1832.] Pericles A Tale of Greece. 551 



" Of the character of my accuser I will not speak. His intentions may 

 be of the most virtuous nature, but he is mistaken. And if, (may the gods 

 avert it !) you pass the sentence of death against me, it will not be 

 long ere the anger of the gods will overwhelm you with direful revenge, 

 for aggravating the offence of the murderer by the execution of an inno- 

 cent man ! No -, nor will it be long ere you discover the real author of 

 the crime, for in the words of the poet 



" No groundless charge doth e'er old age attain."* 



And truth, like the river Alpheus f, though it be concealed for a time in 

 darkest obscurity, will, in spite of every obstacle, finally force its way to 

 the light !" 



Truly, and almost prophetically, did Anticles say that it would not long 

 remain doubtful, who was the murderer of Cleon ; for just as the voice 

 of the court, influenced, but not overwhelmed, by this oration, was on the 

 point of passing sentence against him, Glauco was astonished to see Polido- 

 rus advance into the midst of the assembly, and place himself on an eminence 

 for the purpose of addressing them. The surprise excited in the judges, 

 as well as the father of the accused, was soon increased by hearing him 

 openly avow himself the author of the murder. He solemnly, after an 

 invocation to the gods, declared that on that very day, three years ago, he 

 had caused the poisoned chalice to be administered to Cleon. It was 

 well for them, he said, that the plot was not discovered before it could be 

 carried into execution, for if it had, they would not now be sitting as 

 judges in the Areopagus ; it was well for him, that it was not discovered 

 immediately after, for if it had, he should have lost his life ; and it was well 

 for all, that it was discovered now, for if it had not, they would have been 

 guilty of shedding innocent blood. The eloquence with which he exposed 

 the conspiracies of Cleon, deep-laid and long-delayed, their danger and his 

 own patriotic design, arraying all with the pomp and circumstance of 

 truth, produced an amazing effect on the judges ; but their original 

 opinion was not changed, till, as if by the express interposition of the 

 gods, the sable clouds disappeared and the sky soon presented an unblot- 

 ted azure, and the moon, shining full in the face of the speaker, disclosed 

 to the assembly the Son of Pericles in the person of this singular intruder. 

 Pericles now possessed an ascendancy over the popular feeling, which it 

 was impossible to withstand and dangerous to thwart j and the Areo- 

 pagites, aware of the change of the times, fearful of incurring his resent- 

 ment, yielded to interest what, perhaps, they would have denied to 

 argument. The tide of feeling was simultaneously turned, and a vote of 

 the court was immediately passed, acquitting Anticles, and indemnifying 

 the son of Pericles, and even complimenting him highly on bis patriotism 

 and valour. A monument was decreed to be erected to him in the public 

 place as one of the benefactors of his country. 



An occurrence so strange became of course the topic of universal con- 

 versation, and laid the foundation of an acquaintance between Anticl&s 

 and the statesman's son. The effect produced upon the two heroes of the 

 night by the unexpected circumstances under which they had both been 

 placed, was too overwhelming to allow of an interview then 3 but on the 



* Sophocl. Fragm. apud Stobaeum. 



t The river Alpheus, rising in Arcadia, was said to flow out of the Peloponnesus under 

 the sea, and to reappear in Sicily, confluent witli the waters of Arethusa. 



