Page:History of Greece Vol VIII.djvu/92

70 HISTORY OF GIZEECE the city itself and close under the acropolis ; whither the/ imme- diately marched and established themselves, still retaining their arms. So much was the position of the Four Hundred changed, that they who had on the preceding day been on the aggressive against a spontaneous outburst of mutineers in Peiraeus, were now thrown upon the defensive against a formal assembly, all armed, in the city, and close by their own senate-house. Feeling themselves too weak to attempt any force, they sent deputies to the Anakeion to negotiate and offer concessions. They engaged to publish the list of The Five Thousand, and to convene them for the purpose of providing for the periodical cessation and renewal of the Four Hundred, by rotation from the Five Thou- sand, in such order as the latter themselves should determine. But they entreated that time might be allowed for effecting this, and that internal peace might be maintained, without which there was no hope of defence against the enemy without. Many of the lioplites in the city itself joined the assembly in the Anakeion, and took part in the debates. The position of the Four Hundred being no longer such as to inspire fear, the tongues of speakers were now again loosed, and the ears of the multitude again opened, for the first time since the arrival of Peisander from Samos, with the plan of the oligarchical conspiracy. Such re- newal of free and fearless public speech, the peculiar life-prin- ciple of the democracy, was not less wholesome in tranquillizing intestine discord than in heightening the sentiment of common patriotism against the foreign enemy. 1 The assembly at length dispersed, after naming an early future time for a second assem- bly, to bring about the reestablishment of harmony in the theatre of Dionysus. 2 On the day, and at the hour, when this assembly in the theatre of Dionysus was on the point of coming together, the news ran 1 Thucyd. viii. 93. Td de irav Trfo/dof TUV dirAiruv, a ?r b -xol.Auv K al frpdf iroXXoi>f 'Koyuv y tyvopsv uv, i) TT lurepov ijv f) irport pov, K at i^o/3 ir o fiaTiiffT a TT epl rov iravrb f 3 Thucyd. viii, 93. ^vve^uprjaav 6e WOT' e f jjfiepav f>7)T7)v iroiriaai h> r<Jj kiovvolu IT epl bfiovoiaf. The definition of time must here allude to the morrow, or to the day fol- lowing the morrow ; at least it seems impossible that th j city could be left longer than this interval without a government.