h was to be submitted to the approbation of the people. But when
the day appointed for that purpose arrived, the assembly was not
convened in the Pnyx, but in the temple of Poseidon at Colonus, a
village upwards of a mile from Athens. Here the conspirators could
plant their own partisans, and were less liable to be overawed by
superior numbers. Pisander obtained the assent of the meeting to the
following revolutionary changes:--1. The abolition of all the existing
magistracies; 2. The cessation of all payments for the discharge of
civil functions; 3. The appointment of a committee of five persons,
who were to name ninety-five more; each of the hundred thus constituted
to choose three persons; the body of Four Hundred thus formed to be an
irresponsible government, holding its sittings in the senate house.
The four hundred were to convene a select body of five thousand
citizens whenever they thought proper. Nobody knew who these five
thousand were, but they answered two purposes, namely, to give an air
of greater popularity to the government, as well as to overawe the
people by an exaggerated notion of its strength.

Thus perished the Athenian democracy, after an existence of nearly a
century since its establishment by Clisthenes The revolution was begun
from despair of the foreign relations of Athens, and from the hope of
assistance from Persia; but it was carried out through the machinations
of the conspirators after that delusion had ceased.

At Samos the Athenian army refused to recognise the new government. At
the instance of Thrasybulus and Thrasyllus a meeting was called in
which the soldiers pledged themselves to maintain the democracy, to
continue the war against Peloponnesus, and to put down the usurpers at
Athens. The soldiers, laying aside for a while their military
character, constituted themselves into an assembly of the people,
deposed several of their officers, and appointed others whom they could
better trust. Thrasybulus proposed the recall of Alcibiades,
notwithstanding his connection with the oligarchical conspiracy,
because it was believed that he was now able and willing to aid the
democratic cause with the gold and forces of Persia. After
considerable opposition the proposal was agreed to; Alcibiades was
brought to Samos and introduced to the assembly, where by his
magnificent promises, and extravagant boasts respecting his influence
with Tissaphernes, he once more succeeded in deceiving t