550 Pericles A Tale of Greece. [MAY 



to the prosecutor (Eugenes) his defence from the charge which he had 

 before preferred against him. Eugenes had on a former occasion stated 

 his grounds for prosecuting Anticles, and advanced all the arguments 

 which he could urge in his support. 



The time was now come, when the fate of the son of Glauco was to be 

 decided. The arguments of Eugenes had been powerful, and almost con- 

 vincing, though the judges had still a latent presentiment of the discovery 

 of the innocence of Anticles. The look of deep solicitude and suspense 

 which marked every feature of the veteran parent, was attentively ob- 

 served by Polidorns, who watched every movement he unconsciously 

 made with a scrutinizing eye, that seemed to look through that which 

 others did but look upon. Silence, like a heavy cloud, gathered over the 

 multitude. Interest and anxious expectation sat on every countenance j 

 and the whole assembly, judges and spectators, seemed to wait longingly 

 for the first words of the accused, as being either the knell of death to 

 the favourite of Athens, or a " sweet bodement" of future prosperity. The 

 feeling was evidently reciprocal. For when Anticles began to speak, he 

 seemed to utter his words with diffidence, which might arise, however, 

 either from apprehension of defeat, or from awe inspired at the pre- 

 sence of so august and venerable a syjiod. The speech which he made 

 in his defence, it would be impossible to give in his own words ; the sub- 

 stance, however, we will endeavour to preserve. Anticles was now in the 

 greenest prime of youth j he was tall, elegant, of manly gait, and a 

 countenance full of intellect and benevolence. Standing erect, in a pos- 

 ture at once of dignity and resolution, on the silver stool allotted to him, 

 the Stool of Innocence, he began his oration in a manner which in less 

 democratic times would not have been permitted, and used throughout 

 all the aids of Mercury and of Peitho, to support and enforce the truth of 

 his assertions. 



" Ye judges, I implore you by the gods and goddesses, both supernal 

 and infernal, by the olive-bearing Athene, tutelar deity of this city, by the 

 purple-vested Ares, from whom this august assembly derives its name, by 

 Themis, goddess of equity, I implore you to adhere to truth ; by the im- 

 mortal Solon, the founder of this court, and by the universal justice of 

 your decisions j by my own innocence, by your safety, in one word, by 

 the life of myself, of all before me, and of the whole state, I implore 

 you to give an impartial hearing to my statements. Of the crime with 

 which I have been charged, I am perfectly innocent. I neither am, nor 

 know, nor even suspect, the author of the murder ; and whether it is an 

 ungrounded, but sincere belief, or a malicious device for bringing himself 

 into notice, that has prompted Eugenes to this accusation, I pretend not 

 to determine. I wish not to conceal that at the time of Cleon's death 

 I was acquainted with many circumstances relative to him and his family, 

 and of the extent of my information you shall yourselves have the means 

 of judging.* 



* Here, we suppose, followed an account of his acquaintance with Cleon, and of the 

 peculiar points which he concluded had given rise to the unfounded allegations of Eugenes. 

 But there are unfortunately some pages of the manuscript lost in this place. What follows 

 seems to be the peroration of his speech. 



