ATT 
!n the natfie of the republic. There were likewife firft- 
fruits, which the public officers levied on all lands, for the 
ufe of the gods. All thefe emoluments made a part of 
the revenues of the temples. 
The gods, belides the revenues immediately appertain¬ 
ing to their temples, had certain rights which were granted 
them by particular compact. The Lepreatte, for inftance, 
were obliged to pay every year a talent to Olympian Ju¬ 
piter, on account of a treaty of alliance which they made 
with the Eleans in one of their wars. The inhabitants of 
Epidaurus, to obtain leave from the Athenians to cut down 
olive-trees for ftatues, which the Pythian prieltefs had 
commanded them to make, engaged to fend deputies every 
year to Athens, to offer facrifices in their name to Minerva 
and to Neptune ; but this prerogative was rather honorary 
than lucrative. The tenth part of the fpoils taken in war 
was likewife the property of Minerva. Sacred velfels were 
bought with the effects of the thirty tyrants : in ffiort, the 
gods were profited by almoft every public accident. But 
what contributed molt to enrich the famous temples of 
Greece, was the money which was conftantlv brought to 
them by individuals, in confequence of vows they had 
made, or to pay for facrifices which were offered in their 
names. The credulity of the people was an inexhaultible 
fund. That credulity enriched the temples of Deli and 
Eleufis, and fupported the magnificence of Delphi. And 
thofe immenfe treafures which were the fruit of fuperfti- 
tion, were often a prey to avarice. Thefe revenues were 
notdepofited with the prielts, nor did they expend them : a 
moderate falary was all their gain; and to offer facrifices to 
the deities whofe mini tiers they were, was all their employ¬ 
ment. As to the folemn feafts, which w ere incredibly mag¬ 
nificent, fuch as the feafl of Bacchus, and the Panathenaea, 
they were celebrated at the expence of the choregus; i. e. 
of the chief of the choir of each tribe: for each tribe had 
its poets and its mulicians, who fung, emulating each other, 
hymns in honour of the deity. The richeli citizens were 
appoin'ed chiefs of the different choirs; and, as their of¬ 
fice was very expenfive, to indemnify them in fome de¬ 
gree, the choregus of the victorious tribe had the privi¬ 
lege of engraving his name on the tripod which that tribe 
fufpended to the roof of the temple. This office, though 
ruinous, was eagerly folicited ; and naturally, in a repub¬ 
lican (fate. It led to honours, like the curule dignity at 
Rome ; and it greatly tended to ingratiate its polfeilbr with 
a people who were more affeCted with pleafures than with 
elfential fervices, and who,confequently, would more high¬ 
ly efleema profufe choregus than a victorious general. 
With regard to the fines, which were in the whole, or 
in part, the property of Minerva and of the other deities, 
there were at Athens public treafurers appointed to re¬ 
ceive them. They were ten in number, and they were 
nominated by lot. They were called treafurers of the god- 
defs, or receivers of the facred money. That money they re¬ 
ceived in the prefence of the fenate ; and they were em¬ 
powered to diminifli or to annihilate the fine, if they 
thought it unjuft. The fiatue of Minerva, that of the 
victories, and the other invaluable pledges of the dura¬ 
tion of the Hate, were depofited with them. The treafury 
in which the money confecrated to the gods was kept, was 
in the citadel, behind the temple of Minerva ; and from 
its fituation w'as termed Opiflodomus. It was furrounded 
with a double wall. It had but one door, the key of which 
was kept by the epifiates, or chief of the Prytanes : his 
dignity was very confiderable ; but it lafted only one day. 
In this treafury a regiffer was kept, in which were written 
the names of all thofe who were indebted to the ftate : he 
who owed the fmalleft fine was not omitted. If the deb¬ 
tors proved infolvent, they were profecuted with extreme 
rigour, and often punilhed with a cruelty which religion 
could not excufe; though the intereft of the gods was the 
motive, or rather the pretext. The facred treafurers held 
a confiderable rank among the magiftrates, who received 
the public finances. Of thefe magiftrates there were many 
kinds, as there were many forts of revenues. 
I C A. 53 S 
The Athenian priefis did not compofe an order diftinft 
and feparate from the other orders of the ftate. They did 
not form a body united by particular laws, under a chief, 
whofe authority extended to all his inferiors. The dig¬ 
nity of fovereign pontiff was unknown at Athens; and each 
of the priefis ferved his particular temple, unconnected 
with h,is brethren. The temples, indeed, of the principal 
deities, thofe of Minerva, for infiance, of Neptune, of 
Ceres, and of Proferpine, had many minifters ; and in 
each of them a chief prelided, who had the title of high 
priejt. The number of fubaltern minifters was in propor¬ 
tion to the rank of the deity ; but the priefis of one temple 
w ere altogether a feparate fociety from thofe of another. 
Thus at Athens there was a great number of high priefis, 
becaufe many deities were worfhipped there, whofe fer- 
vice required many minifters. The power of each prieft 
was confined to his temple ; and there was no fovereign 
pontiff, the minifter-general of the gods, and the prefident 
at all the feafts. It naturally follows from this account, 
that the minifters of the gods at Athens were not judges 
in matters of religion. They were neither authorifed to 
take cognizance of crimes committed againft the deity, 
nor to punilh them. Their function was to offer facrifices 
to the gods, and to intreat their acceptance of the adora¬ 
tions of the people. But the punifhment of impiety, of 
facrilege, of the profanation of myfteries, and of other ir¬ 
religious crimes, was not entrufted to their zeal. The 
priefis were not only incapable of avenging crimes againft 
religion by a temporal procefs ; they even could not, with¬ 
out an exprefs order either from the fenate or the people, 
exercife a right of devoting criminals to the infernal gods. 
It was in confequence of a civil ientence pronounced againft 
Alcibiades, that the Eumolpidae launched their anathema 
againft him. It was in virtue of another decree that they 
revoked their imprecations, when his countrymen wanted 
his iervice, and therefore reftored him to their favour. In 
fact, the government, though often altered, continued 
pretty much on the plan eftablillied by Solon. 
The people of Athens were freemen, fojourners, or 
Haves. The citizens, called in Greek politai, were very 
numerous; but what may feem ftrange were as many in 
the time of Cecrops as in the moll flourifhing ftate of the 
commonwealth, hardly ever exceeding 20,000. It was 
Solon who decreed that none Ihould be accounted free but 
Inch as were Athenians both by father and mother. Af¬ 
ter his time it fell into difufe, till revived by Pericles, 
and again at his inftance repealed. After the expullion 
of the thirty tyrants, Solon’s law was reftored. A perfon 
born of a (tranger was ftyled nothos, a baftard; whereas 
the foil of a free woman was called cncfos, i. e. legitimate. 
There was in Cynofarges a court of judicature, to which 
caufes of illegitimacy properly belonged ; and the ntmolt 
care was taken to prevent any from being inrolled Athe¬ 
nian citizens, who had not a clear title to that diftinftion. 
The citizens were divided by Cecrops into four tribes : 
the firft called Cecropes, from Cecrops; the lecond, Autoch¬ 
thon, from a king of that name ; the third, Aclai , from 
Afteus, another king of Athens, or rather from Ade, 
which fignifies a fhore ; the fourth, Puralia : thefe names 
were altered by Cranaus, and again by EriiSthonius. In 
the reign of Erfetheus they were again changed ; the fol- 
diers were called Oblitai , the craftfmen Ergatai , the far¬ 
mers Georgoi, the graziers and thepherds Aigicorai: in this 
ftate they were when Solon fettled the commonwealth, 
and appointed the fenate to be conrpofed of four hundred, 
one hundred out of each tribe. Clyfthenes increafed the. 
number of the tribes to ten.: and made the lenate confift 
of five hundred, taking fifty out of each tribe. In fuc- 
ceeding times, two other tribes were added. Each tribe 
was lubdivided into its demoi or wards; and with refpeift 
to thefe it was that Solon inltituted the public feafts be¬ 
fore-mentioned, at which fometimes the whole tribe affem- 
bled, fometimes feveral wards, and fometimes only the 
inhabitants of one ward. 
The fecond fort of inhabitants were called mtoicot. 
