Page:History of Greece Vol V.djvu/395

 CHANGES AT ATHENS UNDEK PERIKLES. 371 diate friends. He was restored from ostracism on this occasion, before his full time had expired, and the rivalry between him and Perikles henceforward becomes mitigated, or even converted into a corapi-omise,' whereby the internal affairs of the city were left to the one, and the conduct of foreign expeditions to the other. The successes of Athens during the ensuing ten years were more brilliant than ever, and she attained the maximum of her power : which doubtless had a material effect in imparting stability to the democracy, as well as to the administration of Perikles, and ena- bled both the one and the other to stand the shock of those great public reverses, which deprived the Athenians of their dependent landed alliances, during the interval between the defeat of Koro- neia and the thirty years' truce. Along with the important judicial revolution brought about by Perikles, were introduced other changes belonging to the same scheme and system. Thus a general power of supervision, both over the magistrates and over the public assembly, was vested in seven magistrates, now named for the first time, called Nomophylakes, or Law-Guar dians, and doubtless changed every year. These nomophylakes sat alongside of the proedri, or presidents, both in the senate and in the public assembly, and were charged with the duty of interposino- whenever any step was taken or any proposition made contrary to the existing laws : they were also empowered to constrain the magistrates to act according to law.2 We do not know whether ' The intervention of Elpinike, the sister of Kiraon, in bringing about this compromise between her brother and Perikles, is probable enough (Plutarch, Perikles, c. 10, and Kimon, c. 14). Clever and engaging, she seems to have played an active part in the political intrigues of the day: but we are not at all called upon to credit the scandals insinuated by Eupolis and Stesimbrotus. Philochorus, by Photius, Lexic. p. 674, Porson. 'No/xo(pv?.aKec ■ ErEpol slat tC)v ^ea/xo^ETuv, (Jc ^i.?inxof}OQ iv f- ol /liv yap apxovrec uvilSacvov eiq 'Apeiov Tvuyov i(7Te(pavvAaK£c ;fpi'(Tm arpo^La uyovrec • Kat rate -^eaic ivuvTiov upxovruv Ua^i^ovro' koI t^jv ■KOiinriv Inefinov ry TlaX^Mf Tuc 6e upxa^ TjvuyKa^ov role vofioic xp^f^ai • Kal iv t^ eKK^CKf. Kol ev Ty liovAy /xerd ruiv TrpoiSpuv Ud'dijvTO, Kulvovreg tu uavfzipopa ry iz6?.Et ■KpuTTELv ETzza (5e Tjaav Kat KarsaTj^aav, C)g ^Mxopog, ore 'E^td/lrj^j- fiovri KariXiTE rfj if ^ApEiov rrdyov (SovAfj to. vnsp rov aidfiaroq.
 * We hear about these nomophylakes in a distinct statement cited from