Pisistratus, in consideration of this service, had promised to marry the daughter of Megacles, which promise he performed ; but conceiving himself now independent of that leader, he ceased to court his fa vour, and treated his wife in so contemptuous a man ner, as irritated her brother in the highest degree. Megacles accordingly again connected himself with the exiled party, and was thus enabled to expel Pisis tratus a second time. The latter, however, now de termined to assert his claims by force. Possessing, it would appear, considerable interest in Greece, he contrived to raise an army, at the head of which he returned, beat his adversaries, and again assumed the government of the state. He used Isis victory, how ever, with the utmost moderation : He inflicted no punishment on those who submitted : He still main tained the laws and government on their ancient foundation. So strictly observant was lie of the forms of the republic, that, on one occasion, he allowed himself to be tried for his life before the court of Areopagus. He seems to have done much to polish the character of the Athenians, and to introduce that ardent cultivation of the arts and sciences, which afterwards rendered their name so celebrated. He collected the poems of Homer, which before were merely repeated in scattered rhapsodies. He distin guished himself by military exploits, of which, how ever, no detailed account has been transmitted to us. In short, he appears to have merited the character of Solon, that, had it not been for his ambition, he would have been the best citizen of Athens. From the time of his first assuming the government till his death, thirty-three years had elapsed ; but, reckon ing from his ultimate and forcible seizure of the sove reignty, he reigned only seventeen.
His sons, Hippias and Hipparchus, succeeded him. . It is not ascertained which was the eldest, but it ap pears that they reigned jointly. They seem to have been persons of singular accomplishments. They in herited all their father's love for the arts and sciences. Hipparchus is particularly celebrated for the excel lence of his character. Simonides, Anacreon, and other poets, were his intimate friends, and constant ly near his person. But the Athenians were now be-: come weary of servitude, however mild, and were ready to grasp at any opportunity of regaining their independence. Such an opportunity soon occurred. Two friends, Harmodius and Aristogiton, concei ved an enmity against Hipparchus, not originating in very honourable motives on either side. They took the opportunity of the approaching festival of the Panathenea to assassinate him, expecting that the people, who were then allowed to appear armed, would espouse their cause. This hope was disap pointed: Harmodius was dispatched on the spot, and Aristogiton seized. The action of these two persons seems to have been prompted by private, and not the most honourable motives ; yet such was the passion of the Athenians for liberty, that their names have been, as it were, canonized, and transmitted to poste rity as the most perfect models of friendship and pa triotism.
Aristogiton, on being apprehended, was imme diately put to the torture. His conduct on this oc casion is remarkable : Instead of betraying his real ..accomplices, he named the best friends of Hippias. It is said, that, after going over several, and being asked if there were any more, he replied, I know of yourself only now, that deserves to suffer death." • Hippias, from this moment, became really a tyrant.
The dread of sharing the fate of his brother tor mented him with continual suspicion. Many of the principal men were put and the Athenians, to whom the tyranny before had begun to be bur densome, beheld it now with the utmost detestation. Meanwhile the Alcmconids, who, with their leader Megacles, had been expelled at the last usurpation of Pisistratus, were straining every nerve to effect a. re-.
turn into their native country. Being possessed of ' very considerable wealth, they rebuilt the temple of Delphi, which had been accidentally burnt ; and they executed this work in a manner which ren dered the edifice more splendid than ever. This was a service generally acceptable to Greece ; and they contrived, in another way, to render it still more subservient to their interests. They gained the priestess, who, whenever consulted by the La cedemonians, ceased not urging them to restore the liberty of Athens. The Lacedemonians, dread ing the resentment of the deity, with which they were threatened, and not unwilling, perhaps, to avail themselves of this opportunity of extending their influence, at last determined to obey the oracle. They sent an army by sea into Attica ; but Hip pias, with the aid of his Thessalian auxiliaries, rout ed and drove them back to their ships. The Luce demonians, however, were not discouraged, but de termined on extraordinary exertions to wipe off this disgrace. Next year they sent by land a larger ar my, under their king Clcomenes. The Thessalians were routed, and Hippias constrained to take refuge within the walls of the city. Here, however, he might have successfully resisted, had not his children accidentally fallen into the hands of the enemy. To redeem them, he consented to abdicate the tyranny.
Athens was then reinstated in the liberty of which she was so ambitious. Faction, the usual conse quence, soon followed. Clisthenes, now the leader of the Alcmeonids, was at the head of the one ; Isago ras, son of Tirsander, of the other. These two par ties were the same which, from this time, divided all the Grecian states ; the aristocratical and the popu lar. To the former Isagoras attached himself, while Clisthenes sought to rise by paying court to the people. The popular party was henceforth destined to rule in Athens ; and Clisthenes, through them, soon acquired a decisive superiority. Isagoras, find ing himself unequal to contend with his rival, applied for aid to the Lacedemonians. That people, in con sequence of having expelled the Pisistratidx, concei ved themselves to have a right to interfere in the in ternal concerns of Athens : Cleomenes accordingly set out with an army, and sent before him an order to banish Clisthenes out of the republic. The Athe nians, not yet aware of their own strength, complied. Cleomenes, however, soon shewed, that this was not the only object lie had in view: He advanced to Athens, and conducted himself there in the most ar bitrary manner, banishing seven hundred families, and seeking to vest the whole authority in 300 of the partizans of Isagoras. This was too much for the Athenians ; they instantly took up arias, drove out Cleomenes and the partizans of Isaoras, con strained them to take refuge in the citadel, and kept them there closely blockaded. Cleomenes now found himself so hard pressed, that he consented to surren der the citadel, and evacuate Attica. Clisthenes was then recalled, and all the power again centered in the people.