Page:History of Greece Vol VI.djvu/290

 268 HISTOR1 OF GREECE. penalty of a stater or four drachms for every stake so cut : but it is no uncommon phenomenon, even in societies politically Detter organized than Korkyra, to find laws existing and unre- pealed, yet habitually violated, sometimes even by every one, but still oftener by men of wealth and power, whom most people would be afraid to prosecute : moreover, in this case, no indivi- daal was injured by the act, and any one who came forward to prosecute would incur the odium of an informer, which prob- ably Peithias might not have chosen to brave under ordinary circumstances, though he thought himself justified in adopting this mode of retaliation against those who had prosecuted him The language of Thucydides implies that the fact was not denied nor is there any difficulty in conceiving that these rich men may have habitually resorted to the sacred property for vine-stakes On being found guilty and condemned, they cast themselves as suppliants at the temples, and entreated the indulgence of being allowed to pay the fine by instalments : but Peithias, then a member of the (annual) senate, to whom the petition was referred, opposed it, and caused its rejection, leaving the law to take its course. It was moreover understood, that he was about to avail himself of his character of senator, and of his increased favor, probably arising from the recent judicial acquittal, to propose in the public assembly a reversal of the resolution recently passed, and a new resolution to recognize only the same friends and the same enemies as Athens. Pressed by the ruinous fine upon the five persons condemned, as well as by the fear that Peithias might carry his point and thus completely defeat their project of Corinthian alliance, the oligarchical party resolved to carry their point by violence and murder. They collected a party armed with daggers, burst sud- a7ro7.o-/ia, will illustrate this charge made by Peithias at Korkyra. There were certain ancient olive-trees near Athens, consecrated and protected by law, so that the proprietors of the ground on which they stood were forbid- den to grub them up, or to dig so near as to injure the roots. The epeaket in that oration defeuds himself against a charge of having grubbed up one of these and sold the wood. It appears that there were public visitors whose duty it was to watch over these old trees : see the note of Maikland on that oration, P 27<*