vere code of laws. This time they chose as lawmaker a
wise man called So'lon, a descendant of the noble Codrus; and he soon
consented to tell them what to do.

Solon was a studious and thoughtful man, and had acquired much of his
wisdom by traveling, and by learning all he could from the people he
visited. He knew so much that he was called a sage, and he loved to
meet and talk with wise people.

Solon changed many of Draco's severe laws, arranged that the farmers and
poor people should no longer be treated badly by the rich, and even took
care of the slaves. He also gave the Athenians a court of law called
A-re-op'a-gus. Here there were jurymen to judge all criminals; and here,
for the first time, an accused person was allowed to speak in his own
defense.

When a man was accused of any wrongdoing, he was brought before this
jury, who sat under the open sky at night. No light was provided, and
the whole trial was carried on in the dark, so that the jury should not
be influenced by the good or bad looks of the prisoner, but should judge
merely from what was proved about him.

If the accused person was found guilty, he was also sentenced and
executed in the dark, so that the bright sun god, riding across the sky
in his golden chariot, should not be offended by the sad sight of a man
dying for his misdeeds.

Every citizen of Athens, whether rich or poor, was allowed to vote; and
as a salary was now paid to the men who helped govern the city, even a
man of small means, if elected to the Tribunal, could afford to give his
time to public duties.

By Solon's order the people were encouraged to talk matters over in
public in the market place; and, as the Athenians were fond of making
speeches, many of them became very eloquent.

Solon saw that his reforms were likely to work all the better if they
were fairly tried, and if he were not there to see how the people did.
He therefore made the Athenians promise to obey his laws for ten years,
and again set out on his travels.

XXXV. THE FIRST PLAYS.

In the days of Solon, men were often to be seen wandering around the
streets during the festival of Di-o-ny'sus, god of wine. They were clad
in goatskins, were smeared with the dregs of wine, and danced and sang
rude songs in honor of their god.

[Illustration: Theater of Dionysus.]

These songs were called tragedies, which in Greek means "goat songs,"
because the goat was sacred to the god whom they thus worshiped