Pre-eminent, surpassing others.

Who was Sesostris?

A King of Egypt, who is said to have reigned some ages before the siege of Troy.  He appears to have been celebrated for his conquests, and for the number of edifices he erected to perpetuate his fame.

     Perpetuate, to preserve from extinction; to continue the
     memory of a person or event.

Where was Troy?

Troy, anciently called Ilium, was the capital of Troas, in Asia.  It became famous for the ten years’ siege it sustained against the Greeks; the history of this event is commemorated in the poems of Homer and Virgil.

Is not the harp an instrument of high antiquity in Great Britain?

Yes:  it was a favorite instrument with the ancient Saxons in Great Britain.  The celebrated Alfred entered the Danish camp disguised as a harper, because the harpers passed through the midst of the enemy unmolested on account of their calling.  The same deception was likewise practised by several Danish chiefs, in the camp of Athelstan, the Saxon.  The bards, or harpers of old, were the historians of the time; they handed down from generation to generation the history of remarkable events, and of the deeds and lineage of their celebrated chiefs and princes.  The harpers of Britain were formerly admitted to the banquets of kings and nobles:  their employment was to sing or recite the achievements of their patrons, accompanying themselves on the harp.  No nations have been more famous for their harps and harpers than the Welsh and Irish.

     Recite, to repeat or chant in a particular tone or manner.

     Achievement, a great or heroic deed.

     Patron, benefactor, one who bestows favors.

What instrument was famous among the ancient Greeks?

The Lyre:  the invention, or rather discovery, of this instrument is ascribed by them to their most celebrated deities.  It is supposed to have originated from the discovery of a dead tortoise, the flesh of which had dried and wasted, so that nothing was left within the shell but sinews and cartilages:  these, tightened and contracted, on account of their dryness, were rendered sonorous.  Some one, Mercury or Apollo, they affirm, in walking along, happening to strike his foot against the tortoise, was greatly pleased with the sound it produced:  thus was suggested to him the first idea of a lyre, which he afterwards constructed in the form of a tortoise, and strung with the dried sinews of dead animals.  The stringed instruments already described were made to give out musical sounds, by causing a vibratory motion in their strings by means of the fingers.

     Sinew, a tendon; that which unites a muscle to a bone.

     Cartilage, a gristly, smooth, solid substance, softer than
     bone.

     Vibratory, shaking.

Who was Mercury?