THE GREEK POETS. 115 He was called Diogenes The Dog,-either because he lived like a dog, or because he had a currish habit of snarling at everybody. 10. His doctrine was, that the fewer enjoyments a man had, the happier he was likely to be. This philosopher went about barefoot, dressed in very shabby clothes, and carrying a bag, a jug, and a staff. He afterward got a great tub, which he used to lug about with him all day long, and sleep in at night. 11. One day, Alexander the Great came to see Diogenes, and found him mending his tub. It happened that Alexander stood in such a manner as to shade Diogenes from the sun, and he felt cold. "Diogenes," said Alexander, "you must have a very hard time of it, living in a tub. Can I do any thing to better your condition ?" "Nothing, except to get out of my sunshine,” replied Diogenes, who disdained to accept any other favor from the greatest monarch in the world. CHAPTER LVII.-EUROPE-CONTINUED. Something more about the Greek Philosophers. The Greek Poets. 1.. I COULD tell you much more about the Grecian philosophers, but I have not room. I must not forget, however, to mention Plato, who was born 429 years B. C., and was for eight years the pupil of Socrates. 2. This great man, like many other Grecian philosophers, was a sort of schoolmaster, and many young men came to be taught by him. He delivered his lectures in a grove near Athens, called Academus, from which circumstance the word academy has since been applied to the higher class of schools. 3. So great was his reputation, that the first young men from various parts of the world came to be his pupils. He had very sublime ideas of religion, virtue, and truth; and he delivered these with so much sweetness and eloquence, that his listeners were enchanted. The Greeks spoke of him as Plato the Divine. 4. There were other celebrated philosophers in Greece, but I must leave them now, and tell you of the poets. Homer, the best poet of ancient times, one of the best that ever lived, I have 9. What of Diogenes? 10. His doctrines? How did he live? dote of Diogenes. 11. Tell an anec CHAP. LVII.-1. When was Plato born? Whose pupil was he? 2. What else of Plato? 8. What of his ideas, and his mode of expressing them? 4. What of Homer? already mentioned. When this great man was born, how he lived, or where he died, are matters of uncertainty. 5. The general opinion is, that he lived about the year 900 B. C., and was a wandering minstrel, who went about from place to place reciting and singing his verses. The Il'-i-ad and Od'-ys-sey, his two poems, were composed in separate parts, and, but for the care of Lycurgus, who had them collected, would doubtless have been lost. They celebrate the actions of heroes and imaginary gods, and are full of the liveliest interest. 6. There were many other poets in ancient Greece, some of whom acquired great celebrity. Among these was A-na'-cre-on, who wrote about love; Pindar, who composed sublime odes; and Theoc'-ri-tus, who sang about shepherds and shepherdesses, living very pleasantly in the country. There were also some poets who wrote pieces for the stage. 7. You already know that the Greeks were in many respects very ignorant, and entertained many absurd notions. They did not know that the earth is a great globe or ball, that it turns round every day, and that the sun, moon, and stars are also great worlds moving about in the sky. 8. You would not therefore expect in their poetry to find any useful information about geography or astronomy. Yet they lived in a beautiful country, and their mountains, streams, and valleys were often the subject of their songs. 9. Their religion, too, though full of absurdity, furnished materials for the poets. They described the gods and goddesses as dwelling upon the mountains, or skipping along the valleys, or gliding amid the waters. Thus every object of nature derived a new interest from the vivid fancy of these poets. 10. To this day the verses of the Greek poets are remembered, and the places mentioned by them are often visited by travelers, who look upon them with emotion, on account of the beautiful fictions they inspired more than two thousand years ago. 5. When is it supposed Homer lived? How did he live? What of his poems? 6. What of Anacreon? Pindar? Theocritus? Other poets? 7. What did the Greeks not know? 8. What of the poetry of the ancient Greeks? 9. What use did the Grecian poets make of their mythology? What effect had the poems of the ancient Greeks? Are the poems of the ancient Greeks still remembered? 10. Are the places mentioned in these poems rendered more interesting to travelers of the present time who visit them? THE ANCIENT GREEKS. 117 CHAPTER LVIII.-EUROPE-CONTINUED. About the Mode of Life among the Ancient Greeks. 1. But we must now leave poets and philosophers, and take a view of the private life of the ancient Greeks. The men wore an inner garment called a tunic, over which they threw a mantle; their shoes or sandals were bound under their feet with thongs or ropes. In ancient times the Greeks went with their heads uncovered; but afterward they used hats, which were tied under the chin. 2. The women always covered their heads with a vail, which came down upon the shoulders. They wore in their hair golden grasshoppers, and ear-rings were suspended from their ears. The rest of their dress consisted of a white tunic fastened with a broad sash, and descending in folds down to their heels. 3. The Greeks usually made four meals a day: the morning meal, which was taken at the rising of the sun; the next at mid-day; the afternoon repast, and the supper, which was the principal meal, as it was taken after the business of the day. 4. In the early ages, the food of the Greeks was the fruits of the earth, and their drink water; the flesh of animals was introduced at a later period. This brought on the luxuries of the table, and some of the cities of Greece became renowned for producing excellent cooks. The Spartans, as we have before mentioned, ate at public tables. Their chief food consisted of black broth. 5. The poor sometimes fed on grasshoppers, and the extremities of leaves. In general, the Greeks were very fond of flesh. Their usual drink was water, either hot or cold, but most commonly the latter, which was sometimes cooled with ice. Wines were very generally used, and even perfumed wines were introduced at the tables of the rich. 6. Before the Greeks went to an entertainment, they washed and anointed themselves; when they arrived, the entertainer took them by the hand, or kissed their lips, hands, knees, or feet, as they deserved more or less respect. It must be observed concerning the guests, that men and women were never invited together. 7. They sat at meat either quite upright, or leaning a little backward; but in more degenerate ages, they adopted the Asiatic CHAP. LVIII.-1. What did the men wear among the ancient Greeks? Their shoes? Head-dress? 2. Head-dress of the women? What ornaments did they wear? The rest of their dress? 3. The meals of the Greeks? 4. What was the food of the Greeks in early ages? What of flesh? Luxuries of the table? What of the Spartans? 5. What of the poor? Were the Greeks fond of meat for food? What of their drink? Wine? 6. What of entertainments? Men and women? 7. How did they sit at table? custom of reclining on beds or couches. As soon as the provisions were set on the table, and before the guests began to eat, a part was offered as a sort of first-fruits to the gods. 8. They had a custom, similar to ours, of drinking healths, not only to those present, but to their absent friends; and at every name they poured a little wine on the ground, which was called a libation. 9. The entertainment being ended, a hymn was sung to the gods. After this, the company was amused with music, dancing, and mimicry, or whatever could tend to excite mirth or cheerfulness. 10. The houses of the rich were built of stone, and many of them were highly ornamented. A large part of the people, however, lived in huts made of rough stone laid in clay. 11. In war, the Greeks fought with various weapons. Some of the soldiers had bows and arrows; some had javelins or spears, which they hurled with great force and precision of aim, and some had slings, with which they threw stones. They usually carried shields for warding off the weapons of their enemies. 12. You must recollect that, in these ancient times, gunpowder was not known, and muskets and cannon were, therefore, not in use. In battle, the warriors often engaged in close conflict, foot to foot, and breast to breast. The strife was, therefore, very exciting, and the men usually fought with furious courage. 13. As mankind were very much given to making war upon one another, it was the custom in all countries to surround the cities with high walls for defense. This practice, indeed, continued for many ages, and if you ever go to Europe, you will see that the principal cities of France, Germany, and many other countries, are still secured in this way. 14. In modern times, when an army attacks a city it batters down the walls with cannon-shot, or by undermining them, placing gunpowder beneath, and then setting it on fire. But in the olden times of Greece, the warriors used battering-rams, consisting of heavy beams with ponderous stones at one end. These were driven by main strength against the walls, and thus, after many efforts, they were demolished. How do the people of Asia sit at table? Did the Greeks adopt this Asiatic custom? What was done before beginning to eat? 8. What of drinking healths? 9. What followed the eating? 10. What of the habitations of the rich? Of the poor? 11. What weapons were used by the Greeks in war? 12. What of gunpowder? How did the warriors engage one another in conflict? 13. What was the custom regarding cities? What are to be seen in Europe? 14. How do the moderns attack a walled city? How did the ancients destroy the walls of a city? PHILIP OF MACEDON. CHAPTER LIX.-EUROPE-CONTINUED. 119 Philip of Macedon conquers Greece. 1. I SHALL now resume the history of Greece, at the point where The reader will recollect that I had just finished speak I left off. 2. Not long after the close of that war, the states of Greece became involved in another, which was generally called the Sacred War. The people of Pho'-cis had been sentenced, by the Am-phicty-on'-ic council, to pay a heavy fine for plowing a field which be longed to the temple of Apollo, at Delphos. Rather than pay the fine, the Phocians resolved to go to war. The people of Athens, Sparta, and A-cha'-i-a assisted the Phocians. The Thebans, Lo'-cri-ans, and Thessalians took the part of the Amphictyonic council, and Philip, king of Macedon, was induced to fight on the same side. 4. The kingdom of Macedon is numbered by some historians among the states of Greece; but others consider it a separate CHAP. LIX.-2. What of the Sacred War? Cause of it? 3. What states fought on the side of the Phocians? What on the side of the Amphyctionic Council? On which side did Philip, king of Macedon, fight? 4. What of Macedon? Where was it situated? |