ATT 
Athenians in every attempt to recover the latter, that a 
law was at laft palled, by which it Ihould be capital for 
any one even to propole the recovery of Salamis. 
It was at this time, about 597 years before the Chriftian 
era, that Solon, the famous legillator, firft grew into the 
notice of his country. He is laid to have been lineally de- 
fcended from Codrus; but left by his father in circuni- 
ftances rather necelTuous, which obliged him to apply to 
merchandife : it is plain, however, both from his words 
and writings, that he was a dilinterefted patriot. The de¬ 
cree, that none under pain of death Ihould propofe the re¬ 
covery of Salamis, grieved him fo much, that having com- 
pofed an hundred verfes, fuch as he thought would in¬ 
flame the minds of the people, he ran into the market¬ 
place, loudly repeating his elegy. A croud being gather¬ 
ed round him, his kinfrnan Pilillratus mingled among the 
reft, and, obferving the people moved with Solon’s words, 
he feconded him with ail the eloquence he was mafter of; 
and they prevailed fo far as to have the law repealed, and 
a war was immediately commenced againft the people of 
Megara. Who was commander in this expedition is not 
certain ; but the city was recovered, according to the moft 
general account, by the following ft rat a gem : Solon co¬ 
ming with Piliftratus to Colias, and finding the women 
bufy in celebrating,.according to cuftom, the feaft of Ce¬ 
res, he fent a confidant to Salamis, who pretended to be 
no friend to the people of Attica, telling the inhabitants 
of Salamis, that, if they had a.mind to feize the faireft of 
the Athenian ladies, they might now’ do it by palling over 
to Colias. The Megarenfians, giving eafy credit to what 
the man faid, immediately fitted out a (hip; which Solon 
perceiving from the oppolite fhore, difmilled the women, 
and, having dreli'ed a number of beardlefs youths in female 
habits, under which they concealed every one a dagger, 
he fent them to the fea-lide.to dance and divert themfelves 
as the women were wont to do, Wheri thofe who came 
from Salamis law thefe young perfons (kipping up and 
down, they drove who Ihould be the firft on-fhore: but 
were every one of them killed, and itheir velfel feized ; 
aboard which the Athenians embarking, failed immediate¬ 
ly to Salamis, and took it. 
From this event Solon was greatly honoured by the peo¬ 
ple ; to whom another occafion of admiring his wifdom 
was quickly afforded. The inhabitants of Cirrha, a town 
fttuated in the bay of Corinth, after having by repeated 
inctirfions wafted the territory of Delphi, at laft belieged 
the capital itfelf, with a view of making themfelves maf- 
ters of the treafures contained in the temple of Apollo. 
Advice of this intended facrilege being fent to the Am- 
phidtyons, who were the ftates-generai of Greece, Solon 
advifed that the matter Ihould be nniverfally refented, and 
that all the ftates fliould join in punifhing the Cirrhasans, 
and faving the Delphic oracle. This advice was complied 
with, and a general war againft Cirrha declared. Clyfthe- 
nes, tyrant of Sicyon, commanded in chief, and Alcmreon 
was general of the Athenian quota. Solon went as coun- 
fellor to Clyfthenes, and by following his advice the war 
was conduced to a profperous ifltie. 
On the return of Solon to Athens he found things in 
the utmoft confufion. The remnant of Cylon’s faction 
gave out, that all forts of misfortunes had befallen the 
republic on account of the impiety of Megacles and his 
followers ; which clamour was heightened by the re-taking 
of Salamis about this time by the Megarenfians. Solon 
interpofed, and perfuaded thofe who were ftyled execrable 
to abide a trial, and 300 perfons were chofen to judge them. 
The event was, that 300 of Megacles’s party w ho were 
alive were fent into perpetual banifhment, and the bones 
of Inch as were dead were dug up and fent without the li¬ 
mits of their country. But, though this decifion reftored 
the public quiet for the prefent, it was not long before the 
people were divided into three factions, contending about 
the proper form of government. Thefe were called the 
Diacrii, Pedicel , and Parali ; the firft of thefe were the in¬ 
habitants of the hill country, who declared pofitively for 
Vol. II. No. 85. 
I C A, jet 
democracy; the fecond, dwelling in the lower parts, and 
who were far more opulent than the former, declared for 
an oligarchy, as fuppofing the government would fall moft- 
ly into their hands ; the third party, who lived on the fea- 
coaft, were people of moderate principles, and therefore 
were for a mixed government. Befides the difturbances 
railed on tuis account,, others were occafioned by the ricl-t^ 
opprefting the poor. According to Plutarch, the poor^ 
being indebted to the rich, either tilled their grounds and 
paid them the ftxth part of the produce, or engaged theft 
bodies for their debts, fo that many were made Haves- at 
home, and many fold into other countries; nay, Come 
were obliged to fell their children to pay their debts, and 
others in defpair quitted Attica altogether. The greateft 
part, however, were for throwing off the yoke, and began 
to look about for a leader, openly declaring, that they in¬ 
tended to change the form of government, and make a 
repartition of lands. In this extremity, the eyes of ail 
the citizens were call upon Solon. The moft prudent were 
for offering him the fovereignty ; but he, perceiving their 
intentions, conducted himfelf in fuch a manner as to plea-le 
both parties, and (hewed a fpirit of patriotifm perhaps 
never equalled. He refufed the fovereignty as far as it 
might, have benefited himfelf; and yet took upon himfelf 
all the care and trouble of a prince, for the fake of his 
people. He was chofen archon without having recour & 
to lots, and after his election difappointed the felfifh hopes 
of both parties. It was Solon’s fundamental maxim, 
That thofe laws will be belt obferved which power and 
juftice equally fupport. Wherever, therefore, he found 
the old conftitution confonant to juftice in any tolerable 
degree, he refufed to make any alteration; and he was at 
extraordinary pains to (hew the reafon of the Changes lie 
did make. In (hort, being a perfect judge of human na¬ 
ture, lie fought to rule only by (hewing his fubj.eCts that 
it was their intereft to obey, and not by forcing upon them 
what lie himfelf efteemed beft. Therefore, to a perfon 
who afked whether lie had given the Athenians the beft 
laws in his power, he replied, “ I have eftabliihed the beft 
they could receive.” 
As to the main caufe of fedition, which was the op- 
prefl'ed ftate of the meaner fort, Solon removed it by a 
contrivance which he called fifachtkia , i.e. ‘difeharge;’ 
but what this really was, authors are not agreed. Some 
fay that he releafed all debts then in being, and prohibited 
the taking any man’s perfon for payment of a debt for the 
future. According to others, the poor were eafed, not by 
cancelling the debts, but by lowering the intereft, and in- 
crealing the value of money; a mina, which before was 
made equal to feventy-three drachms only, being by him 
made equal to 100; which was of great advantage to the 
debtor, and did the creditor no hurt. It is, however, moft 
probable that the fifachthia was a general remittance of all 
debts whatever, otherwile Solon could not have boafted 
in his verfes that he had removed fo many marks of mort¬ 
gages as were every where frequent; for the Athenians 
had a cuftom of hanging up billets to (hew that houfes 
were engaged for fuch and fuch fums of money; from all 
of which they were now made free. But, in the midft of 
Solon’s glory, an occurrence happened, which, fora time, 
impaired his reputation, and almoft defeated his fchemes. 
He had confulted Conon, Clinias, and Hipponicus, his 
three friends, on an oration prepared with a view to en¬ 
gage the people’s confent to the difeharge; and thefe three 
men, thus knowing there was to be a general difeharge of 
debts, bafely took the opportunity of borrowing valf fums 
before the law was promulgated, in confequence of which 
they were never obliged to return them. This was thought 
at firft to have been done with Solon’s confent, and that lie 
had (hared in the money ; but this afperfion was quickly 
wiped off when it appeared that the lawgiver himfelf was 
a very confiderable lofer by his own law. His friends, 
howeverj could never recover their credit, but were ever 
after fligmatifed with the opprobrious appellation of ckreo - 
cepida, or ‘debt-linkers.’ 
6 M Solottj 
