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mans; and during a peaceful reign of fifty years, rendered his fubjects happy. The troubles which followed the murder of of his fon Hieronymus, who was cut off for his cruelty, terminated in the final reduction of the island to the Romans. Sicily was the first country they reduced into the form of a province. Since the overthrow of the Roman empire, it has in general shared the fame fate with the kingdom of Naples.

SICIY is governed by a viceroy, appointed by the king of Naples, who refides at Palermo, and rules with the fame uncontrouled authority as his master. The Barons exercise abfolute power over their vaffals. All causes, civil and criminal, are determined by their creatures. This abject ftate of the people difcourages induftry. There is therefore little commerce in the ifland, but what arifes from the neceffity of difpofing of its fuperfluous products for thofe of foreign countries, which habit and luxury have rendered neceffary for the fupport, cloathing, or convenience of its inhabitants; and these articles they generally receive at fecond-hand from Naples, Genoa, Venice, or Leghorn. The principal trade of the island is carried on at Palermo and Messina.

The exports are, corn, oil, wine, brandy, cheefe, falt-fifh, filk, fruit, manna, falt, fumach for dying, lemon-juice, rage, fulphur, &c. The imports from different countries are too numerous to be recounted; Swinburne.

The inquifition was abolished in Sicily the 27th March 1782, by the addrefs and influence of the Viceroy Caraccioli.

INSULE OLIE, or the LIPARI ISLANDS.

BETWEEN Sicily and Italy were the islands called ÆOLIÆ INSULÆ, or Eolides, from Eolus their king, called alfo in fula VULCANI, Liv. xx. 51. or VULCANIE, and by the Greeks, Hephafiades, from 'Hearos, the Greek name of Vulcan, be caufe fome of them emitted flames, as they ftill do; alfo LIPARÆORUM infula, from Lipara, the chief of them, Plin. iii. 9.; Strab. vi. 274. and 275. now the Lipari or Liparean iflands, seven in number, Ib. & Diodor. v. 7.; Mel. ä. 7.

The largeft, next to Lipara, is Strongyle, now Strembole, named from its round figure, Strab. ib. 276. about ten miles in circumference; it now fends forth flames inceflantly. Its crater is not on the fummit, as in other volcanoes, but on its fide, more than two hundred yards from the top. In this mountain Æolus, the god of the winds, Sill'ix. 492, M m 2

was

was fuppofed to refide, Strab. ibid. and to confine the winds in a vast cave, as in a prifon, hence Virgil calls it ÆOLIA, En. i. 52. after Homer, Odyfs. x. init.; but this name may also refer to Lipăra, as En. viii. 416. or indeed to all these islands.

The ifland between Lipara and Sicily was called HIERA (itpa,) i. e. facra fc. Vulcano, Diodor. ibid. or Templum Vulcani, Strab. ibid. by Virgil, Vulcania tellus, Ibid. by Strabo alfo Thermiffa, from its emiffion of flames, Ibid.; here Vulcan was fuppofed to have his work-fhop, Thucydid. iii. 88. It was believed there was a communication below ground between the Liparean volcanoes and Etna, Diodor. ibid.

North-west of Hiera are, Ericufa, so called from being covered with heath, now Alicudi; and Phanicufa, from its abundance of palm-trees or palmettos, now Felicudi. The other two are, Didyme and Euonymos; the laft is fo called, becaufe it lies on the left of thofe who fail from Lipara to Sicily, Strab. ib.

There are two or three fmall islands eaft from the Lipari iflands not claffed with them; Heraclea, or the island of Hercules, Hicefia, &c. and two to the weft, Utica and OSTEODES, named from the bones (6071α) of fix thousand mutinous mercenaries, whom the Carthaginians fent thither to perish, Diodor.

V. II.

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There was in Lipara a city of the fame name, founded by Lipărus, the fon of Aufon, a king of Italy, who gave name to it and the island. He was fucceeded by EOLUS, a foreigner, (the fon of Hippotos, Diodor. iv. 67. hence called HIPPOTADES, Ovid. ep. xviii. 46.), who happened to come to the island, and married Cyane, the daughter of Liparus. This Aolus is faid to have invented the ufe of fails. From his fkill in prognofticating the weather, he is reprefented in fable as the ruler of the winds, Id. v. 7. Homer makes Ulyffes, in his wanderings, to land on the island of Zŏlus, and to receive from him the winds, fhut up in a leathern bag, Odyf. X. 19. Lipara was afterwards poffeffed by a colony of Cnidians and Rhodians, Dioder. v. 9. It fitted out a fleet, and having the other iflands under its fubjection, long withstood all the attacks of the Tuicans, Strab. vi. 275. nay, often vanquished them by fea, and fent the tenth of the spoil as a prefent to Apollo at Delphi, Dudur. v. 9. The Athenians alfo attacked them, but without fuccefs", Thucydid. iii. 88.

Lipara

In the time of Cami'lus the Liparenfes publicly exercifed piracy, but they did not act as pirates to the Roman ambefladors who fell into their power, when they were carrying a golden cup to Delphi as a present to Apello, in confequence

Lipara afterwards fell under the dominion of the Carthaginians, Polyb. i. 21. It was taken by the Romans in the first Punic war, Ib. 39. after which we find it feldom mentioned. Under the Romans it seems to have been much expofed to the depredation of pirates, Cic. Verr. iii. 37.

In the African fea, about eighty-four miles from Camerina, and one hundred and thirteen from Lilybum, is the ifland MELITE, or MELITE, Plin. iii. 8.; Strab. xvii. 834. now MALTA, anciently remarkable for its manufactures, as it ftill is, Cic. Verr. iv. 46. particularly of cotton, Diodor. v. 12. hence called Melitenfis veftis, i. e. ex goffypio facta, Ib. ii. 2. In this ifland the Apoftle Paul is faid to have been wrecked, Acts, xxviii. 1. to whom a church is confecrated; and near it a ftatue of the faint placed on the very fpot on which the houfe ftood where he was received after his fhipwreck, and where he shook the viper off his hand into the fire without being hurt by it at which time the Maltefe believe the faint curfed the venomous animals of the island, and banished them from it for ever. It seems, in fact, there are now no venomous animals in Malta; See Brydone's Tour through Sicily and Malta. But the best commentators maintain that the apostle Paul was not wrecked here, but on an island of the fame name in the Hadriatic, on the coaft of Illyricum, now cal led Melede, and belonging to the republic of Ragufa.

Malta was first peopled by a colony of Phoenicians, who extending their commerce all the way to the western ocean, found this island a commodious ftation, on account of its excellent harbours, Diodor. v. 12. It was afterwards poffeffed by the Carthaginians. Sempronius the conful reduced it under the power of the Romans in the fecond Punic war, Liv. xxi. 51.

Malta is now famous for being the refidence of the Knights of St John of Jerufalem, hence called the Knights of Malta, to whom it was given by the Emperor Charles V. 1530, after they were driven out of Rhodes by the Turks. Its chief town is Valetta. The Turks again attacked them here, but were obliged to raise the siege with great lofs, 1566.

sequence of a vow which Camillus had made of confecraving to that god the tenth part of the plunder of Veji. Timafitheus, the chief magiftrate of Lipăra, from a motive of religion, not only refered the cup to the ambassadors, but alfo, having entertained them hofpitably, fent a guaro of fhips to conduct them to Delphi, and bring them back fale to Rome. On when account, by a decree of the fenate, a league of hofpitality was made with him, and prefents given him by the public, Liv. v. 8.

Weft

Weft from Malta is the ifland Gaulos, now Gofo, and Cossje ra, Sil. xiv. 273..

SARDINIA, between 39 and 41° north latitude, and between 8 and 10 eaft longitude, about 170 miles long, and 90 broad, Strabo fays, 220 miles long, and 98 broad, v. p. 224.; of a fertile foil, but unhealthful; called by the Greeks Ichnufa, from its resemblance to the fole of the foot. Its chief city was Calaris, CAGLIARI. It is feparated from Corfica by a ftrait called Taphros or Foffa, about feven miles broad, now the ftraits of Bonifacio. Neither ferpents nor wolves are faid to be produced in this ifland; nor any poifonous herb, except one, which, when eaten, contracts the nerves, and produces the grin of laughter, in which ftate the patient dies; hence Rifus Sardous or Sardonius, Serv. ad Virg. ecl. vii. 41.; Cic. Fam. vii. 25. Sardi venales was another proverb for any thing of fmall value, Cic. Fam. vii. 24.

The Romans forcing the Carthaginians, when attacked by their foreign mercenaries, to give up this ifland, was the chief caufe of the fecond Punic war. After the fall of the Roman empire it was fubject to various ftates. In later times, it fell under the dominion of Spain. In the year 1719 it was allotted to the Duke of Savoy, with the title of King of Sardinia. Its prefent fovereign is his fon, Victor Amadeus Maria, who fucceeded his father, 1773.

CORSICA is 150 miles long, and 50 broad; rough and barren; Strabo makes it 160 miles long, and 70 broad, v. p. 224. called by the Greeks Cyrnus, whence the epithet Cyrnaus; the people, Corfi, famous for the noble ftand which the inhabitants made for their liberty against the Genoefe, and afterwards against the French, under their general Paoli. Its chief city is Bastia *.

T

TURKEY in EUROPE.

URKEY in Europe is fituate between 36° and 49° north latitude, and 17° and 40° east longitude, 1000 miles long, and 900 broad, and contains the following countries:

The bees in Corfica anciently produced bitter honey, Ovid Amor. i. 12. 10.; Serv. in Virg. G. iv. Ico. hence, Et thyma Cecropie Corfica ponis api, You fet coarfe food before one accuftomed to better fare; or, You require a good poem on a bad fubject, Martial. xi. 43. 4.

I.

I. GREECE.

GRÆCIA was called by the natives Hellas, and the inhabitants Hellenes. By the poets the people are called Danai, Pelafgi; drgivi or Argei, Achivi, &c. The name of Graci is not used by Homer or Virgil.

Greece anciently comprehended Peloponnefus, Græcia Propria, Theffalia, Epirus, and Macedonia; but the two laft were afterwards not included in it. It was divided by the Romans into two provinces, Achaia, containing the two firft; and Macedonia, the three last.

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PELOPONNES US.

THIS peninfula has its name from Pelops, the fon of Tantalus, king of Phrygia, as if it were, the island of Pelops, (ПEλOTOS VOOS.) By its gulfs and capes it refembles the leaf of a plane-tree, and is now called Morca *.

Peloponnefus is joined to Græcia Propria by the isthmus of Corinth, which, where narroweft, is only forty ftadia over, Strab. viii. 355. or five miles, Plin. iv. 6. f. 10. Here the different ftates of Peloponnefus occafionally formed entrenchments, when in dread of an invafion, Herodot. viii. 40. Here alfo were celebrated the Ifthmian games, every three years, near a temple of Neptune, and a wood of pine trees confecrated to that god, Strab. ib.; Paufan. ii. 1. An attempt was made to dig through the ifthmus by Demetrius, Cæfar, Nero, and others, but without fuccefs, Plin. iv. 4.

Peloponnefus was divided into fix parts, Achaia, Elis, Meffenia, Laconica, Arcadia, and Argolis.

I. ACHAIA

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Chief towns, Corinthus, and Sicyon, the moft ancient city in Greece.

SICYON was anciently called EGIALE, from its first king gialeus, Paufan. i. 5. & 6. From his grandfon Apis, the whole country within the ifthmus was called APIA, before the

It is nearly as long as broad, about one thoufand four hundred ftadia, Strabo, viii. p. 355. Pliny makes it one thoufand five hundred and twenty ftadia, or one hundred and ninety miles broad, from the promontory of Malea to the town of Ægium, on the Corinthian gulf; and one hundred and twentyfive miles crosswile, from Olympia to Argos, iv. 6. S. 10; in circumference, five hundred and fixty-three miles, Ib. 4. f. 5,

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