they would have us think, is the tyranny of a fingle perfon. Many examples might be produced of the endeavours of each of thefe three rivals after abfolute power; but I fhall fuit my discourse to the time I am writing in, and relate only fuch diffenfions in Greece and Rome, between the nobles and commons, with the confequen. ces of thein, wherein the latter were the aggreffors. I fhall begin with Greece, where my obfervations shall be confined to Athens, though feveral inftances might be brought from other states thereof. CHA P. II. Of the diffenfions in ATHENS, between the few and the many. T HESEUS is the firft, who is recorded with any appearance of truth to have brought the Grecians from a barbarous manner of life, among scattered villages, into cities; and to have established the popular ftate in Athens, affigning to himself the guardianship of the laws and chief command in war. He was forced after fome time to leave the Athenians to their own measures upon account of their feditious temper, which ever continued with them, till the final diffolution of their government by the Romans. It feems, the country about Attica was the most barren of any in Greece; through which means it happened, that the natives were never expelled by the fury of invaders, (who thought it not worth a conqueft), but continued always Aborigines; and therefore retained through all revolutions a tincture of that turbulent spirit wherewith their government began. This inftitution of Thefeus appears to have been rather a fort of mixed monarchy, than a popular ftate, and, for aught we know, might continue fo during the series of kings till the death of Codrus. From this last prince Solon was faid to be descended; who, finding the people engaged in two violent factions of the poor and the rich, and in great confusion thereupon; refufing the monarchy, which was offered him, chofe rather to caft the government after another model, wherein he made due provifions for fettling the balance of power, chufing a fenate of four hundred, and difpofing the magiftracies and offices according to mens eftates; leaving to the multitude their votes in electing, and the power of judging certain proceffes by appeal. This council of four hundred was chofen, one hundred out of each tribe, and feems to have been a body reprefentative of the people; though the people collective referved a fhare of power to themfelves. It is a point of hiftory perplexed enough; but thus much is certain, that the balance of power was provided for; elfe Pififtratus, called by authors the tyrant of Athens, could never have governed fo peaceably, as he did, without changing any of Solon's laws. Thefe feveral powers, together with that of the archon or chief magiftrate, made up the form of government in Athens, at what time it began to appear upon the fcene of action and story. The first great man bred up under this inftitution was Miltiades, who lived about ninety years after Solon, and is reckoned to have been the first great captain, not only of Athens, but of all Greece. From the time of Miltiades to that of Phocion, who is looked upon as the laft famous general of Athens, are about 10 years: after which they were fubdued and infulted by Alexander's captains, and continued under feveral evolutions a fmall truckling ftate, of no name or reputation, tilk they fell with the rest of Greece under the power of the Romans. During this period from Miltiades to Phocion, I shali trace the conduct of the Athenians with relation to their diffenfions between the people and foine of their generals; who, at that time, by their power and credit in the army, in a warlike commonwealth, and often fupported by each other, were, with the magiftrates and other civil officers, a fort of counterpoife to the power of the people, who, fince the death of Solon, had already made great incroachments. What thefe diffen Herodot. lib. x. fions, fions were, how founded, and what the confequences of them, I fhall briefly and impartially relate. I must here premife, that the nobles in Athens were not at this time a corporate affembly, that I can gather; therefore the refentments of the commons were ufually turned against particular perfons, and by way of articles of impeachment. Whereas the commons in Rome, and fome other ftates, as will appear in a proper place, though they followed this method upon occafion, yet generally purfued the enlargement of their power by more fet quarrels of one entire affembly against another. However, the cuftom of particular impeachments being not limited to former ages, any more than that of general struggles and diffenfions between fixed affemblies of nobles and commons, and the ruin of Greece having been owing to the former, as that of Rome was to the latter, I fhall treat on both exprefsly; that those states who are concerned in either (if at least there be any fuch now in the world), may, by obferving the means and iffues of former diffenfions, learn whether the causes are alike in theirs; and if they find them to be fo, may confider whether they ought not justly to apprehend the fame effects. To fpeak of every particular perfon impeached by the commons of Athens, within the compass designed, would introduce the hiftory of almost every great man they had among them: I fhall therefore take notice only of fix, who, living in that period of time when Athens was at the height of its glory, as indeed it could not be otherwife while fuch hands were at the helm, though impeached for high crimes and mifdemeanors, fuch as bribery, arbitrary proceedings, mifapplying or embezzling public funds, ill conduct at fea, and the like, were honoured and lamented by their country, as the prefervers of it, and have had the veneration of all ages fince paid juftly to their memories. Miltiades was one of the Athenian generals against the Perfian power, and the famous victory at Marathon was chiefly owing to his valour and conduct. Being fent fome time after to reduce the island Paros, he miftook a great fire at a distance for the fleet, and being nowife a match for them, fet fail for Athens; at his arrival B 3 arrival he was impeached by the commons for treachery, though not able to appear by reafon of his wounds, fined 30,000 crowns, and died in prifon. Though the confequences of this proceeding upon the affairs of Athens were no other than the untimely lofs of fo great and good a man, yet I could not forbear relating it. Their next great nan was Ariftides *. Befides the mighty fervice he had done his country in the wars, he was a perfon of the strictest justice, and beft acquainted with the laws as well as forms of their government, fo that he was in a manner chancellor of Athens. This man, upon a flight and falfe accufation of favour ing arbitrary power, was banished by ofracifm; which rendered into modern English, would fignify, that they voted he should be removed from their prefence and council for ever. But however, they had the wit to recall him, and to that action owed the prefervation of their ftate by his future fervices. For it must be ftill confeffed in behalf of the Athenian people, that they never conceived themselves perfectly infallible, nor arrived to the heights of modern affemblies, to make obftinacy confirm what fudden heat and temerity began. They thought it not below the dignity of an affembly to endeavour at correcting an ill step; at least to repent, though it often fell out too late. Themiftocles + was at firft a commoner hinfelf: it was he that raifed the Athenians to their greatnefs at fea, which he thought to be the true and conftant intereft of that commonwealth; and the famous naval victory over the Perfians at Salamis was owing to his conduct. It feems the people obferved fomewhat of haughtiness in his temper and behaviour, and therefore banished him for five years; but finding fome flight matter of accufation against him, they fent to seize his perfon, and he hardly efcaped to the Perfian court; from whence, if the love of his country had not furmounted its bafe ingratitude to him, he had many in Lord Somers. He was the general patron of the literati, and the particular friend of Dr Swift. Orrery. + Earl of Orford. He had been confidered in a manner as Lord High Admiral, the whole affairs of the navy having been committed to his charge. Qrrery. vitations vitations to return at the head of the Perfian fleet, and take a terrible revenge: but he rather chofe a voluntary death. The people of Athens impeached Pericles * for misapplying the public revenues to his own private use. He had been a perfon of great defervings from the repu blic, was an admiral speaker, and very popular. His accounts were confused, and he could not then give them up; therefore merely to divert that difficulty, and the confequences of it, he was forced to engage his country in the Peloponnefian war, the longest that ever was known in Greece, and which ended in the utter ruin of Athens. The fame people, having refolved to fubdue Sicily, fent a mighty fleet under the command of Nicias, Lyfimachus, and Alcibiades; the two former, perfons of age and experience; the laft, a young man of noble Birth, excellent education, and a plentiful fortune. A little before the fleet fet fail, it feems one night the ftone images of Mercury, placed in feveral parts of the city, were all pared in the face: this action the Athenians interpreted for a defign of deftroying the popular ftate; and Alcibiades, having been formerly noted for the like fiolics and excurfions, was immediately accused of this. He, whether confcious of his innocence, or affured of the fecrecy, offered to come to his trial before he went to his command; this the Athenians refufed. But as foon as he was got to Sicily, they sent for him back, designing to take the advan Lord Halifax. He had a fine genius for poetry, and had employed his more youthful part of life in that feience. He was diftinguished by the name of Moufe Montague, having ridiculed, jointly with Mat. Prior, Mr Dryden's famous poem of the Hind and Panther. The parody is drawn from Horace's fable of the city-mouse and country moufe. But afterwards, upon Mr Mountague's promotion to the Chancellorship of the Exchequer, Prior, with a good-humoured indignation at feeing his friend preferred, and himself neglected, concludes an epifte, written in the year 1698, to Fleetwood Shepherd, Efq; with these three lines. My friend Charles Mountague's preferr❜d, Orrery. |
