A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

PEISISTRATUS. PEISISTRATUS. 169
52. referring to a time when both Hippias and captured Nisaea (Herod. i. 59; Plut. Solon. 8, 12.
Hlipparchus were dead). [C. P. M.] Justin. ii. 8). v
P E I S I'STRATUS (rtloarelrparos), the After the legislation of Solon, the position of
youngest son of Nestor and Anaxibia, was a friend parties at Athens was well calculated to favour the
of Telemachus, and accompanied him on his jour- ambitious designs of Peisistratus. The old conney from Pylos to Menelaus at Sparta. (Hom. tests of the rival parties of the Plain, the HighO1. iii. 36, 48, xv. 46, &c.; Herod. v. 65; lands, and the Coast, had been checked for a time
Apollod. i. 9. ~ 9; Paus. iv. 1. ~ 3.) [L. S.] by the measures of Solon, but their rivalry had not
PEISI'STRATUS (tenWiaTspaTos), the son of been removed; and when Solon, after the estaHippocrates, was so named after Peisistratus, the blishment of his constitution, retired for a time
youngest son of Nestor, the family of Hippocrates from Athens, this rivalry broke out into open feud.
being of Pylian origin, and tracing their descent to The party of the Plain, comprising chiefly the
Neleus, the father of Nestor (Herod. v. 65). It landed proprietors, was headed by Lycurgus; that
was generally believed that the future tyrant of the Coast, consisting of the wealthier classes not
Peisistratus was descended from the Homeric belonging to the nobles, by Megacles, the sbn of
Peisistratus, although Pausanlias (ii. 18. ~ 8, 9), Alcmaeon; the party of the Highlands, which
when speaking of the expulsion of the Neleidae aimed at more of political freedom and equality
by the Heracleids, says that he does not know than either of the two others, was that at the head
what became of Peisistratus, the grandson of of which Peisistratus placed himself, not because
Nestor. The fact that Hippocrates named his their wishes anId feelings corresponded with his
son after the son of Nestor shows the belief of own, but because they seemed the most likely to
the family, and he appears not to have belonged be useful in the furtherance of his designs; and
to the other branches of the Neleidae settled in At- indeed his lead of this faction seems to have been a
tica: but the real descent of an historical personage mere pretext, to render it less obvious that he had
from any of these heroic families must alway s be very in reality attached to himself a large party among
problematical. The separate mention of Melanthus the poorer class of citizens (Herod. i. 59. ~'yEtpc
and Codrus (Herod. 1. c.) implies that he did not Tpl[r7V orda'etv. vauAAX as' o7aoTrav, K=al rT
belong to that branch; that he did not belong to A6Oyq7T' dV7rEpaicpimv wTpo`dTas). These he secured
the Alcmaeonidae is clear from the historical rela- by putting himself forward as the patron and benetions between that family and Peisistratus; and factor of the poor. With a species of munifiwe nowhere hear that the latter was connected cence, afterwards imitated by Cimon, he threw open
with the Paeonidae, the only other branch of the his gardens to the use of the citizens indiscrimliNeleidae who came to Attica. Hippocrates (pro- nately (Theopompus ap. Athen. xii. p. 532. e. &c.),
bably through some intermarriage or other) be- and, according to some accounts (Eustath. ad II.
longed to the house of the Philaidae (Plut. Sol. 10; xxiv. extr.), was always accompanied by two or
Pseudo-Plat. Hipparclh. p. 288. b. It is through three youths, with a purse of money to supply
atn oversight that Plutarch speaks of the denze of forthwith the wants of any needy citizen whom
the Philahidae, which did not then exist). Inter- they fell in with. His military and oratorical
marriages with the descendants of Melanthus would (Cic. de Oprat. iii. 34, Brut. 7. ~ 27, 10. ~ 41; Val.
be sufficient to account for the claim which Peisi- Max. viii. 9. ext. 1) abilities, and the undeniably
stratus is represented as making (in the spurious good qualities which he possessed (Solon, according
letter in Diogenes Lai'rtius, i. 53), to be con- to Plut. Solon. 29, declared of him that, had it not
sidered as a member of the family of Codrus, even been for his ambition, Athens had not a more exif the statement that he did so deserves any credit. cellent citizen to show), backed by considerable
The mother of Peisistratus (whose name we do not powers of simulation, had led many of the better
know) was cousin german to the mother of Solon class of citizens, if not openly to become his parti(Heracleides Ponticus ap. Plut. Sol. 1). There sans, at least to look upon him with no unfavourare no data for determining accurately the time able eye, and to regard his domination as a less
when Peisistratus was born; but the part which evil than the state of faction and disturbance under
lie is represented as taking in the military opera- which the constitution was then suffering. Solon,
tions and measures of Solon would not admit of its on his return, quickly saw through the designs of
being later than B. C. 612, a date which is not Peisistratus, who listened with respect to his advice,
inconsistent with the story of Chilon and Hippo- though he prosecuted his schemes none the less
crates [HIPPOCRATES], for the former, who was diligently. (According to Isocrates, Panath. p. 263,
ephor in B. c. 560, was already an old man in B. c. ed. Steph. one part of his procedure was to procure
572 (Diog. La11rt. i. 68, 72). the banishment of a considerable number of influPeisistratus grew up equally distinguished for ential citizens who were likely to oppose his plans.)
personal beauty and for mental endowments. The Solon next endeavoured to arouse the people, by
relationship between him and Solon naturally drew speeches and poetical compositions (Plut. Soloed.
them together, and a close friendship sprang up be- 30; Diog. Laiirt. i. 49, 50), to a sense of the danger
tween them, which, as was to be expected under such to which they were exposed, but in vain. Some
circumstances between Greeks, soon assumed an ero- refused to share his suspicions, others favoured the
tic character (Plut. Sot. 1.). On the occasion of the designs of Peisistratus, others feared his power, or
successful attempt made by Solon to induce the were indifferent. Even the senate, according to
Athenians to renew their struggle with the Mega- Diogenes La11rtius (i. 49), were disposed to favour
rians for the possession of Salamis, Peisistratus Peisistratus, and declared Solon to be mad. When
greatly aided his kinsman by his eloquence. The Peisistratus found his plans sufficiently ripe for
decree prohibiting further attempts upon the island execution, he one day made his appearance in the
was repealed, and an expedition led against it by agora with his mules and his own person exhibitSolon, again assisted by his young relative, who ing recent wounds, pretending that lie had been
distinguished himself by his military ability, and nearly assassinated by his enemies as he was riding