a celebrated city of antiquity, for some time the most illustrious of all the Greek cities. It is said to have been founded 1514 years before Christ, by Sisyphus the son of Eolus, and grandfather of Ulysses. Various reasons are given for its name, but most authors derive it from Corinthus the son of Pelops. It was situated in the south part of the Isthmus which joins the Peloponnesus, now the Morea, to the continent. It consisted of a citadel built upon an eminence, and thence named Acrocorinthus; besides which it had two maritime towns subject to it, named Lechaeum and Cenchreae. The whole state extended scarce half a degree in length or breadth; but to advantageously were the above-mentioned ports situated, that they might have gained the Corinthians a superiority, if not a command, over all Greece, had not their advantageous situation inclined them to commerce rather than war. For their citadel was almost impregnable; and, commanding both the Ionian and Egean seas, they could easily cut off all communication from one half of Greece with the other; for which reason this city was called, one of the fetters of Greece.

But as the genius of the Corinthians led them to commerce rather than martial exploits, their city became the finest in all Greece. It was adorned with the most sumptuous buildings, as temples, palaces, theatres, porticoes, &c., all of them enriched with a beautiful kind of columns, which from the city were called Corinthian. But though the Corinthians seldom or never engaged in a war with a view of enlarging, but rather of defending, their little state, they did not forget to cultivate a good discipline both in time of peace and of war. Hence many brave and experienced generals have been furnished by Corinth to the other Grecian cities, and it was not uncommon for the latter to prefer a Corinthian general to any of their own.

This city continued to preserve its liberty till the year before Christ 146, when it was pillaged and burnt by the Romans. It was at that time the strongest place in the world; but the inhabitants were so disheartened by a preceding defeat, and the death of their general, that they had not presence of mind enough even to shut their gates. The Roman consul, Mummius, was so much surprized at this, that at first he could scarce believe it; but afterwards fearing an ambuscade, he advanced with all possible caution. As he met with no resistance, his soldiers had nothing to do but destroy the few inhabitants who had not fled, and plunder the city. Such of the men as had stood, were all put to the sword, and the women were sold for slaves. After this the city was ransacked by the greedy soldiers, and the spoils of it are said to have been immense. There were more vessels of all sorts of metal, more fine pictures, and statues done by the greatest masters, in Corinth, than in any other city in the world. All the princes of Europe and Asia, who had any taste in painting and sculpture, furnished themselves here, with their richest moveables: here were cast the finest statues for temples and palaces, and all the liberal arts brought to their greatest perfection. Many ineffable pieces of the most famous painters and statuaries fell into the hands of the ignorant soldiers, who either destroyed them or parted with them for a trifle. Polybius the historian was an eye-witness to this barbarism of the Romans. He had the mortification to see two of them playing at dice on a famous picture of Ariadne, which was accounted one of the wonders of the world. The piece was a Bacchus, so exquisitely done, that it was proverbially said of any extraordinary performance, "it is as well done as the Bacchus of Ariadne." This masterly piece of painting, however, the soldiers willingly exchanged for a more convenient table to play upon: but when the spoils of Corinth were put up to sale, Attalus king of Pergamus offered for it 600,000 sesterces, near 5000l. of our money. Mummius was surprized at such a high price offered for a picture, and imagined there must be some magical virtue in it. He therefore interposed his authority, and carried it to Rome, notwithstanding the complaints of Attalus. Here this famous picture was lodged in the temple of Ceres, where it was at last destroyed by fire, together with the temple. Another extraordinary instance of the stupidity of Mummius is, that when the pictures were put on board the transports, he told the masters of the vessels very seriously, that if any of the things were either lost or spoiled, he would oblige them to find others at their own cost; as if any other pieces could have supplied the loss of those ineffable originals, done by the greatest masters in Greece. When the city was thoroughly pillaged, fire was set to all the corners of it at the same time. The flames grew more violent as they drew near the centre, and at last uniting there made one prodigious conflagration. At this time the famous metallic mixture is said to have been made, which could never afterwards be imitated by art. The gold, silver, and bronzes, which the Corinthians had concealed, were melted, and ran down the streets in streams; and when the flames were extinguished, a new metal was found, composed of several different ones, and greatly esteemed in after ages. The walls of the city were then demolished, and raised to the foundation; but the city was rebuilt again by Julius Caesar, and made a Roman colony. It continued subject to the Roman emperors till the division of the empire; after which it fell to the share of those of Constantinople. On the decline of that empire it fell to the Venetians, but was taken from them by Mohammed II. The Venetians retook it in 1678; but the Turks became masters of it again in 1715, and have kept it ever since. It is now greatly decayed; for the houses are not contiguous, but intermixed with fields and gardens, which make it look like a village. The country about it abounds with corn, wine, and oil; and from its cattle, is one of the finest prospects in the world, over the sea to the east and west, and a fertile country to the north and south. The narrowest part of the isthmus, on which it stands, is above six miles over. There are still to be seen the ruins of the temples dedicated to the Sun, Pluto, Diana, Neptune, Ceres, and Bacchus. The inhabitants are most of them Christians, of the Greek church, who are allowed liberty of conscience by the Turks. E. Long. 28. 13. N. Lat. 38. 14.

(the isthmus of), in the Morea, is a neck of land which joins the Morea to Greece, and reaches from the gulph of Lepanto to that of Egina. Julius Cæsar, Caligula, and Nero, attempted to cut a channel through it, but in vain; and they therefore afterwards built a wall across it, which they called Hexamilium, because it was six miles in length. This was demolished by Amurath II, and afterwards rebuilt by the Venetians, but was levelled a second time by Mahomet II.