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An account of the famous retreat of the ten thousand Greeks, under the conduct of the. great Xenophon, commonly flyled XENOPHON'S RETREAT.

THIS

His celebrated tranfaction, which was a march of two thousand three hundred and twenty five miles, the longeft we read of in history, through the territories of a powerful and victorious enemy, and under all the dangers and difficulties that can be imagined, was performed by an army of 10,000 men, under the conduct of one of the wifeft and compleateft Generals of antiquity, and tranfmitted to pofterity by his own inimitable pen.

AFTER the battle of Cunaxa, and the death of Cyrus, in whofe behalf they had engaged in this expedition, their camp plundered, themfelves in a victorious enemy's country, and at a vaft diftance from their own, and expecting. every moment to feel the fevereft effects of the King's refentment; it was in this extreme difficulty that Xenophon began to give fome fignal proofs of his bravery and fagacity, as well as of his fingular eloquence; by which he not only inspired the defponding Greeks with fresh courage, but perfuaded their remaining chiefs to refolve upon this noble, tho' arduous and dangerous retreat, and, after the death of Clearchus, to appoint him their General, and the chief conductor of it. What ftill inhaunces his merit on this occafion, is, that he had, till then, ferved only as a voluntier, and without any commiffion or command; and was, as is commonly fuppofed, under thirty years of age, when he was raifed to that dignity.

THE

THE first step which the Perfian monarch had taken, with regard to the Grecian army, was, to fend Phalinus with exprefs command to them to lay down their arms, and to come and beg his pardon at the gate of his pavilion. This was ftrenuously oppofed by the Greek chiefs; one of whom, Proxenus, afked him, Whether the King demanded it as a conqueror, or defired it as a friend? if the former, why did he not rather come, and difarm them by force but if the latter, he defired to know what he would give them in exchange? Being answered, that the King had a right to demand it in the first fenfe, feeing Cyrus their mafter was dead, and themselves wholly in his power, and furrounded on all fides with his troops; Xenophon, who was one of the company, gave him this reply, "You fee that we have nothing "left but our arms and our valour; whilft we "have the former, we can eafily make use of "the latter; but if we deliver up thofe, we "give up all indeed. Think not therefore, "that we will part with the only two advan

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tages we have left us; but rather, that we "will try with them to gain those that are in 66 your poffeffion." When Phalinus heard this, he faid, with a fmile, "You speak ele

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gantly indeed, young man, and like a phi"lofopher; but you will find yourself greatly "deceived, if you imagine that your valour can be proof against the King's numerous "forces."

He told them furthermore, that feveral of the Greek chiefs lefs fanguine than they, efpecially after the death of Cyrus, had offered themselves and their troops to ferve under

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the King, either against the revolted Egyptians, or on any other expedition, and with the fame bravery and faithfulness with which they had ferved his brother; all which was faid to intimi date, and fow jealoufies amongst them; when Clearchus, who came in the interim, addreffed himself to him, in words to this effect: "You, "Phalinus, are a Greek, as well as we, and are "no ftranger to our prefent fituation; and we "expect rather, that you should tell us what, "in honour, we ought to do. In the name "of the gods, therefore, give us the most fa"lutary advice; and let it be recorded, that "Phalinus was fent by Artaxerxes to command "the Greeks to lay down their arms, but that "his fingular prudence fuggested to him the "means of faving them." This he faid, in hopes of infpiriting his defponding troops; but Phalinus, who had nothing of the Greek but his birth, foon difconcerted his hopes, by telling him, that he could fee no other way for them to fave themfelves, but to fubmit to the King's orders, fince it was not in their power to oppose them. Whereupon the Greek General bravely replied, "If that be your opini

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on, it is not ours; and you may tell the King, that if he chufes our friendship, he "will find it more for his fervice to leave us our arms; but that, if he means war against 66 us, we shall have too much need of them to "defend ourselves." Being asked, what anfwer he should return to the King,-whether peace or war? "As he pleases, (replied he); peace, if we stay; war, if we march." Phalinus not being able to get a pofitive anfwer' from him, went away. Immediately after

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wards came fome deputies from Ariæus, te whom they had offered the crown of Perfia, in the room of Cyrus, but who had abfolutely declined it, and refolved to retire into Ionia; and by these they were given to understand, that he would wait for the Grecian army all that night; but that if they did not join him by that time, he would depart without them. Upon which Clearchus fent him word, that they would come up to him accordingly, if they refolved upon a retreat; but if on any thing elfe, he was at liberty to fteer what course he pleafed. The Greeks thereupon having agreed to join Ariæus, and to coaft along the Euphrates, reached his camp towards the clofe of the evening: and Clearchus, accompanied with fome other officers, went immediately to his tent, where the Perfian fatraps were gathered together; and both concluded a mutual alliance; by which the Perfians engaged to guide the Grecian army homeward, without fraud or delay. The treaty being ratified and fworn to on both fides, Ariæus was afked what rout he thought beft for the army to take; whose anfwer was," Through richer countries than

those it hath lately gone through; whereby "their marches being made longer by half du

ring the first days, they might gain a much "larger fpace between it and that of the "King;" which last being much more numerous, would never be able to overtake them.

It is plain by this, that he had no other view but to make the speedieft retreat he could. But fortune, fays Xenophon, directed us to a more glorious one; for, as foon as day-light appeared, they found themselves near fome villages, fituate

fituate on the plains of Babylon, whence, having the fun on their right, they perceived, at some distance, a body of cavalry, as they imagined, though it was no other than the King's baggage, confifting of a vast multitude of beafts of burden; from which, and from the clouds of duft that darkened the air, they concluded, that his army was not far off. But by that time the day began to decline; the Greeks, through fatigue and want of provifion, were fo exhaufted, as to be in no condition to fight, much lefs to go back. The Greeks, who paffed that night with no fmall uneafinefs, were feized, in the dead of it, with fuch a panick, that nothing but most hideous outcries could be heard; till Clearchus caufed a proclamation to be made through the camp, promifing a talent to the perfon that discovered the author of the uproar: by which they all perceived it was only a falfe alarm; and all was quiet again.

By break of day, Clearchus had ranged the Greek army in fuch a gallant order of battle, that Artaxerxes, instead of commanding them to lay down their arms, fent deputies to him, to treat of a peace. He made them wait fome time, that they might take a full view of his army; and, at length, told them, that it would be time enough to treat of peace after the battle was over: for, added he, our troops want provifions, and will not liften to any but thofe that bring us a fupply of them. They returned foon after, with a promise from the 'King of a fufficient and fpeedy fupply. Upon which it was agreed upon among the Greek Generals, to accept of the proffered alliance; though Clearchus, willing to make them think

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