give him a Man to fight with him, and the Flight of the Philiftines upon David's Victory over their Champion. СНАР. Х. Of their Sieges, with the most remarkable of their Inven tions, and Engines us'd therein. T HERE are no Footsteps of any Siege among the primitive Grecians; their Cities were not fortify'd with Walls, but lay open to all Invaders; and their Inhabitants, once vanquish'd in open Field, became an eafy Prey to the Conquerors. Wherefore 'tis not to be wonder'd, that the People of thofe Times enjoy'd no fix'd and fettled Habitations, but frequently remov'd from one Part of the Country to another, being forced to quit their Seats, whenever they were coveted by a Power fuperior to their own (a). This moving and unfettled Condition, wherein they continued for fome Ages, caus'd them to attempt several Methods to fecure themfelves: Some built their Cities upon the Tops of inacceffible Rocks and Mountains, whence they could easily repel a greater Force of Enemies: Others, whofe Situation was not fo defenfible, were driven to feek other Ways for their Safety; till at length fome Heads of no vulgar Understanding brought forth an amazing Contrivance to inclofe their Houfes and Poffeffions within Walls: This at firft was look'd on as a Work fo wonderful, fo far above human Capacity, that the Gods were frequently call'd from their bleffed Manfions to undertake it. The Walls of Troy (to mention no more) were of diviae Workmanship, and rais'd by no meaner Perfons than Neptune and Apollo: But, if Mortals had the Happiness to project and finish fo great a Defign, they feldom fail'd of being tranflated to Heaven, and having their Names enroll'd among the exalted Beings, to whom they were thought to make near Approaches, whilft on Earth. And, fince it was their Custom to immortalize the first Author of every little Contrivance, 'tis no Wonder if they conferr'd the fame Honours on thofe great Benefactors to whom they were obliged for the Security and quiet Poffeffion of whatever the reft of their Deities. had gratify'd them with. Once, indeed, inclofed within Walls, they look'd upon themselves fafe from all Affaults; and, had not a weak Oppofition within been fufficient to repel much greater Forces of Invaders, fuch a Town as Troy could never have held out ten Years against an hundred thousand Befiegers. Nor were the Grecians of later Agcs, however renown'd for Knowledge in Military Affairs, very willing to undertake, or expert in managing Sieges; but rather chofe to end their Quarrels, if poffible, by (a) Thucydides Initio, Lib. I. one one decifive Battle, than to undergo the Fatigue and other Incommodities of fo tedious, fo dangerous, and expenfive a Method. Of all the Grecians, the moft averfe from undertaking Leaguers, and the most unskilful in carrying them on to Advantage, were the Lacedæmonians; infomuch, that after Mardonius's Defeat at Platea, when a Body of Perfians had taken Refuge in fome wooden Fortifications, they could find no Means to drive them thence, but must have been forced to retire, had not the Athenians and fome other Grecians advanced to their Affiftance (a). For we are told by Plutarch, That their Law-giver oblig'd them by a fpecial Injunction not easily to engage in befieging Towns; and to lofe their Lives in fuch Undertakings was accounted inglorious, and unworthy a Spartan, as we learn from the fame Author (6), who, fpeaking of Lyfander's being flain before the Gates of a little Baotian Town call'd Haliartus, tells us, "That like fome common Soldier, or one of the Forlorn Hope, he "Gaft away his Life ingloriously, giving Teftimony to the ancient Spartans, that they did well to avoid Storming of Walls, where "the ftouteft Man may chance to fall by the Hand not only of an abject Fellow, but of a Boy or Woman; as they fay Achilles was "flain by Paris at the Scean Gate of Troy (c);" Pyrrhus also, the great King of Epirus, fell by the Hand of a Woman at Argos (d). When they endeavour'd to possess themselves of a Town or Castle, it was ufual firft to attempt it by Storm, furrounding it with their whole Army, and attacking it in all Quarters at once, which the Greeks call'd say, the Romans, corona eingere. When this Method prov'd ineffectual, they frequently defifted from their Enterprize: But, if refolved to profecute it, they prepared for a longer Siege; in carrying on which they feem not to have proceeded in any conftant and fettled Method, but to have varied it according to the Direction of their Generals, as well as the Difference of Time, Place, and other Circumstances. When they defigned to lay close Siege to a Place, the first Thing they went about was αποτειχισμός, οι περιτειχισμό, the Works of Circumvallation, which we find fometimes to have confifted of a double Wall or Rampire, raised up of Turfs, called in Greek wiĝo, and día, in Latin, Cefpites. The interior Fortification was defign'd to prevent fudden and unexpected Sallies from the Town, and to deprive it of all Poffibility of Succour from without; the exterior to fecure them from Foreign Enemies, that might come to the Relief of the Befieged. Thus, when the Peloponnefians invefted Plate, Thucydides reports, they raised a double Wall, one towards the City, the other towards Athens, to prevent all Danger on that Side: The Middle Space, which was fixteen Feet, was taken up with Iodges for Guards and Centinels, built at due Distances one from another; yet fo close, that at a diftant View the whole Pile appeared to be one broad Wall, with Turrets on both Sides, after every Tenth of which was a larger Tower extended from Wall to Wall. (a) Herodotus, Lib. IX. cap. LXIX. had. x. v. 360.. (d) Plutarchus Pyrrbo, Engines Engines were call'd by the ancient Greeks paylava, and afterwards xava. The firt Invention of them the Grecians claim to themfelves, being not eafily induced to allow the Contrivance of any Art to other Nations; for it was their Cuftom to travel into Egypt, India, and other Eastern Countries, to furnish themselves with Sciences and Inventions, which afterwards they made public in Europe, and vented as Productions of their own: Hence was deriv'd most of the Grecian Philofophy: and as for Engines used in Sieges, it appears they were invented in the Eastern Nations many Ages before Greece had the leaft Knowledge of, or Occafion for, them: Mofes's Times feem not to have been unacquainted with them (a); feveral of the Jewish Kings likewife appear to have known the Ufe of them; whereas the Gre cians, till Homer's Time, are not found to have had the leaft Hint of any fuch Thing: Statius indeed carries them as high as the Trojan War, and, fpeaking of the various Prefents fent to Achilles by the Grecians, in order to carry on the War, reports, that Pylos and Meffene furnish'd him with Engines to batter the Walls; Murorum tormenta Pylos Messenaque tradunt. Large batt'ring Engines are from Pylos fent, But the Poet feems to have forgotten the rude and unfkilful Age of this Hero, and to have form'd his Defcription from the Practice of his own Times; fince Authors of better Credit have no Mention of any fuch Thing. Homer indeed fpeaks of xpócca, which some ancient Interpreters take for xxipaxes, Scaling Ladders (b); -τι μὲν ἔπειτα Κροσσάων ἐπέβαιναν, ακαχμένα δέρατ ̓ ἔχονίες. Bearing well-pointed Spears, thefe ftraight afcend But it may with no lefs Propriety be taken for the Pinnacles of Κρίσσας μὲν πύργων ἔρυονι καὶ ἔρειπον ἐπάλξεις. The Tower's lofty Pinnacles they raz'd, Others again will have them to have been as ancient as the Theban War, and to have been the Contrivance of Capaneus, one of the feven Champions; the Story of whofe being knocked down with Thunderbolts was grounded on no better a Foundation, than that, attempting to scale (a) Deuteronom. cap. XX. v. 20. (b). Iliad, pú'. v. 444. ́ ́(c) Ibid. v. 258. fcale the Walls of Thebes with Ladders, he was beaten down and slain with Stones: And fince the Contrivance is fo eafy and obvious, it may not be wholly improbable, that even thofe Ages were acquainted with it: However, the different Sorts of Ladders were invented afterwards, when fome of them were antral (a), plicatiles, folded; others dia, folutiles, to be taken in Pieces (6), for the Convenience of Carriage. The Matter they were compofed of was likewife very different, be ing not only Wood, but Ropes, Leather, &c. the The reft of the Engines feem however to have been later: The Ram indeed is faid by Pliny to have been invented in the Trojan War, and to have given Occafion to the Fable of the Wooden Horse, built by Epeus; it being the conftant Practice of thofe Times to wrap up Original of every Invention in Fables: But this is only Conjecture, and may with the fame Eafe be deny'd, as afferted. Athenæus indeed fpeaks of this Engine as very ancient (c), but doth not fix it's Invention to any determinate Time, only obferves that the Romans were obliged for it to the Grecians; and fince Vitruvius gives the Honour of its Contrivance to the Carthaginians in their Siege of Gades, and neither Homer nor any Greek Writer for many Ages after has the leaft Mention thereof, there feems little Reason to credit Pliny's Report. 'Tis probable, however, that thofe Ages might have fome fmall Helps in Taking Towns contriv'd, as by feveral others, fo particularly by Epeus, who is famous in poetical Story for being an Artificer, and (as Lycophron reports) was very serviceable en that Account to the Grecian Army; Πόκτην μὲν ἐσθλὸν, πλῶκα δ ̓ ἐν κλόνω δορός, He was most useful to the Grecian Fleet, But thefe Devices feem to have been exceeding contemptible, and unartificial; and therefore were wholly laid afide in wifer Ages, and, it may be, never practifed but at their firft Invention. The only conftant Inftruments ufed by the ancient Grecians in demolishing Walls, were (for aught appears to the contrary) thofe they call'd pava in Latin, Terebra, which were long Irons with fharp Ends. Wherefore 'tis reasonable to conclude that moft of their famous Engines were invented about the Time of the Peloponnesian War, wherein 'tis plain from Thucydides, they were used. Diodorus and (e) Plutarch (f) will have Pericles to have contriv'd feveral of them by the Affiftance of Artemon, an Artificer of Clazomene, as Rams, Tortoiles, &c. yet Cornelius Nepos reports, that fome of them were used in the Age befors by Miltiades, when he befieged Paros. Plutarch alfo himself, (a) Appian. (b) Plutarchus Arato. (c) Fine Lib. IV. (e) Lib. XII. (f) Paricle, V. 945. when (d) Caffand |