Page:History of Greece Vol X.djvu/422

 400 HISTORY OF GREEC1 this demos was, or what proportion of the whole population it comprised, we have no means of knowing. But it is plain, thai whether more or less considsrable, its multitude was kept under dependence to the rich families by stratagems such as the banquets, the lucrative appointments with lots of land in foreign dependen- cies, etc. The purposes of government were determined, its powers wielded and the great offices held suffetes, senators, generals, or judges, by the members of a small number of wealthy fumi- liis ; and the chief opposition which they encountered, was from their feuds against each other. In the main, the government waa conducted with skill and steadiness, as well for internal tranquillity as for systematic foreign and commercial aggrandizement. Within the knowledge of Aristotle, Carthage had never suffered either the successful usurpation of a despot, or any violent intestine commo- tion. 1 The first eminent Carthaginian leader brought to our notice, is Mago (seemingly about 530-500 B. c.), who is said to have mainly contributed to organize the forces, and extend the dominion, of Car- thage. Of his two sons, one, Hasdrubal, perished after a victorious 3areer in Sardinia ; 2 the other, Hamilkar, commanding at the bat- tle of Himera in Sicily, was there defeated and slam by Gelon, as has been already recounted. After the death of Hamilkar, his son Giskon was condemned to perpetual exile, and passed his life in Sicily at the Greek city of Selinus. 3 But the sons of Hasdrubal 1 Aristot. Polit. ii, 8, 1. He briefly alludes to the abortive conspiracy of Hanno (v, 6, 2), which is also mentioned in Justin (xxi, 4). Hanno is said to have formed the plan of putting to death the Senate, and making him- self despot. But he was detected, and executed under the severest tortures ; all his family being put to death along with him. Not only is it very difficult to make out Aristotle's statements about me Carthaginian government, but some of them are even contradictory. One of these (v, 10, 3) has been pointed out by M. Barthe'lemy St. Hilaiie. who proposes to read ev Xa?iKT}66vi instead of iv Kapxr/dovi. In another place (v, 10, 4) Aristotle calls Carthage (h KapxrjSbvi fJ^/zo/cparoiyze'vT? ) a state democratically governed ; which cannot be reconciled with what h. says in ii, 8, respecting its government. Aristotle compares the Council of One Hundred and Four at Carthago to the Spartan ephors. But it is not easy to see how so numerous a body could have transacted the infinite diversity of administrative and other busi ness performed by the five ephors.
 * Justin, xix 1 Diodor. xiii