G R E 
formed a proper, liead for this ariftocratical council, 
w hole inembeis h ;ve V een jiiilly branded in hidory witli 
th': e i'lier of the Tliii ty Tyrants. On pretence of de¬ 
livering the (V.ite Irqin the malice of feditioits. men, they 
dc IVroyed'tile moll valuable portion of the community. 
Niceraiiis, the fon of Nicias, who inherited not only the 
opulence, but the vn tiies, of lii' father, was condemned 
to death ; Leon, the u oil public-fpirited, and Anti¬ 
phon, the moil eloquent, of his contemporaries, lliared 
the fame fate; Thraiybiilus and Anytus were banilhed. 
Wl^oever was known to be powerful, was regarded as 
dangerous; whoever was fuppoled to be rich, was ac- 
cufed as criminal. Strangers and citizens were involved 
in one promil'cuous ruin. AmidlV tliis general wreck, 
the perfeemion of Lyiias and his family, merits particu- 
tar notice: Cephalus, the father of that ingenious ora¬ 
tor, w'as by birth a Syracufan. The friendfliip of Pe¬ 
ricles perluaded him to fettle in Athens, where, under 
the protsdVion of that powerful Ifatefman, he obtained 
wealth and honours. His inolfenfive cliarafter efcaped 
the ermiity to which the opulent Athenians were too 
commonly expofed. His fons, Lyiias and Polemarclius, 
inherited liis generofity, and his good fortune. Though 
polfelfedof the mod valuable accomplifhments, the bro¬ 
thers prudently kept aloof from the dangerous paths of 
public life; contented with their domeffic felicity, they 
afpired not to the ratik of Athenian citizens; but libe¬ 
rally contributed to fiipply the exigencies of the date 
from the profits of a flotiridiing nianiifadfure of diields, 
■which they carried on by the labour of an hundred and 
twenty daves. The cruelty of the thirty tyrants, from 
whofe rapacious eye neither obfeurity could conceal, 
nor merit defend, occafioned the death of Polemarclius, 
and the immediate misfortunes, as well as the future 
glory, of his brother Lyfias, who lived to adl a didin- 
guilhed part in overturning that detedable tyranny, and 
in bringing its authors to condign punilhment. d he 
particulars of this diabolical tranladlion are related by 
Lyfias with perfpicuous precifion ; “The tyrants I'he- 
ognis and Pifo acquainted their aflbeiates, that many 
drangers edablifhed at Athens were difaffedted to the 
government. This was a plaufible pretext for rifling 
the ededls of tliefe unhappy men; a meafure to which 
the thirty were not only excited by avarice, but prompt¬ 
ed by fear. Money was become:iiecelfary for tlie preier- 
■yation of their pow er, wliich, being founded on iilurpa- 
tion, could only be maintained by the infiuence of cor, 
ruption, and the mercenary aid of foreign tropps. The 
life of man, therefore, they regarded as a matter of little 
moment; the amading of wealth was the principal ob¬ 
ject of tl'.eir dedre ; ro gratify which, ten drangers were 
at once devoted to dednicVion. In this number, indeed, 
were two poor men; a bale and cruel artifice to per- 
fuade you, Athenians! that the remaining eight Jiad 
been condeitmed, not for the fake of their riches, but 
in order to preferve the public tranquillity ; as if t.he 
intered of tlie public had ever been tlie concern of that 
tyranmcaJ cabal! Their infamoas delign was executed 
with inhuman cruelty. Their victims were taken in 
their beds, at flipper, in the privacy of domedic retire¬ 
ment. Me they itized exerciling the rites of hofpitality; 
my gueds were rudely dilmiU'ed ; I was delivered into 
the cultody of the worthlels Pifo. 1 afked him, ‘ Whe¬ 
ther money could fave my life P—‘ Yes, a conliderabie 
fum.’—‘ I will give you a talent of filver.’ 'I'his lie 
conlented to accept, as the price of my lafety; and to 
fuch a melancholy lituation was 1 reduced, that it af¬ 
forded me a momentary confolatioii to depend on the 
precarious faith of a man, who (as 1 well knew ) de- 
ipiled every law, human and divine. But my comfort 
was of Ihort duration; for I had no fooner opened my 
coder to pay him the talent, than he ordered his attend¬ 
ant, to feize the contents, conlilting of thiee talents of 
filver, an hundred darics, threeJiundred cyzicenes, and. 
E C E. 895 
tliree filver cups. F entreated Pifo to allow me a fmall 
fum to defray the xpence of my journey. But he de- 
fired me to be ihankful to eftape with my life. Going 
out together, we met his a'lToci.ites Melobiiis and M'nefi- 
theides. They inquired where we were going. Pifo 
anlwered, to examine the luuife of iny brotlier Pole- 
marchiis. They, defired'liim to proceed ; hut commanded 
me to follow them to ihe houi'e of Da.i'afippus. Pifo 
whifpered me to be fitenr, and to fear nothing, becaufe 
he would immediately come there. Upon our arrival, 
we found Theognis gviarding feveral of my companions 
in calamity. I increal'ed the number of his prifoners 
but obtained an opportunity to reprefent my innocence 
and misfortunes to Damafippus, entreating itim, by our 
pall friendfliip, ro employ liis influence in my behalf. 
He alfiired me of his intention to-intercede withTlieog- 
nis, whofe avarice w'ould eafily perfuade him to betray; 
his trufe. While they converted on tliis fubjedt, I took 
advantage of my knowledge of the houfe to efcape 
tlirough three fecret palfages, whicli all happened to 
be open and unguarded; and fortunately reaching the 
country-houfe of my friend Archimaus, 1 fent him to 
the city, that he might bring me intelligence of my 
brother. He difeovered, that the tyrant Eratoftheues. 
had dragged him from the road, and coridudted him to 
prilon, wliere he was ordered to drink hemlock. At 
this melancholy news, 1 failed to Megara, under cover 
of the niglit. Our effedls became the property of the 
tyrants, whofe mean avarice fpared not the fmalleft: 
trifle belonging to us. Even the gold ear-rings of Pole- 
marchus’s wife were forcibly torn away by the brutal . 
Melobius. ’’ 
The TJiirty juftified thefe abominable adls of cruelty 
by the authoi:ity of a fervile fenate, which they ftill al¬ 
lowed to fublilt as the infirument and accomplice of their • 
tyranny. It could not be expedted, however, that in a, 
city accuftomed to the utmolt liberty of opinion and 
freedom of debate, .a body of five hundred, or even of 
thirty men, fliould continue to agree in the fame odioua 
and opprellive meafures. The firll feeds of difeord ap¬ 
peared in the fpeeches and behaviour of the bold and 
active Theramenes ; who, though tlie principal author 
of the ufurpation, was dilpofed by the humanity of his, 
nature, or by the lingular inconftancy of his temper, to . 
deftroy die work of his own hands. But he wasTpee- 
dily flopped in his career; he was brought before his 
tyrants; the lenate was alTembled for his trial ; and the 
tribunal was lurrounded by armed men. Wlien the cri¬ 
minal appeared, Critias addrefl'ed the court in a fpeech 
too remarkable ever to be forgotten. 
“Should you imagine, O lenators! confidering the 
great numbers who have luflered death, that we have 
been guilty of unneceir.iry cruedty, you will alter that 
opinion on reflecting that revolutions of government 
mull always be attended with bloodlhed; but particu¬ 
larly when a populous city like Athens, which has been 
long pampered w'ith liberty, is reduced under the domi¬ 
nion of a few. The aCtual form of adminiltration was 
impoled by the Lacedaemonians as the condition of the 
public lafety. In order to maintain its authority, vve 
have removed thole leditious demagogues, whole de- 
mocratical madiiefs hath occafioned all our pafl calami¬ 
ties. It is our duty to proceed in this uleful work, and' 
to deflroy, without fear or compallion, all who would, 
diftiirb tlie public tranquillity. Sliould a man of this, 
dangerous dilpoliiion be found in our own older, he 
ought to be punilhed with double rigour, and treated 
pot only as an enemy but as a traitor. T hat Theramenca. 
is liable to this accufation, appears from the whole te- 
nour of his condudl;. He concluded the treaty with the, 
l,acedaemonians ; lie diiloived the popular government ; 
he directed and appiov. d the lirll and boldelt rnealures 
of our adminiftratioa: bat no looner did difficulties arife, 
thaa he dfil'erted his alfociatesj declared his oppolition 
t«i 
