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Ex his caterisque Lectione dignis Auctoribus et Verborums
sumenda Copia est, et 'Varietas Figurarum et componendi Ratio,
tum ad Exemplum Virtutum omnium. Mens dirigenda:neque enim
dubitari polest quin Artis pars

magna

contineatur IMITATIONE. Quin

11.6 1917

ELEGANT EXTRACTS

IN PROSE.

BOOK THE THIRD.

ORATIONS, CHARACTERS, AND LETTERS.

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to retire.

E have feen Philip opposed in his through Thermopylæ; and obliged The danger they had thus escaped deeply affected the Athenians. So daring an attempt, which was, in effect, declaring his purposes, filled them with aftonishment: and the view of a power, which every day received new acceffions, drove them even to despair. Yet their aversion to public business was still predominant. They forgot that Philip might renew his attempt; and thought they had provided sufficiently for their security, by pofting a body of troops at the entrance of Attica, under the command of Menelaus, a foreigner. They then proceeded to convene an affembly of the people, in order to confider what measures were to be taken to check the progress of Philip. On which occafion Demofthenes, for the first time, appeared against that prince; and displayed those abilities, which proved the greatest obstacle to his designs.

At Athens, the whole power and management of affairs were placed in the people. It was their prerogative

to receive appeals from the courts of justice, to abrogate and enact laws, to make what alterations in the state they judged convenient; in short, all matters, public or private, foreign or domestic, civil, military, or religious, were determined by them.

Whenever there was occafion to deliberate, the people assembled early in the morning, fometimes in the forum or public place, sometimes in a place called Pnyx, but most frequently in the theatre of Bacchus. A few days before each assembly there was a Προγραμμα or Placart fixed on the statues of fome illustrious men erected in the city, to give notice of the fubject to be debated. As they refused admittance into the assembly to all persons who had not attained the neceffary age, so they obliged all others to attend. The Lexiarchs stretched out a cord dyed with scarlet, and by it pushed the people towards the place of meeting. Such as received the stain were fined; the more diligent had a small pecuniary reward. These Lexiarchs were the keepers of the regifter, in which were inrolled the names of fuch citizens as had a right of voting. And all had this right who were of age, and not excluded by a personal fault. Undutiful children, cowards, brutaldebauchees, prodigals, debtors to the public, were all excluded. Until the time of Cecrops, women had a right of fuffrage, which they

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