Page:History of Greece Vol V.djvu/387

 CHANGES AT ATHENS UNDER I'EKIKLES. 363 established, — and that young beginners were in little danger of ostracism. The complexion of political parties in Athens had greatly changed since the days of Themistokles and Aristeides ; for the Kleisthenean constitution, though enlarged by the latter after the return from Salarais to the extent of making all citizens without exception eligible for magistracy, had become unpopular with the poorer citizens, and to the keener democratical feeling which now ran through Athens and Peirasus. It was to this democratical party, — the party of movement against that of resistance, or of reformers against conservatives, if we are to employ modern phraseology, — that Perikles devoted his great rank, character, and abilities. From the low arts which it is common to ascribe to one who espouses the political interests of the poor against the rich, he was remarkably exempt : he was indefatigable in his attention to public business, but he went little into society, and disregarded almost to excess the airs of popu- larity : his eloquence was irresistibly impressive, yet he was by no means prodigal of it, taking care to reserve himself, like the Salaminian trireme, for solemn occasions, and prefemng for the most part to employ the agency of friends and partisans :i more- over, he imbibed from his friend and teacher Anaxagoras,a tinge of physical philosophy, which gi'eatly strengthened his mind,2 and armed him against many of the reigning superstitions, — but which at the same time tended to rob him of the sympathy of the vulgar, rich as well as poor. The arts of demagogy were in fact much more cultivated by the oligarchical Kimon, whose open-hearted familiarity of manner was extolled, by his personal friend the poet Ion, in contrast with the reserved and stately demeanor of his rival Perikles. Ivimoa employed the rich plun- der, procured by his maritime expeditions, in public decorations as well as in largesses to the poorer citizens, — throwing open his fields and fruits to all the inhabitants of his deme, and causing himself to be attended in public by well-dressed slaves, directed to tender their warm tunics in exchange for the threadbare gar- ments of those who seemed in want; while the property of ' Plutarch, Keipub. Gerend. Prascept. p. 812 ; Perikles, c. 5, 6. 7. " Plato, Phaedrus, c. 54, p. 270 ; Plutarch, Perikles, c. 8 j Xenoph. Memor. i, 2, 4G.