Page:History of Greece Vol VIII.djvu/261

 PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRTY. 239 These thirty men the parallel of the dekarchies whom Ly- fander had constituted in the other cities were intended for the same purpose, to maintain the city in a state of humiliation and dependence upon Lacedasmon, and upon Lysander, as the repre- sentative of Lacedasmon. Though appointed, in the pretended view of drawing up a scheme of laws and constitution for Athens, they were in no hurry to commence this duty. They appointed a new senate, composed of compliant, assured, and oligarchical persons ; including many of the returned exiles who had been formerly in the Four Hundred, and many also of the preceding senators who were willing to serve their designs. 1 They farther named new magistrates and officers ; a new Board of Eleven, to manage the business of police and the public force, with Satyrus, one of their most violent partisans, as chief; a Board of Ten, to govern in Peirceus ; 2 an archon, to give name to the year, Pytho- dorus, and a second, or king-archon, Patrokles, 3 to offer the cus- tomary sacrifices on behalf of the city. While thus securing their own ascendency, and placing all power in the hands of the most violent oligarchical partisans, they began by professing re- forming principles of the strictest virtue ; denouncing the abuses of the past democracy, and announcing their determination to purge the city of evil-doers. 4 The philosopher Plato then a young man about twenty-four years old, of anti-democratical pol- itics, and nephew of Kritias was at first misled, together with various others, by these splendid professions ; he conceived hopes, and even received encouragement from his relations, that he might play an active part under the new oligarchy. 5 Though he soon came to discern how little congenial his feelings were with theirs, yet in the beginning doubtless such honest illusions con- tributed materially to strengthen their hands. 1 Xcnoph. Hellcn. ii, 2, 11 : Lysias cont. Agorat. Oral, xiii, sects. Ti-ias, the brother-in-law of Charikles, was a member of this senate (Jso- kratOs, Or. xvi, DC Bigis, s. 53). 2 Plato, Ejjist. vii, p. 324, B. ; Xcnoph. Ilcllen. ii, 3, 54. 3 Isokrates cont. Kallimach. Or. xviii, s. 6, p. 372. 4 Lysias, Oral, xii, cont. Eratosth. s. 5, p. 121. 'E ci6)) S 1 ol rptocopra rovrjpoi ftiv KOI av no Qavra i ovref elf TT/V upx>/v Kariarrjaav, ^UOKOVTC^ Xprvai TUV ad'tKuv Kadapuv Troit/oai Tijvm'iv nat roi)f foinovf TroAf'raf tit foeiiiv /cat diKaioovvtjv rpantotiai, etc. * Plato, Epist. vii, p. 324, B. C.