were revived, and had formed three different parties. Lycur gus was at the head of the people that inhabited the low-lands: Megacles, fon of Alcmeon, was the leader of the inhabitants upon the fea-coaft; and Pififtratus had declared for the mountaineers, to whom were joined the handicraftsmen and la-bourers who lived by their induftry, and whofe chief fpleen was against the rich: Of these three leaders the two laft were the most powerful and confiderable.

(y) Megacles was the fon of that Alcmeon whom Crofus had extremely enriched for a particular fervice he had done him. He had likewise married a lady, who had brought him an immenfe portion: Her name was Agarifta, the daughter of Clifthenes, tyrant of Sicyon. This Clifthenes was at this time the richest and most opulent prince in Greece. In order to be able to chufe a worthy fon-in-law, and to know his tem-per, manners, and character from his own experience, Clifthenes invited all the young noblemen of Greece to come and fpend a year with him at his houfe; for this was an ancient custom in that country. Several youths accepted the invita-tion, and there came from different parts to the number of. thirteen.. Nothing was feen every day but races, games, tournaments, magnificent entertainments, and converfations upon all forts of questions and fubjects. One of the gentlemen,. who had hitherto furpaffed all his competitors, loft the princefs, by using fome indecent geftures and poftures in his dancing, with which her father was extremely offended. Clifthenes, at the end of the year, declared for Megacles, and fent the reft of the noblemen away loaden with civilities and prefents. This was the Megacles, of whom we are fpeaking.

(z) Pififtratus was a well-bred man, of a gentle and infinu ating behaviour, ready to fuccour and affift the * poor; wife and moderate towards his enemies; a moft artful and accomplished diffembler and one, who had all appearances of virtue, even beyond the most virtuous; who feemed to be the moft zealous ftickler for equality among the citizens, and who abfolutely declared against all innovations and change.

It was not very hard for him to impofe upon the people with all this artifice and addrefs. But Solon quickly faw through/ bis difguife, and perceived the drift of all his feeming virture and fair pretences: However he thought fit to obferve measures with him in the beginning, hoping perhaps by gentle methods to bring him back to his duty..

We are not here to understand fuch | zen that died of burger, or dishonoured. as begged or asked alms; for in those his city by begging. Orat Areop, p. #imes, fays Ifocrates, there was no ciòi- ♪ 360,

(a) It was at this time Thefpis began to change the Gre cian tragedy: I fay change; because it was invented long before. This novelty drew all the world after it. Solon went among the reft for the fake of hearing Thefpis, who acted himfelf, according to the custom of the ancient poets. When the play was ended, he called to Thefpis, and asked him, Why he was not ashamed to utter fuch lies before fo many people? Thef pis made anfwer, That there was no harm in lies of that fort, and in poetical fictions, which were only made for diverfion. No; replied Solon, giving a great ftroke with his tick upon the ground; but if we suffer and approve of lying for our own diverfion, it will quickly find its way into our ferious engagements, and all our business and affairs.

(6) In the mean time Pififtratus ftill pufhed on his point; and, in order to accomplish it, made ufe of a ftratagem, that fucceeded as well as he could expect. (c) He gave himfelf feveral wounds; and in that condition, with his body all bloody, he caufed him felf to be carried in a chariot into the market-place, where he raised and enflamed the populace, by giving them to understand that his enemies had treated him at that rate, and that he was the victim of his zeal for the publick good.

An affembly of the people was immediately convened; and there it was refolved, in fpite of all the remonftrances Solon could make against it, that fifty guards fhould be allowed Pififtratus for the fecurity of his perfon. He foon augmented the number, as much as he thought fit, and by their means made himself mafter of the citadel. All his enemies betook themfelves to flight, and the whole city was in great confternation and diforder, except Solon, who loudly reproached the Athenians with their cowardice and folly, and the tyrant with his treachery. Upon his being asked what it was that gave him fo much firmnefs and refolution? It is, faid he, my old age. He was indeed very old, and did not feem to rifk much, as the end of his life was very near: Though it often happens, that men grow fonder of life, in proportion as they have lefs reafon and right to defire it fhould be prolonged. But Pifif tratus, after he had fubdued all, thought his conqueft imper

(a) Plut. in Solon. p. 95. (e) Plut. in Solon. p. 95, 96..

Tragedy was in being a long_time | before Thofpis; but it was only a chorus of perfons that fung, and faid opprobrious things to one another. Thepis was abe firft that improved this chorus by the addition of a perfonage, or character,

fe&

(b) Herod, 1. i. c. 59—64.

who, in order to give the rest time to take breath and to recover their spirits, recited an adventure of fome illuftrious perfon. And this recital gave occafion afterwards for introducing the subjects of tragedies,

fea till he had gained Solon: And as he was well acquainted with the means that are proper to engage an old man, he careffed him accordingly; omitted nothing that could tend to foften and win upon him, and fhewed him all poffible marks. of friendship and efteem, doing him all manner of honour,. having him often about his perfon, and publickly profeffing a great veneration for his laws; which in truth he both obferved. himself, and caufed to be obferved by others. Solon, feeing. it was impoffible either to bring Pififtratus by fair means to re nounce this ufurpation, or to depofe him by force, thought it. a point of prudence not to exafperate the tyrant by rejecting the advances he made him, and hoped, at the fame time, that by entering into his confidence and counfels, he might at least, be capable of conducting a power which he could not abolish,. and of mitigating the mischief and calamity that he had not. been able to prevent.

Solon did not furvive the liberty of his country two years, compleat For Pififtratus made himself mafter of Athens, under the archon Comias, the first year of the 5ft Olympiad ;, and Solon died the year following, under the archon Hegeftratus, who fucceeded Comias.

*

The two parties, whofe heads were Lycurgus and Megacles,, uniting, drove Pififtratus out of Athens, where he was foon recalled by Megacles, who gave him his daughter in marriage.' But a difference, that arofe upon occafion of this match, hav ing embroiled them afresh, the Alcmæonidæ had the worst of it, and were obliged to retire. Pififtratus was twice depofed,. and twice found means to reinftate himself. His artifices acquired him his power, and his moderation maintained him in it; and without doubt his eloquence, which even in Tully's judgment was very great, rendered him very acceptable to the Athenians, who were but too apt to be affected with the charms, of discourse, as it made them forget the care of their liberty. An exact fubmiffion to the laws diftinguished Pififtratus from most other ufurpers; and the mildness of his government was fuch as might make many a lawful fovereign blufh. For which reafon, the character of Pifftratus was thought worthy of being fet in oppofition to that of other tyrants. Cicero, doubting what ufe Cæfar would make of his victory at Pharfalia, wrote to his dear friend Atticus, + We do not yet know, whether the P 6 defting fuiffe traditur, quàm Pififtrati? Cic. de Orat. l. iii, n. 137.

Pifftratus dicendo tantum valuiffe dicitur, ut ei Athenienfes regium imperium oratione capti permitterent. Val. Max l. viii. c. 9.

Quis doctior iifdem temporibus, aut cujus eloquentia literis inftructiar

Incertum eft Phalarimne, an Pififtratum, fit imitaturus. Ad Attica. 1. vii. Ep. xix.

destiny of Rome will have us groan under a Phalaris, or live under a Pififtratus.

This tyrant indeed, if we are to call him fo, always fhewed himself very popular and moderate; (d) and had such a command of his temper, as to bear reproaches and infults with patience, when he had it in his power to revenge them with a word. His gardens and orchards were open to all the citizens;. in which he was afterwards imitated by Cimon. (e) It is faid, he was the first who opened a publick library in Athens, which after his time was much augmented, and at laft carried into Perfia by Xerxes (ƒ), when he took the city. But Seleucus Nicanor, a long time afterwards, reftored it to Athens. (g) Cicero thinks alfo, it was Pififtratus who firft made the Athenians acquainted with the poems of Homer; who difpofed the books in the order we now find them, whereas before they were confufed, and not digefted; and who firft caufed them to be publickly read at their feafts, called Panathenæa. (b) Plato afcribes this honour to his fon Hipparchus.

(i) Pififtratus died in tranquillity, and tranfmitted to his fons the fovereign power. which he had ufurped thirty yearsbefore; feventeen of which he had reigned in peace.

(4) His fons were Hippias and Hipparchus. Thucydides adds a third, which he calls Theffalus. They seemed to have inherited from their father an affection for learning and learned men. Plato, who attributes to Hipparchus (7) what we have faid concerning the poems of Homer, adds, that he invited to Athens the famous poet Anacreon, who was of Teos, a city of lonia; that he fent a veffel of fifty oars on purpofe for him. He likewife entertained at his houfe Simonides, another famous poet of the isle of Ceos, one of the Cyclades, in the Ægean fea, to whom he gave a large penfion, and made very rich prefents. The defign of thefe princes in inviting men of letters to Athens was, fays Plato, to foften and cultivate the minds of the citizens, and to infufe into them a relifh and love for virtue, by giving them a tafte for learning and the fciences. Their care extended even to the inftructing of the peafants and country people, by erecting, not only in the freets of the city, but in all the roads and highways, ftatues of flone, called Mercuries, with grave fentences carved upon them; in which manner those filent monitors gave inftructive leffons to all paffengers. Plato feems to fuppofe, that Hippar

chus had the authority, or that the two brothers reigned together. (m) But Thucydides fhews, that Hippias, as the eldeft of the fons, fucceeded his father in the government.

: However it were, their reign in the whole, after the death, of Pififtratus, was only of eighteen years duration: It ended in the following manner.

(n) Harmodius and Ariftogiton, both citizens of Athens, had contracted a very strict friendship. Hipparchus, angry at first for a personal affront he pretended to have received from him, to revenge himself upon his fifter, put a publick affront upon her, by obliging her fhamefully to retire from a folemn proceffion, in which he was to carry one of the facred baskets, alledging, that he was not in a fit condition to aflift at fuch a ceremony. Her brother and his friend, ftill more being flung to the quick by fo grofs and outrageous an affront, took from that moment a refolution to attack the tyrants. And to do it the more effectually, they waited for the opportunity of a fefti val, which they judged would be very favourable for their purpose: This was the feat of the Panathenæa, in which the ceremony required, that all the tradefmen and artificers fhould; be under arms. For the greater fecurity, they only admitted, a very small number of the citizens into their fecret; conceiving, that upon the first motion all the reft would join them. The day being come, they went betimes into the market-place, armed with daggers. Hippias came out of the palace, and went to the Ceremicum, which was a place without the city, where the company of guards then were, to give the neceflary orders for the ceremony. The two friends followed him thither, and coming near him, they faw one of the confpirators talking very familiarly with him, which made them apprehend they were betrayed. They could have executed their defign that moment upon Hippias; but they were willing to begin their vengeance upon the author of the affront they had received. They therefore returned into the city, where meeting with Hipparchus, they killed him; but being immediately apprehended, themfelves were flain, and Hippias found means to difpel the storm.

After this affair he obferved no measures, and reigned like a true tyrant, putting to death a vast number of citizens. To guard himself for the future against a like enterprize, and to fecure a fafe retreat for himself, in cafe of any accident, he endeavoured to frengthen himself by a foreign fupport, and to that end gave his daughter in marriage to the son of the tyrant of Lampfacus.

(m) Lib. vi, p. 225.

(a) Thucyd. 1. vi. p. 446-450.

In