Chapter I: Preface

This elementary history of Greece is intended for supplementary reading or as a first history text-book for young pupils. It is therefore made up principally of stories about persons; for, while history proper is largely beyond the comprehension of children, they are able at an early age to understand and enjoy anecdotes of people, especially of those in the childhood of civilization. At the same time, these stories will give a clear idea of the most important events that have taken place in the ancient world, and, it is hoped, will arouse a desire to read further. They also aim to enforce the lessons of perseverance, courage, patriotism, and virtue that are taught by the noble lives described.

A knowledge of ancient history, however superficial, is of very great value; and the classic legends are almost equally worth knowing, because of the prominent part they play in the world's literature. These tales make a deep impression on the minds of children, and the history thus learned almost in play will cling to the memory far more tenaciously than any lessons subsequently conned.

Many children leave school unacquainted with any history except that of the United States; which, dealing with less simple and primitive times than that of Greece, is apt to be so unattractive that the child never afterwards reads any historical works. It has been my intention to write a book which will give children pleasure to read, and will thus counteract the impression that history is uninteresting.

A few suggestions to teachers may not be considered superfluous. In the first place, I have found historical anecdotes an excellent aid in teaching English. Pupils find it far from irksome to relate the stories in their own words, and to reproduce them in compositions. Secondly, whenever a city or country is mentioned, every pupil should point out its location on the map. By such means only can any one properly understand an historical narrative; and in the present case there is the added reason that the practice will go far towards increasing the child's interest in geography. Lastly, the teacher should take great care that the proper names are correctly pronounced. The most common errors are provided against in the text; for, on the first occurrence of such a word, it is divided into syllables, with the accent marked. It remains for the teacher to enforce the ordinary rules as to the proper sounds of vowels and consonants.

H.A.G.

CONTENTS.

PAGE
Map _between 10 and 11_
I. Early Inhabitants of Greece 11
II. The Deluge of Ogyges 13
III. The Founding of Many Important Cities 15
IV. Story of Deucalion 19
V. Story of Daedalus and Icarus 21
VI. The Adventures of Jason 24
VII. Theseus visits the Labyrinth 26
VIII. The Terrible Prophecy 29
IX. The Sphinx's Riddle 30
X. Blindness and Death of OEdipus 34
XI. The Brothers' Quarrel 37
XII. The Taking of Thebes 39
XIII. The Childhood of Paris 41
XIV. The Muster of the Troops 44
XV. The Sacrifice of Iphigenia 46
XVI. The Wrath of Achilles 48
XVII. Death of Hector and Achilles 50
XVIII. The Burning of Troy 52
XIX. Heroic Death of Codrus 55
XX. The Blind Poet 57
XXI. The Rise of Sparta 61
XXII. The Spartan Training 62
XXIII. The Brave Spartan Boy 64
XXIV. Public Tables in Sparta 67
XXV. Laws of Lycurgus 69
XXVI. The Messenian War 71
XXVII. The Music of Tyrtaeus 73
XXVIII. Aristomenes' Escape 76
XXIX. The Olympic Games 77
XXX. Milo of Croton 81
XXXI. The Jealous Athlete 83
XXXII. The Girls' Games 84
XXXIII. The Bloody Laws of Draco 86
XXXIV. The Laws of Solon 89
XXXV. The First Plays 92
XXXVI. The Tyrant Pisistratus 95
XXXVII. The Tyrant's Insult 97
XXXVIII. Death of the Conspirators 99
XXXIX. Hippias driven out of Athens 100
XL. The Great King 104
XLI. Hippias visits Darius 105
XLII. Destruction of the Persian Host 108
XLIII. The Advance of the Second Host 110
XLIV. The Battle of Marathon 113
XLV. Miltiades' Disgrace 115
XLVI. Aristides the Just 117
XLVII. Two Noble Spartan Youths 119
XLVIII. The Great Army 121
XLIX. Preparations for Defense 124
L. Leonidas at Thermopylae 127
LI. Death of Leonidas 128
LII. The Burning of Athens 131
LIII. The Battles of Salamis and Plataea 133
LIV. The Rebuilding of Athens 136
LV. Death of Pausanias 138
LVI. Cimon improves Athens 141
LVII. The Earthquake 143
LVIII. The Age of Pericles 146
LIX. The Teachings of Anaxagoras 151
LX. Beginning of the Peloponnesian War 152
LXI. Death of Pericles 155
LXII. The Philosopher Socrates 157
LXIII. Socrates' Favorite Pupil 159
LXIV. Youth of Alcibiades 163
LXV. Greek Colonies in Italy 165
LXVI. Alcibiades in Disgrace 167
LXVII. Death of Alcibiades 169
LXVIII. The Overthrow of the Thirty Tyrants 171
LXIX. Accusation of Socrates 173
LXX. Death of Socrates 175
LXXI. The Defeat of Cyrus 180
LXXII. The Retreat of the Ten Thousand 182
LXXIII. Agesilaus in Asia 185
LXXIV. A Strange Interview 186
LXXV. The Peace of Antalcidas 189
LXXVI. The Theban Friends 190
LXXVII. Thebes Free once more 192
LXXVIII. The Battle of Leuctra 195
LXXIX. Death of Pelopidas 197
LXXX. The Battle of Mantinea 199
XXXI. The Tyrant of Syracuse 201
XXXII. Story of Damon and Pythias 204
XXXIII. The Sword of Damocles 208
XXXIV. Dion and Dionysius 210
XXXV. Civil War in Syracuse 212
XXXVI. Death of Dion 214
XXXVII. Philip of Macedon 217
XXXVIII. Philip begins his Conquests 219
XXXIX. The Orator Demosthenes 221
XC. Philip masters Greece 224
XCI. Birth of Alexander 227
XCII. The Steed Bucephalus 229
XCIII. Alexander as King 232
XCIV. Alexander and Diogenes 234
XCV. Alexander's Brilliant Beginning 236
XCVI. The Gordian Knot 238
XCVII. Alexander's Royal Captives 241
CVIII. Alexander at Jerusalem 242
XCIX. The African Desert 244
C. Death of Darius 247
CI. Defeat of Porus 249
CII. The Return to Babylon 251
CIII. Death of Alexander the Great 252
CIV. The Division of the Realm 255
CV. Death of Demosthenes 257
CVI. The Last of the Athenians 260
CVII. The Colossus of Rhodes 262
CVIII. The Battle of Ipsus 265
CIX. Demetrius and the Athenians 266
CX. The Achaean League 268
CXI. Division in Sparta 270
CXII. Death of Agis 274
CXIII. The War of the Two Leagues 276
CXIV. The Last of the Greeks 278
CXV. Greece a Roman Province 280
INDEX 283

THE STORY OF THE GREEKS.