Page:The Ancient City- A Study on the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome.djvu/278

 272 THE CITY. BOOK III. tans expelled the whole race of the vanquished, and took their lands. Athens proceeded in the same man- ner wilh Salamis, ^gina, and Melos. The thought of removing the conquered to the city of the victors could not enter the mind of any one. The city possessed gods, hymns, festivals, and laws, which were its precious patrimony, and it took good care not to share these with the vanquished. It had not even the right to do this. Could Athens admit that a citizen of ^gina might enter the temple of Athene Polias? that he might offer his worship to Theseus ? that he might take part in the sacred re- pasts? that, as a prytane, he might keep up the public fire? Religion forbade it. The conquered population of the isle of ^gina could not, therefore, form a single state with the population of Athens. Not having the same gods, the^ginetans and the Athenians could not have the same laws or the same magistrates. But might not Athens, at any rate, leaving the conquei'cd city intact, send magistrates within its walls to govein it? It was absolutely contrary to the prin- ciples of the ancients to place any man over a city, who was not a citizen of it. Indeed, the magistiate was a religious chief, and his principal function was to sacri- fice in the name of the city. The foreigner, who had not the right to offer the sacrifice, could not therefore be a magistrate. Having no religious function, he had not in the eyes of men any regular authority. Sparta attempted to place its harmosts in the cities, but tliese men were not magistrates; they did not act as judges, or appear in the assemblies. Having no regular rela- tion with the people of the cities, they could not main- tain themselves there for any great length of time. Every conqueror, consequently, had only the alterna-