No More Learning

for did the Athenians foresee what mischief this would do their city, they would even eat it with their own teeth to be rid of it. " A similar anticipation is ascribed to Thales ; they say he commanded his friends to bury him in an obscure and contemned quarter of the territory of Miletus, say ing that it should some day be the market place of the Mile sians. Epimenides, being much honored, and receiving from the city rich offers of large gifts and privileges, requested but one branch of the sacred olive, and, on that being granted, returned.
The Athenians, now the Cylonian sedition was over and the polluted gone into banishment, fell into their old quarrels about the government, there being as many different parties as there were diversities in the country. The Hill quarter favored democracy, the Plain, oligarchy, and those that lived by the Seaside stood for a mixed sort of government, and so hindered either of the other parties from prevailing. And the disparity of fortune between the rich and the poor at that time also reached its height ; so that the city seemed to be in a truly dangerous condition, and no other means for freeing it from disturbances and settling it to be possible but a despotic power. All the people were indebted to the rich ; and either they tilled their land for their creditors, paying them a sixth part of the increase, and were, therefore, called Hectemorii and Thetes, or else they engaged their body for the debt, and might be seized, and either sent into slavery at home, or sold to stran gers ; some (for no law forbade it) were forced to sell their chil dren, or fly their country to avoid the cruelty of their creditors ; but the most part and the bravest of them began to combine
together and encourage one another to stand to it, to choose a leader, to liberate the condemned debtors, divide the land, and change the government.
Then the wisest of the Athenians, perceiving Solon was of all men the only one not implicated in the troubles, that he had not joined in the exactions of the rich, and was not involved in the necessities of the poor, pressed him to succor the common
SOLON. 153
wealth and compose the differences. Though Phanias the Les bian affirms that Solon, to save his country, put a trick upon both parties, and privately promised the poor a division of the lands, and the rich security for their debts. Solon, however, himself says that it was reluctantly at first that he engaged in state affairs, being afraid of the pride of one party and the greediness of the other ; he was chosen archon, however, after Philombrotus, and empowered to be an arbitrator and lawgiver, the rich consenting because he was wealthy, the poor because he was honest. There was a saying of his current before the election, that when things are even there never can be war, and this pleased both parties, the wealthy and the poor, — the one conceiving him to mean, when all have their fair proportion ; the others, when all are absolutely equal.
Thus, there being great hopes on both sides, the chief men pressed Solon to take the government into his own hands, and, when he was once settled, manage the business freely and ac cording to his pleasure ; and many of the commons, perceiving it would be a difficult change to be effected by law and reason, were willing to have one wise and just man set over the affairs ; and some say that Solon had this oracle from Apollo —
Take the mid seat, and be the vessel's guide ; Many in Athens are upon your side.
But chiefly his familiar friends chid him for disaffecting mon archy only because of the name, as if the virtue of the ruler could not make it a lawful form ; Euboea had made this experi ment when it chose Tynnondas, and Mitylene, which had made Pittacus its prince ; yet this could not shake Solon's resolu tion; but, as they say, he replied to his friends, that it was true a tyranny was a very fair spot, but it had no way down from it ; and in a copy of verses to Phocus he writes —
— that I spared my land,
And withheld from usurpation and from violence my hand, And forbore to fix a stain and a disgrace on my good name,
I regret not ;
I believe that it will be my chiefest fame.
From which it is manifest that he was a man of great reputa tion before he gave his laws. The several mocks that were put upon him for refusing the power, he records in these words, —
154 SOLON.
Solon surely was a dreamer, and a man of simple mind ; When the gods would give him fortune, he of his own will
declined ;
When the net was full of fishes, overheavy thinking
He declined to haul up, through want of heart and want
of wit.
Had but that chance of riches and of kingship, for one day,
would give my skin for flaying, and my house to die away.
Thus he makes the many and the low people speak of him. Yet, though he refused the government, he was not too mild in the affair he did not show himself mean and submissive to the powerful, nor make his laws to pleasure those that chose him. For where was well before, he applied no remedy, nor altered anything, for fear lest,
Overthrowing altogether and disordering the state,
he should be too weak to new-model and recompose to toler able condition but what he thought he could effect by persua sion upon the pliable, and by force upon the stubborn, this he did, as he himself says,
With force and justice working both in one.
And, therefore, when he was afterwards asked he had left the Athenians the best laws that could be given, he replied, " The best they could receive. "
The way which, the moderns say, the Athenians have of softening the badness of thing, by ingeniously giving some pretty and innocent appellation, — calling harlots, for example, mistresses, tributes customs, garrison guard, and the jail the chamber, — seems originally to have been Solon's contrivance, who called canceling debts Seisacthea, a relief, or disencum- brance. For the first thing which he settled was that what debts remained should be forgiven, and no man, for the future, should engage the body of his debtor for security. Though some, as Androtion, affirm that the debts were not canceled, but the interest only lessened, which sufficiently pleased the people so that they named this benefit the Seisacthea, together with the enlarging their measures, and raising the value of their money for he made pound, which before passed for seventy-three drachmas, go for hundred; so that, though the number of pieces in the payment was equal, the value was less;
;
;
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aa a
a
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SOLON. 155
which proved a considerable benefit to those that were to dis charge great debts, and no loss to the creditors. But most agree that it was the taking off the debts that was called Seisacthea, which is confirmed by some places in his poem, where he takes honor to himself, that
The mortgage stones that covered her, by me Removed, — the land that was a slave is free ;
that some who had been seized for their debts he had brought back from other countries, where
— so far their lot to roam,
They had forgot the language of their home ;
and some he had set at liberty,
Who here in shameful servitude were held.
While he was designing this, a most vexatious thing hap pened; for when he had resolved to take off the debts, and was considering the proper form and fit beginning for it, he told some of his friends, Conon, Clinias, and Hipponicus, in whom he had a great deal of confidence, that he would not meddle with the lands, but only free the people from their debts ; upon which they, using their advantage, made haste and borrowed some considerable sums of money, and purchased some large farms; and when the law was enacted, they kept the possessions, and would not return the money ; which brought Solon into great suspicion and dislike, as if he himself had not been abused, but was concerned in the contrivance. But he presently stopped this suspicion, by releasing his debtors of five talents (for he had lent so much), according to the law ; others, as Polyzelus the Rhodian, say fifteen ; his friends, how ever, were ever afterward called Chreocopidae, repudiators.
In this he pleased neither party, for the rich were angry for their money, and the poor that the land was not divided, and, as Lycurgus ordered in his commonwealth, all men reduced to equality. He, it is true, being the eleventh from Hercules, and having reigned many years in Lacedaemon, had got a great reputation and friends and power, which he could use in model ing his state ; and applying force more than persuasion, inso much that he lost his eye in the scuffle, was able to employ the most effectual means for the safety and harmony of a state, by not permitting any to be poor or rich in his commonwealth.
156
SOLON.
Solon could not rise to that in his polity, being but a citizen of the middle classes ; yet he acted fully up to the height of his power, having nothing but the good will and good opinion of his citizens to rely on ; and that he offended the most part, who looked for another result, he declares in the words —
Formerly they boasted of me vainly ; with averted eyes
Now they look askance upon me ; friends no more, but enemies.
And yet had any other man, he says, received the same power,
He would not have forborne, nor let alone, But made the fattest of the milk his own.
Soon, however, becoming sensible of the good that was done, they laid by their grudges, made a public sacrifice, calling it Seisacthea, and chose Solon to new-model and make laws for the commonwealth, giving him the entire power over every thing, their magistracies, their assemblies, courts, and councils; that he should appoint the number, times of meeting, and what estate they must have that could be capable of these, and dis solve or continue any of the present constitutions, according to his pleasure.
First, then, he repealed all Draco's laws, except those con cerning homicide, because they were too severe, and the pun ishments too great ; for death was appointed for almost all offenses, insomuch that those that were convicted of idleness were to die, and those that stole a cabbage or an apple to suffer even as villains that committed sacrilege or murder. So that Demades, in after time, was thought to have said very happily, that Draco's laws were written not with ink but blood; and he himself, being once asked why he made death the punishment of most offenses, replied, " Small ones deserve that, and I have no higher for the greater crimes. "
Next, Solon, being willing to continue the magistracies in the hands of the rich men, and yet receive the people into the other part of the government, took an account of the citizens' estates, and those that were worth five hundred measures of fruit, dry and liquid, he placed in the first rank, calling them Pentacosiomedimni ; those that could keep a horse, or were worth three hundred measures, were named Hippada Teluntes, and made the second class ; the Zeugitae, that had two hundred measures, were in the third ; and all the others were called
SOLON. 157
Thetes, who were not admitted to any office, but could come to the assembly, and act as jurors ; which at first seemed nothing, but afterwards was found an enormous privilege, as almost every matter of dispute came before them in this latter capacity. Even in the cases which he assigned to the archon's cognizance, he allowed an appeal to the courts. Besides, it is said that he was obscure and ambiguous in the wording of his laws, on purpose to increase the honor of his courts ; for since their differences could not be adjusted by the letter, they would have to bring all their causes to the judges, who thus were in a manner masters of the laws. Of this equalization he himself
makes
mention in this manner : —
Such power I gave the people as might do, Abridged not what they had, now lavished new, Those that were great in wealth and high in place My counsel likewise kept from all disgrace. Before them both I held my shield of might,
And let not either touch the other's right.
And for the greater security of the weak commons, he gave general liberty of indicting for an act of injury ; if any one was beaten, maimed, or suffered any violence, any man that would and was able might prosecute the wrongdoer ; intending by this to accustom the citizens, like members of the same body, to resent and be sensible of one another's injuries. And there is a saying of his agreeable to his law, for, being asked what city was best modeled, " That," said he, " where those that are not injured try and punish the unjust as much as those that are. "
When he had constituted the Areopagus of those who had been yearly archons, of which he himself was a member there fore, observing that the people, now free from their debts, were unsettled and imperious, he formed another council of four hundred, a hundred out of each of the four tribes, which was to inspect all matters before they were propounded to the people, and to take care that nothing but what had been first examined should be brought before the general assembly. The upper council, or Areopagus, he made inspectors and keepers of the laws, conceiving that the commonwealth, held by these two councils, like anchors, would be less liable to be tossed by tumults, and the people be more quiet. Such is the general statement, that Solon instituted the Areopagus ; which seems
158
SOLON.
to be confirmed, because Draco makes no mention of the Areop- agites, but in all causes of blood refers to the Ephetae ; yet Solon's thirteenth table contains the eighth law set down in these very words : " Whoever before Solon's archonship were disfranchised, let them be restored, except those that, being condemned by the Areopagus, Ephetae, or in the Prytaneum by the kings, for homicide, murder, or designs against the govern ment, were in banishment when this law was made ; " and these words seem to show that the Areopagus existed before Solon's laws, for who could be condemned by that council before his time, if he was the first that instituted the court ? unless, which is probable, there is some ellipsis, or want of precision in the language, and it should run thus : " Those that are convicted of such offenses as belong to the cognizance of the Areopagites, Ephetae, or the Prytanes, when this law was made," shall remain still in disgrace, whilst others are restored ; of this the reader must judge.
Amongst his other laws, one is very peculiar and surprising, which disfranchises all who stand neuter in a sedition ; for it seems he would not have any one remain insensible and regard less of the public good, and, securing his private affairs, glory that he has no feeling of the distempers of his country ; but at once join with the good party and those that have the right upon their side, assist and venture with them, rather than keep out of harm's way and watch who would get the better. It seems an absurd and foolish law which permits an heiress, if her lawful husband fail her, to take his nearest kinsman ; yet some say this law was well contrived against those who, con scious of their own unfitness, yet, for the sake of the portion, would match with heiresses, and make use of law to put a vio lence upon nature ; for now, since she can quit him for whom she pleases, they would either abstain from such marriages, or continue them with disgrace, and suffer for their covetousness and designed affront ; it is well done, moreover, to confine her to her husband's nearest kinsman, that the children may be of the same family. Agreeable to this is the law that the bride and bridegroom shall be shut into a chamber, and eat a quince together ; and that the husband of an heiress shall consort with her thrice a month : for though there be no children, yet it is an honor and due affection which an husband ought to pay to a
virtuous, chaste wife ; it takes off all petty differences, and will not permit their little quarrels to proceed to a rupture.
SOLON.
159
In all other marriages he forbade dowries to be given ; the wife was to have three suits of clothes, a little inconsiderable household stuff, and that was all ; for he would not have mar riages contracted for gain or an estate, but for pure love, kind affection, and birth of children. When the mother of Dionysus desired him to marry her to one of his citizens, " Indeed," said he, "by my tyranny I have broken my country's laws, but cannot put a violence upon those of nature by an unseasonable marriage. " Such disorder is never to be suffered in a common wealth, nor such unseasonable and unloving and unperforming marriages, which attain no due end or fruit ; any provident governor or lawgiver might say to an old man that takes a young wife what is said to Philoctetes in the tragedy, —
Truly, in a fit state thou to marry !
and if he find a young man, with a rich and elderly wife, grow ing fat in his place, like the partridges, remove him to a young woman of proper age. And of this enough.
Another commendable law of Solon's is that which forbids men to speak evil of the dead ; for it is pious to think the deceased sacred, and just, not to meddle with those that are gone, and politic, to prevent the perpetuity of discord. He likewise forbade them to speak evil of the living in the temples, the courts of justice, the public offices, or at the games, or else to pay three drachmas to the person, and two to the public. For never to be able to control passion shows a weak nature and ill breeding ; and always to moderate it is very hard, and to some impossible. And laws must look to possibilities, if the maker designs to punish few in order to their amendment, and not many to no purpose.
He is likewise much commended for his law concerning wills ; for before him none could be made, but all the wealth and estate of the deceased belonged to his family ; but he by permitting them, if they had no children, to bestow it on whom they pleased, showed that he esteemed friendship a stronger tie than kindred, and affection than necessity; and made every man's estate truly his own. Yet he allowed not all sorts of legacies, but those only which were not extorted by the frenzy of a disease, charms, imprisonment, force, or the persuasions of a wife, — with good reason thinking that being seduced into wrong was as bad as being forced, and that between deceit and
160 SOLON.
necessity, flattery and compulsion, there was little difference, since both may equally suspend the exercise of reason.
He regulated the walks, feasts, and mourning of the women, and took away everything that was either unbecoming or immodest ; when they walked abroad, no more than three articles of dress were allowed them ; an obol's worth of meat and drink ; and no basket above a cubit high ; and at night they were not to go about unless in a chariot with a torch before them. Mourners tearing themselves to raise pity, and set wailings, and at one man's funeral to lament for another, he forbade. To offer an ox at the grave was not permitted, nor to bury above three pieces of dress with the body, or visit the tombs of any besides their own family, unless at the very funeral ; most of which are likewise forbidden by our laws, but this is further added in ours, that those that are convicted of extravagance in their mournings are to be punished as soft and effeminate by the censors of women.
Observing the city to be filled with persons that flocked from all parts into Attica for security of living, and that most of the country was barren and unfruitful, and that traders at sea imported nothing to those that could give them nothing in exchange, he turned his citizens to trade, and made a law that no son be obliged to relieve a father who had not bred him up to any calling. It is true, Lycurgus, having a city free from all strangers, and land, according to Euripides,
Large for large hosts, for twice their number much,
and, above all, an abundance of laborers about Sparta, who should not be left idle, but be kept down with continual toil and work, did well to take off his citizens from laborious and mechanical occupations, and keep them to their arms, and teach them only the art of war. But Solon, fitting his laws to the state of things, and not making things to suit his laws, and finding the ground scarce rich enough to maintain the husband men, and altogether incapable of feeding an unoccupied and leisured multitude, brought trades into credit, and ordered the Areopagites to examine how every man got his living, and chas tise the idle. But that law was yet more rigid which, as Hera- clides Ponticus delivers, declared the sons of unmarried mothers not obliged to relieve their fathers ; for he that avoids the honorable form of union shows that he does not take a woman
for children, but for pleasure, and thus gets his just reward,
SOLON. 161
and has taken away from himself every title to upbraid his children, to whom he has made their very birth a scandal and reproach.
Since the country has but few rivers, lakes, or large springs, and many used wells which they had dug, there was a law made, that, where there was a public well within a hippicon, that is, four furlongs, all should draw at that ; but when it was farther off, they should try and procure a well of their own ; and if they had dug ten fathoms deep and could find no water, they had liberty to fetch a pitcherful of four gallons and a half in a day from their neighbors' ; for he thought it prudent to make provision against want, but not to supply laziness. He showed skill in his orders about planting, for any one that would plant another tree was not to set it within five feet of his neighbor's field ; but if a fig or an olive, not within nine ; for their roots spread farther, nor can they be planted near all sorts of trees without damage, for they draw away the nourish ment, and in some cases are noxious by their effluvia. He that would dig a pit or a ditch was to dig it at the distance of its own depth from his neighbor's ground ; and he that would raise stocks of bees was not to place them within three hundred feet of those which another had already raised.
He permitted only oil to be exported, and those that ex ported any other fruit, the archon was solemnly to curse, or else pay an hundred drachmas himself; and this law was written in his first table, and, therefore, let none think it in credible, as some affirm, that the exportation of figs was once unlawful, and the informer against the delinquents called a sycophant. He made a law, also, concerning hurts and in juries from beasts, in which he commands the master of any dog that bit a man to deliver him up with a log about his neck, four and a half feet long ; a happy device for men's security. The law concerning naturalizing strangers is of doubtful char acter ; he permitted only those to be made free of Athens who were in perpetual exile from their own country, or came with their whole family to trade there ; this he did, not to discourage strangers, but rather to invite them to a permanent participation in the privileges of the government ; and, besides, he thought those would prove the more faithful citizens who had been forced from their own country, or voluntarily forsook it. The law of public entertainment (parasitein is his name for it) is
also peculiarly Solon's ; for if any man came often, or if he VOL. HI. — 11
162 SOLON.
that was invited refused, they were punished, for he concluded that one was greedy, the other a contemner of the state.
All his laws he established for an hundred years, and wrote them on wooden tables or rollers, named axones, which might be turned round in oblong cases ; some of their relics were in my time still to be seen in the Prytaneum, or common hall, at Athens. These, as Aristotle states, were called cyrbes, and there is a passage of Cratinus the comedian, —
By Solon, and by Draco, if you please,
Whose Cyrbes make the fires that parch our peas.
But some say those are properly cyrbes, which contain laws con cerning sacrifices and the rites of religion, and all the others axones. The council all jointly swore to confirm the laws, and every one of the Thesmothetae vowed for himself at the stone in the market place, that if he broke any of the statutes, he would dedicate a golden statue, as big as himself, at Delphi.
Observing the irregularity of the months, and that the moon does not always rise and set with the sun, but often in the same day overtakes and gets before him, he ordered the day should be named the Old and New, attributing that part of it which was before the conjunction to the old moon, and the rest to the new, he being the first, it seems, that understood that verse of Homer, —
The end and the beginning of the month, —
and the following day he called the new moon. After the twentieth he did not count by addition, but, like the moon itself in its wane, by subtraction ; thus up to the thirtieth.
When Solon was gone, the citizens began to quarrel ; Lycurgus headed the Plain ; Megacles, the son of Alcmaeon, those to the Seaside ; and Pisistratus the Hill party, in which were the poorest people, the Thetes, and greatest enemies to the rich ; insomuch that, though the city still used the new laws, yet all looked for and desired a change of government, hoping severally that the change would be better for them, and put them above the contrary faction. Affairs standing thus, Solon returned, and was reverenced by all, and honored ; but his old age would not permit him to be as active, and to speak in public, as formerly; yet, by privately conferring with the heads of the factions, he endeavored to compose the differences,
SOLON. 163
Pisistratus appearing the most tractable ; for he was extremely smooth and engaging in his language, a great friend to the poor, and moderate in his resentments ; and what nature had not given him, he had the skill to imitate ; so that he was trusted more than the others, being accounted a prudent and orderly man, one that loved equality, and would be an enemy to any that moved against the present settlement. Thus he deceived the majority of people ; but Solon quickly discovered his character, and found out his design before any one else ; yet did not hate him upon this, but endeavored to humble him, and bring him off from his ambition, and often told him and others, that if any one could banish the passion for preemi nence from his mind, and cure him of his desire of absolute power, none would make a more virtuous man or a more excellent citizen.
Thespis, at this time, beginning to act tragedies, and the thing, because it was new, taking very much with the multi tude, though it was not yet made a matter of competition, Solon, being by nature fond of hearing and learning something new, and now, in his old age, living idly, and enjoying himself, indeed, with music and with wine, went to see Thespis himself, as the ancient custom was, act : and after the play was done, he addressed him, and asked him if he was not ashamed to tell so many lies before such a number of people ; and Thespis reply ing that it was no harm to say or do so in play, Solon vehe mently struck his staff against the ground : " Ah," said he, " if we honor and commend such play as this, we shall find it some day in our business. "
Now when Pisistratus, having wounded himself, was brought into the market place in a chariot, and stirred up the people, as if he had been thus treated by his opponents because of his political conduct, and a great many were enraged and cried out, Solon, coming close to him, said, " This, O son of Hippoc rates, is a bad copy of Homer's Ulysses ; you do, to trick your countrymen, what he did to deceive his enemies. " After this, the people were eager to protect Pisistratus, and met in an assembly, where one Ariston making a motion that they should allow Pisistratus fifty clubmen for a guard to his person, Solon opposed it, and said much to the same purport as what he has left us in his poems, —
You dote upon his words and taking phrase ;
164 SOLON.
and again, —
But observing the poor men bent to gratify Pisistratus, and tumultuous, and the rich fearful and getting out of harm's way, he departed, saying he was wiser than some and stouter than others ; wiser than those that did not understand the design, stouter than those that, though they understood it, were afraid to oppose the tyranny.
Now, the people, having passed the law, were not nice with Pisistratus about the number of his clubmen, but took no notice of it, though he enlisted and kept as many as he would, until he seized the Acropolis. When that was done, and the city in an uproar, Megacles, with all his family, at once fled ; but Solon, though he was now very old, and had none to back him, yet came into the market place and made a speech to the citizens, partly blaming their inadvertency and meanness of spirit, and in part urging and exhorting them not thus tamely to lose their liberty ; and likewise then spoke that memorable saying, that, before, it was an easier task to stop the rising tyranny, but now the greater and more glorious action to destroy it, when it was begun already, and had gathered strength. But all being afraid to side with him, he returned home, and, taking his arms, he brought them out and laid them in the porch before his door,
True, you are singly each a crafty soul, But all together make one empty fool.
I have done my part to maintain my country and my laws," and then he busied himself no more. His friends advising him to fly, he refused, but wrote poems,
If now you suffer, do not blame the Powers, For they are good, and all the fault was ours. All the strongholds you put into his hands, And now his slaves must do what he commands.
And many telling him that the tyrant would take his life for this, and asking what he trusted to, that he ventured to speak so boldly, he replied, "To my old age. "
But Pisistratus, having got the command, so extremely courted Solon, so honored him, obliged him, and sent to see him, that Solon gave him his advice, and approved many of his actions ; for he retained most of Solon's laws, observed them himself, and compelled his friends to obey. And he himself,
with these words : "
and thus reproached the Athenians in them, —
A QUARTET OF GREEK LYRICS. 165
though already absolute ruler, being accused of murder before the Areopagus, came quietly to clear himself ; but his accuser did not appear. And he added other laws, one of which is that the maimed in the wars should be maintained atthe public charge.
Solon lived after Pisistratus seized the government, as Hera- clides Ponticus asserts, a long time; but Phanias the Eresian says not two full years; for Pisistratus began his tyranny when Comias was archon, and Phanias says Solon died under Hegestratus, who succeeded him. The story that his ashes were scattered about the island Salamis is too strange to be easily believed, or be thought anything but a mere fable; and yet it is given, amongst other good authors, by Aristotle, the philosopher.
A QUARTET OF GREEK LYRICS. (Translated by J. A. Symonds. )
Danab to Perseus. By SIMONIDES OF CEOS.
When in the carven chest,
The winds that blew and waves in wild unrest Smote her with fear, she, not with cheeks unwet, Her arms of love round Perseus set,
And said : O child, what grief is mine ! But thou dost slumber, and thy baby breast Is sunk in rest,
Here in the cheerless brass-bound bark, Tossed amid starless night and pitchy dark.
Nor dost thou heed the scudding brine
Of waves that wash above thy curls so deep,
Nor the shrill winds that sweep, —
Lapped in thy purple robe's embrace,
Fair little face !
But if this dread were dreadful too to thee, Then wouldst thou lend thy listening ear to me; Therefore I cry, — Sleep, babe, and sea be still, And slumber our unmeasured ill !
Oh, may some change of fate, sire Zeus, from thee Descend, our woes to end !
But if this prayer, too overbold, offend
Thy justice, yet be merciful to me !
166 A QUARTET OF GREEK LYRICS.
Peace.
By BACCHYLIDE8.
To mortal men Peace giveth these good things : Wealth, and the flowers of honey -throated song ; The flame that springs
On carven altars from fat sheep and kine,
Slain to the gods in heaven ; and, all day long,
Games for glad youths, and flutes, and wreaths, and circling Then in the steely shield swart spiders weave
Their web and dusky woof ;
Rust to the pointed spear and sword doth cleave ;
The brazen trump sounds no alarms ;
Nor is sleep harried from our eyes aloof,
But with sweet rest my bosom warms :
The streets are thronged with lovely men and young,
And hymns in praise of boys like flames to heaven are flung.
Hymn to the Goddesses op Song and Beauty. AUTHOR UNKNOWN.
Muses and Graces ! daughters of high Jove, When erst you left your glorious seats above To bless the bridal of that wondrous pair, Cadmus and Harmonia fair,
Ye chanted forth a divine air : " What is good and fair Shall ever be our care. "
Thus the burden of it rang :
" That shall never be our care Which is neither good nor fair. "
Such were the words your lips immortal sang.
Love's Torrid Midsummeb. By 1BYCUS.
In spring Cydonian apple trees,
Watered by fountains ever flowing
Through crofts unmown of maiden goddesses, And young vines, 'neath the shade
Of shooting tendrils, tranquilly are growing. Meanwhile for me Love never laid
In slumber, like a north wind glowing
With Thracian lightnings, still doth dart Blood-parching madness on my heart,
From Kupris hurtling, stormful, wild, Lording the man as erst the child.
THE CRANES OF IBYCUS. 167
THE CRANES OF IBYCUS. By SCHILLER.
(Translated by Bulwer-Lytton. )
[Johann Chhistoph Friedricu yon Schiller, the famous German poet and dramatist, was born at Marbach, Wttrtemberg, November 10, 1759. He studied law and medicine at Stuttgart, and was appointed surgeon to a Wttrtem berg regiment. Objecting to the restraint imposed upon him by the Duke of Wttrtemberg in consequence of the production of his first play, " The Bobbers " (1782), he left the army and went to Mannheim, Leipsic, Dresden, Jena, and Weimar, where he became the firm friend of Goethe. From 1789 to"1799 Schiller held a professorship at Jena, and during this period published The History of the Thirty Years' War. " He died at Weimar, May 9, 1806, of an affection of the lungs. Besides the works already mentioned, Schiller wrote " The History of the Revolt of the Netherlands " ; the dramas " Mary Stuart," "Maid of Orleans," "Bride of Messina," " William Tell" ; and the trilogy of " Wallenstein. " Among his lyric pieces are : " The Ring of Polycrates," " The Diver," " The Knight of Toggenburg," and " The Song of the Bell. "]
From Rhegium to the Isthmus, long Hallowed to steeds and glorious song, Where, linked awhile in holy peace, — Meet all the sons of martial Greece Wends Ibycus — whose lips the sweet
And ever young Apollo fires ; — The staff supports the wanderer's feet
The God the Poet's soul inspires !
Soon from the mountain ridges high,
The tower-crowned Corinth greets his eye ; In Neptune's groves of darksome pine,
He treads with shuddering awe divine ; Naught lives around him, save a swarm —
Of Cbanes, that still pursued his way Lured by the South, they wheel and form
In ominous groups their wild array.
And "Hail ! beloved Birds ! " he cried; " My comrades on the ocean tide,
Sure signs of good ye bode to me ;
Our lots alike would seem to be ;
From far, together borne, we greet
A shelter now from toil and danger ;
And may the friendly hearts we meet Preserve from every ill — the Stranger ! "
His step more light, his heart more gay, Along the mid wood winds his way,
THE CRANES OF IBYCUS.
When, where the path the thickets close, Burst sudden forth two ruffian foes ; Now strife to strife, and foot to foot !
Ah ! weary sinks the gentle hand ; The gentle hand that wakes the lute
Has learned no lore that guides the brand.
He calls on men and Gods — in vain ! His cries no blest deliverer gain ;
Feebler and fainter grows the sound, And still the deaf life slumbers round — " In the far land I fall forsaken,
Unwept and unregarded, here ;
By death from caitiff hands o'ertaken,
Nor ev'n one late avenger near ! "
Down to the earth the death stroke bore him — Hark, where the Cranes wheel dismal o'er him 1 He hears, as darkness veils his eyes,
Near, in hoarse croak, their dirgelike cries.
" Ye whose wild wings above me hover, (Since never voice, save yours alone,
Naked and maimed the corpse was found — And, still through many a mangling wound, The sad Corinthian Host could trace
The loved — too well remembered face. "And must I meet thee thus once more ?
Who hoped with wreaths of holy pine, Bright with new fame — the victory "o'er —
The deed can tell) — the hand discover — Avenge ! " — He spoke, and life was gone.
The Singer's temples to entwine !
And loud lamented every guest — Who held the Sea-God's solemn feast As in a single heart prevailing, Throughout all Hellas went the wailing. Wild to the Council Hall they ran —
—
Yet 'mid the throng the Isthmus claims, Lured by the Sea-God's glorious games — The mighty many-nationed throng —
How track the hand that wrought the wrong ?
In thunder rushed the threat'ning Flood <fRevenge shall right the murdered man,
The last atonement — blood for blood ! "
—
THE CRANES OF IBYCUS.
How guess if that dread deed were done, By ruffian hands, or secret foes ? -
He who sees all on earth — the Sun — Alone the gloomy secret knows.
Perchance he treads in careless peace,— Amidst your Sons, assembled Greece Hears with a smile revenge decreed — Gloats with fell joy upon the deed — His steps the avenging gods may mock
Within the very Temple's wall,
Or mingle with the crowds that flock
To yonder solemn scenic halL
Wedged close, and serried, swarms the crowd Beneath the weight the walls are bowed — Thitherwards streaming far, and wide,
Broad Hellas flows in mingled tide —
A tide like that which heaves the deep
When hollow-sounding, shoreward driven ;
On, wave on wave, the thousands sweep Till arching, row on row, to heaven !
The tribes, the nations, who shall name, That guestlike, there assembled came ? — From Theseus' town, from Aulis' strand From Phocis, from the Spartans' land — From Asia's wave-divided clime,
The Isles that gem the jEgaean Sea, To hearken on that Stage Sublime,
The Dark Choir's mournful melody !
True to the awful rites of old,
In long and measured strides, behold The Chorus from the hinder ground, Pace the vast circle's solemn round. So this World's women never strode,
Their race from Mortals ne'er began, Gigantic, from their grim abode,
They tower above the Sons of Man !
Across their loins the dark robe clinging, In fleshless hands the torches swinging, Now to and fro, with dark red glow —
No blood that lives the dead cheeks know !
THE CRANES OF IBYCUS.
Where flow the locks that woo to love On human temples — ghastly dwell
The serpents, coiled the brow above, And the green asps with poison swelL
Thus circling, horrible, within
That space —doth their dark hymn begin, And round the sinner as they go,
Cleave to the heart their words of woe. Dismally wails, the senses chilling,
The hymn — the Furies' solemn song; And froze the very marrow thrilling
As rolled the gloomy sounds along.
" And weal to him — from crime secure — Who keeps his soul as childhood's pure ; Life's path he roves, a wanderer free — We near him not — The Avengers, We! But woe to him for whom we weave
The doom for deeds that shun the light : Fast to the murderer's feet we cleave,
The fearful Daughters of the Night.
"And deems he flight from us can hide him ? Still on dark wings We sail beside him !
The murderer's feet the snare enthralls —
Or soon or late, to earth he falls !
Untiring, hounding on, we go ;
For blood can no remorse atone !
On, ever — to the Shades below, " And there — we grasp him, still our own !
So singing, their slow dance they wreathe, And stillness, like a silent death,
Heavily there lay cold and drear,
As if the Godhead's self were near.
Then, true to those strange rites of old, Pacing the circle's solemn round,
In long and measured strides — behold, They vanish in the hinder ground !
Confused and doubtful — half between The solemn truth and phantom scene, The crowd revere the Power, presiding O'er secret deeps, to justice guiding —
THE CRANES OF IBYCUS.
The TJnfathomed and Inscrutable
By whom the web of doom is spun ;
Whose shadows in the deep heart dwell, Whose form is seen not in the sun !
Just then, amidst the highest tier, Breaks forth a voice that starts the ear : "See there — see there, Timotheus; Behold the Cranes of Ibycus ! "
A sudden darkness wraps the sky ;
Above the roofless building hover Dusk, swarming wings ; and heavily
Sweep the slow Cranes — hoarse-murmuring, over!
"Of Ibycus? "—that name so dear
Thrills through the hearts of those who hear ! Like wave on wave in eager seas, — From mouth to mouth the murmur flees
" Of Ibycus, whom we bewail ?
The murdered one ! What mean those words ? Who is the man—knows he the tale ? "
Why link that name with those wild birds ?
Questions on questions louder press — — Like lightning flies the inspiring guess Leaps every heart — "The truth we seize; Your might is here, Eumenides ! — The murderer yields himself confest
Vengeance is near — that voice the token — Ho! —him who yonder spoke, arrest ! — "
And him to whom the words were spoken !
Scarce had the wretch the words let fall, Than fain their sense he would recall.
In vain ; those whitening lips, behold ! The secret have already told.
Into their Judgment Court sublime
The Scene is changed; — their doom is sealed!
Behold the dark unwitnessed Crime, Struck by the lightning that revealed !
172 THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN PISISTRATUS' TIME.
THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN PISISTRATUS' TIME.
By GEORG EBERS.
(From "An Egyptian Princess. ")
[Georo Moritz Ebebs : German Egyptologist and novelist ; born at Berlin, March 1, 1837. He was educated at GBttingen and Berlin, and lectured for a while at Jena. In 1870 he became professor of Egyptian archaeology at Leipsic, resign ing in 1889 on account of ill health. Besides several important works on Egyp tology, he has published a series of historical novels treating of ancient Egyptian life, which have enjoyed extraordinary popularity not only in Germany but in other countries. The best known are: "An Egyptian Princess," "Uarda," " Homo Sum," " The Sisters," " Serapis," " The Bride of the Nile," and " Cleo patra. " Also popular are : "In the Fire of the Forge," "The Burgomaster's Wife," and "Gred. "]
" Heke Aristomachus interrupted the Athenian, and cried : Enough of praise, friend Phanes. Spartan tongues are awk
ward, but if you need my help, I will answer you with deeds, that will hit the right nail on the head. "
Rhodopis smiled approvingly at the two men. Then she gave her hand to each, and said : " Unfortunately, dear Phanes, your story has shown me that you can no longer remain in this land. I will not reproach you for your folly, but you might have known that you were braving great dangers for small results. A really prudent and courageous man will undertake a bold deed only when the benefit which might accrue to him is greater than the disadvantages. Rashness is just as foolish, though not, perhaps, as reprehensible, as cowardice, for though both may injure a man, the latter alone disgraces him. This time your carelessness nearly cost you your life, a life which is dear to many, and which you ought to preserve for a better end than to fall a victim to folly. We may not try to keep you with us, for we could not help you, and should certainly harm ourselves. This noble Spartan shall in future take your place, and as captain of the Greeks represent our nation at court, protect it from the encroachments of the priests, and try to preserve the king's favor for it. I hold your hand, Aristom achus, and will not let it go, till you promise to act as Phanes did before you, and to protect, as far as it is in your power, even the lowest Greek from the arrogance of the Egyptians ; to resign your post rather than let the most trivial crime against a Greek escape punishment. We are but a few thousands among
I
Olympic Games.
Photogravure from the painting by Otto Knille.
THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN PISISTRATUS' TIME. 173
as many millions, all hostile to us, but we are great in courage, and must strive to remain strong in unity. Till to-day, the Greeks in Egypt have acted as brothers. One sacrificed him self for all, all for one, and it was this very unity that made us powerful, that will keep us strong in the future. Would that we could give the same unity to our native land and its colo nies ; would that all the races of our home, forgetful of their Dorian, Ionic, or iEolian descent, would content themselves with the name of Greeks, and live together like children of one house, like the sheep of one flock ; then the whole world would not be able to resist us. Hellas would be recognized by all nations as their queen. "
Rhodopis' eyes flashed as she spoke ; the Spartan pressed her hand, impetuously stamped on the floor with his wooden leg, and cried : " By Zeus, no one shall touch a Greek while I can prevent it. But you, Rhodopis, you ought to have been a Spartan. "
" An Athenian," cried Phanes.
" An Ionian," said the Milesian.
" A daughter of a Samian geomore," cried the sculptor.
" But I am more than all this," cried Rhodopis, with enthu
siasm, "Iam a Greek ! "
All were carried away by her words. Even the Syrian and
the Hebrew could not resist the general enthusiasm. The Sybarite alone remained unmoved, and said, with his mouth full : —
" You also deserve to be a Sybarite, for your beef is the best that I have tasted since I left Italy, and your wine of Anthylla tastes just as good as that of Vesuvius and Chios. "
All laughed, but the Spartan looked contemptuously at the Sybarite.
" Hail ! friends," suddenly cried a deep voice through the open window.
" Welcome," answered the chorus of guests, while they wondered who the late arrival was.
They had not long to wait for the stranger ; before the Sybarite had found time carefully to taste another sip of wine, a tall thin man, of about sixty, with a long, well-shaped, intel ligent head, stood beside Rhodopis. It was Callias, son of Phaenippus of Athens.
The late visitor was one of the wealthiest exiles of Athens, who had twice bought the property of Pisistratus from the
174 THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN PISISTRATUS' TIME.
state, and twice lost it when the despot returned ; he looked at his friends with bright, keen eyes, and cried, after he had exchanged friendly greetings with all : —
" If you are not very grateful for my presence to-day, I shall declare that all gratitude has vanished from the world. "
" We have long expected you," interrupted one of the Mile sians. " You are the first to bring us news of the result of the Olympic games. "
" And we could not wish for a better messenger than the former victor," added Rhodopis.
"Sit down," cried Phanes, full of impatience; "tell us briefly and concisely what you know, friend Callias. "
"Directly, countrymen," answered Callias; "it is some time since I left Olympia, and embarked at Cenchreae on a Samian fifty-oared ship, the best vessel that was ever built. I am not surprised that no Greek has reached Naucratis before me, for we encountered frightful storms, and would scarcely have escaped with our lives, if these Samian boats, with their fat stomachs, thin beaks, and fish tails, were not so splendidly built and manned. Who knows whither the other homeward- bound travelers may have been driven ; we were able to take refuge in the harbor of Samos, and to depart again after sixteen days.
" When we entered the Nile early this morning, I at once took boat and was speeded on my way by Boreas, who wished to show that he still loved his old Callias, so that a few minutes ago I saw the most hospitable of houses ;
I saw the open windows illuminated, and hesitated as to whether or no I should enter ; but I could not resist your charms, Rhodopis, and besides I should have been suffocated by all the untold news, which I bear with me, if I had not landed, in order to enjoy a slice of meat and a glass of wine, while I tell events of which you do not dream. "
Callias sank down comfortably on a couch, and before he began his meal handed Rhodopis a splendid golden bracelet in the shape of a serpent, which he had bought at a high price, in the workshop of that very Theodoras who sat at table with him".
That is for you," he said, turning to his delighted hostess. "But I have something still better for you, friend Phanes. Guess who won the prize in the race with the quadriga ? "
" An Athenian ? " asked Phanes, with glowing cheeks, for
I saw the flag fly,
THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN PISISTRATUS' TIME. 175
was not every Olympic victory a triumph for the whole com munity to which the victor belonged, and was not the Olympic olive branch the highest honor and greatest happiness which could fall to the lot of a Greek, or even to a whole Greek race?
" Well guessed, Phanes," cried the messenger of joy. " An Athenian has won the first prize of all, and what is more, it is your cousin Cimon, son of Cypselos, and brother of that Mil- tiades who, nine Olympiads ago, gained the same honor for us ; this year he was victorious for the second time with the very horses which obtained him the prize at the last festival. Truly, the Philffidae obscure more and more the fame of the Alcmaeon- idae. Does the fame "of your family make you proud and happy, friend Phanes ?
Phanes had risen in great joy ; he seemed suddenly to have increased in stature.
Full of intense pride, he gave his hand to the messenger of victory, who embraced his countryman, and continued : —
" We may indeed feel proud and happy, Phanes, and you may rejoice above all ; for after the judges had unanimously awarded the prize to Cimon, he bade the heralds proclaim the despot Pisistratus as the owner of the splendid horses, and therefore as victor. Pisistratus at once announced that your family might now return to Athens, and so the long-wished-for hour of return has come to you at last. "
At these words the glow of pleasure faded from the face of the officer, and the conscious pride of his glances changed to
anger, as he cried : —
" I am to rejoice, foolish Callias !
I could rather
I think that a descendant of Ajax is capable of ignominiously
laying his well-merited fame at the feet of a tyrant. I am to return? I swear by Athene, by Father Zeus, and Apollo, that I will rather starve in exile, than turn my steps towards home while Pisistratus tyrannizes over my native land. I am free as the eagle in the clouds, now that I have left the service of Amasis, but I would rather be the hungry slave of a peasant, in a strange land, than at home, the first servant of Pisistratus. The power in Athens belongs to us, the nobles, but Cimon, when he laid his wreath at the feet of Pisistratus, kissed the scepter of the tyrant, and stamped himself with the seal of slavery. I will tell Cimon that to me, to Phanes, the favor of the despot is of little consequence. I will remain an exile till
weep
when
176 THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN PISISTRATUS' TIME.
my country is free, and nobles and people again govern them selves and dictate their own laws. Phanes will not do homage to the oppressor, though a thousand Cimons, though each of the Alcmaeonidae, though the whole of your race, Callias, the wealthy Daduchis, throw themselves at Pisistratus' feet. "
He surveyed the assembly with flaming eyes, and old Callias, too, looked at the guests with pride. It was as if he wished to say to each one : " See, my friends, such are the men my glorious home produces. " —
Then he again took Phanes' hand, and said :
" My friend, the oppressor is as hateful to me as to you ; but I cannot close my eyes to the fact that as long as Pisistratus lives, tyranny cannot be destroyed. His allies, Lygadamus of Naxos, and Polycrates of Samos, are powerful, but the wisdom and moderation of Pisistratus are more dangerous for our free dom. I saw with terror, during my late stay in Hellas, that the people of Athens love the oppressor like a father. In spite of his power, he leaves the spirit of Solon's constitution unal tered. He adorns the town with most beautiful works of art. The new temple of Zeus, which is being built of marble, by Callaeschrus, Antistates, and Porinus, whom you know, Theo- dorus, is to surpass all buildings which the Greeks have ever erected. He knows how to attract artists and poets of every description to Athens ; he has Homer's songs written down, and the sayings of Musaeus of Onomacritus are collected by his orders. He is having new streets built, and introduces new festivals; trade flourishes under his rule, and in spite of the heavy taxes imposed on the people, their prosperity seems not to diminish but to increase. But what is the people? A com mon herd that flies, like a moth, towards everything that glit ters ; though it scorches its wings, it still flutters round the candle while it burns. Let Pisistratus' torch be extinguished, Phanes, and I swear to you, the changeable crowd will greet the new light, the returning nobles, as eagerly as it greeted the tyrant but a short time ago. Give me your hand again, true son of Ajax ; but, my friends, I have still much to tell you. Cimon, as I said, won the chariot race, and gave his olive branch to Pisistratus. I never saw four more splendid horses. Arcesilaus of Cyrene, Cleosthenes of Epidamnus, Aster of Sybaris, Hecataeus of Miletus, and many others, sent beautiful horses to Olympia. Altogether the games were unusually bril liant this year. All Greece sent representatives, Rhoda, the
THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN PISISTRATUS' TIME. 177
Ardeate town in distant Iberia, wealthy Tartessus, Sinope, in the far east, on the shores of the Pontus, in short, every race which boasts of Greek origin was well represented. The Sybarites sent messengers to the festival, whose appearance was simply dazzling, the Spartans simple men, with the beauty of Achilles and the stature of Hercules ; the Athenians distin guished themselves by supple limbs and graceful movements ; the Crotonians were led by Milo, the strongest man of human origin ; the Samians and Milesians vied with the Corinthians and Mitylenians in splendor and magnificence. The flower of the youth of Greece was assembled there, and many beautiful maidens, chiefly from Sparta, sat beside men of every rank and nation ; they had come to Olympia to encourage the men by their applause. The market was on the other side of the Alphaeus, and there you could see merchants from all parts of the world. Greeks, Carchedonians, Lydians, Phrygians, and bargaining Phoenicians from Palestine concluded important affairs, and exposed their wares in tents and booths. Why should I describe to you the surging crowds, the resounding choruses, the smoking hecatombs, the gay dresses, the valuable chariots and horses, the confusion of many tongues, the joyous cries of old friends who met again after years of separation, the splendor of the ambassadors sent to the festival, the swarms of spectators and merchants, the excitement as to the result of the games, the splendid spectacle presented by the crowded audience, the endless delight whenever a victory was decided, the solemn presentation of the branch which a boy of Elis, both of whose parents must still be living, cut with a golden knife from the sacred olive tree, in the Altis, which Hercules himself planted many centuries ago? Why should I describe the never-ending shouts of joy which thundered through the Stadium when Milo of Crotona appeared and bore the bronze statue of himself by Dameas through the Stadium to the Altis without stumbling? A giant would have been bowed to the ground by the weight of metal, but Milo carried it as a Lacedaemonian nurse carries a little boy. The finest wreaths after Cimon's were won by two Spartan brothers, Lysander and Maro, sons of a banished noble, Aristomachus. Maro was victor in the running match. Lysander, to the delight of all present, challenged Milo, the irresistible victor of Pisa, and the Pythian and Isthmian games, to a wrestling
match. Milo was taller and stronger than the Spartan, whose VOL. in. — 12
178 THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN PISISTRATUS' TIME.
figure resembled Apollo's, and whose great youth proved that he had scarcely outgrown the Paedanomos.
" The youth and the man stood opposite each other in their nude beauty, glistening with golden oil, like a panther and a Hon preparing for combat. Young Lysander raised his hands before the first attack, adjured the gods, and cried, 'For my father, my honor, and Sparta's fame ! ' The Crotonian gave the youth a condescending smile, like that of a dainty eater before he begins to open the shell of a langusta.
" Now the wrestling began. For a long while neither could take hold of the other. The Crotonian tried with his powerful, almost irresistible, arms to seize his adversary, who eluded the terrible grasp of the athlete's clawlike hands. The struggle for the embrace lasted long, and the immense audience looked on, silent and breathless. Not a sound was heard, save the panting of the combatants, and the singing of the birds in the Altis. At last — at last, with the most beautiful move ment I ever saw, the youth was able to clasp his adversary. For a long while Milo exerted himself in vain to free himself from the firm hold of the youth. The perspiration caused by the terrible contest amply watered the sand of the Stadium.
" The excitement of the spectators increased more and more, the silence became deeper and deeper, the encouraging cries grew rarer, the groans of the two combatants waxed more and more audible. At last the youth's strength gave way. An encouraging cry from thousands of throats cheered him on ; he collected his strength with a superhuman effort, and tried to throw himself again on his adversary, but the Crotonian had noticed his momentary exhaustion, and pressed the youth in an irresistible embrace. A stream of black blood gushed from the beautiful lips of the youth, who sank lifeless to the earth from the wearied arms of the giant. Democedes, the most celebrated physician of our days, you Samians must have seen him at Poly- crates' court, hurried up, but no art could help the happy youth, for he was dead.
" Milo was obliged to resign the wreath, and the fame of the youth will resound through all Greece. Truly, I would rather be dead like Lysander, son of Aristomachus, than live like Callias, to know an inactive old age in a strange land. All Greece, represented by its best men, accompanied the body of the beautiful youth to the funeral pyre, and his statue is to be
THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN PISISTRATUS' TIME. 179
placed in the Altis, beside those of Milo of Croton, and Praxid- amas of iEgina.
" Finally, the heralds proclaimed the award of the judges. ' Sparta shall receive a victor's wreath for the dead man, for it was not Milo but death who conquered noble Lysander, and he who goes forth unconquered after a two hours' struggle with the strongest of the Greeks, is well deserving of the olive branch. '"
Callias was silent for a minute. In the excitement of describing these events, more precious than aught else to the Greek heart, he had paid no attention to those present, but had stared straight before him while the images of the combatants passed before his mind's eye. Now he looked round, and saw, to his surprise, that the gray-haired man with the wooden leg, who had already attracted his attention, although he did not know him, had hidden his face in his hands, and was shedding scalding tears.
Rhodopis stood on his right, Phanes on his left, and every one looked at the Spartan as though he were the hero of the story.
The quick Athenian saw at once that the old man was closely related to one of the Olympic victors ; but when he heard that Aristomachus was the father of those two glorious Spartan brothers, whose beautiful forms still haunted him like visions from the world of the gods, he looked with envious admiration on the sobbing old man, and his clear eyes filled with tears, which he did not try to keep back. In those days men wept whenever they hoped that the solace of tears would relieve them. In anger, in great joy, in every affliction, we find strong heroes weeping, while, on the other hand, the Spartan boy would let himself be severely scourged, even to death, at the altar of Artemis Orthia, in order to gain the praise of the men.
For a time all the guests remained silent and respected the old man's emotion. At length Jeshua, the Israelite, who had abstained from all food which was prepared in Greek fashion, broke the silence and said in broken Greek : —
" Weep your fill, Spartan. I know what it is to lose a son. Was I not forced, eleven years ago, to lay a beautiful boy in the grave in a strange land, by the waters of Babylon where my people pined in captivity? If my beautiful child had lived but one year longer, he would have died at home, and we could have laid him in the grave of his fathers. But Cyrus the
180 THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN PISISTRATUS' TIME.
Persian, may Jehovah bless his descendants, freed us a year too late and I must grieve doubly for my beloved child, because his grave is dug in the land of Israel's foes. Is anything more terrible than to see our children, our best treasures, sink in the grave before us ? Adonai have mercy on me ; to lose such an excellent child as your son, just when he had become a famous man, must be the greatest of griefs. "
The Spartan removed his hands from his stern face and said, smiling amidst his tears : " You are mistaken, Phoeni cian, I weep with joy and I would gladly have lost my second son, had he died like Lysander. "
The Israelite, horrified at this statement, which seemed wicked and unnatural to him, contented himself with shaking his head in disapproval ; the Greeks overwhelmed the old man, whom they all envied, with congratulations. Intense joy seemed to have made Aristomachus many years younger, and he said to Rhodopis : " Truly, friend, your house is a blessed one for me ; this is the second gift I have received from the gods since I entered it. " "
" And what was the first ?
"A favorable oracle. "
"You forget the third gift," cried Phanes. "The gods
permitted you to become acquainted with Rhodopis to-day. But what about the oracle ? "
" May I tell our friends ? " asked the Delphian.
Aristomachus nodded consent, and Phryxus again read the answer of the oracle : —
" When from the snow-clad heights descend the men in their armor, Down to the shores of the winding stream which waters the valley, Then the delaying boat shall conduct you unto the meadows Where the peace of home is to the wanderer given.
When from the snow-clad heights descend the men in their armor, Then what the judging five have long refused shall be granted. "
Scarcely had Phryxus read the last word, when Callias, the Athenian, rose gracefully from his seat and cried : " The fourth gift, the fourth gift of the gods, you shall also receive from me in this house. Know, then, that I kept my strangest tidings till last. The Persians are coming to Egypt. "
All the guests sprang from their seats except the Sybarite, and Callias could scarcely answer all their questions.
asked the matron.
" Patience, patience, friends," he cried at last ; " let me tell
THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN PISISTRATUS' TIME. 181
everything in order, else I shall never finish. It is not an army, as you think, Phanes, but an embassy from Cambyses, the present king of powerful Persia, which is on its way hither. I heard at Samos that they have already reached Miletus. They will arrive here in a few days. Relations of the king, and even old Croesus of Lydia, are with them. We shall see rare splendor. No one knows the reason of their coming, but it is thought that King Cambyses will propose an alliance to Amasis ; it is even said that the king wishes to woo the daughter of the Pharaohs. "
" An alliance," said Phanes, with an incredulous shrug ; "the Persians already rule half the world. All the chief pow ers of Asia bow to their scepter. Only Egypt and our Greece have remained safe from the conqueror. "
" You forget golden India, and the great nomadic races of Asia," returned Callias. "You also forget that an empire which consists of seventy races, possessing different languages and customs, always bears in it the seeds of rebellion, and must be on its guard against foreign wars, lest some of the provinces seize the favorable moment for revolt when the main body of the army is absent. Ask the Milesians whether they would keep quiet, if they heard that the chief forces of their oppressor
had been defeated in battle. "
Theopompus, the Milesian merchant, interrupted him and
cried eagerly, "If the Persians are defeated in war, they will be attacked by a hundred foes, and my countrymen will not be the last to rise against the weakened tyrant. "
" Whatever the intentions of the Persians may be," contin ued"Callias, " I maintain that they will be here in three days. " And so your oracle will be fulfilled, happy Aristomachus,"
cried Rhodopis. "The horsemen from the mountains can be none other than the Persians. When they reach the shores of the Nile, the five ephors will have changed their minds and you, the father of two Olympic victors, will be recalled. Fill the goblets again, Cnacias. Let us drink the last cup to the manes of famous Lysander, and then, though unwillingly, I must warn you of the approach of day. The host who loves his guests rises from table when the joy reaches its climax. The pleasant memory of this untroubled evening will soon bring you back to this house, whereas you would be less willing to return if you were forced to think of the hours of depression which followed your enjoyment. "
182 MAXIMS OF THEOGNIS.
All the guests agreed with Rhodopis, and Ibycus praised the festive and pleasurable excitement of the evening and called her a true disciple of Pythagoras.