Archæologiæ Græcæ, or, The antiquities of Greece by John Potter ...

About this Item

Title
Archæologiæ Græcæ, or, The antiquities of Greece by John Potter ...
Author
Potter, John, 1673 or 4-1747.
Publication
Oxford :: Printed ... for Abel Swall ...,
1697.
Rights/Permissions

To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.

Subject terms
Greece -- Antiquities.
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A55523.0001.001
Cite this Item
"Archæologiæ Græcæ, or, The antiquities of Greece by John Potter ..." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A55523.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 6, 2024.

Pages

CHAPTER XIII. Of the Athenian Magistrates.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the Eleven, so call'd from their Number, were elected out of the Body of the People, each of the Ten Tribes sending one; to which there was added a 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, or Register, to make up the Number; sometimes they were call'd 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Keepers of the Laws, which appellation was taken from their Office, being in some things not unlike that of our Sheriffs; for they were to see Malefactors put to Execution, and had the Charge of such as were committed to the publick Prison. They had also Power to seize Thieves, Kidnappers, and Highway-men upon Suspicion, and, if they confess'd

Page 75

the Fact, to put them to Death; if not, they were oblig'd to Prose∣cute them in a Judicial Way.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, were Magistrates that presided over the Athenian Tribes, one of which was allotted to each of them. Afterwards, this Name became peculiar to a Military Command, and the Governours of Tribes were call'd 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Their Business was to take care of the publick Treasure, that belong'd to each Tribe, to manage all their Concerns, and call them together to Consult, as oft as any thing happen'd, that required the presence of the whole Body.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, seem to have had, in most things, the same Office, with respect to particular Tribes, that the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 had, with respect to the Common-wealth. They were chosen out of the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, or Nobi∣lity, had the care of publick Sacrifices, and other Divine Worship pe∣culiar to their respective Tribes, and kept their Court in the Portico call'd 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and sometimes in the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, had in the several 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 the same Power, that the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Exercis'd over the whole Tribe.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, had the same Offices in the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, took care of their Re∣venues, out of which they paid all the Duties required of them, assem∣bled the People in the Burroughs under their Jurisdiction, all whose Names they had written in a Register, and presided at the Election of Senators, and other Magistrates chosen by Lots. Sometimes we find them call'd 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and the Burroughs 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, because each of them was oblig'd, besides two Horse-men, to furnish out one Ship for the publick Service.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, were Six in Chief, but were assisted by Thirty inferiour Officers, in laying Fines upon such as came not to publick Assem∣blies, and making Scrutiny amongst those that were present; such also as were busie in the Market they compell'd to leave their Buying and Selling, and attend on the publick Business, and this they did by the help of the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, who were certain petty Officers, or rather Ser∣vants, much like the Roman Lictors, and our Sheriff's Livery-men, Bay∣liffs, &c. the City of Athens had a Thousand of them, that liv'd in Tents, erected in the middle of the Forum, and were afterwards remov'd to the Areopagus. Their name seems to have been taken from the Arms they usually carried with them, in the same manner that the Life-guards of Kings are call'd 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Sometimes they are call'd 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, a Name, that was taken from their Offices; sometimes 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, from Peusinus, one of the Primitive Athenians, that either first instituted this Office, or gave rules for the Ordering of it; and some∣times 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, from the Countrey of Scythia, for generally Men of that Countrey were chosen into this Place, as being Brawny, Sturdy Fel∣lows; and therefore one of them is introduc'd by Aristophanes, speak∣ing in an uncouth and Barbarous manner (a) 1.1. But to return to the

Page 76

Lexiarchi, They were the Persons that had the keeping of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, or publick 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 call'd 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, were Officers, whose Business it was to see that both the Magistrates, and Common People liv'd conformably to the Laws, and to Punish the Stubborn and Disobedient (a) 1.2. To this End in publick Assemblies they had Seats appointed with the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that they might be ready to Oppose any Man that should Act contrary to the Laws, and receiv'd Customs, or Promote any thing against the publick Good. As a Token of the Honourable Station they were plac'd in, they always wore a white Ribband in the Solemn Games, and publick Shows, and had Chairs erected for them, over-against those of the Nine Archons.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, were a Thousand in Number, 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 Senate, 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 another, they caus'd them to be abrogated by an Act of the People. Beside this, they were to take care that no Man should Plough, or Dig deep Ditches within the Pelasgian Wall, to apprehend Offenders, and send them to the Archon.

Notes

Do you have questions about this content? Need to report a problem? Please contact us.