BC. to him that he would not recover. Upon that occasion the prophet twice called down celestial fire upon the emissaries of Ahaziah; after which he was transported to heaven and left his spirit of prophesying to Elisha his disciple. Ahaziah died and Jehoram his brother succeeded him.

944

907

DURING THIS CENTURY FLOURISHED,

Hesiod the poet; he was born at Asera in Boeotia, and obtained a poetical prize as competitor with Homer; according to Varro, Plutarch, &c., while others pretend that he did not flourish until a century after him. Hesiod was the first who penned a poem on agriculture, which is called The Works and the Days, containing moral reflections worthy of Socrates or Plato. His Theognoy is a miscellaneous unconnected narrative very valuable for the account it gives of the gods of antiquity. Of this work Ovid's Metamorphoses are an imitation. His Shield of Hercules is only the fragment of a considerable poem, wherein he gives an account of the most renowned heroines of antiquity. Hesiod, though not possessing the fire of Homer, is admired for elegance of diction and sweetness of versification. He was murdered by the sons of Ganyctor of Naupactum, and his corpse thrown into the Some dolphins, however, brought back the body, which was recognised, and the murderers discovered by the poet's dogs and cast into the ocean. (See the Parian Marbles, æra the 29th.)

sea.

Homer: "What, then, could be that astonishing man?" says the author of The Voyages of Young Anacharsis: "whose glory is such that revolving ages have only tended to augment his renown; and of whom the human mind is no more jealous than of the light of heaven?" (See the Chronicles of the Marbles of Paros, æra the 30th.) Homer is supposed to have flourished 168 years after the Trojan war, and according to others, 160 years prior to the foundation of Rome. No less than seven illustrious cities disputed the glory of having given birth to this most sublime of poets, as is well expressed in these lines:

Smyrna, Chios, Colophon, Salamis, Rhodes, Argos, Athenæ,

Orbis de patria certat, Homere, tuâ.

For an expanded detail of the life of Homer, as well as all illustrious characters mentioned in the present Chronology, see the New Universal Biography of Eminent Persons, by the Rev. John. Platts.

Thersippus, an Athenian dramatic writer.

Tcheou-Kong, the Chinese Astronomer.

Cleanthus of Corinth, one of the earliest inventors of

B.C.

IXth CENTURY BEFORE JESUS CHRIST,

FROM 900 To 800.

Polydectes, king of Lacedæmonia, died without leaving 898 any heir to the crown; when his widow, finding herself in a state of pregnancy, made known that circumstance to Lycurgus, her brother-in-law, proposing that she would sacrifice the progeny she bore, provided he would espouse her; as by that means she would ensure him possession of the crown. Lycurgus, petrified with horror at such a proposal, gave an ambiguous answer, and under pretext of friendship, expressed an ardent desire that she would preserve the infant in order not to endanger her own existence. He then appointed trusty guards to attend upon the queen, who were directed to examine with care the child she should bring forth; if a daughter, he intimated that it might be committed to the mother; but if a boy they were immediately to transport it to him. These commands were punctually obeyed: Lycurgus was at table with the chiefs of the Lacedæmonians when the posthumous son of his brother Polydectes was delivered into his hands; whom he instantly caused to be proclaimed king, under the name of Charilaus. Lycurgus contented himself with assuming the title of preceptor, and gave notice to all the nobles of Lacedæmonia to watch over the conduct of the queen mother, in order that she might not perpetrate the crime of murder on her own offspring,

Jehoshaphat died, leaving his throne to his son Jehoram, 896 who, far from marching in the steps of his virtuous progenitor, ordered the death of all his brothers; delivered himself up to the impieties of Ahab, king of Israel, whose daughter Athaliah he espoused; and established the worship of Baal. As a punishment for this impiety, God, three years after, permitted the Philistines and Arabians to enter Judah; when all his household was led into captivity, and his children slaughtered, with the exception of Jehoahaz.

Jehoram died in great wretchedness and left the throne to 889 Jehoahaz his son, killed during the same year by Jehu, who

C.B. also caused the assassination of Joram, king of Israel, and took possession of the kingdom. Jehu also caused to be slaughtered seventy sons and grandsons of Ahab, and precipitated his widow Jezebel from the summit of his palace. Her body fell in Naboth's vineyard, and was devoured by the dogs according to the predictions which had taken place. Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah, usurped the throne of Judah, when she exercised every species of cruelty and impiety practised by her father Ahab, and her mother Jezebel. In order to maintain herself in her usurped authority, she caused all the descendants of David to be massacred. Joash, son of Ahaziah, alone escaped the slaughter, through the care of the high priest Jehoiada, who caused him to be secretly transported into the temple of the Lord.

888

886

885

Pygmalion, king of Tyre, caused the assassination of his brother Sicheus, in order to possess his riches; Dido, his widow, deceived the avarice of Pygmalion, by embarking with all her husband's treasures; when she retired to Africa and aggrandized the city of Carthage, (founded in 1233 by Zorus and Carchedon, both natives of Tyre,) and fortified it with a citadel called by the Greeks Byrsa, (leather.)

Homer's poems first introduced from Asia into Greece.

Lycurgus, to escape from the persecutions of his enemies, had been compelled to expatriate himself. After having journeyed for eighteen years in Crete, Ionia, and Egypt, he returned to Lacedæmonia, and gave laws to his fellow-citizens, which, although severe, did not the less inspire the admiration of all Greece for a long period; he had cemented them firmly by religion and morality. Twelve years afterwards, however, that virtuous legislator was pursued by the populace, who pelted him with stones, preferring unrestrained license and libertinism to justice and religion, After having made the kings and nobles of the country solemnly swear never to change any thing in his institutions during the time he remained absent, Lycurgus quitted his country under the pretext of journeying to consult the oracle, and ascertain whether any thing could be done to ameliorate the laws; when he died in the island of Crete, commanding that his bones should be cast into the sea*.

Lycurgus, who, at the age of 42, established his laws at Lacedæmon, in conjunction with Iphitus and Cleosthenes,

By the laws of Lycurgus the use of money was forbidden, all purchases being effected through the medium of exchange; the kingly power was also restricted by means of a council of 28 senators.

restored the Olympic games at Elis, about 108 years before BC. the æra commonly called the first Olympiad.

The impieties of Athaliah being carried to the last ex- 883 tremity, finished only with her death; she dared present herself in the temple to oppose the coronation of Joash; the high-priest however forced her to retire; when she fell pierced by many wounds.

The 22d dynasty of the Egyptians began, called the dy- 874 nasty of Bubastites, of which the first monarch was Sesenchosis, successor of Psusennes the second, who reigned 21 years.

The city of Carthage, capital of Africa, was founded by 869 Dido, sister of Pygmalion, king of Tyre.

The high-priest, Jehoiada, died at the age of 130 years, 850 when the house of Judah fell into idolatry. Joash, who, until that period, had rendered himself conspicuous for his piety, became an idolater, notwithstanding the remonstrances of Zacharias, the high-priest, son and successor of Jehoiada. To punish Joash for his ingratitude, God excited Hazael, king of Syria, who marched to Judah, attacked and defeated Joash, and would not grant him a peace until he had given him up all his treasures. Shortly after the same Syrian monarch entirely overthrew Jehoash, son and successor of Jehu, king of Israel.

Joash, king of Judah, having become odious to the people, 848 saw conspiracies planned against him. He had associated with himself in the throne his son Amaziah, and caused the high-priest Zachariah to be stoned to death between the altar and the sanctuary. Joash died, and was succeeded by Amaziah, his son, who for some time made David his model; but he became corrupt towards the end of his reign, and was overcome in battle by Joash, king of Israel, when Jerusalem was taken, and the temple pillaged. A conspiracy then formed against his person, obliged him to seek refuge at Lachish, a city of the Canaanites, where he was put to death by the emissaries of the conspirators.

Jeroboam the second succeeded his father Joash to the throne of Israel.

The 23d dynasty of the Egyptians commenced; styled 825 that of Tanites, consisting only of three reigns, which lasted 44 years, and had for first king Petubastes, who reigned 25 years.

Nineveh was taken by Arbaces and Belesis, which termi- 820 nated that kingdom.

By the death of Sardanapalus terminated the Assyrian empire, an æra placed 80 years earlier by Justin.

B.C.

w

814 811

808

The kingdom of Macedonia began; which continued until the battle of Pydna, occupying a period of 646 years.

Polymnestor, king of Arcadia, defeated the Lacedæmonians, and made their king Charilaus prisoner in 848. He was so generous as to send him back without ransom, being content with making him swear that he would never declare war with the natives of Tegea, (now Moklai.) Charilaus either forgot or broke his engagement, and declared war with the Tegeans, who manifested so much courage that the women flew to arms and defied the Lacedæmonians. The latter, interpreting in their favour the equivocal reply of the Delphian Oracle, had transported chains for the inhabitants of Tegea; which did not prove useless, as they served to bind the Lacedæmonians themselves. Telecles, one of the Lacedæmonian monarchs, was killed by the Messenians in the temple of Diana of Limnæum, in consequence of a dispute having taken place between the Lacedæmonians and the Messenians, on which occasion, the latter had outraged the daughters of Lacedæmon, who sought refuge in that temple which was equally the property of both those people.

At this period most probably flourished Jonah, the prophet, who was subsequently sent by the Almighty to preach repentance to the inhabitants of Nineveh.

807 The kingdom of Macedon had its origin in Caranus, one of the Heraclidæ of Corinth.

895

809

The following year Azariah, or Uzziah, succeeded his father Amaziah to the throne of Judah, after an interregnum of 11 years. Under the reign of this prince appeared the prophets Jonah, Amos, Hosea, and Joel.

IN THIS CENTURY FLOURISHED,

Phidon, king of Argos, supposed to have invented and introduced scales, weights, and measures among the Greeks; and struck gold and silver coins in the island of Egina. (See the Chronicle of the Marbles of Paros, æra 31st.

Dibutades, of Corinth, is said to have been the discoverer of the plastic art, or modelling in moistened earth, which was subsequently hardened by undergoing the process of fire.

Arctinus, the Milesian poet, flourished, who was imitator of Homer, for which reason he has been accounted his disciple.