not intended as a punishment for
crime, but was called, in order to give it a plausible title, a check
to excessive power. In reality, it was nothing more than a
safety-valve, providing a vent for the dislike felt by the people for
those whose greatness offended them. It did no irreparable injury to
those who fell under its operation, but only banished them for a space
of ten years. In later times mean and contemptible persons were
subjected to ostracism, until at last, after the ostracism of
Hyperbolus the practice was discontinued. The ostracism of Hyperbolus
is said to have been brought about in the following manner. Alkibiades
and Nikias, the two most powerful citizens in the state, were at the
head of two rival parties. The people determined to apply the
ostracism to them, and would certainly have banished one or the other
of them. They, however, came to terms with one another, combined their
several factions, and agreed to have Hyperbolus banished. The people,
enraged at this, and thinking that they had been treated with
contempt, abolished the practice of ostracism. The way in which it was
conducted was as follows. Each man took an oyster-shell, wrote upon it
the name of the citizen whom he wished to be banished, and then
carried it to a place in the market-place which was fenced off with
palings. The archons now first of all counted the whole number of
shells; for if the whole number of voters were less than six thousand,
the ostracism was null and void. After this, they counted the number
of times each name occurred, and that man against whom most votes were
recorded they sent into exile for ten years, allowing him the use of
his property during that time. Now while the shells were being written
upon, on the occasion of which we have been speaking, a very ignorant
country fellow is said to have brought his shell to Aristeides, who
was one of the bystanders, and to have asked him to write upon it the
name of Aristeides. Aristeides was surprised, and asked him whether
Aristeides had ever done him any harm. "No," answered the man, "nor do
I know him by sight, but I am tired of always hearing him called 'The
Just.'" When Aristeides heard this he made no answer, but wrote his
name on the man's shell and gave it back to him. When he was leaving
the city he raised his hands to heaven, and prayed exactly the
opposite prayer to that of Achilles, that no crisis might befall the
Athenians which would compel them to remembe