Page:The Ancient City- A Study on the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome.djvu/445

CHAP. XI. RULES OF DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT. 439 CHAPTER XL Hules of Democratic Government. Examples of Athe- nian Democracy. As the revolutions followed their course, and men <lepavted from the ancient system, to govern them be- <;atne more difficult. Mere minute rules, more ma- cliinery, and that more delicate, became necessary. This we can see from the example of the Athenian »50vernment. Athens had a great number of magistrates. In the first place she had preserved all those of the preceding <.'poch — the archon, who gave his name to the year and watched over the perpetuation of the domestic Avorship; the king, who performed the sacrifices; the polcmarch, who figured as chief of the army, and iiecided the causes of foreigners ; the six thesmothetae, who appeared to pass judgment, but who, in reality, merely presided over juries: there were also the ten hodnoioi^ who consulted the oracles and offered cer- tain sacrifices ; the 7raf;'icr<T0/, who accompanied the ^archon and the king in the ceremonies ; the ten ath- lothetae, who remained four years in office to prepare the festival of Bacchus; and, finally, the prytanes, who, to the number of fifty, were continually occupied to attend to keeping up the public fire and the sacred re- pasts. We see from this that Athens remained faith- ful to the traditions of ancient times. So many revo- lutions had not yet completely destroyed this supersti- tious respect. No one dared to break with the old forms of the national I'eligion ; the democracy contin- ued the worship instituted by the Eupatrids.