Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

866 PARAPRESBEIA. PA.RASANGA.
the importance of the prosecution, as tending to oavvyopoi to prosecute; and this probably was the
preserve the existing laws, and maintain constitu- ordinary course in case of any pecuniary malvertional liberty. (Demosth. c. Tim. 748, 749; Aesch. sation. Accusations, however, of a more general
c. Ctes. 54, 82, ed. Steph.) Notwithstanding this nature were commonly preferred by individuals,
check, the mania for legislation appears to have in- giving information to the AhoyLcal, who, for the
creased so greatly at Athens in later times, that purpose of giving any citizen an opportunity of so
Demosthenes (c. Leptin. 485) declares that 4l/plr- doing, caused their KlpvU to make proclamation in
/,cdrwO oub' 6'LoUv 8LaJEpovav of rydo'o. This public assembly, that such a person was about to
arose from the relaxation of that precautionary law render his account, and to ask if any one intended
of Solon, which required every measure to be ap- to accuse him. If an accuser appeared, his charge
proved by the vojuoOE&aw, before it could pass into would be reduced to the form of a yparpq, and
law. (NOMOTHETES, and Schimann, Id. p. 229.) the prosecution would be conducted in the usual
It is obvious that, while the people in assembly way, the Aoyra-Tra being the superintending magishad the power of making decrees which could re- trates. (Pollux, viii. 40, 45; Sch6mann, Id. p.
main in force for a year, if they wished to evade 240; Meier,AVt. Proc.pp. 214-224.) Magistrates,
the law of Solon, all they had to do was to renew who were annually elected, rendered their accounts
their decree from year to year, and thus in practice at the end of the official year; but ambassadors,
the 4*'tpioya became uo'/os. who were extraordinary functionaries, had no time
If the year had elapsed, the propounder of the limited for this purpose. Aeschines delayed giving
law could not be punished, though the law itself an account of his embassy to Philip for three years.
might be repealed in the ordinary way by the in- (Demosth. de Fcals. Leg. 374; Thirlwall, Gr. Ilst.
stitution of proceedings before the voloOe'rat, before vol. vi. p. 26.) We can hardly suppose, however
whom it was defended by the five U(otivKOL. The (as Thirlwall states), that the time of rendering
speech against Leptines was made in a proceeding the account was optional with the ambassador himagainst the law itself, and not against the mover. self; since, not to mention the power of the AoTyurAs the author of the second argument says, 7rapeh- -ra, it was open to any man to move for a special
06wTos -roD Xpouov, Ev y ~ vr euvo VOS' KpLoeL real decree of the people, that the party should be called'TLrcwp[a ypc&pcv Tl',s ydOVl', eaLVEETo AeirTrLvlS to account immediately. The ypal 7rarparpergefas
alvsvvos. 30E, Erpbs aberbn, &hX' o' icaT" arToO was a rmjW'rTbs &ycY (Meier,Att. P-oc. p. 193); and
Ahdyos. (Hermann, Pol. Ant. ~ 132.) [C. R. K.] as it might comprise charges of the most serious
PARANYMPHUS (Orap'vvyePos). [MATRI- kind, such as treachery and treason against the
MONITM, P. 737, a.] state, the defendant might have to apprehend the
PARAPETASMA. [VELUMv.] heaviest punishment. Aeschines (de Fals. Leg. 28,
PARAPHERNA. [Dos.] 52) reminds the dicasts of the great peril to which
PARAPRESBEIA (7rapa'rpeorCda), signifies lie is exposed, and makes a merit of submitting to
any corrupt conduct, misfeasance, or neglect of his trial without fear. Besides the qypa&p,, an
duty on the part of an ambassador; for which he eLayyehAa might be brought against an ambassador;
was liable to be called to account and prosecuted upon which the accused would be committed to
on his return home. (Demosth. c. Mid. 515, de prison, or compelled to give bail for his appearance.
F:zis. Leg. 342.) Ambassadors were usually elected This course was taken by Hyperides against Philo.
by the people in assembly; they either had in- crates, who avoided his trial by voluntary exile.
structions given to them, or not; in the latter case (Aeschin. c. Ctes. 65, ed. Steph.) [C. R. K.]
they were called abirKparTOpes, envoys with full PARASANGA (6 7rapadrajVS), a Persian
powers, or plenipotentiary. (Thucyd. v. 45; Aesch. measure of length, frequently mentioned by the
c. Ctes. 62, ed. Steph.) To act contrary to their Greek writers. It is still used by the Persians,
instructions (rctp& -A *rjspijaya 7rppeo-tr~Et') was a who call it ferseng, which has been changed in
high misdemeanour. (Demosth. de Fals. Leg. 346.) Arabic intofiu-saskh.
On their return home they were required imme- According to Herodotus (ii. 6, v. 53, vi. 42) the
diately to make a report of their proceedings parasang was the half of the Egyptian schoenus,
(&aray.ye'AXetv T'b zrpeogetlav) first to the Senate of and was equal to 30 Greek stadia. Suidas
Five Hundred, and afterwards to the people in (s. v.) and Hesychius (s. v.) assign it the same
assembly. (Aesch. de Fals. Leg. 30, ed. Steph.; length; and Xenophon must also have calculated
Aristoph. Ach. 61; SchUmann, Ant. jur. pub. Gr. it at the same, as he says (Anab. ii. 2. ~ 6) that
p. 234.) This done, they were functi officio; but 16,050 stadia are equal to 535 parasangs (16,050
still, like all other persons who had held an office 4- 535 =30.) Agathias (ii. 21), however, who
of trust, they were liable to render an account quotes the testimony of Herodotus and Xenophon
(Ebdsvas) of the manner in which they had dis- to the parasang being 30 stadia, says that in his
charged their duty. (Demosth. de Fals. Leg. 367, time the Iberi and Persians made it only 21 stadia.
406.) The persons to whom such account was to Strabo (xi. p. 518) also states, that some writers
be rendered were the hoytorai, and the officers reckoned it at 60, others at 40, and others at 30
associated with them, called evOvvoi. A pecuniary stadia; and Pliny (II. N. vi. 26. s. 30) informs
account was only rendered in cases where money us, that the Persians themselves assigned different
had passed through the hands of the party; in lengths to it. Modern English travellers estimate
other cases, after stating that he had neither spent it variously at from 3j to 4 English miles, which
nor received any of the public money, the accounting nearly agrees with the calculation of Herodotus.
party was discharged, unless there was reason for These variations may probably be accounted for
thinking that he deserved to be proceeded against by the fact, to which attention has been called
for misconduct. The AoyLTtrar themselves had under MENSURA, that itinerary distances were
power to summon the party at once to appear as a originally indefinite, and therefore that the values
criminal, and undergo the avadstpirs in their office of the parasang, at least those given by the earlier
(AorOYs'Tptov), upon which they would direct the Greek- writers, were only computed values. This