ATT 
to ride before him with all fpeed, and tell thofe they came 
up with that they had nothing to fear, but that they might 
every one return home. This- ftratagem fo effectually 
difperfed the republican army, that it was impdflible to 
rally them, and Pilifttatus became a third time in after of 
Attica. v 
Pififtratus being once more in poffefliion of the fove- 
reignty, took a method of ettablifhinghimfelf on the throne 
directly oppolite to what Theleus had done. Inftead of 
collecting tlie inhabitants from the country into cities, Pi- 
fiftratus made them retire from the cities into the country, 
in order to apply themfelves to agriculture. This pre¬ 
vented their meeting together, and caballing again!! him 
in Inch bodies as they had been acciiftomed to do. Bv 
this means alio the country was greatly meliorated, and 
plantations of olives were made over all Attica, which had 
before not only been deflitnte of corn, but even bare of 
trees. He alfo commanded, that, in the city, men fhould 
wear a kind of iheep-fkin veil, reaching' to the knees; but 
fo intolerable were the laws of Pififtratus to his fubjeots, 
that this kind of garment in fucceeding times became pro¬ 
verbially the habit of flavery. 
As prince of Athens, Piliftratus received the tenth part 
every man’s revenues, and even of the fruits of the earth ; 
and this alfo, though for the fervice of the ftate, Teem¬ 
ed to the Athenians a moll grievous burden. In fhort, 
though Pififtratus behaved in all refpcCts as a mod excel¬ 
lent prince, his fubjeCts fancied themfelves opprelled by 
tyranny, and were perpetually diftatisfied from the time he 
fir ft: afeended the throne to the day of his death, which 
happened about thirty-three years after he had firft af- 
fumed the fovereignty, of which time, according to Arif- 
totle, he reigned feventeen years. Pififtratus left behind 
him two fons named Hipparchus and Hippias , both men of 
great abilities, who (hared the government between them, 
and behaved with lenity and moderation. But, though by 
the mildnefs of their government the family of the Pifif- 
tratidse feemed to be fully eftablifhed on the throne, a con- 
fpiracy was formed againft both the brothers, by which 
Hipparchus was taken off, and Hippias narrowly efcaped. 
The moll material faCts relating to this confpiracy are what 
follow: 
There were at that time in Athens two young men call¬ 
ed Harmodius and A?ijlogiton \ the former of thefe was ex- 
quilitely beautiful in his perfon, and, on that account, ac¬ 
cording to the infamous cullom of the Greeks, violently 
beloved of the other. This Harmodius was alfo beloved 
of Hipparchus, who, if we may believe Thucydides, for¬ 
ced him. This was grievoufly refented,-and revenge de¬ 
termined on ; to halten which, another accident concurred. 
Hipparchus, finding that Harmodius endeavoured to avoid 
him, publicly affronted him, by not fuffering his lifter to 
carry the offering of Minerva, as if flie was a perfon un¬ 
worthy of that office. The two young men, not daring to 
fhew any public figns of refeiitment, confulted privately 
with their friends; among whom it was refolved, that at 
the approaching feftival of Panathensea, when the citizens 
were allowed to appear in arms, they fhould attempt to 
reftore Athens to its former liberty. In this they imagi¬ 
ned, that they fhould find themfelves feconded by the whole 
body of the people. But, when the appointed day was 
come, they perceived one of their number talking very 
familiarly with Hippias; and, fearing that they were dif- 
covered, they immediately fell upon Hipparchus, and dif- 
patched him with a multitude of wounds, in this ex¬ 
ploit the people were fo far from feconding them, as they 
expected, that they fuffered Harmodius to be killed by 
Hipparchus’s guards, and, feizing Ariflogiton themfelves, 
delivered him up to Hippias. Some time afterwards, 
however, the refpeCt they paid to thefe two young men 
exceeded all bounds. They caufed their praifes to be fung 
at the Panathemea, forbade any citizen to call a Have by 
either of their names, and ereCted flatties to them in the 
forum ; which (fatties were afterwards carried into Perfia 
by Xerxes, and fent back from thence by Alexander the 
I C A, so; 
Great, Antiochus, or Seleueus, for authors are not agreed 
by which. Several immunities and privileges were alfo 
granted to the defeendants of thefe two. patriots, and all 
poffible means were taken to render their memory venera¬ 
ble and refpeffed by poflerity. 
Hippias being now foie matter of Athens, and probably 
exafperated by the murder of his brother, began to alter 
his conduCt greatly, and to treat his fubjeffs in an oppref- 
five and cruel manner. He began with torturing Arift.o- 
giton, to make him confefs his accomplices: but this 
proved fatal to his own friends ; for, Ariflogiton impeach, 
ing fucli as he knew to be beft afiedted to Hippias, they 
were immediately put to death. Hippias next vented his 
rage on a woman named Lueua, who was kept by A'rifto’- 
giton. She endured the torture as long as the could ; but, 
finding lierfelf unable to bear it any longer, (he at laft bi‘t 
off her tongue, that (lie might not have it in her power tp 
make any difeovery. To her the Athenians erected the 
ffatue of a lionefs, alluding to her name, without a tongue, 
on which was engraved a fuitable infeription. After the 
confpiracy was, as Hippias thought, thoroughly fubdued, 
he fet himfelf about (lengthening liis government by all 
the means he could think of. He contracted leagues with 
foreign princes, increafed his revenues by various methods,. 
&c. But thefe precautions were of little avail; the lenity 
of Pififtratus’s government had alone fupported it; and 
Hippias, purfuing contrary methods, was deprived of tlife 
fovereignty in lefs than four years after the death of his 
brother. 
This revolution was likewife owing to the family of Me- 
gacles, who were ftyled Alcmaonidcc, and had fettled at 
I.ipfydrum. In times of difeoutent, which at Athens Wer t 
very frequent, this family was the common refuge of alL 
who fled from that city; and at laft they thought of a 
method of expelling the Pilitfratidae altogether. The 
method they took to accomplilh their purpofe was as fol¬ 
lows : They agreed with the Amphiftyons to rebuild the 
temple at Delphi; and, being pofTefTed of immenfe riches, 
they performed their engagement in a much more magni¬ 
ficent manner than they were bound to do ; for, having 
agreed only to build the front with common ftone, they 
built it of Parian marble. At the fame time they cor¬ 
rupted the prophetefs Pytliia, engaging her to exhort all 
the Lacedaemonians that came to confult the oracle, eithef 
in behalf of the ftate or their own private affairs, to at¬ 
tempt the delivery of Athens. This had the defined ef¬ 
fect : the Lacedaemonians, furprifed at hearing this admo¬ 
nition inceflantly repeated, at laft refolved to obey the di¬ 
vine command, as they imagined it to be ; and fent An- 
chimolius, a man of great quality, at the head of ainvmy 
into Attica, though they were at that time in league with 
Hippias, and accounted by him his good friends and al¬ 
lies. Hippias demanding aftiftance from the Theffalians, 
they readily fent him 1000 horfe, under the command of 
one of their princes named Sincas. The Lacedemonians 
being landed, Hippias fell upon them fo fudderily, that lie 
defeated them with great (laughter, killed their general, 
and forced the lliattered remains of their army to fly to their 
fliips. The Spartans, incenfed at this unfortunate expe¬ 
dition, determined to fend another army into Attica; 
which they accordingly did under their king Cleomeiies'; 
who, on his entrance into the Athenian territories, defeated 
the Theflalian horfe, and obliged Hippias to flint himfelf 
up in the city of Athens, which he was foon after forced 
to abandon altogether. He was, however, in no want of 
a place of refuge ; the Theffalian princes inviting-hirri iittd 
their country, and the king of Macedon offering his fa¬ 
mily a city and territory, if they chofe to retire into his 
dominions. But Hippias chofe father to go to the city of 
Sigeum, which Pififtratus had conquered, and left to his 
own family. 
After the expulfion of the Pififtratidre, the Athenians 
did not long enjoy the quiet they had pro poled to them¬ 
felves. They were quickly divided into two factions; at 
the head of one was Clyfthenes, one of the chief of the 
Alcmtconida: j 
