:

work, it will be proper to mention fuccinctly, that the people of Athens, who had the freedom of the city and governed the republick, were divided into ten tribes; that the tribes comprised a number of boroughs, dispersed in various parts of Attica; that each borough was fubdivided into wards, and each ward compofed of distinct families. Every legitimate child, who was named on the tenth day after his birth, was prefented, before his feventh or eighth year, to the citizens of his ward with many ceremonies, to which we find allufions in the following fpeeches the time for prefenting natural children was the festival, called Apaturia, which lafted four days in January; but adopted fons were admitted at the feafts of Thargelia in July, as we may collect from the speech on the estate of Apollodorus, where the reader will fee a description of the forms usual on these occafions. If the members of the ward were fatisfied of the child's legitimacy, and none of them removed from the altar the victim called xpiov, which was facrificed in their prefence and diftributed among the company, the name of the new citizen was infcribed on their common regifter; but he was not a complete burgess till the age of twenty years, when he was registered on the publick roll of his father's borough.

VOL. VII.

This will be a fufficient introduction to the works of the author, whom I now fend abroad in an English dress: the four orders of Athenian citizens, their military and religious inftitutions, their funeral rites, their celebrities in honour of Ceres and Proferpine, of Pallas and Prometheus, with their greater and lefs feftivals of Bacchus, are known to all, who have received the slightest tincture of Grecian learning; but ISÆUS will give full fatisfaction to those only, whofe imagination can for a time transport them to his country, who can live in idea two thousand years ago, and read an Attick orator with the mind, and, as it were, the eyes of an Athenian; in the fame manner as an aftronomer, to borrow a comparison from the excellent writer on Hebrew poetry, fuppofes himself to become for a while an inhabitant of every planet, where he obferves its peculiar qualities, and its fituation with refpect to others, measures their diftances, compares their motions, and forms a diftinct view of the whole universe.

ATTICK LAWS.

I.

WHEN a woman, in order to enjoy the rights of a lawful

wife, has been duly betrothed by her father, or her brother by the fame father, or her paternal grandfire, her children born in wedlock are legitimate. If none of those relations be living, and she be an heiress, let her nearest kinsman marry her; but, if she have no kinsman entitled to claim her, let him, who shall be appointed her guardian, give her in marriage.

II.

The legitimate fons of heireffes fhall enter upon their eftates at the age of fixteen years, and fhall allow their mothers a suitable maintenance.

III.

If the nearest kinsman of a woman without an estate refuse to marry her, he shall give her in marriage with a portion of five minas, if he belong to the first order of citizens; or of three, if he belong to the second; or of a mina and a half, if he be of the third clafs. If the have many kinsmen in the fame degree, they shall severally contribute to her por

tion; and if there be many fuch women, each of their kinfmen shall be obliged to marry or to give in marriage one of them only. If the next of kin will neither marry them nor give them in marriage, the Archon fhall compel them to do either one or the other; and, if he neglect this duty, he shall forfeit ten minas to the Temple of Juno. Any citizen may prefer a complaint before the Archon against such as difobey this law.

IV.

Let the Archon take care of orphans and heireffes, of defolate heritages, and of women, who, alledging that they are enceint, remain in the houses of their deceased husbands: let him not suffer them to be infulted or injuriously treated. If any one should injure them, let him impofe a fine within the limits of his authority; and, if the offender should seem deferving of a heavier punishment, let the Archon summon him to appear within five days, and, laying the damages at fuch a fum as he thinks proper, let him bring him to a trial in the court of Helixa, where, if he be found guilty, let the jury inflict such a corporal pain, or fet fuch a fine, as he fhall deferve.

V.

If a husband repudiate his wife, he fhall return her portion, or pay intereft for it at the rate of nine obolus's a month for every mina. Her next of kin, under whose protection she is, may fue for her portion or her alimony before the Archon in the Odeum.

VI.

All genuine unadopted citizens may devise their estates as they think fit, provided that they have no legitimate children, and be not disabled by lunacy or age, or poifon or disease,

nor influenced by women fo as to have loft their reafon from any of these causes, nor be under any durefs or confinement.

VII.

The wills of fuch as have legitimate fons shall stand good, if those fons die before their age of fixteen years.

VIII.

If a man have legitimate daughters, he may devise his estate as he pleafes, on condition that the devifees take them in marriage.

IX.

Infants and women fhall not transfer or devife more than the value of a bushel of barley.

X.

Adopted fons fhall not devife the property acquired by adoption; but, if they leave legitimate fons, they may return to their natural family. If they do not return, the estates shall go to the heirs of the persons who adopted them.

XI.

The adopted fon and the after born fons of the person who adopted him, fhall be coheirs of the estate; but no adoption by a man, who has legitimate fons then born, fhall be valid.

XII.

If a citizen die inteftate and leave daughters, the nearest kinsmen who marry them shall inherit the estate; but, if he die childless, his brothers by the fame father fhall be his