NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

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rnonarchs, even when allured by the profped of greatadvantage, as M. de Sainre-Croix remarks, the cafe becameperfedly dilFerent, v. hen. that empire was fubjecfced to theirown dominion, and they fettled there, not as fubjeds,but as mailers. Both Alexander and his fucceflbrs difco-vered much difcernment in chafing the lituation of the citieswhich they builr. Seleucia, which Seleucus founded , wasinferior only to Alexandria in number of inhabitants, inwealth, and in importance; Mr. Gibbon, vol. i. p. 274..fil. D’Anville, Mem. de Literat. xxx.

NOTE XI. Sect. I. p. $ 2.

It is from Juftin we receive tbe fender knowledge wehave of the p.rogrefs which Seleucus made in India ; lib. xv.c. 4. But we cannot rely on his evidence, unlefs when itis confirmed by the teftimony of other authors. Plutarchfeerns to aflert, that Seleucus had penetrated far into India ;but that refpedable writer is more eminent for his difeern-rnent of charaders, and his happy felediun of thofe cir-cumftances which mark and diferiminate them , than forthe accuracy of his hiftorical refearches. Pliny , whofe au-thority is of greater weight, feems to confider it as certain,that Seleucus had carried his arms into diftrids of India which Alexander never vifited; Plin. Nat. Hilt. lib. vi.c. 17. The palfage in which this is mentioned, is fome-what obfeure, but it feems to imply, that Seleucus hadmarched from the Hyphafis to the Hyfudrus, from thenceto Palibothra , and from that to the mouth of the Ganges.The diftances of the principal Rations in this march arenarked, amounting to 2244 Roman miles. In this fenTe,M. Bayer underftands the words of Pliny ; Iliflor. RegniGraecorum Badriani, p. ; 7. But to me it appears highlyimprobable, that the Indian expedition of Seleucus couldhave continued fo long as to allow time for operations offuch extent. If Seleucus had advanced as far into India as the mouth of the Gances, the ancients would have had