A T H 



to death ; a facrifice wliich fo animated his troops, that 

 they entirely defeated their enemies. Codrus was the lad 

 king of Athena ; and on his death, the government became 

 republican, by the eftablilhment of Archons ; B. C. 1070 ; 

 an office which was at firll hereditary, and httle inferior, in 

 point of power, to royalty itfelf. Medon, the fon of Codrus, 

 iirfl: held the office of Archon. His brothers Nelei;3 and 

 Androclus, probably diffatisfied with thefe tranfadlions, 

 determined to leave their country. This defign was ap- 

 proved by the Achcean and MefTenian refugees, and by 

 many Athenian citizens, who complained that Attica was 

 too narrow and barren to maintain the increafing numbers 

 of its inhabitants. The relllefs fpirits in Phocis, Bceotia, 

 and other neighbouring provinces, eagerly joined the emi- 

 grants. They failed to Afia Minor, D. C. 1055, c'^pelled 

 the ancient inhabitants, a mixed race of Lydians, Carians, 

 and Pelafgi, and feized the central and molt beautiful por- 

 tion of the Afiatic coaft. ( Herodotus, Clio.) Their colonies 

 were gradually diffufed from the banks of the Hermus, to 

 the promontory of Pofeidon. They afterwards took pof- 

 feffion of Chios and Samos : and all thefe countries were 

 united by the common name of Ionia, to denote that the 

 lonians compofcd the moll numerous divilion of the colour. 

 See loNiANs. 



The governmernt of the Archons, after feveral changes, 

 at length became annual, and their number was nine. Pe- 

 loponnefus being now involved in the long and bloody wars 

 between the Meffenians and the Spartans, the Spartans 

 being in great danger, apphed for affiilance to the Athenians, 

 who fent them aid on one occafion, and were infbramental 

 to the reduSion of the Meffenians, and the aggrandifement 

 of the Spartans, deftined to become formidable rivals to 

 themfelves. During the firll ages of Archontic govern- 

 ment, Athens was little occupied by foreign wars, but very 

 jreatly by diflenfions and feditions. They had no written 

 aws, and were perpetunlly difagrceing on points of religion 

 and government. The inhabitants of Attica were feparated 

 into three faflions, each of which had at its head one of the 

 mod ancient families of Athens. Divided as they all were by 

 interefl, diverfity of charafter, and fituation, it was impoflible 

 for them to agree in the choice of a form of government. 

 The pooreil and moll independent, confined to the adjacent 

 mountains, favoured a democracy ; the wealthielt, dif- 

 perfed over the plain, wiflred for an oligarchy ; while the 

 inhabitants of the coafls, engaged in maritime and commer- 

 cial affairs, were for a mixed government, which might 

 fecure their poffeffions, without proving injurious to public 

 liberty. To this fource of divifions, each party united 

 the inveterate hatred of the poor againil the rich. Obfcure 

 citizens, overwhelmed with debts, had no refource but that 

 of felling their liberty, or that of their children, to mercy- 

 lefs creditors ; and the greateft part of them had determined 

 to abandon a country which held out only ineffeftual labour 

 to fome of them ; and eternal flavcry, and the facrifice of 

 every fentiment of nature, to the remainder. From the 

 growth of knowledge, new fources of indullr)-, new nccef- 

 fities and vices, were diffufed through fociely. Liccntiouf- 

 nefs was either paffed over with impunity, or reprehended 

 by arbitrary punifhments. The life and fortune of indivi- 

 duals were left at the difcretion of magiftrates, who, fub- 

 je£led to no certain limitations, were but too much difpofed 

 to lillen to their prepoffeifions or their interefls. In this 

 confufion, which menaced the ftate with immediate de- 

 ftruftion, Draco waschofcu, B. C. 624, with full powers to 

 txercife the whole of legillation, in its moll extenfive or 

 circumftantial views. The particulars of his private life 

 are little known to US ; but he has left the reputation of a 



Vol. hi. 



la 



A T H 



man of worth, poflefTtd of real knowledge, and finccrely 

 attached to his country. Other ilrokcs of characler miglit 

 perhaps embellifh his eulogium, but are not niccfTiiry to his 

 memory. Like all preceding and fubfequeiit Ugiflators, he 

 formed a code of laws and morals ; he took the citizen at 

 the moment of his birth, prefcribed the manner of his earlicft 

 education, followed him through the different llagts of his 

 life, and, conneding thefe partial Wews with the main ob- 

 jecl, flattered himfelf he fhould be able to fonn free men, 

 and \irtuous citizens : but he only produced rralecontcnts, 

 and his regulations excited fo many murmurs, that he was 

 compelled to take refuge in the ifland ^gina, where he 

 foon after died. 



His laws were flrongly impreffed with the peculiarity of 

 his charaftei ; they were as fevere as his manners had ever 

 been rigid. Death was the challifement he inflidcd on 

 idlenels, and the only punifhment he decreed for the 

 llightell offences, as well as for the mcft atrocious crimes; 

 he was accuflomed to fay, that he knew of none milder 

 for the former, and could devife no other for the latter. 

 It feems as if his powerful mind, virtuous even to cxcefs, 

 was incapable of any indulgence for crimes at which it re- 

 volted, or for thofe weakneffts over which it triumphed 

 without an effort. As he had not attempted any change in 

 the form of government, the inteflin.- divifions augmented 

 from day to day. One of the principal citizens, named 

 Cylon, formed the projcft of feizing on the fovereign 

 authority; he was befieged in the citadel, where he had 

 long defended himftlf, and at length, wanting provifions 

 and deflitute of ever)- hope of fuccour, eluded, by Hii;ht, 

 the punifhment due to his crime. His followers took re- 

 fuge in the temple of Minerva; from which afylum thcf 

 were enticed by the promife of life, and inflantly maffacred. 

 Some of thefe unfortunate men vrere murdered even on the 

 altars of the awful Eumenides. The indignation excited 

 by this ac5lion was univerfal ; the people at once execrated 

 the perfidy, and fhuddered at the impiety of the viiftors; 

 and the whole" city expected that fome dreadful calan^ity 

 would be immediately infliftcd by celeilial vengeance. 

 Amidft this general confleniation, news was brought that 

 the city of Nifsa and the iile of Salamis had fallen by the 

 arms of the Megarenfians. To this melancholy intelligence 

 fucceeded, foon after, an epidemical Jillempcr. The public 

 imagination, already agitated, was fuddenly feized with 

 panic terrors, and haunted by a thoufand terrifying chi- 

 meras. The augurs and oracles being confulted, declared 

 that the city, polluted by the profanation of the holy 

 places, mull be purified by the ceremonies of expiation. 

 The Athenians, therefore, fent to Crete for Epimenidcs, 

 B.C. 612, confidered as a man who had an intercourfe 

 v.ith the gods (Paufanias, I. i.), and who faw into futurity. 

 He really appears to have been a reformer endued with 

 talents and knowledge to engage confidence in his opinions, 

 and auflerity of mannei-s to command refpeft. The firft 

 years of his youth he paffed in folitary places, and fecmcd 

 wholly abforbcd in the ftudy of nature, forming his imagin- 

 ation to cnthufiafm, by falling, iilence, and meditation, 

 without any other ambition tlian by making himfelf ac- 

 quainted with the will of the gods, to fecure his dominion 

 over the minds of men. His fucccfs furpaffed his hopes, 

 and he acquired fuch a reputation for wlfdom and fandiljr, 

 that, in times of public calamity, nations iiitreated from him 

 the favour of purifying them by rites, which, as they alleged, 

 he could render more acceptable to the divinity. Athens 

 received him with tranfports of hope and fear. He dircded 

 that new temples and new altars Ihould be built to immo. 

 late the vidims he had chofen, and that thefe facrifice* 

 C c ihoulJ 



