assembly of the principal persons of the nation. Anicius hav. ing assembled his tribunal, declared to them, that the senate and people of Rome granted liberty to the Illyrians, and that the garrisons should be withdrawn from all the cities and forts of the country as soon as possible. In regard to some people, who, either before or during the war, had declared for the Romans, an exemption from all taxes was added to their liberty; all the rest were discharged from one half of the imposts formerly paid to the kings. Illyria was divided into three regions or parts, which had each of them their public council and magistrates. Before the deputies from Macedonia * arrived there, Paulus Emilius, who was at leisure, visited, during the autumn, the most celebrated cities of Greece; to see those things with his own eyes, which all the world talked of without knowing them. Having left the command of the camp to Sulpicius Gallus, he set out with a small train, accompanied by young Scipio his son, and Athenæus, king Eumenes's brother. He passed through Thessaly, in his way to Delphos, the most celebrated oracle in the universe. The multitude and value of the presents, statues, vessels, and tripods with which that temple was filled, surprised him extremely. He there offered a sacrifice to Apollo. Having seen a great square pillar of white marble, on which a golden statue of Perseus was to have been placed, he caused his own to be set upon it, saying, "that the "vanquished ought to give place to the victors." He saw at Lebadia the temple of Jupiter, surnamed Trophonius, and the entrance of the cavern into which those who consulted the † oracle descended. He offered a sacrifice to Jupiter, and the goddess Hercynna, who was believed to be the daugh ter of Trophonius. At Chalcis he gratified his curiosity in seeing the Euripus, and the ebb and flow of the sea, which is there very frequent and extraordinary. From thence he went to the city of Aulis, from which port the famous fleet of Agamemnon sailed for Troy. He made a visit to the temple of Diana in that place, upon whose altar that king of kings sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia, to obtain a prosperous voyage from the goddess. After having passed through Oropus in Attica, where the soothsayer Amphilochus was honoured as a god, he came to Liv. 1. xlv. n. 27, 28. Plut. in Paul. Emil. p. 270. † For an account of this oracle, see book X. chap. iii. sect. a. ⚫lebrated by ancient renown, where abundance d themselves to his view well capable of inng his curiosity: the citadel, the ports, the e Piræus to the city; the arsenals for the ious generals, the statues of gods and hard to know, whether the matter or art .able. He did not forget to offer a sacrifice to tutelary goddess of the citadel. → Paulus Æmilius was in that city, he demanded an exent philosopher of the Athenians to finish the education of children, and a fine painter to design the ornaments of his mph. They immediately cast their eyes upon Metrodorus, o excelled both in philosophy and painting: a very singular extraordinary praise, which was confirmed by experience, the approbation of Paulus Æmilius. We here see the at tion paid by the great men of antiquity to the education of ir children. The sons of that Roman general were then of me age, the youngest of the two, who made the campaign in acedonia with his father, being at that time 17 years old. thought it necessary, however, to have a philosopher with em, capable of forming both their minds by the study of the iences, and their manners by that of moral virtue, which of 1 studies is the most important, and yet the most neglected. o know what are the effects of such an education, we have onto consider the future greatness of the youngest of the two ons of this consul, who inherited the name and merit of Scipio africanus, his grandfather by adoption, and of Paulus Æmilis, his natural father: who ruined Carthage and Numantia; who distinguished himself as much by polite learning and the sciences, as by his military virtues; who held it for his honour to have Polybius the historian, Panatius the philosopher, and Terence the poet, for his friends and companions; who, in a word, to use the terms of a writer of excellent sense, never said, did, nor thought, any thing unworthy a Roman. Paulus Æmilius, having found the precious treasure he sought, in the person of Metrodorus, left Athens well satisfied. He arrived in two days at Corinth. The citadel and isthmus : were an agreeable sight to him. The first, which was situated upon the top of a mountain, abounded with streams and fountains of exceedingly pure water; and the isthmus, which sepa *P. Scipio Emilianus, vir avitis P. Africani paternisque I.. Pauli virtutibus simillimus, omnibus belli ac togæ dotibus, ingeniique ac studiorum eminentissimus seculi sui, qui nihil in vita nisi laudandum aut fecit, aut dixit, aut sensit. Patere 1. i. c. 12, rated by a very small neck of land two neighbouring seas, the one on the east, and the other on the west of it. Sicyone and Argos, two very illustrious cities, were the next in his way; and afterwards Epidaurus, less opulent than the two others, but well known from the famous temple of Esculapius, where he saw an infinite multitude of rich presents, the offerings of sick persons, out of gratitude for the cures they imagined to have received from that god. Sparta was not distinguished by the magnificence of its buildings, but by the wisdom of its laws, customs, and discipline. Having taken Megalopolis in his way, he arrived at Olym pia, where he saw abundance of things worthy of admiration; but when he cast his eyes upon the statue of Jupiter, Phidias's masterpiece, he was as much struck, says Livy, as if he had seen the god himself, and cried out, that " this Jupiter of Phidias was the exact Jupiter of * Homer." Imagining himself in the capitol, he offered a more solemn sacrifice here than he had done any where else. Having made the tour of Greece in this manner, without giv ing himself any trouble to know people's thoughts in regard to Perseus, and to avoid giving the allies any cause of discontent, he returned to Demetrias. He had met on his way a number of Ætolians, who came to inform him of an unhappy accident which had befallen their city. He ordered them to attend him at Amphipolis. Having received advice, that the ten commis. sioners had already passed the sea, he quitted all other affairs, and went to meet them at Apollonia, which was one day's jour ney from Amphipolis. He was very much surprised to meet Perseus there, whom his guards suffered to go about with abun dance of liberty, for which he afterwards warmly reproved Sulpicius, to whose care he had confided that important pri soner. He put him, with Philip his son, into the hands of Posthumius, with orders to guard him better. For his daughter and younger son, he caused them to be brought from Samothra. cia to Amphipolis, where he ordered such care to be taken of them as their birth and condition required. The commissioners being come thither, as had been agreed on with them, and having entered the chamber of the assembly, where a great number of Macedonians were present, he took his seat in his tribunal, and after having caused silence to be made by the crier, Paulus Æmilius repeated in Latin the re * To have so well expressed the idea of Homer is highly to the praise of Phidias; but the having so well conceived all the majesty of God, is much more to that of Homer. gulations made by the senate and by himself, in conjunction with the commissioners, relating to Macedonia. The princi pal articles were, that Macedonia was declared free; that it should pay the Romans only half the tribute paid the king, which was fixed at the sum of 100 talents, or 100,000 crowns; that it should have a public council, composed of a certain number of senators, wherein all affairs should be discussed and adjudged; that it should be divided for the future into four regions or cantons, that each should have their council, in which par ticular affairs should be examined: and that no person should contract marriage, or purchase lands or houses, out of their own canton. Several other articles of less importance were annexed to these. The prætor Octavius, who was present in this assembly, explained the several articles in Greek, as Paulus Æmilius pronounced them in Latin. The article of liberty, and that for the diminution of tribute, gave the Macedonians exceeding pleasure, who little expected them: but they looked upon the division of Macedonia into different regions, that were not to have their usual commerce with each other, like the rending a body in pieces, by separating its members which have no life, and subsist only in their support of each other. * The consul afterwards gave audience to the Etolians. I shall relate elsewhere the subject of it. After those foreign affairs were overt, Paulus Æmilius recalled the Macedonians into the assembly, in order to put the last hand to his regulations. He spoke at first upon the senators, who were to compose the public council, wherein the national affairs were to be transacted, and the choice of them was left to the people. A list was then read of the principal persons of the country, who were to be sent into Italy, with such of their children as had attained the age of fifteen. This article seemed very hard at first; but it was soon perceived, that it had been resolved only for the better security of the people's liberty; for this list included the great lords, generals of the army, commanders of the fleet, all such as had any offices at the court, or had been employed in embassies, with many other officers accustomed to pay their court to the king in the abject manner of slaves, and to command others with insolence. These were all rich persons, who lived at a great expence, had magnificent equipages, and would not easily be reduced to a quite different kind of life, in which liberty makes the whole people equal, and subjects all to the laws. + Ibid. n. 32. * Liv. 1. xlv. n. 31. They were therefore all ordered to quit Macedonia, and transport themselves into Italy, upon pain of death for such as dis obeyed. The regulations made for Macedonia by Paulus Æmi lius were so reasonable, that they did not seem calculated for conquered enemies, but for faithful allies, with whom there was entire reason to be satisfied; and the effects, from which the nature of laws are best known, proved, that there was no thing to be amended in the institutions of that wise magistrate. To these serious affairs * succeeded a celebration of games, for which preparations had long been making, and to which care had been taken to invite all the most considerable persons in the cities of Asia and Greece. The Roman general offered magnificent sacrifices to the gods, and gave superb feasts; the king's treasures supplying him abundantly with the means of defraying such great expences; but for the good order and fine taste observable in them, he was indebted solely to himself. For having so many thousands to receive, he evidenced so nice a discernment, and so exact a knowledge of the quality of all the guests, that every one was lodged, placed, and treated according to his rank and merit; and there was nobody who had not reason to praise his politeness and generosity. The Greeks could not sufficiently admire, that even in games till then un known to the Romans, he should instance so distinguishing a judgment and attention: and that a man employed in the great. est, should not neglect the least propriety in small affairs. He had caused all the spoils that he did not think fit to car ry to Rome, to be piled up in one great heap; bows, quivers, arrows, javelins, in a word, arms of all sorts; and caused them to be disposed in form of trophies. With a torch in his hand, he set fire to them first himself, as his principal officers did af ter him. He afterwards exposed to the view of the spectators, upon a place raised expressly for the occasion, all that was richest and most magnificent in the spoils he had taken in Macedonia, and which were to be carried to Rome; rich moveables, statues, and paintings of the greatest masters, vessels of gold, silver, copper, and ivory. Never had Alexandria, in the times of its greatest opulence, beheld any thing like what was now ex hibited. But the highest satisfaction Paulus Æmilius received from his magnificence, and which was still more grateful to self-love, to see, that in the midst of so many extraordinary objects and * Plut. in Paul, Æmil. p. 270. Liv. 1. xlv. n. 32. was C |