Vol. IIT] 
under the children’s robes, to verify the 
natural marks of puberty, and to diftin- 
guifh the fex, whether male or female. 
Another prefentation of young perfons 
was made-on their arriving at eighteen 
years of age; who were then inrolled 
in the number of the Ephedi. It was 
neceflary to know whether the young 
men «were entire in all their parts, as a 
defeét here would have rendered uull all 
the facrifices they might have afterwards 
offered. ; i 
On the tenth day after the birth of a 
ehild, a feaft was held, in order to name 
it. According to Solun’s laws, baftards 
never inherited ; and if there were no le- 
gitimate children, the fucceffion devolved 
on the nearef relations. Baftards re- 
ceived only five talents, or a thonfand 
drachmas, according to Harpocration, in 
the Lexicon of the ten Rhetors ; and this 
was called fhe lot of the bafiard. The 
right of denizenfhip might be acquired, 
at Athens, after a refidence of feven 
years; but this favour was not always 
granted, and Ariftophanes, in tae Frogs, 
objeéts the want of 1t to Archidemus, as 
a fubjeét of raillery. 
The Athenians were great lovers of 
novelty, and were continually departing 
from their ancient ufages. Ariftophanes 
alfo reproaches them, as being of a reft- 
lefs temper, deceitful, and faithlefs. 
Yhey were much given to reafoning, 
and frigid over their cups; whereas the 
Lacedémonians were very gay in their 
debauches. 
The Athenians often took extrava- 
gant refolutions. In order to confole 
themfelves for this foible; they faid it 
was the deftiny of their city to take fuch, 
but that, neverthelefs, they would al- 
ways fucceed, according to the predic- 
tion of Neptune, corrected by Minerva, 
in their difpute on the fubjeét of their 
reciprocal pretentions to the patronage 
of the city. Minerva carried her point, 
and Neptune exclaimed, in anger: 
“© Thy Athenians fball often take extrava- 
gant réfolations. —“ That may be,” an- 
{wered Minerva, ‘* dt FE wll over-rule 
them, fo as io turn eventually to ther ad- 
vantage.” . 
The Athenians were alfo very liti- 
gious, as appears from the Birds and the _. 
Wafps of Ariftophanes. The men alo 
went to fpurchafe provifions, in the 
butchery, fifh-market, &c. We learn 
from Piovaa Arlotta, that this cuftom very 
much prevailed ar Florence and Rome, 
in his tithe, and is faid not to be changed 
at prefent. . 
MontHLY Mac. No. XIX, . 
Manners and Guftoms of the Athenians. 
533 
Athens was much peftered with fyco- 
phants, that is, fpies or informers, whe 
were often very chargeable to honeft 
men. Of thefe, ten were appointed by 
authority, but a fwarm of others prac 
tifed the trade, although not entitled to 
public wages. . Our author lampoons 
them 1n all his pieces ; it is to little pur- 
pofe, however, to rally this fort of gen= 
try, as governments every where are 
ever ready to liften to them. 
The Athenians anciently carried 
golden grafshoppers in their hair: this 
was what we call the good old time, or, 
in French, /es colleis montés. 
The rich were obliged to provide 
armed galleys; every one, therefore, 
affected poverty, in order to be exonerat- 
ed from this obligation. If the magif- 
trates wifhed to be perfonally revenged 
on any individual, they caufed his name 
to be inrolled in the lift of rich mens 
with a view to ruin him; while they 
erazed the names of their own friends, 
who were in eafy circumftances, in order ~ 
to difcharge them from an onerous ex~ 
pence ; “ exactly as is practifed with us,”” 
fays the author, ‘‘ in the matter of /a taille, 
and /g capitation.’ The galleys of the 
Greeks were not conftructed like our’s : 
they had, commonly, threé benches of 
rowers, placed one above another, 
whence comes the word trireme galleys z 
the firft, or loweft rank, was called the 
thalamites; the fecond the zygites; and 
the third, or uppermoft, the thranites. 
The thranites ,according tothe burlefque 
remark of Ariftophanes, ‘* might... ..in 
face of the zygites, who might retort: 
the jeft, in the fame manner, on the 
thalamites.”’ 
It was a capital crime to convey pro- 
vifions to a foreign enemy. It was alfo 
prohibited, under very fevere penalties, 
to fell-to fuch, cordage, pitch, tar, line, 
or any other materials, requilite to equip 
their veffels. 
Tradefmen were exempted from the 
military confcription, or inrollment. The 
names of the perfons inrolled were writ- 
ten atthe bottom of the ftatue of Pan- 
dion, and all whofe names were inrolled 
there, were indifpenfably obliged to fet 
out when the order came: 
There were. two famous fhips at 
Athens, one calied Paralos, made ule of 
to tranfport necefiaries: for certain public 
facrifices, performed at fome difiance 
from Athens; and the other called she 
Salamine, which brought to Athens 
prifoners totake their trials cn criminal 
charges. = aes 
3 Ever 
Ea 
