Page:History of Greece Vol III.djvu/143

 SOLON FOUNDER OF ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY. 127 sages seem positively to contradict the supposition, in itself sufficiently improbable, that Solon is the author of the peculiar democratical institutions of Athens, such as the constant and numerous dikasts for judicial trials and revision of laws. The genuine and forward democratical movement of Athens begins only with Kleisthenes, from the moment when that distinguished Alkmreonid, either spontaneously, or from findingjiiniself worsted in his party strife with Isagoras, purchased by large popular con- cessions the hearty cooperation of the multitude under very dangerous circumstances. While Solon, in his own statement as well as in that of Aristotle, gave to the people as much power as was strictly needful, but no more, Kleisthenes (to use the sig- nificant phrase of Herodotus), " being vanquished in the party contest with his rival, took the people into partnership"^ It was thus to the interests of the weaker section, in a strife of contend- ing nobles, that the Athenian people owed their first admission to political ascendency, in part, at least, to this cause, though (lie proceedings of Kleisthenes indicate a hearty and spon taneous popular sentiment. But such constitutional admission of the people would not have been so astonishingly fruitful in positive results, if the course of public events for the half-century after Kleisthenes had not been such as to stimulate most powerfully their energy, their self-reliance, their mutual sympathies, and their ambition. I shall recount in a future chapter those his- torical causes, which, acting upon the Athenian character, gave such efficiency and expansion to the great democratical impulse communicated by Kleisthenes : at present, it is enough to remark that that impulse commences properly with Kleisthenes, and not with Solon. 1 Hcrodot. v, G9. rtiv 'A.drjvai.uv Sfjfiov, Trporepov uiruafiivov TCUVTUV, etc. 2 Hcrodot. v, C6-69. Ovroc. ol avdpe? (Kleisthenes and Isagoras) lara- ciaaav irepl fwafttuf' laffoifisvo^ de 6 Kfatadevrie TOP 67/fiov Trpoasraipi- Cf rat '2f yu-p fir/ TOV 'A&Tjvaiuv dijfiov, Trporepov unua/ievov KUVTUV, rorr Kpbe TTJV euvrov ftoipqv Trpoffedf/Karo, (Kleisthenes) rt/c <?v%uf fiETuvofiaat ?/i <5e, TOV fii/fiov Trpo<rdifj.vo, iro^.tj KarvKepde TUV avrtaraaidTeuv. As to the marked democratical tendency of the proceedings of Kleisthenea cc Aristot. Polit. vi, 2, 11 ; iii, 1, 10.
 * the Athenian people excluded from everything." 1 These pas-