Page:Philological Museum v2.djvu/410

400 400 On the Birth-Year of Demosthenes. But it seems the less possible to lay any stress upon this objection, because even if twenty was the age of registration, it is extremely doubtful, to say the least, whether an Athe- nian was at that age capable of holding any office; and on the other hand the register might very well be named from the most important qualification it bestowed, though all who were inscribed in it could not immediately reap any benefit from it. The question however does not depend upon a dis- putable etymology : there is another ground on which it seems clear that the registration took place not in the twentieth year, but at the beginning of the ephebia, and at the same time with the hoKifmadLa by which the citizen became ca- pable of succeeding to an estate. In the same passage of Pollux (viiT. 105) to which Mr Clinton appeals as an au- thority to prove that the registration took place in the twen- tieth year, it is mentioned that at the same period the ephebi took the celebrated oath in the sanctuary of Agraulus, by which they bound themselves not to disgrace their arms, not to desert their comrades and their post, to fight even single- handed for their altars and hearths &c. {eiKoaTM eveypdcpovro T(v Xrj^iap'^LKcp ypafi^aT€uoy /cat iojULvvov ev AypavXov^ Oi/ KaraLGyyviJo to. oirXa /c. t. X,) In this point therefore Pol- lux agrees with Lycurgus in the passage quoted above, and the only question is, when this oath was taken: when this is determined, we have also ascertained the time of the regis- tration. Now as to the epoch of the oath, it seems scarcely possible to doubt, when we consider the time at which the military service of the Athenian citizen began. All authors agree that he spent two years, the period of his ephebia, under arms, though in home-service, traversing the country, garrisoning the forts, and performing any other duties that might be imposed on him for the protection of Attica. So Pollux in the last quoted passage: Trepiirokoi €(pr/(ioL irepi- rieaav Trjv -^as^pav (puXaTTovre^ (vairep f]Srj /xeXeraJi/res ^a (TTpariooTLKa kul eis ^ev tov^ e<pri(iov<$ elarieaav oKTWKaiceKa €Trj yevofxevoi^ ovo ce €l^ irepLiroXov^ rjpLd/uLovvTO. Aristotle, quoted by Harpocratio {irepLTroXoi)^ gives a fuller description of the same thing: 'Apto-roTeXyj^ ev 'AOrjvaiwu TroXtreia Trepl Tcov €(pf]j3oov Xeycov (prjali^ ovroo^' tov cevrepov evtavrov eicKXrj^ o:ia9 ev no Oearpfp •yei/O/uer^?, aTrode^d/uevot tco ^tj/uM Trepx