Egeus, that if he should be successful the black flag of his vessel should be exchanged for a white one. As they approached Attica, in the joy of their return both Theseus and his pilot forgot to hoist the white flag, and the father, in despair, cast himself down a precipice. Theseus ruled long, and greatly enlarged Athens by building beyond the Acropolis. In later days the magnificent temple, the Theseium, was erected to his honour, which remains in existence to the present day.

The most famous of the successors of Theseus was. Codrus. In his reign the Heraclidæ, with their Dorian allies, made an irruption into Attica. Codrus and his Athenians marched out against them. The invaders were told by the Delphic oracle "that they should be victorious if they avoided slaying the Athenian king." The story ran, that the Dorians took every pains to prevent such an event; but Codrus, being informed of the oracle, resolved to sacrifice himself for his country. He accordingly disguised himself as a peasant, and without observation stole into the enemy's camp. Here he purposely provoked a quarrel with some soldiers, and was unwittingly killed by them. The next day the Athenians sent an embassy to the foe, demanding the

body of their king; and the Dorians, panic-struck by the recollection of the oracle, broke up their camp and retired. The story of the Athenian kings is more or less mythical throughout. We will gather up the ascertained facts and proceed to authentic history.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE ERA BEFORE SOLON.

THE history of Athens shows the successive changes of monarchical, oligarchical, and democratic forms of government. After the death of Codrus, the chief magistrate was no longer known as king, but as archon. The archon was elected, first, for life, then decennially, then for a single year. Lastly, there were nine annual archons instead of one. Early history gives us a long string of the names of archons, but only scanty facts. We have not the same information about the Ionian as about the Dorian race. It was said that Ion, the founder of the race had four sons, and we find four tribes in Attica who were called after their several names; but the names are best referred to those natural divisions of the country of which we have made mention. It is supposed that these tribes really meant (1) warriors, (2) goatherds, (3) artizans, (4) cultivators. It is not, however, to be implied that we have here any institution of castes, such as we find in India. Each tribe was divided into three Fraternities, and thirty sections. There was another classification of the tribes for political and financial purposes. It is important to remember their titles. Each tribe was divided into three Trittyes, and each Trittys into four Naucraries. Thus there were twelve of the one, and forty-eight of the other. A set of householders made up a Naucrary, and a number of these sets made up a Trittys.

Besides these, we have another division of a more obvious and natural character, which is said to have been introduced by King Theseus. This was the division of nobles, or eupatrids, husbandmen, and handicrafts

men. The real power of the state was absorbed by the eupatrids-nobly-born, wealthy, and powerful men. The great officers of state were chosen from this body. The senate of the Athenians was composed of the eupatrids, a body of immemorial standing, to which the highest veneration was paid. It used to assemble on the Areopagus, or Mars' Hill: the same spot whence, hundreds of years later, the Apostle Paul looked down on the magnificent structures which had risen in Attica in its long and glorious history, and sought to dissuade the Athenians from their idolatry by preaching to them Jesus and the Resurrection.

Regular Athenian history begins with the time of the institution of annual archons, in the year 683 B.C. These archons appear to have possessed arbitrary and even absolute power, and being drawn from the patrician class, they would hardly fail to become obnoxious to the plebeian orders. At this time there was no body of written laws, but in the year 624 B.C., Draco, one of the archons, was appointed to reduce the Athenian laws to writing. The memory of Draco has been associated with much unjust odium; it was a popular saying, that his laws were written in blood. Draco, however, did not make these laws. He only stated them as they stood. There is even evidence to show that, in some respects, he modified the rigour of the ancient law. The senate of the Areopagus, which was also the supreme court of judicature, tried all cases of homicide, and by its constitution had no power to take count of extenuating circumstances, but in every case of conviction passed the extreme penalty of death, or perpetual banishment with confiscation of property. Draco brought cases of accidental or justifiable homicide before a new set of judges, who should apply principles of greater equity. Still, the penalties of his code were barbarously severe. Even cases of petty theft were punished with death. Draco said that small offences deserved death, and he had no severer punishment for greater ones. We notice the important fact that he first made for the Athenians the transfer from unwritten to written law. The people, however, did not at all like their laws, when their full severity was exposed to them, and Draco is said to have

been obliged to quit Athens and retire to Egina, where he died.

The greatest public dissatisfaction continued to prevail throughout Attica. The nobles made such an intolérable use of their power that the people would have preferred B.C. 612. a single despot to so many tyrants. About twelve years after the promulgation of Draco's code there were deep revolutionary projects. One of the most distinguished of the order of eupatrids at this time was Cylon. He was very rich, had married the daughter of the tyrant of Megara, and had won a victory at the Olympic Games. He thought that the public mind was ripe for the establishment of the same kind of tyranny at Athens as existed in so many Grecian states. This scheme led to an unfortunate series of events which had a very perceptible and unhappy effect for generations afterwards. Cylon consulted the Delphic Pythoness about the scheme, for at this time few great things were taken in hand without the sanction of the oracle. He was told to seize the Acropolis "at the greatest festival of Zeus." His design miserably failed, and then men, anxious to maintain the credit of the oracle, said that Cylon had mistaken its purport. Cylon made his attempt at the time of the Olympic Games, whereas there was a festival called the Diasia, which was considered the greatest festival of Zeus at Athens. However, Cylon seized upon the Acropolis with a force consisting of his own friends and some troops furnished him by his father-in-law. But the people did not rally around him as he had hoped and expected. The government summoned its forces and closely blockaded him in the Acropolis. Cylon escaped with his brother, but there was a sad fate for those whom he had led into the conspiracy. They consumed all their provisions. Some of them even perished with hunger. Those who remained gave up all thoughts of defence, betook themselves to the Temple of Athene, and there sat as suppliants at the altar. The archon, Megacles, son of Alcmæon, afraid that they would die there and so pollute the sanctuary, promised to spare their lives if they would surrender. But when they had withdrawn from the temple they were treacherously massacred, and

even some, who, foreseeing their fate, flung themselves before the altar of the dread Eumenides, or Furies, were cruelly slain, although within the shadow of what was deemed their most awful protection. Megacles evermore had reason to regret this daring sacrilege. He and all his line were held accursed. Men devoted them to the vengeance of the gods. Whatever evil happened in the land was attributed to divine wrath on their account. The friends of Cylon denounced the Alcmæonids as the worst of murderers, and said there would be no peace for the country until they were signally punished. Nor did the deep excitement in the public mind abate until Megacles and his race were driven into exile, and not even exile was thought a sufficient expiation.

B.C. 596.

The Athenians continued to believe that the vengeance of Heaven rested upon them on account of the violation of the right of asylum and the contempt exhibited towards the gods. Direful omens continued to be discovered, and a pestilence was depopulating the city. It was necessary that Athens should be purified from pollution, and the minds of its inhabitants set once more at rest. By the advice of the Delphic oracle, Epimenides, the renowned sage of Crete, was invited to Athens. His visit is an important landmark in Athenian history. Many marvellous legends were told about Epimenides. He was thought to be the greatest prophet of his age. He was supposed to have gathered up much earthly and unearthly knowledge. The story went that he had lain in a trance for fifty-seven years. The Athenians received him with the utmost veneration, and with every wish to be benefited by his advice. Epimenides employed simple but efficacious means. He calmed the excited minds of the populace by ordaining various lustral rites to purify the city. He founded a temple on the Areopagus in honour of the insulted Eumenides. He forbade the enormous expenditure at funerals and extravagant manifestations of grief. It is said that he turned out some white and black sheep on the Acropolis and directed persons to watch the spots where they should lie down, and there erect temples. Having remained for some time at Athens, and succeeded in soothing the minds of the people, he departed