ny of Pisistratus; the fifth the constitution of Cleisthenes,
after the overthrow of the tyrants, of a more democratic character than
that of Solon. The sixth was that which followed on the Persian wars,
when the Council of Areopagus had the direction of the state. The
seventh, succeeding this, was the constitution which Aristides sketched
out, and which Ephialtes brought to completion by overthrowing the
Areopagite Council; under this the nation, misled by the demagogues,
made the most serious mistakes in the interest of its maritime empire.
The eighth was the establishment of the Four Hundred, followed by the
ninth, the restored democracy. The tenth was the tyranny of the Thirty
and the Ten. The eleventh was that which followed the return from Phyle
and Piraeus; and this has continued from that day to this, with
continual accretions of power to the masses. The democracy has made
itself master of everything and administers everything by its votes in
the Assembly and by the law-courts, in which it holds the supreme
power. Even the jurisdiction of the Council has passed into the hands
of the people at large; and this appears to be a judicious change,
since small bodies are more open to corruption, whether by actual money
or influence, than large ones. At first they refused to allow payment
for attendance at the Assembly; but the result was that people did not
attend. Consequently, after the Prytanes had tried many devices in vain
in order to induce the populace to come and ratify the votes,
Agyrrhius, in the first instance, made a provision of one obol a day,
which Heracleides of Clazomenae, nicknamed 'the king', increased to two
obols, and Agyrrhius again to three.

Part 42

The present state of the constitution is as follows. The franchise is
open to all who are of citizen birth by both parents. They are enrolled
among the demesmen at the age of eighteen. On the occasion of their
enrollment the demesmen give their votes on oath, first whether the
candidates appear to be of the age prescribed by the law (if not, they
are dismissed back into the ranks of the boys), and secondly whether
the candidate is free born and of such parentage as the laws require.
Then if they decide that he is not a free man, he appeals to the
law-courts, and the demesmen appoint five of their own number to act as
accusers; if the court decides that he has no right to be enrolled, he
is sold by the state as a slave, but if he wins his case