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351 HISTORY OF GREECE. respect from the modern, included within itself and its mam festalions nearly the whole range of social pleasures. 1 Now the Theoric Fund was essentially the Church-Fund at Athens ; that upon which were charged all the expenses incurred by the state in the festivals and the worship of the gods. The Diobely, or distribution of two oboli to each present citizen, was one part of this expenditure ; given in order to ensure that every citizen should have the opportunity of attending the festival, and doing honor to the god ; never given to any one who was out of Attica because, of course, he could not attend ; 2 but given to all alike within the country, rich or poor. 3 It was essential to that univer- sal communion which formed a prominent feature of the festival, not less in regard to the god, than in regard to the city ;4 but it was only one portion of the total disbursements covered by the Theoric Fund. To this general religious fund it was provided by law that the surplus of ordinary revenue should be paid over, after all the cost of the peace establishment had been defrayed. There was no appropriation more thoroughly coming home to the 1 Among the many passages which illustrate this association in the Green mind, between the idea of a religious festival, and that of enjoyment we may take the expressions of Herodotus about the great festival at Sparta Hyakinthia. In the summer of 479 B. c., the Spartans were tardy in bring- ing out their military force for the defence of Attica being engaged in that festival. OL jup AaKedaifioviot opra^ov re TOV xpovov TOVTOV, KOI c<f>i ^v 'Ya- K.iv&ia' ire pi irheiaTov 6' fjyov TO. TOV t?eov iroppvveiv (He- rod. ix. 7). Presently the Athenian envoys come to Sparta to complain of the delay in the following language : 'Tfielf fiev, u AaneSai[i6vioi, avrov Tfj6e 'YaKiv&ia re ay ere xal if a i ETE, KaraTrpodovre Here the expressions " to fulfil the requirements of the god," and " to amuse themselves," are used in description of the same festival, and almost as equivalents. 8 Harpokration, v. Qeupiica, , . .dievei/iev E/?ovAof elf rr/v -Bvaiav, Iva iruvTff eopra^uai, Kal p;<5e2f TUV KO%.ITUV inro%.iirrjTai 61' aodeveiav TUV Hi- cjv ..... .'Ori <5e OVK i^ijv Tolf inrodijftovat tieupindv Acr/z/?ave4j>, 'TCirepidqf 6e6f]- Au/tcv kv TU /car' 'Ap^fffTparidov.

  • See Demosth. adv. Leocharem, p. 1091, 1092; Philipp. ir. p. 141. Com-

pare also Schomann, Antiq. Jur. Att. s. 69. 4 See the directions of the old oracles quoted by Demosthenes cont. Mei- diam, p. 531. iaruvat upaluv Bpo/z^j x^-9 lv ufifiiya iruvTOf, etc. are- ihcv&epovs /cat (Jov/lovf, etc.