\ \,v<,v Mifatn, Stem ^ark LIBRARY OF LEWIS BINGLEY WYNNE A.B.,A.M., COLUMBIAN COLLEGE. *71, -73 WASHINGTON. D. C. THE GIFT OF MRS. MARY A. WYNNE AND JOHN H. WYNNE CORNELL '98 1922 arV1718 ^°'"^' """"""y Library Callias : olin,anx The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924031180023 C. OL. S. C. IRequireJ) Xlterature for 1802=93. Ghecian History. J. B. Joy. - $1.00 Callias, an Histobical Komanoe. a. J. Ohureh. 1.00 The United States and Foreign Powers. W. E. Cm-tis. r - - ■ ■ 1.00 Greek Architecture and Sculpture. Smith and Medford. - .50 Classic Greek Course in English. W. C. Wilkinson. 1.00 A Manual, op Christian Evidences. G. P. Fisher. .50 The Chautauquan (12 numbers). 2.00 abautauqua IReadittd Circ[e !IUtecatute CALLIAS A Tale of the Fall of Athens BY Rev, ALFRED J. CHURCH Frofeasor of Latin in University College London MEADVILLE PENNA FLOOD AND VINCENT i8gi Copyright, 1891, By Flood & Vincent. % 10 CALLIAS. Then he tries with the first lines of a third " Great Bacchus, who with wand and fawn-skin decked, In pine-groves of Parnassus, plies the dance, And leads the revel— " " liost a little flask." The reader may have had enough. It will suflB.ce to give the result of the contest. All the tests have been applied. Euripides, as a last resource, reminds the judge that he has sworn to take him back with him. Bacchus repUes: " My tongue hath sworn; yet iEschylus I choose." A cruel cut, for it is an adaptation of one of the poet's own lines (from the Hippolytus) when the hero, taunted with the oath that he had taken and is about to violate, replies: " My tongue hath sworn it, but my mind's unsworn." When the curtain rose from the floor and hid the last «»ne, it was manifest that the "Frogs" of Aristophanes, son of Philippus, of the tribe Pandionis, and the township ■Cydathensea, was a success. Of course there were malcon- tents among the audience. Euripides had a good many partisans in young Athens. They admired his ingenuity, his rhetoric, and the artistic quality of his verse, in which ■beauty for beauty's sake, quite apart from any moral pur- pose, seemed to be aimed at. They were captivated by the boldness and novelty of his treatment of things moral and religious, .ffischylus they considered to be old-fashioned and bigoted. Hence among the seats allotted to the young men there had been some murmurs of dissent while the performance was going on, and now there was a good deal of adverse criticism. And there were some among the older men who were scarcely satisfied. The fact was that Comedy -was undergoing a change, the change which before twenty ca'Llias. U more years had passed was to turn the Old Comedy into the Middle and the New, or to put the matter briefly, to change the Comedy of Politics into the Comedy of Manners. " This is poor stuflf," said an old aristocrat of this school, "poorstuff indeed, after what I remember in my younger days. Why can't the man leave Euripides alone, especially now he is dead, and won't bother Jis with any more of his pls^ys ? . There are plenty of scoundrel politicians who might to much more purpose come in for a few strokes of the lash. But he daren't touch the fellows. Ah ! it was not always so. I remember the play he brought out eighteen years ago. The ' Knights ' he called it. That was something like a Comedy ! Cleon was at the very height of his power, for he had just made that lucky stroke at Pylos *. But Aristophanes did not spare him one bit for that. He could not get anyone to take the part; he could not even get a mask made to imitate the great man's face. So he took the part himself, and sraeared his face with the lees of wine. Cleon was there in the magistrates' seats. I think we all looked at him as much as we looked at the stage. When- ever there was a hard hit — and, by Bacchus, how hard the hits were I — ^aU the theatre turned to see how hebore it. He laughed at first. Then we saw bJTn turn red and pale— I was close by him and I heard him grind his teeth. Grood heavens ! what a rage he was in ! Well, that is the sort of a play I like to see, not this splitting words, and picking verses to pieces, just as some schoolmaster might do." But, in spite of these criticisms, the greater part of the audience were highly delighted with what they had seen and heard. The comic business, with its broad and laugh- able effects, pleased them, and they were flattered by being • When he captured the Spartan garrison of the Island of Sphacterla. B. C. 425. 12 CALLIA&. treated as judges of literary questions. And tbie curious thing was that they were not unfit to be judges of such matters. There never was such a well-educated and keen- witted audience in the world. They knew it, and they dearly liked to> be treated accordingly. The judges only echoed the popular voice when at the end of the festival they bestowed the first prize upon Aristophanes. One criticism, strange to say, no one ever thought of mak- ing — ^and yet, to us, it seems the first, the most obvious of all criticisms, and that is that the play was horribly pro- fane. This cowardly, drunken, sensual Bacchus — and he is ten times worse in the original than I have ventured to make him here — ^this despicable wretch was one of the gods whom everyone in the audience was supposed to worship. The festival which was the occasion of the theatrical exhi- bition was held in his honor, his altar was the centre round which the whole action of every piece revolved. And yet he was caricatured in this audacious manner, and it did not occur to anyone to object ! Verily the religion of the Greeks sat very lightly on their consciences, and we cannot wonder if it had but small effect on their Uv^. CHAPTER II. NEWS FROM THE FLEET. I ANTFiciPATED the course of my story when I spoke of the first prize being adjudged to the comedy exhibited by Aristophanes. There were various competing plays — ^how many we do not know, but the titles and authors of two that won the second and third prizes have been preserved — and aU those had of coiurse to be performed before a decision could be made. Two or three days at least must have passed before the exhibition was at an end. The next competitor had certainly reason to complain of his iU luck. Just before the curtain fell for the opening scene of his comedy an incident occurred which made the people little disposed to listen to anything more that day. The spectators had just settled themselves in their places, when a young officer hastily made his way up to the bench where the magistrates were seated, and handed a roU to the president. The occurrence was very unusual. It was reckoned almost an impiety to disturb the festival of Bac- chus with anything of business; only matters of the very gravest importance could be allowed to do it. The entrance of the young man, happening as it d^d, just in the pause of expectation before the new play began, had been generally observed. Everyone could see from his dress that he was a naval officer, and many knew him as one of the most promising young men in Athens. "News from the fleet" l-l CALLIAS. was the whisper that ran through the theatre, and there were few among the thousands there assembled to whom news from the fleet did not mean the life or death of father, brother, or son. The president glanced at the document put into his hands, and whispering a few words to the mes- senger, pointed to a seat by his side. All eyes were fastened upon him. (The magistrates, it may be explained, occupied one of the front or lowest rows of seats, and were therefore more or less in view of the whole theatre, which was ar- ranged in the form of a semicircle, with tier upon tier of benches rising upon the slope of the hill on the side of which the building was constructed.) When a moment after- wards, the curtain was withdrawn, scarcely a glance was directed to the stage. The action and the dialogue of the new piece were absolutely lost upon what should have been an audience, but was a crowd of anxious citizens, suddenly recalled from the shows of the stage to the realities of life. The president now carefully read the document and passed it on to his colleagues. Some whispered consultations passed between them. When at the end of the first act a change of scenery caused a longer pause than usual the presi- dent quietly left the theatre, taking the bearer of the despatch with him. Some of the other magistrates follow- ed him, the rest remaining behind because it would have been unseemly to leave the official seats wholly untenanted, while the festival w^as still going on. This proceeding in- creased the agitation of the people, because It emphasized the Importance of the news that had arrived. Some slipped away, unable to sit quietly in their places and endure the suspense, and vaguely hoping to hear something more out- side. Among those that remained the buzz of conversa- tion grew louder and louder. Only a few very determined CALLIAS. 15 play-goers even pretended to listen to what was going on upon the stage. Meanwhile the unfortunate author, to whom, after all, the fate of his play was not less urgent a matter than the fate of the city, sat upon his prompter's stool — ^the author not uncommonly did the duty of prompter — and heartily cursed the bad luck which had distracted in so disastrous a way the attention of his audience. When at last, to the great relief of everyone concerned, the •performance was brought to a conclusion, the young officer told his story, supplementing the meagre contents of the despatch which he had brought, to a full conclave of magistrates, assembled in one of the senate-rooms of the Prytaneum or Town-haU of Athens. I may introduce him tx) my readers as CalUas, the hero of my story. Many of the details that follow had already been given by Callias, but as he had to repeat them, for the benefit of the magistrates who had stopped behind in the theatre, I may as well put them all together. " We know," said the president, " that Conon was beaten in a battle in the harbor of Mitylene. So much we heard from Hippocles, a very patriotic person by the way, though he is an alien. He has a very swift yacht that can outstrip any war ship in Greece, and often gives us very valuable intelligence. Do you know him ?" "Yes," said Callias, flushing with pleasure, for indeed he knew and respected Hippocles greatly, " I know him very well." "Well, to go on," resumed the president. " So much we know, but no more. Tell us exactly how Conon fared in the battle." " Sir," answered the young man, " he lost thirty ships." " And the crews," asked the president. "They escaped; happily they were able to get to land." 16 CALLJA.S. "Thank Athene for that"; and a murmur of relief ran round the m^eeting. ' ' And the other forty — he had seventy, I think, in all? " Callias nodded assent. "What happened to the forty ? " "They were hauled up under the walls wnen the day went against us." "Now tell us exactly what has Deen going on since." "The Spartans blockaded the harbor, having some of their ships within, and some without. Qur general- saw that it was only a matter of time when he should have to surrender. The Spartans had four times as many ships, the ships not, perhaps, quite as good as his, but the crews, I am afraid, somewhat better." "Shade of Themistocles," murmured one of the magis- trates, "that it should come to this — the Spartan crews ' sonaewhat better ' than ours. But I am afraid that it is only too^true." " He could not break through; and could not stand a long siege. Mitylene was fairly well provisioned for its ordinary garrison, but here were seventy crews added all of a sudden to the number. He sent some officers — I had the honor of being one of them — ^and we found that by sparing everything to the very utmost, we might hold out for five weeks. The only chance was to send news to Athens. You might help us, we thought." " We might; we must, I say. But how it is to be done is another matter. Tell us how you got here ? " "The general took the two fastest ships in his squadron, manned them with the very best rowers that he couldfind, practised the crews for four days in the inner harbor,and then set about running the blockade with them. The Spartans, you see, had grown a little careless. We hadn't made any attempt to get out, and Conon [;ot a Lesbian freedman to GALLIAS. 17 desert to the Spai-tans with a story that we were meaning to surrender. This put them off their guard still more. They got into a way of leaving their ships at noon, to take their meal and their siesta afterwards on shore. We made a dart at an unguarded place between two of their block- ading ships and we got through. I don't think that we lost a single man. By the time that the crews of the blockading gaUeyS regained their vessels we were well out of bow-shot. Our instructions were to separate, when w^e got outside the harbor. We did not do this at once be- cause we had planned a little trick which might, we hoped, help to put the enemy off the scent. The ship that I was in was really the swifter of the two. This was, of course, the reason why I was put into it. But as long as we kept together we made believe that we were the slower. When they came out after us — they had manned half a dozen ships or so as quickly- as they could — -we separated. My ship, which you will understand, was reaUy the faster of the two, was put about the north as if making for Helles- pont; the other kept on its course, straight for Athens. The Spartans told off their best ships to follow the latter which they thought that they had the better chance of catching. And of course, as it was headed this way, it seemed the more important of the two." "I suppose that they overtook it," said the president, " or it would have been here before this." "Well, we soon outstripped the two gaUeys that were told tolook after us. When we were well out of sight, we headed westward again, took a circuit round the north side of Lemnos, and got here without seeing another enemy." - " How long is it since you left Mitylene ? " " About five days." " But how long did Conon think he could hold out? " 18 CALLIAS. " About forty days; perhaps more, if the men were put on short rations." " You have done well, my son," said the president kindly, " and Athens will not forget it. We will consult together, though there is small need of consulting, I take it. The re- lief must be sent. Is it not so gentlemen ? ' ' His colleagues nodded assent. "But there are things to be talked ovA. We must decide how much we can send, and that cannot be done upon the spot. But there is a matter that can be settled at once. Conon must be told that he is going to be reUeved. Now, who wiU tell him ? Will you ?" "Certainly, if you see fit to give me the order." "And how?" " I would consult with Hippocles." "Excellent!" cried the president. "Heis just the man. to help us. You will go and see him, and then report, to me. Come to me to-night; it will not matter how late it is: I shall be waiting for you." Callias saluted, and withdrew. CHAPTER III. I HIPPOCLES THE ALIEN. HiPPoCLBS has been described as an alien. An "alien,"' then at Athens, as in the other Greek cities, was a resident foreigner. He might be an enfranchised slave, he might be a barbarian (as aU persons not Greek were described), or he might be a Grjsek of the purest de- scent, but if he had not the rights of Athenian citizenship, he was an "alien." He could not hold any landed or house property: he was obliged to appear in any law suit in which he might be concerned in the person of an Athenian citizen who was described as his "patron," and he was heavily taxed. A special impost that went under the name of an " aUen-tax "was only a sUght matter, some twelve drachmas * a year, but all the imposts were made specially heavy for them. And though they had no share in directing the policy of the ; tate, they were re- quired to serve in its fleets and armies. This treatment however, did not keep aliens from settUng in Athens. On the contrary they were to be found there in great numbers, and as almost all the trade of the place was in their hands, som.e of them were among its richest inhabitants. At the time of which I am writing Hippocles had the reputation, which we may say was by no means unde- * This would amount to about $2.25— a drachma heing equal to about 20c or 9Kd. in English money. ' 20 CALLIAS served, of being the richest resident in Athens. And more than that, he was one of the most patriotic. He loved the city as if it had been his native place, and did the duty and more than the duty of a son to her. The special contributions which as a wealthy man he was called upon to make to the public service * were made with a princely liberality. He even voluntarily undertook services which were not required of him by law. Every year he had come forward to furnish the crew and munitions of a ship of war, a charge to which citizens only were properly liable. And of the fleet of which such gloomy tidings had just reached Athens, he had equipped no less than three. Hippocles had a curious history. He was bom in. the Greek colony of Posidonia.f He was just entering on manhood when his native city fell into the hands of its Lucanian neighbors. The barbarians did not abuse their victory. They did not treat the conquered city, as the Greeks of Croton some ninety years before had treated Sybaris, reducing it to an absolute ruin. On the contrary they contented themselves with imposing a tribute, and leaving a governor, with a garrison to support him, to see that their new subjects did not forget their duty. But the presence of the foreigner was a grievous burden to the proud Greeks. For ages afterwards their descendants were accus- tomed to assemble once a year and to bewaU their fate, as the Sons of Jacob at the Vale of "Weeping, the .Gentile domination over their city. The disaster broke the heart * These " liturgies," as they were called, were charges Imposed npon all residents in Athens whose property was assessed at more than a certain amount (three talents, which, as a talent contained 6,0ffi) drachmae, may be roughly estimated at S3,S0O, equivalent, it Is proba^ ble, to much more in actual value). These were originally equivalents for special privileges and powers which the wealthy enjoyed under the earlier constitution, but they were continued In force after the demn- crattc changes which put all citizens on an equality. The Aliens were not liable to all. t Better known by its Latin name of Paestum. CALLTAS. 21 of Hippocles' father Cimoii who was one of Posidonia's most distinguished citizens and had actually held the office of Tagus or chief magistrate in the year of its fall. He sur- vived the event scarcely a year, recommending his son with his last breath to leave the place for some city where he could Uve in a way more worthy of a Greek. His son spent the next two years in quietly realizing his property, nor did he meet with any interference from the Lucanian masters of the place. His house he had to sacrifice; to sell it might have attracted too much notice; but everything else that he had was converted into money. When this was safely in- vested at Athens — ^Athens having been for various reasons the city of his choice — he secretly departed. But he did not depart alone. He took with him a companion, who, he de- clared, more than made up to him for all that Jis a Posi- donian citizen he had lost. Pontia, the daughter of the Lucanian governor, was a girl of singular beauty.