"The exercises of the body succeeded to those of the mind; and Alexander, who was tall, active, and robust, surpassed most of his equals in the gymnastic arts"
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Published in six volumes: vol. I in 1776; vols. II and III, 1781; vols. IV, V, and VI, 1788-1789. At least 36 entries in ESTC (1776, 1781, 1782, 1783, 1784, 1787, 1788, 1789, 1790, 1791, 1797).<br>
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See <u>The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. By Edward Gibbon, Esq; Volume the First.</u> (London: Printed for W. Strahan; and T. Cadell, in the Strand, 1776). &lt;<a href="http://estc.bl.uk/T78356">Link to ESTC</a>&gt;<br>
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Searching in  Edward Gibbon, <u>The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, </u>ed. J.B. Bury with an Introduction by W.E.H. Lecky (New York: Fred de Fau and Co., 1906), in 12 vols.