour of the Messe'nian leader, that his soldiers unanimously saluted him king, on the field of battle. He however declined the dangerous name, declaring himself satisfied with the humble title of general. 3. His next exploit resembled the action of a hero of romance rather than of history. He entered Sparta, which was neither walled nor lighted, by night, and proceeding to the temple of Minerva, hung up a buckler there as a memorial of his exploit, and an offering to propitiate the favour of that warlike goddess in the war which he had commenced. 4. Two other Messenians, imitating the hardihood of their general, rode into the very middle of the Lacedaemonian camp, while the soldiers were celebrating the festival of Castor and Pollux. The beauty of their persons, the richness of their dress, the fiery steeds on which they were mounted, made the superstitious crowd believe that their heavenly protectors had come in person to grace the festival with their presence. But they were soon fatally undeceived, when the young heroes, couching their lances, charged the astonished multitude, and having slain an immense number, returned to their countrymen triumphant and uninjured. 5. These exploits, and others of a similar kind, so terrified tlfe Spartans, that they sent to consult the oracle of Apollo. The response of the Pythia was, that the Spartans would be successful,...« less