Thus I have endeavour'd to give you a fhort Account of the Athenian State, whilft it was govern'd by Kings, who were in all thirty, and ruled Athens by the Space of feven hundred ninety-four Years, as the learned Meurfius has computed them; to which, if you add the two and thirty Years of Ogyges, and the Interval of an hundred and ninety Years, in which no Footsteps of any Government are to be found, the Number will amount to one thousand and twelve Years.

A Catalogue of the Athenian Kings.

Of the State of Athens, from the Decennial Archons to
Philip of Macedon.

HE People of Athens continually got Ground of their Superiors,

till at length, by little and little, the whole Government came into the Hands of the Commonalty. Thefeus and Medon made confiderable Abatements in their Power, but what remain'd of it, they kept in their own Hands as long as they lived, and preserved the Succeffion entire to their Pofterity. But in the firft Year of the seventh Olympiad, both the Power and Succeffion devolved upon the People; who, the better to curb the Pride, and reftrain the Power of their Archons, continued them in their Government only for ten Years; and the firit that was created in this Manner, was Charops, the Son of Efchylus. But they would not reft contented here, for about feventy Years after, that the Archons might be wholly dependent on the Citizens Favour, it was agreed that their Authority fhould last but for one Year, at the End of which they were to give an Account of their Admini

ftration;

ftration; and the first of these was Cleon, who entred upon his Charge in the third Year of the twenty-fourth Olympiad (e).

In the thirty-ninth Olympiad Draco was Archon, and was the Author of many new Laws, in which there is very little worth our Notice, only that they were cruel and inhuman, punishing almost every trivial Offence with Death. Infomuch that those that were convicted of Idlenefs were to die, and those that stole a Cabbage, or an Apple, to fuffer as the Villains that committed Sacrilege or Murder; and therefore Demades is remark'd for faying, that Draco's Laws were not written with Ink but Blood: And he himfelf being afk'd, why he made Death the Punishment of most Offences? Reply'd, small Crimes deserve that, and I have no higher for the greatest.

But all thefe, that only excepted which concern'd Murder, were repeal'd in the third Year of the forty-fixth Olympiad, in which Solon, being Archon, was intrufted with the Power of new-modelling the Common-wealth, and making Laws for it. They gave him Power over all their Magiftrates, (fays Plutarch) their Affemblies, Courts, Senates; that he fhould appoint the Number, Times of Meeting, and what Eftate they should have that could be capable of being admitted to them, and to diffolve or continue any of the present Conftitutions, according to his Judgment and Difcretion (f).

Solon finding the People variously affected, fome inclined to a Monarchy, others to an Oligarchy, others to a Democracy, the rich Men powerful and haughty, the Poor groaning under the Burden of their Oppreffion, endeavour'd as far as was poffible to compose all their Differences, to ease their Grievances, and give all reasonable Persons Satisfaction. In the Prosecution of this Design he divided the Athenians into four Ranks, according to every Man's Estate; those who were worth five hundred Medimns of liquid and dry Commodities he placed in the firft Rank, calling them πεντακοσιομέδιμνοι. The next were the Horfemen, call'd Inwada Teλles, being fuch as were of Ability to furnish out a Horse, or were worth three hundred Medimns, The third Clafs confifted of those that had two hundred Medimns, who were call'd Zdy. In the last he placed all the reft, calling them Oñtes, and allow'd them not to be capable of bearing any Office in the Government, only gave them Liberty to give their Votes in all publick Affemblies; which, tho' at the firft it appear'd inconfiderable, was afterwards found to be a very important Privilege; for it being permitted any Man after the Determination of the Magiftrates to make an Appeal to the People affembled in Convocation, hereby it came to pass, that Caufes of the greatest Weight and Moment were brought before them. And thus he continued the Power and Magiftracy in the Hands of the rich Men, and yet neither expofed the inferior People to their Cruelty and Oppreffion, nor wholly deprived them of having a Share in the Government. And of this Equality he himself makes mention in this Manner,

(e) Clemens Štromat, I,

(f) Plutarch, in Solone.

Δήμο

Δήμῳ μὺ γὰ ἔδωκα τόσον κρα1Θ- όσσον ἐπαρκε,
Τιμῆς ἔτ ̓ ἀδελὼν ἔτ ̓ ἐπορεξάμῳ.

Οἱ δ ̓ εἶχον δύναμιν, καὶ χρήμασιν ἦσαν ἀγηλοὶ,
Καὶ τοῖς ἐφρασάμην μηδὲν αεικὲς ἔχειν.

Ἔς

δ ̓ ἀμφιβαλών κρατερὸν σάκΘ ἀμφοτέροισι, Νικᾷν δ ̓ ἐκ εἴασ ̓ ἀμφοτέρος ἀδίκως.

What Power was fit, I did on all bestow,

Nor rais'd the Poor too high, nor prefs'd too low;
The rich that rul'd, and every Office bore,
Confin'd by Laws they could not prefs the Poor :
Both Parties I fecur'd from lawless Might,
So none prevail'd upon another's Right.

Mr. Creech

Not many Years after, the City being divided into Factions, Pifftratus, by a Stratagem, feized upon the Government: For having, on fet Purpofe, wounded himself, he was brought into the Market-place in a Chair, where he expofed his Wounds to the People, affuring them that he had been fo dealt with by the adverfe Party for his Affection to their Government. The unthinking Multitude were easily drawn by fo fpecious a Pretence into a Compaffion of his Misfortunes, and Rage against his Enemies; and upon the Motion of one Arifton, granted him fifty Men arm'd with Clubs to guard his Perfon. The Decree being. paft, Pififtratus lifted the Number of Men that were allow'd him, and befides them as many more as he pleased, no Man observing what he was a doing, till at length, in Requital of the City's Kindnefs and Care of him, he feized the Citadel, and deprived them of their Liberty. After this Pififtratus lived thirty Years, feventeen of which he was in Poffeffion of the Government of Athens; but the State continued all that Time unfettled, and in continual Motions, the City-Party fometimes prevailing against him and expelling him, fometimes again being worfted by him, and forced to let him return in Triumph.

He was fucceeded by his Sons Hipparchus and Hippias, whom Heraclides calls Theffalus; the former of which was flain by Ariftogiton, and the latter about three or four Years after compelled by Clifthenes, who called to his Affiftance the banish'd Alcmeonide and the Lacedæmonians, to relinquish his Government, and fecure himself by a dishonourable Flight. Being thus banish'd his Country, he fled into Perfia, where he lived many Years, perfuading Darius to the Enterprize upon Athens, which at length, to his eternal Shame and Dishonour he undertook. For levying a numerous Hoft of Men, he entred the Athenian Territories, where both he and his whole Army were totally defeated, by an inconfiderable Number of Men, under the Conduct of Miltiades, in that famous Battle of Marathon. This Victory was obtained twenty Years after Hippias's Expulfion. And thus the Athenians recover'd their Laws and Liberties, about fixty-eight Years after they had been deprived of them by Pififtratus.

After this Succefs, they continued in a flourishing Condition for three and thirty Years, but then the Scene changed, and reduced them

almoft

almost to the lowest Ebb of Fortune. Xerxes, in Revenge of his Pre deceffor's Defeat, invaded their Territories with an Army (as fome fay) of feventeen hundred thousand Men, and forced them to quit their City, and leave it a Prey to the infulting Barbarians, who took it without any confiderable Refiftance, and laid it in Ashes; and in the Year following his Lieutenant Mardonius, in Imitation of his Master's Example, burn'd it a fecond Time. But thefe Storms were foon blown over by the Wisdom and Courage of Themistocles and Ariflides, who totally defeated the Perfian Fleet at Salamis, and feconded that Victory by another of no lefs Importance over Mardonius at Platea, whereby the Barbarians were quite driven out of Greece, and Athens restored to her ancient Government, arifing out of her Ruins more bright and glorious than ever she had been before.

But the State fuffer'd fome Alterations, for firft, Ariftides, a Perfon (as Plutarch affures us) of a mean Extraction, and meaner Fortune, being, in Confideration of his eminent Virtues, and fignal Services to the Common-wealth, prefer'd to the Dignity of an Archon, repeal'd Solon's Law, by which the Onres, or loweft Order of People, were made incapable of bearing any Office in the Government. him Pericles, having leffen'd the Power of the Areopagites, brought in a confufed Ochlocracy, whereby the Populace, and bafeft of the Rabble, obtain'd as great a Share in the Government, as Persons of the highest Birth and Quality.

And after

Notwithstanding these Alterations at Home, all Things were carried on with great Succefs Abroad: The Athenians by the Help of their Fleet, on which they laid out their whole Strength, when Xerxes forced them to quit their City, became fole Lords of the Sea, and made themfelves Matters of the greatest Part of the Egean Islands: And having either forced the reft of the Grecians into Subjection, or aw'd them into a Confederacy, went on Conquerors to the Borders of Egypt, and had (as Ariftophanes reports) a thousand Cities under their Dominions.

But afterwards Things fucceeding ill in Sicily, under the Command of Nicias, and fome other Troubles arifing in the Common-wealth, the principal Men of Athens, being wearied with the People's Infolency, took this Opportunity to change the Form of Government, and bring the Sovereignty into the Hands of a few. To which Purpose conspiring with the Captains that were Abroad, they caused them to set up an Ariftocracy in the Towns of their Confederates; and in the mean time, fome, that were most likely to oppofe this Innovation, being flain at Athens, the Commonalty were fo dismay'd, that none durft open his Mouth against the Confpirators, whofe Number they knew not; but every Man was afraid of his Neighbour, left he should have a hand in the Plot. In this general Confternation, the Government of Athens was ufurp'd by four hundred, who, preferving in Shew the ancient Form of Proceeding, caufed all Matters to be propounded to the People, and concluded upon by the greater Part of the Voices; but the Things propounded were only fuch, as had been firft agreed upon among themfelves; neither had the Commonalty any other Liberty, than only that of approving and giving Confent; for whofoever prefu

med

med to take upon him any farther, was quickly difpatch'd out of the Way, and no Enquiry made after the Murderers. By these Means many Decrees were made, all tending to the Establishment of this new Authority, which nevertheless endur'd not long; for the Fleet and Army, which were then at the Isle of Samos, altogether detesting these tyrannical Proceedings of the four hundred Ufurpers, recall'd Alcibiades from his Banishment; and partly out of Fear of him, partly because they found the Citizens incenfed against them, the Tyrants voluntarily refign'd their Authority, and went into Banishment.

Yet was not this Alteration of Government a full Restitution of the Sovereign Command to the People, or whole Body of the City, but only to five thoufand, whom the four hundred (when their Authority began) had pretended to take to them as Affiftants in the Government; herein seeming to do little or no Wrong to the Commonalty, who feldom affembled in a greater Number; and therefore no Decrees were pass'd in the Name of the four hundred, but all was faid to be done by the five thousand; and the Ufurpers were call'd (fays (g) Plate) πεντακισχίλιοι, τετρακόσιοι ἢ ὄντες, fve thoufand, tho they did not exceed four hundred. But now, when the Power was come indeed into the Hands of fo many, it was foon agreed, that Alcibiades and his Friends should be recall'd from Exile by the Citizens, as they had before been by the Soldiers; and that the Army at Samos fhould be requested to undertake the Government, which was forthwith reform'd according to the Soldiers Defire.

This Establishment of Affairs at Home was immediately feconded with good Success from Abroad, for by the Help of Alcibiades they in a fhort Time obtain'd several very important Victories; but the giddy Multitude being foon after incensed against him, he was banish'd a fecond Time (h). His Abfence had always before been fatal to the Athenians, but never fo much as at this Time; for their Navy at ÆgosPotamos, thro' the Careleffness of the Commanders, was betray'd into the Hands of Lyfander, the Lacedæmonian Admiral, who took and funk almost the whole Fleet, fo that of two or three hundred Sail of Ships, there escaped not above eight.

After this Vi&ory, Lyfander, joining his own Forces with those of Agis and Paufanias, Kings of Sparta, march'd directly to Athens, which was surrender'd to them upon Terms, whereby the Athenians obliged themselves to pull down the long Walls, by which the City was join'd to the Piraeus, or Haven, and deliver up all their Naval Forces, only ten, or as some say, twelve Ships excepted. Nay, there was a Confultation held whether the City should be utterly destroy'd, and the Lands about it laid waste; and Agis had carried it in the Affirmative, had not Lyfander oppofed him, urging, that one of the Eyes of Greece ought not to be pluck'd out. However, he forced them to alter their Form of Government, and change their Democracy into an Oligarchy, a State ́ ever affected by the Lacedæmonians.

In Compliance therefore with the Commands of their Conquerors,

(g) Alcibiade, (b) Dioder, Sic, lib, XII, Xenophon, Hift, Græç, lib. II. Justia.lib.V, C the