after which it was transferred, with the reft of the empire, to the Macedonians, and at last fell to the fhare of the Romans. It was governed for a great length of time by its own kings, the most confiderable of whom was Tigranes, who espoused the daughter of the great Mithridates king of Pontus, and was alfo engaged in a long war with the Romans. This kingdom fupported itself many years, between the Roman and Parthian empires, fometimes depending on the one, and fometimes on the other, till at last the Romans became its mafters. Kings of Epirus. Epirus is a province of Greece, feparated from Theffaly and Macedonia by mount Pindus. The most powerful people of this country were the Moloffians. The kings of Epirus pretended to derive their defcent from Pyrrhus the fon of Achilles, who eftablished himfelf in that country, and called themselves acides, from Eacus the grandfather of Achilles. *The genealogy of the last kings, who were the only fovereigns of this country of whom any accounts remain, is varioully related by authors, and confequently must be dubious and obscure. Arymbas afcended the throne, after a long fucceffion of kings, and as he was then very young, the states of Epirus, who were fenfible that the welfare of the people depended on the proper education of their princes, fent him to Athens, which was the refidence and centre of all the arts and sciences, in order to cultivate, in that excellent school, fuch knowledge as was neceffary to form the mind of a king. He there learned the art of reigning effectually, and as he furpaffed all his ancestors in ability and knowledge, he was in confequence infinitely more esteemed and beloved by his people than they had been. When he returned from Athens, he made laws, established a fenate and magistracy, and regulated the form of the government. × Diod. I. xvi. p. 465. Justin, I. viii. c. 6. Plut. in Pyrrho. * Quanto doctior majoribus, tanto et gratior populo fuit. JUSTIN. 1. xvii. C. 3. Neoptolemus, Neoptolemus, whofe daughter Olympias had efpoufed Philip king of Macedon, attained an equal share in the regal government of Arymbas his elder brother, by the credit of his fon-in-law. After the death of Arymbas, acides his fon ought to have been his fucceffor; but Philip had ftill the credit to procure his expulfion from the kingdom by the Moloffians, who established Alexander the fon of Neoptolemus fole monarch of Epirus. Alexander efpoufed Cleopatra the daughter of Philip, and marched with an army into Italy, where he lost his life in the country of the Brutians. Eacides then afcended the throne, and reigned without any affociate in Epirus. He efpoufed Phthia, the daughter of Menon the Theffalian, by whom he had two daughters, Deidamia and Troida, and one fon, the celebrated Pyrrhus. As he was marching to the affiftance of Olympias, his troops mutinied against him, condemned him to -exile, and flaughtered moft of his friends. Pyrrhus, .who was then an infant, happily escaped this maffacre. Neoptolemus, a prince of the blood, but whose particular extraction is little known, was placed on the throne by the people of Epirus. Pyrrhus, being recalled by his fubjects at the age of twelve years, first shared the fovereignty with Neoptolemus; but having afterwards divested him of his dignity, he reigned alone. This hiftory will treat of the various adventues of this prince. He died in the city of Argos, in an attack to make himself master of it. Helenus his fon reigned after him for some time in Epirus, which was afterwards united to the Roman empire. Tyrants of Heraclea. Heraclea is a city of Pontus, anciently founded by the Baotians, who fent a colony into that country by the order of an oracle. A. M. 3733 Ant. J. C. 271. When When the Athenians were victorious over the Perfians, and had impofed a tribute on the cities of Greece and Afia Minor, for the fitting out and fupport of a fleet intended for the defence of the common liberty, the inhabitants of Heraclea, in confequence of their attachment to the Perfians, were the only people who refufed to acquiefce in fo juft a contribution. Lamachus was therefore fent against them, and he ravaged their territories; but a violent tempeft having destroyed his whole fleet, he beheld himself abandoned to the mer cy of that people, whofe natural ferocity might well have been increased, by the fevere treatment they had lately received. But they had recourfe to no other vengeance but benefactions; they furnished him with provisions and troops for his return, and were willing to confider the depredations which had been committed in their country as advantageous to them, if they acquired the friendship of the Athenians at that price. a Some time after this event, they populace of Heraclea excited a violent commotion against the rich citizens and fenators, who having implored affiftance to no effect, first from Timotheus the Athenian, and afterwards from Epaminondas the Theban, were neceffitated to recal Clearchus a fenator to their defence, whom themfelves had banished; but his exile had neither improved his morals nor rendered him a better citizen than he was before. He therefore made the troubles, in which he found the city involved, fubfervient to his design of subjecting it to his own power. With this view he openly declared for the people, caufed himself to be invested with the higheft office in the magistracy, and affumed a fovereign authority in a fhort time. Being thus become a profeffed tyrant, there were no kinds of violence to which he had not recourse against the rich and the senaJuftin. I. xvi. c. 3-5. Diod. 1. xv. c. 390. 2 A. M. 3640. Ant. J. C. 364. *Heraclienfes honeftiorem beneficii, quam ultiones occafionem rati, infructos commeatibus auxiliifque dimittunt; bene agrorum fuorum populationem impenfam exiftimentes fi, quos hoftes habuerants amicos redidiffent. JUSTIN. tors, tors, to fatiate his avarice and cruelty. He propofed for his model Donyfius the Tyrant, who had established his power over the Syracufans at the same time. After a hard and inhuman fervitude of twelve years, two young citizens, who were Plato's difciples, and had been inftructed in his maxims, formed a confpiracy against Clearchus, and flew him; but though they delivered their country from the tyrant, the tyranny ftill fubfifted. Timotheus, the fon of Clearchus, affumed his place, and pursued his conduct for the space of fifteen years. < He was fucceeded by his brother Dionyfius, who was in danger of being difpoffeffed of his authority by Perdiccas; but as this laft was foon deftroyed, & Dionyfius contracted a friendship with Antigonus, whom he affifted against Ptolemy in the Cyprian war. He efpoufed Amaftris, the widow of Craterus, and. daughter of Oxiathres, the brother of Darius. This alliance inspired him with fo much courage, that he affumed the title of king, and enlarged his dominions by the addition of feveral places which he feized on the confines of Heraclea. He died two or three years before the battle of Ipfus, and after a reign of thirty-three years, leaving two fons and a daughter under the tutelage and regency of Amaftris. This princefs was rendered happy in her administra tion by the affection Antigonus entertained for her. She founded a city, and called it by her name; after which the transplanted thither the inhabitants of three other cities, and espoused Lyfimachus, after the death of Antigonus. Kings of Syracufe. f Hiero, and his fon Hieronymus, reigned at Syra cufe; the first fifty-four years, the fecond but one year. b A. M. 3652. Ant. J. C. 352. A. M. 3067. Ant. J. C. 337. Diod. I. xvi 4 Ibid. p. 478. Ant. J. C. 269. P. 435. ↑ A. M. 3735. Syracufe • Syracuse recovered its liberty by the death of the laft, but continued in the intereft of the Carthaginians, which Hieronymus had caufed it to efpoufe. His conduct obliged Marcellus to form the fiege of that city, which he took the following year. I fhall enlarge upon the hiftory of these two kings in another place. Other Kings. Several kings likewife reigned in the Cimmerian Bofphorus, as alfo in Thrace, Cyrene in Africa, Paphlagonia, Colchis, Iberia, Albania, and a variety of other places; but their history is very uncertain, and their fucceffions have but little regularity. These circumftances are very different with refpect to the kingdom of the Parthians, who formed them. felves, as we shall fee in the fequel, into fuch a powerful monarchy, as became formidable even to the Roman empire. That of the Bactrians received its original about the fame period; I fhall treat of each in their proper places. A. M. 3780. Ant. J. C. 224. b A. M. 3790. Ant. J. C. 213. CATALOGUE |