! Then for the better Administration of Juftice, and the Promotion of mutual Intercourfe among his Subjects, he divided them into four Tribes, the Names of which were, 1. Κεκροπίς. 2. Αὐτόχθων. 3. Ακλαία. 4. Παραλία. And finding his Country pretty well stock'd with Inhabitants, partly by the Coming in of Foreigners, partly by the Concourse of People from every Corner and Lurking-hole in Attica, where they had before lain, as it were, buried in Privacy, he instituted a Poll, caufing every one of the Men to caft a Stone into a Place appointed by him for that Purpose, and upon Computation, he found them to be in Number twenty thousand, as the Scholiaft upon Pindar reports out of Philochorus (x). But the Soil being in its own Nature unfruitful, and the People unfkill'd in tilling and improving it to the best Advantage, fuch Multitudes could not have fail'd of being reduc'd in a fhort Time to the greatest Extremities, had not Cecrops taught them the Art of Navigation, and thereby supply'd them with Corn from Sicily and Africk(y). Befides this, he was the Author of many excellent Laws and Con. ftitutions, especially touching Marriage, which, according to his Appointment, was only to be celebrated betwixt one Man and one Womån, whereas before promifcuous Mixtures had been allow'd of a mongst them, as the Poet intimates, Κάδμο ἐϋ γλώσσοιο διδάσκεται ὄργανα φωνῆς, With curious Art Cadmus did Letters frame, 7. A, Nor did he only prefcribe Rules for the Conduct of their Lives, with respect to one another, but was the first that introduced a Form of Religion, erected Altars in Honour of the Gods, and instructed his People in what Manner they were to worship them. In the Reign of Pandion, the fifth King of Athens, Triptolemus is faid to have taught the Athenians how to fow and manure the Ground, and to have enacted feveral useful and neceffary Laws, three of which we find quoted by Porphyry out of Xenocrates (a); 1. Honour your Parents. 2. Make Oblations of your Fruits to the Gods. 3. Hurt not living Creatures. (x) Olympionic. Od. IX, Bus Dionyfiac, lib, XLI, (y) Johannes Tzetzes in Hefiodi Epy. d. (a) De Abftinent, ab Animal, lib, IV. (x) Non Cecrops Cecrops, the fecond of that Name, and the feventh King of Athens, divided his Dominions into twelve Cities, or large Boroughs, com-' pelling his Subjects to leave their feparate Habitations, and unite together for the replenishing of them (6). Their Names were thefe, as they are deliver'd by Strabo in his Defcription of Attica (c): Cecropia, Tetrapolis, Exacria, Decelea, Elufis, Aphidna, Thoriccus, Brauron, Cy theris, Sphettus, Cephiffia, and Phalerus. But Cecropia ftill continued the chief Seat of the Empire, though each of thefe Cities (they are the Words of Sir George Wheeler, who refers this Divifion to Cecrops the First, led thereunto by the Authority of Eufebius, and fome others) had diftinct Courts of Judicature, and Magiftrates of their own; and were fo`little subject to their Princes, the Succeffors of Cecrops, that they feldom or never had recourse to them, fave only in Cafes of imminent and publick Danger; and did fo abfolutely order their own Concerns, that fometimes they waged War against each other without the Advice or Consent of their Kings. In this State continued Attica, till the Reign of Pandion, the second of that Name, and eighth King of the Athenians, who was deprived of his Kingdom by the Sons of his Uncle Metion; who themselves did not long poffefs what they had thus unjustly gotten, being driven out of it by the more powerful Arms of Pandion's four Sons, viz. Ægeus, Lycus, Pallas, and Nifus. Thefe, having expell'd the Metionida, divided the Kingdom amongst themfelves, as Apollodorus reports. But others are of Opinion, that Pandion himfelf, being reftored to the quiet Poffeffion of his Kingdom by the joint Affiftance of them all, by his laft Will and Teftament divided it into four Parts, bequeathing to each of them his Proportion. And though it is not agreed amongst ancient Writers, which Part fell to every Man's Lot; yet thus much is confented to on all Hands, that the Sovereignty of Athens was affign'd to Ægeus, for which he was extremely envy'd by his Brethren; and fo much the more, for that, as moft think, he was not the begotten, but only adopted Son of Pandion; and for this Reason it was (faith Plutarch) that Egeus commanded Æthra, the Mother of Thefeus, to fend her Son, when arrived at Man's Estate, from Trazen, the Place where he was born, to Athens with all Secrecy, and to enjoin him to conceal, as much as poffible, his Journey from all Men, because he fear'd extremely the Pallantida, who, did continually mutiny against him, and defpifed him for his want of Children, they themselves being fifty Brothers, all the Sons of Pallas. However, as the fame Author tells us, they were with-held from breaking out into open Rebellion, by the Hopes and Expectation of recovering the Kingdom, at least after Egeus's Death, because he was without Iffue; but as foon as Thefeus appear'd, and was acknowledged rightful Succeffor to the Crown, highly resenting, that first gaus, Pandion's Son only by Adoption, and not at all related to the Family of Eritheus, and then Thefeus, one of another Country, and a perfect Stranger to their Nation, fhould obtain the Kingdom of their Ancestors, they broke out into (b) Etymolog (c) Geograph, lib, IX. open open Acts of Hoftility; but were foon overcome and dispersed by the Courage and Conduct of Thefeus. Thefeus, having deliver'd the Country from inteftine Seditions, proceeded in the next Place to free it from foreign Slavery. The Athenians having barbaroufly murder'd Androgeus, the Son of Minos, King of Crete, were obliged by his Father to fend a novennial, or feptennial, or, as others, an annual Tribute of seven young Men, and as many Virgins into Crete, where they were fhut up within the Labyrinth, and there wandered about, till finding no poffible Means of making their Escape, they perished with Hunger, or elfe were devour'd by the Minotaur, a terrible Monfter, compounded of the different Shapes of Man and Bull. The Time of fending this Tribute being come, Thefeus put himself amongst the Youths that were doom'd to go to Crete, where having arrived, he received of Ariadne, the Daughter of King Minos, who had fallen in Love with him, a Clew of Thread, and being inftructed by her in the Use of it, which was to conduct him thro' all the Windings of the Labyrinth, escap'd out of it, having first flain the Minotaur, and fo return'd with his Fellow Captives in Triumph to Athens. In his Return, thro' an Excefs of Joy for the happy Succefs of his Voyage, he forgot to hang out the white Sail, which should have been the Token of their Safety to Egeus, who fat expecting them upon the Top of a Rock; and as foon as their Ship came in View with a black, and, as it were, mourning Sail, knowing nothing of their Succefs, he threw himself headlong into the Sea, and fo made way to Thefeus's more early Succeffion to the Crown, than could otherwise have been expected. And to this Time, from the Reign of Cecrops the First, the Government and State of Athens continued with little Alteration. CHA P. III. Of the State of Athens, from Thefeus to the Decennial T Archons. HESEUS, being by the fore-mention'd Accident advanced to the Regal Scepter, foon found the Inconvenience of having his People difperfed in Villages, and canton'd up and down the Country. "Therefore for the Remedy of this Evil, he framed in his Mind (faith "Plutarch) a vaft and wonderful Defign of gathering together all the "Inhabitants of Attica into one Town, and making them one People of one City, that were before dispersed, and very difficult to be af"fembled upon any Affair, tho' relating to the common Benefit of them all. Nay, often fuch Differences and Quarrels happen'd among "them, as occafion'd Blood-fhed and War; these he, by his Per"fuafions, appeased, and going from People to People, and from "Tribe to Tribe, propofed his Defign of a common Agreement be"tween them. Thofe of a more private and mean Condition readily "embracing fo good Advice; to thofe of greater Power and Intereft, "he *he promised a Common-wealth, wherein Monarchy being laid afide, "the Power should be in the People; and that, referving to himself only to be continued the Commander of their Arms, and the Pre"ferver of their Laws, there fhould be an equal Diftribution of all things elfe among them, and by this Means he brought most of them over to his Propofal. The reft fearing his Power, which was already "grown very formidable, and knowing his Courage and Refolution, "chofe rather to be perfuaded, than forced into a Compliance. 66 65 "He then diffolved all the distinct Courts of Juftice, and CouncilHalls, and Corporations, and built one common Prytaneum, and "Council-Hall, where it stands to this Day. And out of the old and new City he made one, which he named Athens, ordaining a common Feast and Sacrifice to be for ever observed, which he called "Panathenæa, or the Sacrifice of all the United Athenians. He inftitu"ted also another Sacrifice, for the Sake of Strangers that would come "to fix at Athens, call'd Meroínia, which is yet celebrated on the 16th "Day of Hecatombaon. Then, as he had promised, he laid down his Kingly Power, and fettled a Common-wealth, having entred upon "this great Change, not without Advice from the Gods. For fending "to confult the Delphian Oracle, concerning the Fortune of his new "Government and City, he received this Answer: Αιγείδη Θησεῦ, Πιθηΐδ ἔκγονε κόρης, Πολλαῖς τοι πολίεσσι Πατὴρ ἐμὸς ἐγκαλέθηκε, Hear, Thefeus, Pittheus Daughter's Son, Sollicit not thyself in vain : For like a Bladder that does bide The Fury of the angry Tide, Thou from high Waves unhurt shall bound, Always toft, but never drown'd. (Mr. Duke.) Which Oracle, they fay, one of the Sibyls, a long time after, did in a manner repeat to the Athenians in this Verfe, Ασκός βαπλίζη, δύναι δὲ τοι θέμις έσι. Thou, like a Bladder, may'st be wet, but never drown'd. "Farther yet defigning to enlarge his City, he invited all Strangers "to come and enjoy equal Privileges with the Natives; and some are " of Opinion, that the common Form of Proclamation in Athens, « Δεῦρ εἴτε πάνες λεώ, Gome hither all ye People, were the Words that "Thefeus 66 "Thefeus caufed to be proclaim'd, when he thus fet up a Common "wealth, confifting in a Manner of all Nations. "For all this, he suffer'd not his State by the promiscuous Multitude "that flow'd in, to be turn'd into Confufion and Anarchy, and left "without any Order or Degrees, but was the first that divided the "Common-wealth into three diftinct Ranks, EuTargidai, Tewμógor, "Anurreyoi, i. e. Noblemen, Husbandmen, and Artificers. To the "Nobility he committed the Choice of Magiftrates, the Teaching and Difpenfing of the Laws, and the Interpretation of all holy and religious Things; the whole City, as to all other Matters, being as it "were reduced to an Equality, the Nobles excelling the reft in Ho66 nour, the Hufbandmen in Profit, and the Artificers in Number, "And Thefeus was the firft, who, as Ariftotle fays, out of an Inclination "to popular Government, parted with the Regal Power; which Homer "alfo feems to intimate in his Catalogue of the Ships, where he gives "the Name of Anu, or People, to the Athenians only. 66 In this Manner Thefeus fettled the Athenian Government, and it continued in the fame State till the Death of Codrus the feventeenth and laft King, a Prince more renown'd for his Bravery, than Fortune. For Attica (d) being invaded by the Dorians, or Spartans, or Peloponnefians, or, as fome will have it, by the Thracians, the Oracle was confulted about it, and answer made, that the Invaders should have Succefs, if they did not kill the Athenian King; whereupon Codrus, preferring his Country's Safety before his own Life, disguised himself in the Habit of a Peafant, and went to a Place not far from the Enemy's Camp, where picking a Quarrel with fome of them, he obtained the Death which he fo much defired. The Athenians, being advertised of what had happened, fent an Herald to the Enemy to demand the Body of their King, who were fo much dishearten'd by this unexpected Accident, that they immediately broke up their Camp, and left off their Enterprize without ftriking another Blow. The Athenians, out of Reverence to Codrus's Memory, would never more have any Governor by the Name or Title of King, but were govern'd by Archontes, whom they allowed indeed to continue in their Dignity as long as they lived, and when they died, to leave it to their Children; and therefore most Writers reckon them rather amongst the Kings, than the Archontes that fucceeded them, who were permitted to rule only for a certain Time; yet they differ'd from the Kings in this, that they were in a manner fubject to the People, being obliged to render an Account of their Management, when it should be demanded. The first of these was Medon, the eldest Son of Codrus, from whom the thirteen following Archontes were firnam'd Medontidæ, as being defcended from him. During their Government the Athenian State fuffer'd no confiderable Alteration, but was carried on with fo great Eafe and Quietness, that scarce any Mention is made of any memorable Action done by any of them, and the very Names of fome of them are almoft quite forgotten. (d) Tull, Tufcul. Quæft. Justin, I. II, Vel. Paterc, lib. II. Eufebius. Thus |