Anxiety of the Athe

nians to de

tect and punish the conspira

tors-re

ed for information.

more increased, by the Sicilian enterprise, that they no longer observed any measures in compassing his ruin. That which the mutilators of the Hermæ seemed to have deliberately planned, his other enemies were ready to turn to profit.

Amidst the mournful dismay spread by the discovery of so unparalleled a sacrilege, it appeared to the Athenian people-as it would have appeared to the Ephors at Sparta, or to the rulers in every oliwards offer- garchical city of Greece-that it was their paramount and imperative duty to detect and punish the authors. So long as these latter were walking about unknown and unpunished, the temples were defiled by their presence, and the whole city was accounted under the displeasure of the gods, who would inflict upon it heavy public misfortunes'. Under this displeasure every citizen felt himself comprehended, so that the sense of public security as well as of private comfort were alike unappeased,

1 See the remarkable passage in the contemporary pleading of Antiphon on a trial for homicide (Orat. ii. Tetralog. 1. 1. 10).

Ασύμφορόν θ' ὑμῖν ἐστὶ τόνδε μιαρὸν καὶ ἄναγνον ὄντα εἰς τὰ τεμένη τῶν θεῶν εἰσιόντα μιαίνειν τὴν ἁγνείαν αὐτῶν ἐπί τε τὰς αὐτὰς τραπέζας ἰόντα συγκαταπιμπλάναι τοὺς ἀναιτίους· ἐκ γὰρ τούτων αἵ τε ἀφορίαι γίγνονται δυστυχεῖς θ' αἱ πράξεις καθίστανται. Οι κείαν οὖν χρὴ τὴν τιμωρίαν ἡγησαμένους, αὐτῷ τούτῳ τὰ τούτου άσεβήματα ἀναθέντας, ἰδίαν μὲν τὴν συμφορὰν καθαρὰν δὲ τὴν πόλιν καταστῆσαι.

Compare Antiphon, De Cæde Herodis, sect. 83, and Sophoklês, Edip. Tyrann. 26, 96, 170-as to the miseries which befel a country, so long as the person guilty of homicide remained to pollute the soil, and until he was slain or expelled. See also Xenophon, Hiero, iv. 4, and Plato, Legg. x. p. 885-910, at the beginning and the end of the tenth book. Plato ranks (üßpis) outrage against sacred objects as the highest and most guilty species of ßpis; deserving the severest punishment. He considers that the person committing such impiety, unless he be punished or banished, brings evil and the anger of the gods upon the whole population.

until the offenders should be discovered and atonement made by punishing or expelling them. Large rewards were accordingly proclaimed to any person who could give information, and even impunity to any accomplice whose confession might lay open the plot. Nor did the matter stop here. Once under this painful shock of religious and political terror, the Athenians became eager talkers and listeners on the subject of other recent acts of impiety. Every one was impatient to tell all that he knew, and more than he knew, about such incidents; while to exercise any strict criticism upon the truth of such reports, would argue weakness of faith and want of religious zeal, rendering the critic himself a suspected man-" metuunt dubitasse videri." To rake out and rigorously visit all such offenders, and thus to display an earnest zeal for the honour of the gods, was accounted one auxiliary means of obtaining absolution from them for the recent outrage. Hence an additional public vote was passed, promising rewards and inviting information from all witnesses,-citizens, metics, or even slaves,respecting any previous acts of impiety which might have come within their cognizance'; but at the same time providing that informers who gave false depositions should be punished capitally2.

While the Senate of Five Hundred were invested Informations given with full powers of action, Diognêtus, Peisander, in-comChariklês, and others, were named commissioners missioners for receiving and prosecuting inquiries; and public appointed. assemblies were held nearly every day to receive

1 Thucyd. vi. 27.

"Andokidês de Mysteriis, sect 20.

of inquiry

reports'. The first informations received, however, did not relate to the grave and recent mutilation of the Hermæ, but to analogous incidents of older date; to certain defacements of other statues, accomplished in drunken frolic-and above all to ludicrous ceremonies celebrated in various houses, by parties

1 Andokidês de Mysteriis, sect. 14, 15, 26; Plutarch, Alkibiad. c. 18. 2 Those who are disposed to imagine that the violent feelings and proceedings at Athens by the mutilation of the Herma were the consequence of her democratical government, may be reminded of an analogous event of modern times from which we are not yet separated by a century.

In the year 1766, at Abbeville in France, two young gentlemen of good family (the Chevalier d'Étallonde and Chevalier de la Barre) were tried, convicted and condemned for having injured a wooden crucifix which stood on the bridge of that town: in aggravation of this offence they were charged with having sung indecent songs. The evidence to prove these points was exceedingly doubtful: nevertheless both were condemned to have their tongues cut out by the roots-to have their right hands cut off at the church gate-then to be tied to a post in the market-place with an iron chain, and burnt by a slow fire. This sentence, after being submitted by way of appeal to the Parliament of Paris and by them confirmed, was actually executed upon the Chevalier de la Barre (d'Étallonde having escaped) in July 1766; with this mitigation, that he was allowed to be decapitated before he was burnt-but at the same time with this aggravation, that he was put to the torture, ordinary and extraordinary, to compel him to disclose his accomplices (Voltaire, Relation de la Mort du Chevalier de la Barre, Œuvres, vol. xlii. p. 361-379, ed. Beuchot: also Voltaire, Le Cri du Sang Innocent, vel. xii. p. 133).

I extract from this treatise a passage showing how (as in this mutilation of the Herma at Athens) the occurrence of one act of sacrilege turns men's imagination, belief, and talk, to others, real or imaginary :

"Tandis que Belleval ourdissoit sécrètement cette trame, il arriva malheureusement que le crucifix de bois, posé sur le pont d'Abbeville, étoit endommagé, et l'on soupçonna que des soldats ivres avoient commis cette insolence impie.

66

Malheureusement l'evêque d'Amiens, étant aussi evêque d'Abbe ville, donna à cette aventure une célébrité et une importance qu'elle ne méritoit pas. Il fit lancer des monitoires: il vint faire une procession solennelle auprès du crucifix; et on ne parla en Abbeville que de sacrilèges pendant une année entière. On disoit qu'il se formoit une nou

of revellers caricaturing and divulging the Eleusinian mysteries. It was under this latter head that the first impeachment was preferred against Alkibiadês.

sation of

profaned

vulged the

nian myste

ries.

So fully were the preparations of the armament First accunow complete, that the trireme of Lamachus (who Alkibiades, was doubtless more diligent about the military details of having than either of his two colleagues) was already moored and diin the outer harbour, and the last public assembly Eleusiwas held for the departing officers', who probably laid before their countrymen an imposing account of the force assembled-when Pythonikus rose to impeach Alkibiadês. "Athenians," (said he) " you are going to despatch this great force and incur all this hazard, at a moment when I am prepared to show you that your general Alkibiadês is one of the profaners of the holy mysteries in a private house. Pass a vote of impunity, and I will produce to you forthwith a slave of one here present, who, though himself not

velle secte qui brisoit les crucifix, qui jettoit par terre toutes les hosties, et les perçoit à coups de couteaux. On assuroit qu'ils avoient répandu beaucoup de sang. Il y eut des femmes qui crurent en avoir été témoins. On renouvela tous les contes calomnieux répandues contre les Juifs dans tant de villes de l'Europe. Vous connoissez, Monsieur, jusqu'à quel point la populace porte la credulité et le fanatisme, toujours encouragé par les moines.

"La procédure une fois commencée, il y eut une foule de délations. Chacun disoit ce qu'il avoit vu ou cru voir-ce qu'il avoit entendu ou cru entendre."

It will be recollected that the sentence on the Chevalier de la Barre was passed, not by the people nor by any popular judicature; but by a limited court of professional judges sitting at Abbeville, and afterwards confirmed by the Parlement de Paris, the first tribunal of professional judges in France.

1 Andokidês (De Myster. s. 11) marks this time minutely Hv pèv γὰρ ἐκκλησία τοῖς στρατηγοῖς τοῖς εἰς Σικελίαν, Νικίᾳ καὶ Λαμάχῳ καὶ ̓Αλκιβιάδη, καὶ τριηρὴς ἡ στρατηγὶς ἤδη ἐξώρμει ἡ Λαμάχου· ἀναστὰς δὲ Πυθόνικος ἐν τῷ δήμῳ εἶπεν, &c.

Violent speeches in the assem

Alkibiadês

unfavour.

ably received.

initiated in the mysteries, shall repeat to you what they are. Deal with me in any way you choose, if my statement prove untrue." While Alkibiadês strenuously denied the allegation, the Prytanes (senators presiding over the assembly, according to the order determined by lot for that year among the ten tribes) at once made proclamation for all uninitiated citizens to depart from the assembly, and went to fetch the slave (Andromachus by name) whom Pythonikus had indicated. On being introduced, Andromachus deposed before the assembly that he had been with his master in the house of Polytion, when Alkibiadês, Nikiadês, and Melêtus went through the sham celebration of the mysteries; many other persons being present, and especially three other slaves besides himself. We must presume that he verified this affirmation by describing what the mysteries were which he had seen-the test which Pythonikus had offered'.

Such was the first direct attack made upon Alkibiadês by his enemies. Pythonikus, the demagogue bly against Androklês, and other speakers, having put in evidence this irreverent proceeding (probably in substance true), enlarged upon it with the strongest invective, imputed to him many other acts of the like character, and even denounced him as cognizant of the recent mutilation of the Hermæ. had been done (they said) with a view to accomplish his purpose of subverting the democracy, when bereft of its divine protectors-a purpose manifested by the constant tenor of his lawless, overbearing, antipopular demeanour." Infamous as this calumny 1 Andokid. de Myster. s. 11-13.

"All