neither all the world in motion against them could deject, nor the
greatest misfortunes disconcert; who undertook, with an handful of men, to
make head against innumerable armies; who, notwithstanding such a
prodigious inequality of forces, dared to hope for success; who even
compelled victory to declare on the side of merit and virtue; and taught
all succeeding generations what infinite resources are to be found in
prudence, valour, and experience; in a zeal for liberty and our country;
in the love of our duty; and in all the sentiments of noble and generous
souls.

This war of the Persians against the Grecians will be followed by another
amongst the Greeks themselves, but of a very different kind from the
former. In the latter, there will scarce be any actions, but what in
appearance are of little consequence, and seemingly unworthy of a reader's
curiosity who is fond of great events; in this he will meet with little
besides private quarrels between certain cities, or some small
commonwealths; some inconsiderable sieges, (excepting that of Syracuse,
one of the most important related in ancient history,) though several of
these sieges were of no short duration; some battles between armies, where
the numbers were small, and but little blood shed. What is it, then, that
has rendered these wars so famous in history? Sallust informs us in these
words: "The actions of the Athenians doubtless were great; and yet I
believe they were somewhat less than fame will have us conceive of them.
But because Athens abounded in noble writers, the acts of that republic
are celebrated throughout the whole world as most glorious; and the
gallantry of those heroes who performed them, has had the good fortune to
be thought as transcendent as the eloquence of those who have described
them."(222)

Sallust, though jealous enough of the glory the Romans had acquired by a
series of distinguished actions, with which their history abounds, yet
does justice in this passage to the Grecians, by acknowledging, that their
exploits were truly great and illustrious, though somewhat inferior, in
his opinion, to their fame. What is then this foreign and borrowed lustre,
which the Athenian actions have derived from the eloquence of their
historians? It is, that the whole universe agrees in looking upon them as
the greatest and most glorious that ever were performed: _Per terrarum
orbem Atheniensium facta_ PRO MAXIMIS CELEBRANTUR. All nations, seduced
and en