DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13851#0092
70
oe the civil government op athens.
were certain inferior officers, or rather servants, much like the Romarj
lictors, and our sheriff's livery-men, bailiffs, &c. The city of Athens
had a thousand of them, that lived in tents erected in the middle of the
forum, and were afterwards removed to the aereopagus. Their name
seems to have been taken from the arms they usually carried with thems
in the same manner that the life-guards of kings are called &ogvpigot.
Sometimes they are called A/j^etfjoi Etowtch, a name which was taken from
their offices ; sometimes Hevtf'moi, from Peusinus, one of the primitive
Athenians, that either first instituted this office, or gave rules for the or-
dering of it; and sometimes 2xv8cu, from the country of Scythia ; for
generally men of that country were chosen into this place, as being
brawny sturdy fellows ; and therefore one of them is introduced by
Aristophanes, speaking in an uncouth and barbarous manner (I). But to
return to the Lexiarchi. They were the persons that had the keeping
of Xr)|(«^/xd» p^afAfiarsIflv, or Xevxupa, or public register of the whole
city, in which were written the names of all the citizens, as soon as they
came to be of age to enter upon their paternal inheritance, which they
called A£gi5. *
NoAto0«Xa>ces, were officers, whose business it was to see that neither
the magistrates nor common people made any innovation upon the laws,
and to punish the stubborn and disobedient (2). To this end, in public
assemblies they had seats appointed with the n^e^gai, that they might be
ready to oppose any man that should act contrary to the laws and receiv-
ed customs, or promote any thing against the public good. As a token of
the honourable station they were placed in, they always wore a white
ribband in the solemn games and public shows, and had chairs erected for
them over against those of the nine archons.
Nafj-o^srai, were a thousand in number, who were commonly chosen
hy lot out of such as had been judges in the court Heliaea. Their office
was not (as the name seems to imply) to enact new laws by their own
authority, for that could not be done without the approbation of the se-
nate, and the people's ratification, but to inspect the old ; and, if they
found any of them useless or prejudicial, as the state of affairs then
stood, or contradictory to others, they caused them to be abrogated by
an act of the people. Besides this, they were to take care that no man
should plough or dig deep ditches within the Pelasgian wall, to apprehend
the offenders, and send them to the Archon.
CHAP. XIV
of the athenian magistrates.
The treasurers and general receivers of Athens were of several sorts .
but before I proceed to give an account of their offices, it will be neces-
sary to premise a word or two concerning the public revenues ; which
are, by the accurate Sigonius, divided into these four following sorts.,r—
(1) Aristophanes ejusque Scholiast. A earn, et Thesmopb.
(2) Cicero de Legi'b. lib. iii. Columella de Re Rust, lib. xii, cap, 3,
oe the civil government op athens.
were certain inferior officers, or rather servants, much like the Romarj
lictors, and our sheriff's livery-men, bailiffs, &c. The city of Athens
had a thousand of them, that lived in tents erected in the middle of the
forum, and were afterwards removed to the aereopagus. Their name
seems to have been taken from the arms they usually carried with thems
in the same manner that the life-guards of kings are called &ogvpigot.
Sometimes they are called A/j^etfjoi Etowtch, a name which was taken from
their offices ; sometimes Hevtf'moi, from Peusinus, one of the primitive
Athenians, that either first instituted this office, or gave rules for the or-
dering of it; and sometimes 2xv8cu, from the country of Scythia ; for
generally men of that country were chosen into this place, as being
brawny sturdy fellows ; and therefore one of them is introduced by
Aristophanes, speaking in an uncouth and barbarous manner (I). But to
return to the Lexiarchi. They were the persons that had the keeping
of Xr)|(«^/xd» p^afAfiarsIflv, or Xevxupa, or public register of the whole
city, in which were written the names of all the citizens, as soon as they
came to be of age to enter upon their paternal inheritance, which they
called A£gi5. *
NoAto0«Xa>ces, were officers, whose business it was to see that neither
the magistrates nor common people made any innovation upon the laws,
and to punish the stubborn and disobedient (2). To this end, in public
assemblies they had seats appointed with the n^e^gai, that they might be
ready to oppose any man that should act contrary to the laws and receiv-
ed customs, or promote any thing against the public good. As a token of
the honourable station they were placed in, they always wore a white
ribband in the solemn games and public shows, and had chairs erected for
them over against those of the nine archons.
Nafj-o^srai, were a thousand in number, who were commonly chosen
hy lot out of such as had been judges in the court Heliaea. Their office
was not (as the name seems to imply) to enact new laws by their own
authority, for that could not be done without the approbation of the se-
nate, and the people's ratification, but to inspect the old ; and, if they
found any of them useless or prejudicial, as the state of affairs then
stood, or contradictory to others, they caused them to be abrogated by
an act of the people. Besides this, they were to take care that no man
should plough or dig deep ditches within the Pelasgian wall, to apprehend
the offenders, and send them to the Archon.
CHAP. XIV
of the athenian magistrates.
The treasurers and general receivers of Athens were of several sorts .
but before I proceed to give an account of their offices, it will be neces-
sary to premise a word or two concerning the public revenues ; which
are, by the accurate Sigonius, divided into these four following sorts.,r—
(1) Aristophanes ejusque Scholiast. A earn, et Thesmopb.
(2) Cicero de Legi'b. lib. iii. Columella de Re Rust, lib. xii, cap, 3,