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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



A WATER-BOY OF ATHENS 



this road came Byron and his friend Hob- 

 house, and it was the view from here that 

 inspired the poet to write the familiar 

 "Spirit of Freedom ! When on Phyle's 

 brow." 



For the general traveler Phyle has a 

 special interest, recalling its association 

 with Thrasybulus. Toward the close of 

 the Peloponnesian War, when the Athe- 

 nians had been overthrown by the Spar- 

 tans and a government favorable to the 

 Lyconians established — "the "Thirty 

 Tyrants" — Thrasybulus established him- 

 self here with a few comrades and, gradu- 

 ally strengthening his little band, finally 



was able to deliver Athens from the hated 

 yoke of the Xenophile oligarchy. 



An interesting feature of the fortress is 

 that the gateway was so arranged in con- 

 formity with the local topography that 

 assailants were obliged to approach it 

 with the right side exposed. Thus an 

 attacking force would be under the neces- 

 sity either to wear their shields on their 

 right shoulders for protection, and thus be 

 powerless to throw stones or javelins, or 

 else to lay themselves open to similar at- 

 tacks from the besieged. 



The fortress frowns on Attica and 

 could only be held for long by a garrison 



