Page:History of Greece Vol V.djvu/330

 306 HISTORY OF GREECE. city, — the monument called the Theseium, with its sacred pre- cinct being built on the spot, and invested with the privilege of a sanctuary for men of poor condition who might feel ground for dreading the oppressions of the powerful, as well as for slaves in case of cruel usage.' Such were the protective functions of the mythical hero of democracy, whose installation is interesting as marking the growing intensity of democratical feeling in Athens since the Persian war. It was about two years or more after this incident, that the first breach of union in the confederacy of Delos took place. The important island of Naxos, th^ largest of the Cyclades, — an island which thirty years before had boasted a large maiine 252). Unhappily, Thucydides has told us but a small portion of the events ■which really happened. Mr. Clinton compares the various periods of duration assigned by ancient authors to that which is improperly called the Athenian "empire," — be- tween 477-405 B.C. (pp. 248, 249.) I confess that I rather agree with Dr. Gillies, who admits the discrepancy between these authors broadly and un- disguisedly, than with Mr. Clinton, who seeks to bring them into compara- tive agreement. His explanation is only successful in regard to one of them, — Demosthenes; whose two statements (forty-five years in one place and seventy-three years in another) are shovn to he consistent with each other as well as chronologically just. But surely it is not reasonable to correct the text of the orator Lykurgus from EvvevTjKovra to e[3dofj.^Kovra, and then to say, that " Lykurgus may be added to the number of those who describe the period as seventy years," (p. 250.) Neither are we to bring Andokides into harmony with others, by supposing that " his calculation ascends to the battle of Marathon, from the date of which (b.c. 490) to the battle of jEgos Potami, are just eighty-five years." (Ibid.) Nor ought we to justify a computation by Demosthenes, of sixty-five years, by saying, " that it terminates at the Athenian defeat in Sicily," (p. 249). The tnath is, that there is more or less chronological inaccuracy in all these passages, except those of Demosthenes, — and historical inaccuracy in all of them, not even excepting those. It is not true that the Athenians rip^av TTj^ ■dakacGTit: — ^pfav ruv 'EAA^vuv — TrpoaTurai ijaai/ tuv 'E?^7i^vuv — for seventy-three years. The historical language of Demosthenes, Plato, Lysias, Isokrates, Andokides, Lykurgus. requu-es to be carefully examined before we rely upon it. 'Plutarch (Kimon, c. 8; Theseus, c. 36). iarl 6s (pv^Lov olniraic Kci ■xuac TOL( TamivoTepoLc Kal deiioai. Kpe'iTTOvac, ug /cat tov QrjnEug npocrariKoi Tivoc Kal f3or}^j]TiKov yevo/xivov Kal irpoadexo/iEVOV (fii^v^punuc rif ruv fairnvorepuv derjaetc.