But the throne of Bactria, which was thus esta blished, did not, at his death, descend to the son, but, to the brother of Euthydemus. Menander, who, however, assumed the government in the name of his nephew, as boost as he had secured his authority,, longed to signalize his reign on the field of battle, and, at the head of his forces, passed the river Hy panis, and extended the boundaries of his dominions, by subjugating the kingdom of Sigertis, the exten sive province of Pattalena, and some other eastern cdtintries. Proud of past victories, and meditating victories to come,' he was arrested by the hand of death when just ready to invade Syria. So much was he beloved by his subjects, that the principal ci ties of Bactria were in arms to claim the honour of his sepulchre, and, to prevent a .civil war, his ashes were divided amongst them, and the magnificent mo numents which they raised, perpetuated the memory of his fame, and affection. 'Demetrius, the son of Euthydemus, then ascended the throne." The wisdom and vigour of his administration proved; that he was not unworthy of the sceptre which had been wielded by the martial talents of his uncle, and lie not only secured the conquests of his predecessor, hut added to them several new provinces, and raised his kingdom to -the summit of prosperity. He left his dominions to his son Eucratides, who, pursuing the career of victory which his father had marked out for hiM, burst, with the whole force of his empire, through the barriers which nature seemed to have placed between his dominions and India, and kindled the flames of war' in that country. The dangers which he encountered, and the defeats which he sus tained, at the beginning of his enterprize, seemed to detract as much from the wisdom of his counsels, as they added to the fame of his valour ; and it is diffi cult to determine, whether we ought more to blame the temerity of that prince, who could rashly expose himself, with only three hundred soldiers, in an ene my's country, to be- besieged by an army of forty thousand men ; or to admire the consummate skill, and the undaunted courage, by which he could not only extricate himself from such perilous circumstan ces, but obtain a victory over the besiegers. This victory ivas only the prelude of future conquest : many extensive provinces in the interior of India were subdued, and the glory of his exploits vindica ted his claim to the proud appellation of The Great King, an appellation which 'the monarchs 'of Persia wished to arrogate to themselves, when exalted to the sublimity of empire. Returning to his paternal' dominions, his son, who bore his name, and to whom he had committed the administration in his absence, conspired against his life, insultingly drove his cha riot over the mangled body of his father, and inhu manly denied his • remains the rites of •;epulture.
Eucratides H. gained a kingdom by the murder of his father, but•the vengeance of heaven pursued. the parricide. While he was preparing to resist the Parthians, who were invading his dominions, a nu merous and hardy band of barbarians, issuing from the inhospitable wilds of Scythia, passed the river Jaxartes, poured over the four kingdoms of Bactria with irresistible violence, rolled the forces of Eucra tides before them, and expelled' the monarch from his dornidiong. Collecting, however, another-army, and endeavouring to rouse his countrymen to assert their liberty, Eucratides returned to the doubtful' contest ; but, on the field of- battle, where he lost his life, the glories of his country were finally extin-. guished, and Bactria was precipitated into slavery, from which it lias not emerged to the present day. The power of Scythia, under which Bactria groaned. for ages, was at - last broken by the Huns ; but as, this warlike people conquered that unhappy:country for themselves, and not to exalt it to its former rank amongst the nations of Asia, that revolution does not fall within the range of our rapid narrative.
By Hcrodotus, and other ancient annalists, we are informed, that the Bactrians were well made, vigo •ous and healthy ; admirably adapted for supporting the fatigues and dangers of war, by the habitual temperance which they cultivated, and by that rest less activity which disdained repose. Their soldiers were deservedly famous for the skill which they dis played in the use of the sling and the bow, with which they levelled the ranks of the enemy at a great distance. As they drew near to battle, they em
ployed short darts, till man to man, the slaughter which they made c with the sword, or with a large daggLif that hung from their girdles, evinced that the strength of their arm, and the valour of their soul, were equally formed for close combat. Their government was monarchical, hereditary, and despo tic. Their religion was idolatrous; for though they held the opinion of one Supreme God, yet the ado ration which they payed to the sun, and to fire, even after Zoroaster had reformed their theology, will warrant this conclusion. We shall not have a very exalted idea of their morality, when we are in. formed, that incontinence was not accounted a blemish even in the female character, that incest was permit ted, and that the finer feelings, which dignify hu man nature, and are the source of the purest plea sures of our existence, were so completely eradicated from their hearts, that they trained fierce mastiffs to devour their aged parents, when they could no long er support themselves, and which, from that horrid employment, were emphatically denominated Sepid chral dogs. Their learning, however, during the latter period of the state, appears to have been con siderable ; and it is, perhaps, more than a conjecture, that from this country the rays of science first dawn ed upon the Hindoos. During the same time, they seem to have cultivated commerce to a great extent with the various nations of India. They wore tiaras, tunics, and breeches, like the Medes.
Perhaps no country of the same extent ever dis covered a greater variety of soil than Bactria. The northern provinces, which extended along the banks of the river Oxus, were intersected with many streams and fountains, which adorned and fertilized the fields. The ancient topographers of this country, whose ac count is confirmed by Sir John Chardin, inform us, that. there is a fountain in Bactria, whose waters are so plesant to the taste of the musalinan, or albemec, a fowl about the size of a hen, and of a black and red colour, that it attracts it to its streams from a great distance. As this fowl is gregarious, and feeds upon locusts, whenever these insects settle upon any field in such numbers as to endanger the crop, the inhabitants convey the water of this fountain in yes. sels to the place, and the flocks of musalinans, which are immediately drawn thither, deliver the country from the locusts, Bactria could boast of many ex tensive plantations ; vines, and other fruit-trees, were in great abundance, and the crops which they pro. duced were not only liberal, but of an exquisite taste and flavour. That species of tree which produced manna of a yellowish colour and of a large size, and which was allowed to be the most valuable, grew to greater perfection there than in any other country. The fields were equally well adapted for every spc- , cies of grain ; and the flocks and herds which ranged their pastures were all excellent in their kind. The goats of this country are said to have produced the best kind of bezoar, a stony substance which is formed within the animal, and is so famous in the an nals of medicine. The southern regions of this country, however, being in a great measure destitute of water, and covered with sand, are equally remark able for their sterility. The whirlwinds, which with irresistible violence sweep along the surface, not only blot out every vestige of the roads which lead through these regions, and bury the unhappy travellers with the clouds of sand which they roll before them, but with their continued eddies raise lofty mountains on the plains. Travellers, whom necessity compels to traverse these pathless wastes, generally journey by night, which from the brightness of the sky resem bles day, and direct their course by the stars as if they were at sea. See Apollodorus. Plin.l. vi. c. 15, 16. Q. Curt. 1. vii. Strab. 1. xi. xv. Ammian. Mar: ed.]. xxiii. Arrian. Synod. Justin. 1. i. xli.
Sicul. Enseb. in Chron. Prideaux's Connect. v.
and iii. Univ. Hist: v. iii. Pezron Antiq. of Nat. Wise Hist. of Fab. Ages. Bryant Anal. Mythol. (N)