city near Corinth, famous for the richness and
felicity of its soil.

{176a} The famous Ager Cynurius, a little district of Laconia, on
the confines of Argolis; the Argives and Spartans, whom it laid
between, agreed to decide the property of it by three hundred men of
a side in the field: the battle was bloody and desperate, only one
man remaining alive, Othryades, the Lacedaemonian, who immediately,
though covered with wounds, raised a trophy, which he inscribed with
his own blood, to Jupiter Tropaeus. This victory the Spartans, who
from that time had quiet possession of the field, yearly celebrated
with a festival, to commemorate the event.

{176b} A mountain of Thrace. Dion Cassius places it near Philippi.
It was supposed to have abounded in golden mines in some parts of
it.

{177} When AEacus was king of Thessaly, his kingdom was almost
depopulated by a dreadful pestilence; he prayed to Jupiter to avert
the distemper, and dreamed that he saw an innumerable quantity of
ants creep out of an old oak, which were immediately turned into
men; when he awoke the dream was fulfilled, and he found his kingdom
more populous than ever; from that time the people were called
Myrmidons. Such is the fable, which owed its rise merely to the
name of Myrmidons, which it was supposed must come from [Greek], an
ant. To some such trifling circumstances as these we are indebted
for half the fables of antiquity.

{178a} See Homer's "Iliad," book i. 1. 294.

{178b} This was the opinion of Anaxagoras, and is confirmed by the
more accurate observations of modern philosophy.

{179} See Pope's Homer's "Odyssey," book x. 1. 113.

{180a} I.e. Such a countenance as he put on when he slew the
rebellious Titans.

{180b} See Homer's "Odyssey," A. v. 170

{181} Otus and Ephialtes were two giants of an enormous size; some
of the ancients, who, no doubt, were exact in their measurement,
assure us that, at nine years old, they were nine cubits round, and
thirty-six high, and grew in proportion, till they thought proper to
attack and endeavour to dethrone Jupiter; for which purpose they
piled mount Ossa and Pelion upon Olympus, made Mars prisoner, and
played several tricks of this kind, till Diana, by artifice, subdued
them, contriving, some way or other, to make them shoot their arrows
against, and destroy each other, after which Jupiter sent them down
to Tartarus. Some attribute to Apollo the honour of conquering
them. This story ha