CLE'ON, a famous Athenian demagogue, who flourished during a part of the Peloponnesian war, was originally a tanner, but having a strong bias towards poli tics, he gradually abandoned his business, and became the champion of popular "rights." He first became prominent in the discussion regarding the fate of the Mytile nman prisoners, 427 B,C. C. advocated the massacre of the males, carried his point, and more than 2,000 perished; the rest were saved through the remorse of the Atheni ans. In 425 n.c., along with Demosthenes, he commanded an expedition against the island of Sphacteria, which was garrisoned by the Lacedemonians, and, much to the surprise of every one, succeeded in reducing the place; but the whole merit of this deed is usually attributed to his colleague. C. himself, however, was highly elated with his success, and his countrymen, or, at least, many of them, appear to have fancied that he really possessed military genius, for in 422 n.c. he was sent to oppose Bra sides, the Spartan general, in Macedonia and Thrace. On his way thither, he took
Torone, a town in which Brasidas had left a small garrison, and afterwards Galepsus. But the great design of the campaign was the capture of Amphipolis. where Brasidas was stationed. C. somewhat reluctantly advanced, and began to reconnoiter. While he was so doing, Brasidas made an unexpected sally, and in the battle which ensued both leaders were slain. The Athenian army, however, was defeated, and obliged to retreat. The general opinion of C. is not favorable. He is painted both by Thueydides and Aristopltanes as an ignorant, vain, blustering, and cowardly mobo crat. Most modern historians have accepted this estimate of the man; but Grote, in his History of Greece, has thrown very considerable doubt on its truth, and has labored to show that he was the rough but resolute champion of the people, and that his character has been vilified and abused by Aristophanes, who was—thero can be no doubt—violently aristocratic.