ftration; and the first of these was Cleon, who enter'd upon his Charge in the third Year of the twenty fourth Olympiade. 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 very cruel and inhuman, punishing almost every trivial Of fence with Death. Infomuch that thofe 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 himself being ask'd, why he made Death the Punishment of moft Offences? Reply'd, fmall Crimes deferve that, and I have no higher for the greatest. But all these, 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 Commonwealth, 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 Estate they fhould have that could be capable of being admitted to them, and to diffolve or continue any of the prefent Conftitutions, according to his Judgment and Discretion f. In Solon finding the People variously affected, fome inclin'd 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, endeavoured as far as was poffible to compofe all their Differences, to case their Grievances, and give all reasonable Perfons Satisfaction. the Profecution of this Design he divided the Athenians into four Ranks, according to every Man's E Eftate; thofe who were worth five hundred Medimns of liquid and dry Commodities he plac'd in the firft Rank, calling them πεντακοσιομέδιμνοι. The next were the Horfemen, call'd Ιππάde Thours, being fuch as were of Ability to furnifh out a Horfe, or were worth three hundred Medimns. The third Clafs confifted of thofe that had two hundred Medimns, who were called Zay. In the last he placed all the rest, calling them Onres, 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, though 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 pafs, that Caufes of the greatest Weight and Moment were brought before them. And thus he continu'd the Power and Magiftracy in the Hands of the rich Men, and yet neither expos'd the inferior People to their Cruelty and Oppreffion, nor wholly depriv'd them of having a Share in the Government. And of this Equality he himself makes mention in this manner, Clemens Stromat. L Platarch, in Solone. Δήμος Δήμῳ μὲν γὰρ ἔδωκα τόσον κράτῳ ὅσσον ἐπαρκεί, Τιμῆς οὐτ' αφελὼν οὔτ ̓ ἐπορεξάμενΘ. Οἱ δ' εἶχον δύναμιν, καὶ χρήμασιν ἦσαν ἀγητοὶ, What Power was fit, I did on all bestow, Nor rais'd the Poor too high, nor prefs'd too low; Mr.Creech. Not many Years after, the City being divided into Factions, Pifftratus, by a Stratagem, feiz'd upon the Government: For having, on fet purpofe, wounded himself, he was brought into the Market-place in a Chair, where he expos'd his Wounds to the People, affuring them that he had been so dealt with by the adverse Party for his Affection to their Government. The unthinking Multitude were eafily 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 past, Pififtratus lifted the Number of Men that were allow'd him, and befides them, as many more as he pleas'd, no Man obferving what he was a doing, till at length, in Requital of the City's Kindness and Care of him, he feiz'd the Citadel, and depriv'd 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 continu'd all that time unsettled, and in continual Motions, the City-Party fometimes prevailing against him and expelling him, fometimes again being worsted by him, and forc'd 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 call'd to his Affistance the banish'd Alcmeonida 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 liv'd 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 enter'd 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 obtain'd twenty Years after Hippias's Expulfion. And thus the Athenians recover'd their Laws and Liberties, about fixty eight Years after they had been depriv'd of them by Pififtratus. 4 After this Succefs, they continued in a flourishing Condition for three and thirty Years, but then the Scene chang'd, and reduc'd them almoft ! almost to the lowest Ebb of Fortune. Xerxes in Revenge of his Predeceffor's Defeat, invaded their Territories with an Army, (as fome fay) of feventeen hundred thousand Men, and forc'd 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 Ariftides, who totally defeated the Perfian Fleet at Salamis, and feconded that Victory by another of no lefs Importance over Mardonius at Platad, whereby the Barbarians were quite driven out of Greece, and Athens restor❜d to her ancient Government, arifing out of her Ruins more bright and glorious than ever fhe had been before. But the State fuffer'd fome Alterations, for firft, Ariftides, a Person Las Plutarch affures us) of a mean Extraction, and meaner Fortune, being, in Confideration of his eminent Virtues, and fignal Services to the Common-wealth, preferr'd to the Dignity of an Archon, repeal'd Solon's Law, by which the Ors, or lowest Order of People, were made incapable of bearing any Office in the Government. And after him Pericles having leffen'd the Power of the Areopagites, brought in a confus'd 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. 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 forc'd 'em to quit their City, became fole Lords of the Sea, and made themselves Mafters of the greatest part of the Agean 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 Peoples Infolency, took this Opportunity to change the Form of Government, and bring the Sovereignty into the Hands of a few. To which purpose confpiring with the Captains that were abroad, they caus'd them to fet up an Ariftocracy in the Towns of their Confederates; and in the mean time, fome that were most likely to oppose this Innovation, being flain at Athens, the Commonalty were fo difmay'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, caus'd 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 themselves; neither had the Commonalty any other Liberty, than only that of approving and giving Confent; for whofoever prefum ed to take upon him any farther, was quickly dispatch'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 Ifle of Samos, altogether detefting these tyrannical Proceedings of the four Hundred Ufurpers, recall'd Alcibiades from his Banifhment; and partly out of Fear of him, partly because they found the Citizens incens'd against them, the Tyrants voluntarily refign'd their Authority, and went into Banishment. Yet was not this Alteration of Government a full Reftitution 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 feeming to do little or no Wrong to the Commonalty, who feldom affembled in a greater Number; and therefore no Decrees were paffed 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 & Plato) rani606 TerpanýσLO, övres, five 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 fhould 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 Succefs from Abroad, for by the help of Alcibiades they in a fhort time obtain'd feveral very important Victories; but the giddy Multitude being foon after incens'd against him, he was banish'd a fecond time. His Abfence had always before been fatal to the Athenians, but never fo much fo, as at this time; for their Navy at Agos Potamos, through 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 escap'd not above eight. After this Victory, Lyfander joining his own Forces with those of Agis and Paufanias, Kings of Sparta, march'd directly to Athens, which was furrender'd to them upon Terms, whereby the Athenians oblig'd themfelves 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 fome fay, twelve Ships excepted. Nay there was a Confultation held whether the City fhould be utterly deftroy'd, and the Lands about it laid wafte; and Agis had carried it in the affirmative, had not Lyfander oppos'd him, urging, that one of the Eyes of Greece ought not to be plucked out. However, he forc'd them to alter their Form of Government, and change their Democracy into an Oligarchy, a State ever affected by the Lacedaemonians. In compliance therefore with the Commands of their Conquerors, B Alcibiade. Diodor. Sic, lib, XII. Xenophon, Hift. Græc. lib. II. Justin, lib. V. the People of Athens chose thirty Governors, commonly call'd thirty Ty rants, the Names of which you may fee in Xenophon. Thefe were chofen with a Design to compile a Body of their Laws, and make a Collection of fuch ancient Statutes, as were fitteft to be put in Practice in that Juncture of Affairs, which were call'd nawol vós, or new Laws. And to this Charge was annexed the fupreme Authority, and the whole Government of the City entrusted in their Hands. At first they feem'd to proceed with fome fhew of Juftice; and apprehending fuch troublesome Fellows as were odious to the City, but could not be taken hold of by the Laws, condemn'd them to Death. But having afterwards obtain'd a Guard from the Spartans, to fecure the City, (as was pretended) to their Obedience, they foon difcover'd what they had been aiming at, for they fought no more after bafe and detefted Perfons, but invaded the leading and principal Men of the City, fending arm'd Men from House to House, to difpatch fuch as were like to make any Head against their Government. And to add the greater Strength to their Party, and Colour to their Proceedings, they felected three Thousand of fuch Citizens as they thought fitteft for their Purpose, and gave them fome Part of the Publick Authority, difarming all the reft. Being confirm'd with this Acceffion of Strength, they proceeded in their bloody Defigns with more Heat and Vigour than before, putting to Death all that were poffefs'd of Eftates, without any Form of Juftice, or fo much as any the leaft Pique or Grudge against them, only that their Riches might fall into their Hands. Nay, fo far were they tranfported with Cruelty and Covetoufnefs, that they agreed that every one of 'em fhould name his Man, upon whofe Goods he fhould feize, by putting the Owner to Death; and when Theramenes, one of their own Number, profefs'd his Deteftation of fo horrid a Defign, they condemn'd him forthwith, and compell'd him to drink Poifon. This Theramenes was at the firft a mighty Stickler for the Tyrants Authority, but when they began to abuse it by defending fuch outragious Practices, no Man more violently oppos'd it than he; and this got him the Nick-name of Kóbop, or Jack of both Sides, i væg nýlop apμÉTτειν μὲν τοῖς ποσὶν ἀμφοτέροις δοκεῖ, from Cothurnus, which was a kind of a Shoe that fitted both Feet. At length the Athenians, to the Number of seventy, that had filed to Thebes, going voluntarily into Banishment to fecure themselves from the Tyrants, enter'd into a Confpiracy against them, and under the Conduct of Thrafybulus feiz'd upon Phyle, a strong Castle in the Territory of Athens, and encreafing their Strength and Numbers by little and little, fo far prevail'd against them, that they were forc'd to retire to Sparta, and then all their Laws were repeal'd, and the upftart Form of Government utterly diffolv'd. And thus the Athenians regain'd their Liberty, and were re-established in the peaceable Enjoyment of their Lands and Fortunes in the fourth Year of the ninety fourth Olympiad. And to prevent all future Jealoufies and Quarrels amongst themselves, they proclaim'd an Asia, or Act of Oblivion, whereby all that had been concern'd in the Outrages and Barbarities committed during the Sovereignty of the Tyrants, were admitted to Pardon. Thra |