the athenian constitution-第8节

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to　them　best；　both　with　reference　to　the　safe　custody　and　due　expenditure　of　the　finances；　and　　generally　with　regard　to　all　other　matters　to　the　best　of　their　　ability。　If　they　desired　to　take　a　larger　number　of　persons　into　counsel；　each　member　might　call　in　one　assistant　of　his　own　choice；　subject　to　the　same　qualification　of　age。　The　Council　was　to　sit　once　every　five　days；　unless　there　was　any　special　need　for　more　frequent　sittings。　The　casting　of　the　lot　for　the　Council　was　to　be　held　by　the　　nine　Archons；　votes　on　divisions　were　to　be　counted　by　five　tellers　chosen　by　lot　from　the　members　of　the　Council；　and　of　these　one　was　to　be　selected　by　lot　every　day　to　act　as　president。　These　five　persons　were　to　cast　lots　for　precedence　between　the　parties　wishing　to　appear　before　the　Council；　giving　the　first　place　to　sacred　matters；　the　second　to　heralds；　the　third　to　embassies；　and　the　fourth　to　　all　other　subjects；　but　matters　concerning　the　war　might　be　dealt　with；　on　the　motion　of　the　generals；　whenever　there　was　need；　without　balloting。　Any　member　of　the　Council　who　did　not　enter　the　Council…house　at　the　time　named　should　be　fined　a　drachma　for　each　day；　unless　he　was　away　on　leave　of　absence　from　the　Council。

Part　31

　　Such　was　the　constitution　which　they　drew　up　for　the　time　to　come；　but　for　the　immediate　present　they　devised　the　following　　scheme。　There　should　be　a　Council　of　Four　Hundred；　as　in　the　ancient　constitution；　forty　from　each　tribe；　chosen　out　of　candidates　of　more　than　thirty　years　of　age；　selected　by　the　members　of　the　tribes。　This　Council　should　appoint　the　magistrates　and　draw　up　the　form　of　oath　　which　they　were　to　take；　and　in　all　that　concerned　the　laws；　in　the　examination　of　official　accounts；　and　in　other　matters　generally；　they　might　act　according　to　their　discretion。　They　must；　however；　observe　the　laws　that　might　be　enacted　with　reference　to　the　constitution　of　　the　state；　and　had　no　power　to　alter　them　nor　to　pass　others。　The　　generals　should　be　provisionally　elected　from　the　whole　body　of　the　Five　　Thousand；　but　so　soon　as　the　Council　came　into　existence　it　was　to　hold　an　examination　of　military　equipments；　and　thereon　elect　ten　persons；　together　with　a　secretary；　and　the　persons　thus　elected　should　hold　office　during　the　coming　year　with　full　powers；　and　should　have　the　right；　whenever　they　desired　it；　of　joining　in　the　deliberations　of　the　Council。　The　Five　thousand　was　also　to　elect　a　single　　Hipparch　and　ten　Phylarchs；　but　for　the　future　the　Council　was　to　elect　these　officers　according　to　the　regulations　above　laid　down。　No　office；　except　those　of　member　of　the　Council　and　of　general；　might　be　held　more　than　once；　either　by　the　first　occupants　or　by　their　successors。　With　reference　to　the　future　distribution　of　the　Four　Hundred　into　the　four　successive　sections；　the　hundred　commissioners　must　divide　them　whenever　the　time　comes　for　the　citizens　to　join　in　the　Council　along　with　the　rest。

Part　32

　　The　hundred　commissioners　appointed　by　the　Five　Thousand　　drew　up　the　constitution　as　just　stated；　and　after　it　had　been　ratified　by　the　people；　under　the　presidency　of　Aristomachus；　the　existing　Council；　that　of　the　year　of　Callias；　was　dissolved　before　it　had　　completed　its　term　of　office。　It　was　dissolved　on　the　fourteenth　day　of　the　month　Thargelion；　and　the　Four　Hundred　entered　into　office　on　the　twenty…first；　whereas　the　regular　Council；　elected　by　lot；　ought　to　have　entered　into　office　on　the　fourteenth　of　Scirophorion。　Thus　was　the　oligarchy　established；　in　the　archonship　of　Callias；　just　about　a　hundred　years　after　the　expulsion　of　the　tyrants。　The　chief　promoters　of　the　revolution　were　Pisander；　Antiphon；　and　Theramenes；　all　of　them　men　of　good　birth　and　with　high　reputations　for　ability　and　judgement。　When；　however；　this　constitution　had　been　established；　the　Five　Thousand　were　only　nominally　selected；　and　the　Four　Hundred；　together　with　the　ten　officers　on　whom　full　powers　had　been　conferred；　occupied　the　Council…house　and　really　　administered　the　government。　They　began　by　sending　ambassadors　to　the　Lacedaemonians　proposing　a　cessation　of　the　war　on　the　basis　of　the　existing　Position；　but　as　the　Lacedaemonians　refused　to　listen　to　them　unless　they　would　also　abandon　the　command　of　the　sea；　they　broke　off　the　negotiations。

Part　33

　　For　about　four　months　the　constitution　of　the　Four　Hundred　lasted；　and　Mnasilochus　held　office　as　Archon　of　their　nomination　for　two　months　of　the　year　of　Theopompus；　who　was　Archon　for　the　remaining　ten。　On　the　loss　of　the　naval　battle　of　Eretria；　however；　and　the　revolt　of　the　whole　of　Euboea　except　Oreum；　the　indignation　of　the　people　was　greater　than　at　any　of　the　earlier　disasters；　since　they　drew　far　more　supplies　at　this　time　from　Euboea　than　from　Attica　itself。　Accordingly　they　deposed　the　Four　Hundred　and　committed　the　management　of　affairs　to　the　Five　Thousand；　consisting　of　persons　Possessing　a　military　equipment。　At　the　same　time　they　voted　that　pay　should　not　be　given　for　any　public　office。　The　persons　chiefly　responsible　for　the　revolution　were　Aristocrates　and　Theramenes；　who　disapproved　of　the　action　of　the　Four　Hundred　in　retaining　the　direction　of　affairs　entirely　in　their　own　hands；　and　referring　nothing　to　the　Five　Thousand。　During　this　period　the　constitution　of　the　state　seems　to　have　been　admirable；　since　it　was　a　time　　of　war　and　the　franchise　was　in　the　hands　of　those　who　possessed　a　military　equipment。

Part　34

　　The　people；　however；　in　a　very　short　time　deprived　the　　Five　Thousand　of　their　monopoly　of　the　government。　Then；　six　years　after　the　overthrow　of　the　Four　Hundred；　in　the　archonship　of　Callias　　of　Angele；　battle　of　Arginusae　took　place；　of　which　the　results　were；　　first；　that　the　ten　generals　who　had　gained　the　victory　were　all　condemned　by　a　single　decision；　owing　to　the　people　being　led　astray　by　persons　who　aroused　their　indignation；　though；　as　a　matter　of　fact；　some　of　the　generals　had　actually　taken　no　part　in　the　battle；　and　others　were　themselves　picked　up　by　other　vessels。　Secondly；　when　the　Lacedaemonians　proposed　to　evacuate　Decelea　and　make　peace　on　the　basis　of　the　existing　position；　although　some　of　the　Athenians　supported　this　proposal；　the　majority　refused　to　listen　to　them。　In　this　they　were　led　astray　by　Cleophon；　who　appeared　in　the　Assembly　drunk　and　wearing　his　breastplate；　and　prevented　peace　being　made；　declaring　that　he　would　never　accept　peace　unless　the　Lacedaemonians　abandoned　their　claims　on　all　the　cities　allied　with　them。　They　mismanaged　their　opportunity　then；　and　in　a　very　short　time　they　learnt　their　mistake。　The　next　year；　in　the　archonship　of　Alexias；　they　suffered　the　disaster　of　Aegospotami；　the　consequence　of　which　was　that　Lysander　became　master　of　the　city；　and　set　up　the　Thirty　as　its　governors。　He　did　so　in　the　following　manner。　One　of　the　terms　of　peace　stipulated　that　the　state　should　be　governed　according　to　'the　ancient　constitution'。　Accordingly　the　　popular　party　tried　to　preserve　the　democracy；　while　that　part　of　the　upper　class　which　belonged　to　the　political　clubs；　together　with　the　exiles　who　had　returned　since　the　peace；　aimed　at　an　oligarchy；　and　those　who　were　not　members　of　any　club；　though　in　other　respects　they　　considered　themselves　as　good　as　any　other　citizens；　were　anxious　to　restore　the　ancient　constitution。　The　latter　class　included　Archinus；　Anytus；　Cleitophon；　Phormisius；　and　many　others；　but　their　most　prominent　leader　was　Theramenes。　Lysander；　however；　threw　his　influence　on　the　side　of　the　oligarchical　party；　and　the　popular　Assembly　was　compelled　by　sheer　intimidation　to　pass　a　vote　establishing　the　oligarchy。　The　motion　to　this　effect　was　proposed　by　Dracontides　of　Aphidna。

Part　35

　　In　this　way　were　the　Thirty　established　in　power；　in　the　archonship　of　Pythodorus。　As　soon；　however；　as　they　were　masters　of　the　city；　they　ignored　all　the　resolutions　which　had　been　passed　relating　to　the　organization　of　the　constitution；　but　after　　appointing　a　Council　of　Five　Hundred　and　the　other　magistrates　out　of　a　thousand　selected　candidates；　and　associating　with　themselves　ten　Archons　in　Piraeus；　eleven　superintendents　of　the　prison；　and　three　hundred　'lash…bearers'　as　attendants；　with　the　help　of　these　　they　kept　the　city　under　their　own　control。　At　first；　indeed；　they　behaved　with　moderation　towards　the　citizens　and　pretended　to　administer　the　state　according　to　the　ancient　constitution。　In　pursuance　of　this　policy　they　took　down　from　the　hill　of　Areopagus　the　laws　of　　Ephialtes　and　Archestratus　relating　to　the　Areopagite　Council；　they　also　repealed　such　of　the　statutes　of　Solon　as　were　obscure；　and　abolished　the　supreme　power　of　the　law…courts。　In　this　they　　claimed　to　be　restoring　the　constitution　and　freeing　it　from　　obscurities；　as；　for　instance；　by　making　the　testator　free　once　for　all　to　leave　his　property　as　he　pleased；　and　abolishing　the　existing　limitations　in　cases　of　insanity；　old　age；　and　undue　female　influence；　in　order　that　no　opening　might　be　left　for　professional　accusers。　In　other　matters　also　their　conduct　was　similar。　At　first；　then；　they　acted　on　these　lines；　and　they　destroyed　the　professional　accusers　　and　those　mischievous