his plan of a common agreement among them. The inferior orders of society readily embracing such good advice, he brought over those of greater power and interest by promising them a commonwealth, in which, monarchy being laid aside, the power should be vested in the people; and that, reserving to himself only to be continued in the chief command of their arms, and the guardianship of their laws, there should be an equal distribution of all things else among them.

By this means he brought most of them over to his proposal: the rest, fearing his power, which was now grown very formidable, and knowing his courage and resolution, chose rather to be persuaded, than forced into a compliance. He then dissolved all the distinct courts of justice, council-halls, and corporations, and built one common Prytaneum, and council hall, where it stands to this day; and out of the old and new city he made one which he named Athens, ordaining a common feast and sacrifice to be for ever observed; which he called Panathenæa, or the sacrifice of the united Athenians. He instituted another sacrifice for the sake of strangers that would come to settle at Athens, called Metækia, which is still celebrated on the 16th day of Hecatombæon, Then, as he had promised, he laid down his kingly power, and established a commonwealth; having entered on this great change, not without advice from the gods; for sending to consult the Delphic oracle, concerning the fortune of his new government and city, he received this answer:

"Hear Theseus, Pittheus' daughter's son;
Hear what Jove for thee has done,
In the great city thou hast made,

He has, as in a storehouse, laid

The settled periods, and fixed fates

Of many cities, mighty states;

But know thou neither fear nor pain,

Solicit not thyself in vain;

For, like a bladder that does bide

The fury of the angry tide,

Thou from high waves unhurt shall bound,

Always wet, but never drown'd."

Crete, where they were shut up within the labyrinth, and then wandered about till they perished by hunger, being unable to find the way out; or else they were devoured by the Minotaur, a terrible monster, partly man partly a bull.

The time of sending this tribute being come, Theseus put himself among the youths that were doomed to go to Crete, where having arrived, he received of Ariadne, the daughter of king Minos, who had fallen in love with him, a clew of thread, and being instructed by her in the use of it, which was to conduct him through all the windings of the labyrinth, he escaped out of it, having first slain the Minotaur; and so returned with his fellow captives, in triumph to Athens.

In his return, through excess of joy for the happy success of his voyage, he forgot to hang out the white sail, which should have been the token of his success to Egeus, who sat upon the top of a rock anxiously waiting his return. Ægeus not seeing the wished for signal, concluded that the expedition had been unfortunate, threw himself headlong into the sea; and thus made way for Theseus's more early accession to the crown, than could have otherwise been expected.

From Theseus to the Decennial Archons.

Theseus being thus accidentally advanced to the regal sceptre soon found the inconvenience of having his people dispersed in villages, and cantoned up and down the country, he therefore to remedy this, as Plutarch informs us, conceived the vast design of gathering together all the inhabitants of Attica into one town, and making them one people of one city, who were, before, so dispersed as to be difficult to assemble together, upon any case of emergency. Nay frequently such differences and quarrels happened amongst them, as occasioned bloodshed and war: these, he, by his persuasions appeased, and going from people to people, and from tribe to tribe, proposed

his plan of a common agreement among them. The inferior orders of society readily embracing such good advice, he brought over those of greater power and interest by promising them a commonwealth, in which, monarchy being laid aside, the power should be vested in the people; and that, reserving to himself only to be continued in the chief command of their arms, and the guardianship of their laws, there should be an equal distribution of all things else among them. By this means he brought most of them over to his proposal: the rest, fearing his power, which was now grown very formidable, and knowing his courage and resolution, chose rather to be persuaded, than forced into a compliance. He then dissolved all the distinct courts of justice, council-halls, and corporations, and built one common Prytaneum, and council hall, where it stands to this day; and out of the old and new city he made one which he named Athens, ordaining a common feast and sacrifice to be for ever observed; which he called Panathenæa, or the sacrifice of the united Athenians. He instituted another sacrifice for the sake of strangers that would come to settle at Athens, called Metækia, which is still celebrated on the 16th day of Hecatombæon. Then, as he had promised, he laid down his kingly power, and established a commonwealth; having entered on this great change, not without advice from the gods; for sending to consult the Delphic oracle, concerning the fortune of his new government and city, he received this answer:

"Hear Theseus, Pittheus' daughter's son;
Hear what Jove for thee has done,
In the great city thou hast made,

He has, as in a storehouse, laid

The settled periods, and fixed fates

Of many cities, mighty states;

But know thou neither fear nor pain,

Solicit not thyself in vain;

For, like a bladder that does bide

The fury of the angry tide,

Thou from high waves unhurt shall bound, }

Always wet, but never drown'd."

Crete, where they were shut. up within the labyrinth, and then wandered about till they perished by hunger, being unable to find the way out; or else they were devoured by the Minotaur, a terrible monster, partly man partly a bull.

The time of sending this tribute being come, Theseus put himself among the youths that were doomed to go to Crete, where having arrived, he received of Ariadne, the daughter of king Minos, who had fallen in love with him, a clew of thread, and being instructed by her in the use of it, which was to conduct him through all the windings of the labyrinth, he escaped out of it, havingfirst slain the Minotaur; and so returned with his fellow captives, in triumph to Athens.

In his return, through excess of joy for the happy success of his voyage, he forgot to hang out the white sail, which should have been the token of his success to Ægeus, who sat upon the top of a rock anxiously waiting his return. Ægeus not seeing the wished for signal, concluded that the expedition had been unfortunate, threw himself headlong into the sea; and thus made way for Theseus's more early accession to the crown, than could have otherwise been expected.

From Theseus to the Decennial Archons.

Theseus being thus accidentally advanced to the regal sceptre soon found the inconvenience of having his people dispersed in villages, and cantoned up and down the country, he therefore to remedy this, as Plutarch informs us, conceived the vast design of gathering together all the inhabitants of Attica into one town, and making them one people of one city, who were, before, so dispersed as to be difficult to assemble together, upon any case of emergency. Nay frequently such differences and quarrels happened amongst them, as occasioned bloodshed and war: these, he, by his persuasions appeased, and going from people to people, and from tribe to tribe, proposed

his plan of a common agreement among them. The inferior orders of society readily embracing such good advice, he brought over those of greater power and interest by promising them a commonwealth, in which, monarchy being laid aside, the power should be vested in the people; and that, reserving to himself only to be continued in the chief command of their arms, and the guardianship of their laws, there should be an equal distribution of all things else among them. By this means he brought most of them over to his proposal: the rest, fearing his power, which was now grown very formidable, and knowing his courage and resolution, chose rather to be persuaded, than forced into a compliance. He then dissolved all the distinct courts of justice, council-halls, and corporations, and built one common Prytaneum, and council hall, where it stands to this day; and out of the old and new city he made one which he named Athens, ordaining a common feast and sacrifice to be for ever observed; which he called Panathenæa, or the sacrifice of the united Athenians. He instituted another sacrifice for the sake of strangers that would come to settle at Athens, called Metækia, which is still celebrated on the 16th day of Hecatombæon. Then, as he had promised, he laid down his kingly power, and established a commonwealth; having entered on this great change, not without advice from the gods; for sending to consult the Delphic oracle, concerning the fortune of his new government and city, he received this answer:

"Hear Theseus, Pittheus' daughter's son;
Hear what Jove for thee has done,
In the great city thou hast made,

He has, as in a storehouse, laid

The settled periods, and fixed fates

Of many cities, mighty states;

But know thou neither fear nor pain,

Solicit not thyself in vain ;'

For, like a bladder that does bide

The fury of the angry tide,

Thou from high waves unhurt shall bound, 1

Always wet, but never drown'd."