ened to fall upon him very suddenly; the war of Asia.the Less, called Ionic, falling out at the same time.

SECT. VI.

The first occasion of the war which Darius made upon Greece, with a rehearsal of the government in Athens, whence the quar

rel grew.

NOW the better to understand the reason and motives of that great war which followed soon after, between the Persians and Grecians, it is necessary to make a short repetition of the state of Athens, which city endured the hardest and worst brunt of Darius's invasion on that side the sea with admirable success. Neither do I hold it any impertinency to be large in unfolding every circumstance of so great a business as gave fire to those wars which never could be throughly quenched, until in the ruin of this great Persian monarchy, Persepolis, the capital city of the empire, was at the request of an Athenian harlot consumed with a flame as dreadful as, in the pride of their greatness, the Persians had raised in Athens.

Now therefore, as out of the former books it may be gathered how Athens and other parts of Greece were anciently governed, the same being already set down, though scatteringly, and in several times among other the contemporary occurrents of the eastern emperors and the kings of Judæa; so I thought it very pertinent in this place to remember again the two last changes in the state of Athens. As for the Lacedæmonians, they maintained still their ancient policy under kings, though these also after some fifteen descents were bridled by the ephori.

Codrus king of the Athenians, in the former books remembered, who willingly died for the safety of his people, was therefore so honoured by them, as (thinking none worthy to succeed him) they changed their former government from monarchical to princes for term of life, of which Medon the son of Codrus was the first, after whom they were called Medontidae; and of these there were twelve generations besides Medon; to wit,

Agastus,

Archippus, in whose times the Greeks transported themselves into Ionia, after Troy an hundred and fourscore years, according to Eusebius; which migration all other chronologers (such as follow Eusebius herein excepted) find in the year after Troy fallen one hundred and forty.

Thersippus.

Phorbas.

Mezades.

Diogenetus, in whose time Lycurgus gave laws to the Spartans.

Pheredus.

Ariphron.

Theispius, in whose time the Assyrian empire was overthrown by Belochus and Arbaces.

Agamnestor.

Eschylus, in whose time the ephori (according to Eusebius) were erected in Lacedæmon.

Alcamenon, the last prince for life, after whose death the Athenians elected decennal governors: the former princes for life having continued in all three hundred and sixteen years. The first of those that governed for ten years, or the first archon, was Charops, then

Æsymedes.

Elydicus.

Hippomenes.

Leocrates.

Absander.

Erixias was the last archon of the decennal governors, which form continuing threescore and ten years, was then changed into annual magistrates, mayors, or burgh-masters, of which Theseus was the first, according to Pausanias; others find Leostratus; and then Anthosthenes.

• Paus. p. 159. Dionys. 1. 3. Paus. p. 169. 170. 331.

Archimedes.

Miltiades.

Damasias.

Draco.

Megacles.

Solon, and others, who are the less to be regarded by

reason of the yearly change.

This Solon, being a man of excellent wisdom, gave laws to the Athenians, which were published, according to Gellius, in the three and thirtieth year of Tarquinius Priscus, and were in after-ages derived unto the Romans, and by the decemviri (magistrates in Rome created for that purpose) reduced into twelve tables, which were the ground of the Roman laws. But these goodly ordinances of Solon were in his own days violated, and for a while almost quite extinguished. For whereas they were framed unto the practice and maintenance of a popular government, the estate of Athens was very soon changed into a monarchy by Pisistratus the son of Hippocrates, who finding the citizens distracted into two factions, whereof Megacles and Lycurgus, two citizens of noble families, were become the heads, took occasion by their contention and insolency to raise a third faction more powerful than the other two, and more plausible, for that he seemed a protector of the citizens in general. Having by this means obtained love and credit, he wounded himself, and feigned that by malice of his enemies he had like to have been slain for his love to the good citizens; he procured a guard for his defence, and with that band of men surprising the state-house, or citadel of Athens, he made himself lord of the town, Hegesistratus being then governor. But the citizens, who in every change of government had sought to remove themselves further and further from the form of a monarchy, could so ill brook this usurpation of Pisistratus, that he was driven, for lack of help, to fly the town, as soon as Megacles and Lycurgus (joining their forces) attempted his expulsion. Yet, as the building of his tyranny, founded upon the dissension of the citizens,

was ruined by their good agreement, so was it soon after well reedified by the new breaking out of the old factions. For when Megacles found the power of Lycurgus to grow greater than his own, he did (as is the usual practice of the weaker side) call in the common enemy Pisistratus, to whom he gave his daughter in marriage; by which alliance the family of the Alcmæonidæ, whereof Megacles was chief, became very powerful, yet so that Pisistratus by their power was made master both of them and all the rest. But this agreement held not long; the Alcmæonidæ, and especially Megacles, being incensed against Pisistratus for his misdemeanor towards his wife: wherefore they practised with the soldiers of the town, proceeding in their treason so secretly and so far, that Pisistratus (upon the first discovery of their intent) perceived no other remedy for his affairs, than to withdraw himself to P Eretria, where he remained eleven years: which time being expired, having hired soldiers out of many parts of Greece, he again recovered the principality of Athens; after which third obtaining his estate, he governed Athens seventeen years, according to Aristotle, and reigned in all thirty and three years, saith Elianus, but, as Justin hath it, four and thirty; accounting the time belike as well before as after his several expulsions. Herodotus gives the father and the son six and thirty years, Aristotle five and thirty. But Thucydides affirmeth that he died very old, leaving for his successors his two sons, Hippias and Hipparchus, who governed the Athenians with such moderation, as they rather seemed the lineal successors of a natural prince than of a tyrant. But in the end, and some three years before Hippias was expelled out of Athens, his brother Hipparchus was murdered by Harmodius and Aristogiton. The cause why, and the manner how performed, Thucydides hath written at large. And though Hipparchus were charged with unnatural lust after Harmodius, yet Plato, in his dialogue entitled Hipparchus, doth greatly

P Her. 1. 12. Eretria, a city of Eubæa, by others called Melane, by Stephanus Erotria. Pol. 5. Heraclid. a

pud Elian. p. 262. Just. p. 28. Her. Ï. 6. Thuc. Ì. 6. c. 10.

magnify him, affirming that he was a prince of as many eminent virtues as that age had any, altogether condemning the murderers and authors of that scandal. Hippias fearing that this enterprise upon his brother had more and deeper roots than were apparent, first sought to discover the further intents of Harmodius and Aristogiton by a harlot of theirs called Lemnia; who, because she would not reveal her companions, did cut out her own tongue. Then did Hippias, the better to strengthen himself, enter into a strait amity with Æantides, tyrant of the city a Lampsacus, whom he knew to be greatly favoured by Darius, to whose son Hypoclus he gave one of his daughters in marriage. But some three years after the death of his brother, doubting I know not what strong practice against himself, he began to use the citizens with great severity, which neither Pisistratus the father nor Hippias himself had ever exercised during their usurpations till this time. And therefore the Athenians, fearing lest that this disease might rather increase than diminish in Hippias, they stirred up Clistines, one of the noblest and best able of their city, to practise their delivery; who, calling to his assistance the banished Alcmænidæ, together with an army of the Lacedæmonians, led by Cleomenes their king, so affrighted Hippias, as by composition he gave over his estate, and the possession of Athens, and from thence embarking himself took land at 'Sigeum, whence he went to Lampsacus in Mysia, governed by antides, who presented him to Darius. He was deprived of his estate, as Herodotus and Thucydides agree, twenty years before the battle of Marathon; all which time he continued, partly with antides, at other times with Artaphernes, lieutenant for Darius in Sardis, the metropolis of Lydia; persuading and practising the enterprise upon Athens, which Darius, in the end to his great dishonour, undertook twenty years after Hippias had resigned his estate.

Thus far I have digressed

Lampsacus, a city of Mysia, upon the Hellespont. Herod. 1. 5. Thucyd. 1. 6. c. 10.

from Darius, to the end the

Sigeum, a promontory opposite to the isle of Tenedos, which Arist. in 5. Animal.calls Idæ promontorium.