an
constitution, and under the guidance of Ephialtes greatly curtailed
the jurisdiction of the Senate of the Areopagus, and turned Athens
into a pure democracy. At this time also Perikles was rising to power
as a liberal politician. Kimon, on his return, was disgusted at the
degradation of the ancient Senate of the Areopagus, and began to
intrigue with a view of restoring the aristocratic constitution of
Kleisthenes. This called down upon him a storm of abuse from the
popular party, who brought up again the old scandals about his sister,
and charged him with partiality for the Lacedaemonians. These
imputations are alluded to in the hackneyed lines of Eupolis:

"Not a villain beyond measure,
Only fond of drink and pleasure;
Oft he slept in Sparta's town,
And left his sister here alone."

If, however, he really was a careless drunkard, and yet took so many
cities and won so many battles, it is clear that if he had been sober
and diligent he would have surpassed the most glorious achievements of
any Greek, either before or since.

XVI. He was always fond of the Lacedaemonians, and named one of his
twin sons Lacedaemonius, and the other Eleius. These children were
borne to him by his wife Kleitoria, according to the historian
Stesimbrotus; and consequently Perikles frequently reproached them
with the low birth of their mother. But Diodorus the geographer says
that these two and the third, Thessalus, were all the children of
Kimon by Isodike, the daughter of Euryptolemus the son of Megakles.
Much of Kimon's political influence was due to the fact that the
Lacedaemonians were bitterly hostile to Themistokles, and wished to
make him, young as he was, into a powerful leader of the opposite
party at Athens. The Athenians at first viewed his Spartan
partialities without dissatisfaction, especially as they gained
considerable advantages by them; for during the early days of their
empire when they first began to extend and consolidate their power,
they were enabled to do so without rousing the jealousy of Sparta, in
consequence of the popularity of Kimon with the Lacedaemonians. Most
international questions were settled by his means, as he dealt
generously with the subject states, and was viewed with especial
favour by the Lacedaemonians.

Afterwards, when the Athenians became more powerful, they viewed with
dislike Kimon's excessive love for Sparta. He was never weary of
singing the praises of Lacedaemon to