ATT 
Solon, being now inverted with unlimited authority, fet 
about the arduous talk of compiling new laws for the tur¬ 
bulent people of Attica ; which, having at laft completed, 
he procured them to be ratified for ioo years. Such as re¬ 
lated to private actions were preferred on parallelograms 
of wood, with cafes which reached from the ground, and 
turned about upon a pin like a wheel. Thefe were thence 
called Axones ; and were placed firft in the citadel, and af¬ 
terwards in the prytaneum, that all the fubjeCfs might 
have accefs to them when they pleafed. Such as con¬ 
cerned public inftitutions and facrifices were contained in 
triangular tables of rtone called Cyrbes. The Athenian 
magiftrates were fworn to obferve both : and in procelsot 
time thefe monuments of Solon’s wifdom became fo fa¬ 
mous, that all public a6ts were from them named axones 
and cyrbes. After the promulgation of thefe laws, Solon 
found himfelf obliged to leave Athens, to prevent his be¬ 
ing continually teazed for explanations and alterations of 
them. He therefore pretended an inclination to merchan- 
dife, and obtained leave to abf'ent himfelf for ten years, 
during which time he hoped the laws would be grown fa¬ 
miliar. From Athens Solon travelled into Egypt, where 
he converfed witli Pfenophis the Heliopolitan, and Son- 
chis the Saite, the mod learned priefts of that age. From 
thefe he learned the fituation of the irtand Atlantis, of 
which he wrote an account in verfe, which Plato after¬ 
wards continued. From Egypt he went to Cyprus, where 
he was well received by one of the petty kings. This 
prince lived in a city called Apeia, built by Demophon, the 
{on of Thefeus, on an eminence near the river Claims, 
but in a foil craggy and barren. Solon obferving a very 
pleafant plain below, engaged the king to remove thither ; 
a(lifted in executing the fcheme he had formed ; and fuc- 
ceeded fo well that a new city was formed, which foon be¬ 
came populous, and out of gratitude to the Athenian le- 
giflator was called Solos. 
But, while Solon was thus travelling in quefi of wif¬ 
dom, and with a view to benefit thofe among whom he 
eume, his countrymen, who feem to have refolved on be¬ 
ing difiatisfied at all events, had again divided themfelves 
into three factions. Lycurgus put himfelf at the head of 
the country people; Megacles the fon of Alcmx-on was 
at the head of thofe who lived on the fea coaft; and Pi- 
iifiratus put himfelf at the head of the poorer fort, to pro- 
te6f them, as he pretended, from tyranny, but in reality 
to feize on the lbvereignty for himfelf. All the factions 
pretended to have a vaft regard for Solon and his laws, at 
the fame time that they were very delirous of a change; 
but how they were to be bettered, none of them knew, or 
pretended to know. In the midfi of this confufion the le- 
giflator returned. Each of the factions paid their court 
to him, and affe&ed to receive him with the deepeft reve¬ 
rence and refpedf; befeeching him to re-alfume his au¬ 
thority, and compofe the diforders which they themfelves 
kept up. This Solon declined on account of his age, 
which, he faid, rendered him unable to fpeak and aft for 
the good of his country as formerly : however, he fent 
for the chiefs of each party, befeeching them in the mod 
pathetic manner not to ruin their common parent, but to 
prefer the public good to their own private intereft. 
All the wife counfels of Solon, however, were lofi upon 
the Athenians. Pififtratus had got the meaner fort en¬ 
tirely at his devotion, and therefore refolved to cheat them 
out of the liberty which they certainly deferved to lofe. 
With this view he wounded himfelf, and, as Herodotus 
fays, the mules that drew his chariot; then he drove into 
the market-place, and there (hewed his bleeding body, im¬ 
ploring the proteftion of the people from thofe whom his 
kindnefs to them had rendered his implacable enemies. A 
concourfe of people being infiantly formed, Solon came 
among the reft, and, fufpefting the deceit, openly taxed 
Pififtratus with his perfidious conduft; but to no purpofe. 
A general afiembly of the people Was called, wherein it 
was moved by Arifton, that Pififtratus (hould have a 
guard. Solon was the only perfon who had refolution 
I C A. 
enough to oppofe this meafure; the richer Athenians per¬ 
ceiving that the multitude implicitly followed Pififtratus, 
and applauded every thirfg he laid, remained tilent through 
fear. Solon himfelf, when he law lie could prevail no¬ 
thing, left the afiembly, laying he was ioifer than fome, 
and jiouter than others. A g-f.ard of four hundred men 
was now unanimoufiy decreed to Pififtratusand this in- 
confiderable body he made ufe of to enflave the people, 
but in w hat maimer he accompli (lied his purpole is not 
agreed. Pififtratus, having thus feifed the (overeigntv, 
did not overturn the laws, but ufed his power with the 
great eft moderation. It is not to be expefted, however, 
that fo turbulent a people as the Athenians could be fa- 
tisfied by any form of government. At the beginning of 
his adminiftration, Megacles and his family retired out of 
Athens to fave their own lives, yet without defpairing of 
being able fome time or other to return. With this view 
Megacles and his aftociates entered into a treaty with Ly¬ 
curgus; and, having brought him and his party into a 
fcheme for depofing Pififtratus, they concerted matters fo 
well, that Pififtratus v\as foon obliged to feek for (helter 
fomewhere elfe, and, on his departure, the Athenians or¬ 
dered his goods to be fold. Nobody, however, except 
Callias, would venture to buy any of them, from an ap- 
prehenfion that they would (son be reftored to their proper 
owner, which accordingly happened in a very ftiort time. 
As Megacles and his party had negociated with Lycur¬ 
gus to turn out Pififtratus, fo they now entered into a treaty 
with Pififtratus to r einftate him in his principality, as foon 
as they found Lycurgus would not be implicitly governed 
by them. To accomplifh this, they fell upon a ridi¬ 
culous projeft; which, however, was attended with fuc- 
cefs. They found out a woman vvhofe name was Phya, of 
a mean family and fortune, but of a great ftature, and 
very handfome. Her they d re (fed in armour, placed her 
in a chariot, and, having difpofed things fo as to make her 
appear with all poftible advantage, they conducted her to¬ 
wards the city, fending heralds before, with orders to fpeak 
to the people in the following terms: “ Give a kind re¬ 
ception, O Athenians, to Pififtratus, who is fo much ho¬ 
noured by Minerva above all other men, that (he herfelf 
condefcends to bring him back to the citadel.” The re¬ 
port being univerfally fpread that Minerva was bringing 
home Pififtratus, and the ignorant multitude believing 
this woman to be the goddefs, addrefled their prayers to 
her, and received Pififtratus with the utmolljoy. When 
he had recovered the fovereignty, Pififtratus married the 
daughter of Megacles as he had promifed, and gave the 
pretended goddefs to his fon Hipparchus. 
Pififtratus did not long enjoy the authority to which be 
had been reftored in fo ftrange a manner. He had married 
the daughter of Megacles, as already obferved ; but, ha¬ 
ving children by a former wife, and remembring that the 
whole family of Megacles was reprobated by the Athe¬ 
nians, he thought proper to let his new fpoufe remain in a 
ftate of perpetual widowhood. This {he patiently bore 
for fome time, but at laft acquainted her mother. An af¬ 
front fo grievous could not fail to be highly refented. 
Megacles infiantly entered into a treaty witli the malcon¬ 
tents, of whom there were always great plenty at Athens. 
This Pififtratus being apprifed of, and perceiving a new 
{form gathering, he voluntarily quitted Athens, and re¬ 
tired into Eretria. Here having confulted with his fons, 
it was refolved to reduce Athens by force. Witli this view 
he applied to fevcral of the Greek {fates, who furniftied 
him with the troops he defired, but the Thebans exceed¬ 
ed all the reft in their liberality; and with this army he 
returned to Attica, according to Herodotus, in the ele¬ 
venth year of his baniftiment. They firft reduced Mara, 
thon, the inhabitants of which had taken no meafures for 
their defence. The republican forces in the mean time 
marched out of Athens to attack him; but, conduffing 
themfelves in a fecure and carelefs manner, they were fur- 
prifed by Pififtratus, and totally routed. While they were 
endeavouring to make their elcape, he caufed his two fons 
ta 
