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THeseus being by the fore-mention'd Accident advanc'd to the Regal Scepter, soon found the inconvenience of having his People dispers'd in Villages, and canton'd up and down the Countrey. Therefore for the remedy of this Evil, he fram'd in
Mind (saith Plutarch) a vast and wonderful Design of gathering together all the Inhabitants of Attica into one Town, and making them one People of one City, that were before dispers'd, and very difficult to be assembl'd upon any Affair, tho' relating to the Common benefit of them all. Nay, often such Differences and Quarrels happen'd among them, as occasion'd Blood-shed and War; these he by his Perswasions appeas'd, and going from People to People, and from Tribe to Tribe, propos'd his Design of a Common agreement between them. Those of a more private and mean condition readily embracing so good advice, to those of greater Power, and Interest he promis'd a Common-wealth, wherein Monarchy being laid aside, the power should be in the People; and that, reserving to himself only to be continu'd the Commander of their Arms, and the Preserver of their Laws, there should be an equal distribution of all things else among them, and by this means brought most of them over to his Proposal. The rest fearing his Power which was already grown very formidable, and knowing his Courage and Re∣solution, chose rather to be perswaded, than forc'd into a Compliance.
He then dissolv'd all the distinct Courts of Justice, and Council-Halls, and Corporations, and built one common Prytaneum and Council-Hall, where it stands to this Day. And out of the old and new City he made one, which he nam'd Athens, ordaining a common Feast and Sacrifice to be for ever observ'd, which he call'd Panathenaea, or the Sacri∣fice of all the Vnited Athenians. He instituted also another Sacrifice, for the sake of Strangers that would come to fix at Athens, call'd 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which is yet celebrated on the 16th day of Hecatombaeon. Then, as he had promis'd, he laid down his Kingly Power, and settled a Com∣mon-wealth, having entred upon this great Change, not without advice from the Gods. For sending to consult the Delphian Oracle, concerning the Fortune of his new Government and City, he receiv'd this Answer,
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.Hear, Theseus, Pittheus Daughters's Son, Hear what Jove for thee has done. In the great City thou hast made, He has, as in a Store-house, laid The settl'd Periods and fix'd Fates, Of many Cities, mighty States. But know thou neither Fear, nor Pain, Sollicit not thy self in Vain. For like a Bladder that does bide The Fury of the angry Tide, Thou from high Waves unhurt shalt bound, A••ways tost, but never drown'd.(Mr. Duke.)
Which Oracle, they say, one of the Sibyls a long time after, did in a man∣ner repeat to the Athenians in this Verse,
Farther yet designing to enlarge his City, he invited all Strangers to come and enjoy equal Privileges with the Natives, and some are of opinion, that the Common form of Proclamation in Athens, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Come hither all ye People, were the words that Theseus caus'd to be proclaim'd, when he thus set up a Common-wealth, con∣sisting in a manner of all Nations.〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.Thou, like a Bladder, may'st be wet, but never drown'd.
For all this, he suffer'd not his State by the promiscuous multitude that flow'd in, to be turn'd into Confusion and Anarchy, and left without any Order or Degrees, but was the first that divided the Com∣mon-wealth into three distinct Ranks, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, i. e. Noblemen, Husbandmen, and Artificers. To the Nobility he committed the choice of Magistrates, the teaching and dispensing of the Laws, and the interpretation of all Holy and Religious things; the whole City, as to all other matters, being as it were reduc'd to an Equa∣lity, the Nobles excelling the rest in Honour, the Husbandmen in Pro∣sit, and the Artificers in Number. And Theseus was the first, who, as Aristotle says, out of an inclination to Popular Government, parted with the Regal Power, and which Homer also seems to intimate in his Catalogue of the Ships, where he gives the Name of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 or People, to the Athenians only.
In this manner Theseus settl'd the Athenian Government, and it continu'd in the same State till the Death of Codrus the seventeenth, and last King, a Prince more renown'd for his Bravery, than For∣tune. For Attica (a) 1.1 being invaded by the Dorians, or Spartans, or Peloponnesians, or, as some will have it, by the Thracians, the Oracle was consulted about it, and answer made, that the Invaders should have Success, if they did not kill the Athenian King; Codrus having heard this, and preferring his Countrie's Safety before his own Life, disguis'd himself in the Habit of a Peasant, and went to a place not far from the Enemies Camp, where picking a quarrel with some of them, he ob∣tain'd the Death which he so much desir'd. The Athenians being ad∣vertis'd of what had happen'd, sent an Herald to the Enemy to demand the Body of their King, whereupon they were so much dishearten'd, that they immediately broke up their Camp, and left off their Enterprize without striking another blow.
The Athenians, out of reverence to Codrus's memory, would never more have any Governour by the Name or Title of King, but were Govern'd by Archontes, whom they allow'd indeed to continue in their Dignity as long as they liv'd, and when they di'd, to leave it to their Children, and therefore most Writers reckon them rather amongst the Kings, than the Archontes that succeeded them, who were permitted to
Rule only for a certain time; yet they differ'd from the Kings in this, that they were in a manner subject to the People, being oblig'd to render an account of their management, when it should be demanded. The first of these was Medon, the Eldest Son of Codrus, from whom the thirteen following Archontes were Sirnam'd Medontidae, as being descended from him; During their Government the Athenian State suffer'd no conside∣rable alteration, but was carried on with so great ease, and quietness, that scarce any mention is made of any memorable Action done by any of them, and the very Names of some of them are almost quite for∣gotten.
Thus have I endeavoured to give you a short Account of the Athenian State, whilst it was Govern'd by Kings, who were in all thirty, and Rul'd Athens by the space of seven-hundred-ninety-four Years, as the Learned Meursius has computed them, to which if you add the two and thirty Years of Ogyge••, and the intervall of an hundred and ninety Years, in which no Foot-steps of any Government are to be found, the number will amount to one thousand and twelve Years.
Tull. Tuscul. Quaest. Iustin. l II. Vell. Pate••c▪ li••. II. Euse••ius.