NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

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monarchs, even when allured by the prospect of greatadvantage, as M. de Sainte-Croix remarks, the cafe becameperfectly different, when that empire was subjected to theirown dominion, and they settled there, not as subjects,but as masters. Both Alexander and bis successors disco-vered much discernment in chusing the situation of the citieswhich they built. Seleueia, which Seleucus founded, wasinferior only to Alexandria in number' of inhabitants, inwealth, and in importance; Mr. Gibbon, vol. i. p. 274.M. D’Anville, Mem. de Literat. xxx.

NOTE XI. Sect. I. p. 32.

It is from Justin we receive the slender knowledge wehave of the progress which Seleucus made in India; lib. xv.c. 4. But we cannot rely on his evidence, unless when itis confirmed by the testimony of other authors. Plutarchseems to assert, that Seleucus had penetrated far into India;but that respectable writer is more eminent for his discern-ment of characters, and his happy selection of those cir-cumstances which mark and discriminate them , than forthe accuracy of his historical researches. Pliny , whose au-thority is of greater weight, seems to consider it as certain,that Seleucus had carried his arms into districts of Indiawhich Alexander never visited; Plin. Nat. Hist. lib. vi.c. 17. The passage in which this is mentioned, is some-what obscure, hut it seems to imply, that Seleucus hadinarched from the Hyphasis to the Hysudrus, from thenceto Palibothra, and from that to the mouth of the Ganges.The distances of the principal stations in this march aremarked, amounting to 2244 Roman miles. In this fense,M. Bayer understands the words of Pliny ; Histor. RegniGræcorum Bactriani, p. 3 7. But to me it appears highlyimprobable, that the Indian expedition of Seleucus couldhave continued so long as to allow time for operations ofsuch extent.' If Seleucus had advanced as far into Indiaas the mouth of the Ganges, the ancients would have had