DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13851#0108
36
OF THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF ATHENS,
consent to the decree ? permitting them to give their voices, and thereby
either establish or reject it ; the doing which they called Eai^^gs^ to
^-j^itffj,*, or Ai#6va» SiocySi^oTov'usv soi Stiiia.
The manner of giving their suffrages was by holding up their hands,
and therefore they called it yjn^rw* ; and yjigoravih signifies to ordain,
or establish any thing ; k-tox.t^Twzl*, to disannul by suffrage. This was
the common method of voting ; but in some cases, as particularly when
they deprived magistrates of their offices for mrd-administration, they
gave their votes in private, lest the power and greatness of the persons
accused should lay a restraint upon them, and cause them to act contrary
to their judgments and inclinations. The manner of voting privately
was by casting pebbles (-^jj^O into vessels (xadivg), which the prytanes
were obliged to place in the assembly for this purpose. Before the use
of pebbles they voted with [xvapei) beans (1).
As soon as the people had done voting, the proedri having carefully exa-
mined the number of the suffrages, pronounced the decree ratified, or
thrown out, according as the major part had approved or rejected it. It
is observable, in the last place, that it was unlawful for the prytanes to
propose any thing twice in the same assembly (2). The business being
over, the prytanes dismissed the assembly, as we read in Aristo-
phanes (3) ;
Ot yig rigyT*'v6(c hvovo-i tw 'E.KicKmrtoLv.
Whoever desires to have a more full account of the popular assemblies
at Athens, may consult the Concionatrices of Aristophanes (4), where
their whole management is accurately described.
CHAP. XVIII.
OF THE SENATE OF THE FIVE HUNDRED.
By Solon's constitution the wrhole power and management of affairs
were placed in the people. It was their prerogative to receive ap-
peals from the rourts ofjustice ; to abrogate old laws, and enact new; to
make what alterations in the state they judged convenient ; and in short,
all matters, whether public or private, foreign or domestic, civil, milita-
ry, or religious, were determined by them.
But because it was dangerous that things of such vast moment and con-
cern should be, without any further care, committed to the disposal and
management of a giddy and unthinking multitude, who by eloquent men
would be persuaded to enact things centrary to their own interests, and
destructive to the commonwealth, the wise lawgiver, to prevent such
pernicious consequences, judged it absolutely necessary for the preser-
vation of the state, to institute a great council, consisting only of men of
the best credit and reputation, in the city, whose business it should be to
inspect all matters before they were propounded to the people, and to
(1) Suidas.
(3) Nicia Orat. a pud Thucydid. lib. vi.
(3) Aeharnens.
(4) Pa?. 783. edit. Aurel. Allobro|:-
OF THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF ATHENS,
consent to the decree ? permitting them to give their voices, and thereby
either establish or reject it ; the doing which they called Eai^^gs^ to
^-j^itffj,*, or Ai#6va» SiocySi^oTov'usv soi Stiiia.
The manner of giving their suffrages was by holding up their hands,
and therefore they called it yjn^rw* ; and yjigoravih signifies to ordain,
or establish any thing ; k-tox.t^Twzl*, to disannul by suffrage. This was
the common method of voting ; but in some cases, as particularly when
they deprived magistrates of their offices for mrd-administration, they
gave their votes in private, lest the power and greatness of the persons
accused should lay a restraint upon them, and cause them to act contrary
to their judgments and inclinations. The manner of voting privately
was by casting pebbles (-^jj^O into vessels (xadivg), which the prytanes
were obliged to place in the assembly for this purpose. Before the use
of pebbles they voted with [xvapei) beans (1).
As soon as the people had done voting, the proedri having carefully exa-
mined the number of the suffrages, pronounced the decree ratified, or
thrown out, according as the major part had approved or rejected it. It
is observable, in the last place, that it was unlawful for the prytanes to
propose any thing twice in the same assembly (2). The business being
over, the prytanes dismissed the assembly, as we read in Aristo-
phanes (3) ;
Ot yig rigyT*'v6(c hvovo-i tw 'E.KicKmrtoLv.
Whoever desires to have a more full account of the popular assemblies
at Athens, may consult the Concionatrices of Aristophanes (4), where
their whole management is accurately described.
CHAP. XVIII.
OF THE SENATE OF THE FIVE HUNDRED.
By Solon's constitution the wrhole power and management of affairs
were placed in the people. It was their prerogative to receive ap-
peals from the rourts ofjustice ; to abrogate old laws, and enact new; to
make what alterations in the state they judged convenient ; and in short,
all matters, whether public or private, foreign or domestic, civil, milita-
ry, or religious, were determined by them.
But because it was dangerous that things of such vast moment and con-
cern should be, without any further care, committed to the disposal and
management of a giddy and unthinking multitude, who by eloquent men
would be persuaded to enact things centrary to their own interests, and
destructive to the commonwealth, the wise lawgiver, to prevent such
pernicious consequences, judged it absolutely necessary for the preser-
vation of the state, to institute a great council, consisting only of men of
the best credit and reputation, in the city, whose business it should be to
inspect all matters before they were propounded to the people, and to
(1) Suidas.
(3) Nicia Orat. a pud Thucydid. lib. vi.
(3) Aeharnens.
(4) Pa?. 783. edit. Aurel. Allobro|:-