PERICLES (-is or -i), par'-i-cles, a famous Athenian statesman, of a noble family, son of Xanthippus and Agariste. He was educated under Damon, Zeno of Elea, and AnaxagSras. He entered on public life 469 B. c., and soon became head of the popular party. He pro cured, on the proposal of Ephialtes, the limita tion of the power of the Areopagus, 46r, and afterwards caused the ostracism of Cimon, the leader of the aristocracy. In the Sacred war he restored the care of the temple of Delphi to the Phocians, 448 ; recovered the revolted Eubcea for Athens, 445 ; became the undis puted leader of the Assembly after his ostracism, in 444, of Thucydides, who had succeeded to the leadership of the aristocratical party on the death of Ciinon (440 ; defeated the Sicyonians near Nemma ; and with Sophocles and other generals reduced the revolted Samos after an arduous siege, 440. His enemies now made several attempts to injure him by attacks on his friends Anaxagoras and Phidias, and his mistress, the famous Aspasia : but his popu larity continued unabated, and the Peloponne sian war, falsely ascribed to his ambitious schemes, was undertaken, on his advice, 45r.
But after the Peloponnesians invaded Attica the fickle Athenians fined him fifty talents and stripped him of his honours ; but these latter they speedily restored to him again. Ina few months after, in the autumn of lie died of the great plague which had already carried off his sons Xanthippus and Paralus, and many friends. To legitimize his only son (by Aspasia), Pericles, he had been obliged to I repeal a law which he had made and rigorously I enforced against illegitimate children, and this son was one of the ten generals put to death by I the Athenians after the battle of ArginUsm, 406. I During his leadership Pericles adorned Athens with splendid public buildings, and literature was liberally patronized by hint.