DECEMBER 14, 1861.]


IFU TsN.


 GREECE,-ITS HUMOUROUS HISTORY.
 BY M'ASSA HOYLE.
 Illustrated with Sketches taken on the Spot.
 CHAPTER THE ELEVENTH.
 THE application of the ostracism in the case of ARISTIDES shows
 the ideas of the Athenians regarding justice in a somewhat ludicrous
 light. A fat lazy citizen (no chronicler whom we have consulted
 mentions that he was fat, but he must have been so), not being in the
 habit of reading the daily papers, or taking any notice of public
 characters, was ignorant of the pretensions or personal appearance of
 ARISTIDES. He knew how to write his own name, and being a rich
 man he had never considered it necessary to make any further
 advance in the art of calligraphy. Consequently, he had to rely upon
 the assistance of some more highly educated friend. Meeting
 ARISTIDES in the course of his ante-prandial promenade, and not
 knowing him, he asked him to be kind enough to write on an oyster-shell
 the name of ARISTIDES. On that astonished individual inquiring the
 cause of the gentleman's animosity, the citizen replied, with charming
 candour, that wherever he went he heard so much of ARISTIDES THE
 JUST," that he was determined to put an end to the nuisance. Upon
 this, we are told, ARISTIDEs did write, but for our part we think he
 did wrong. However, the story of ARISTIDEs may be on a par with
 those of MRS. HARRis-tides. THEMISTOCLES was another victim to
 this free and easy system of banishment. EURYBIADEs, a Spartan,
 who commanded the Grecian fleet, was so alarmed at the numbers
 exhibited by Persia, that he said to his followers, Dis-persia-selves."
 Upon this, THEMISTOCLES, with great presence of mind, told the
 Spartan commander that he was a cowardly vagabond, or words to
 that effect. EURYBIADES raised his arm, and was about to give him
 one, and in fact, to pitch in-too, when THEMISTOCLEs gave vent to
his feelings in that famous phrase, Strike, but here," meaning his


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chest, which was covered with a brazen plate of some inches thick,
and warranted to resist a fist of even filty knuckle power. EurY-
BIADES was so overcome by the force of the remark and the strength
of the habit, that he hid his face in his hands and hid the Persians
immediately afterwards. THEMISTOCLES having done everything lie
could for his countrymen, was in return done for by them, and
banished. CIMoN, the son of MILTIADES, is one of the only instances
of a benefactor to his country who was not banished, and he saved his
ungrateful friends the trouble, by dying of a wound received in
Cyprus and the right side. The eloquent PELiCLESs was the
next great creature in Athens, and he was remarkable for his
elegant home and first-rate address. He raised, with the assisitanic
of capital and his friend PuIDIAS, several magnificent buildings and
statues, and having made Athens an example of a capital, the Atlie-
nians made him a capital example, and, banishing him from Athens,
left him to cool his heels at Elis. During the l'eloponnesian war,
which was a general row, in which the Athenians, the Corinthians, ti'
Corcyrans, and tie Lacedminonians were all at loggerheads, a pesti-
lence broke out, and HIPPOCRATES, the father ol" medicine, and we
might say the Old Pa of doctors, distinguished himself, and was
rewarded, not with a guinea as are our physicians, but with a simple
crown. However, the greatest man of and for his ago was SOCnATr.s,
who is supposed to have been considerably wiser than SoiL.onN, tund
to have possessed many more accomplishments than COvNT U)'(OsAI,
the admirable CaICILroN, or in fact anybody who ever lived before or
after him. He is said to havo brought down philosophy from heavii
to earth, and it is certain that ho was eventually very nmclh brought,
down himself in consequence ofill-natured folks saying his pupils were
not well brought up. He was sentenced to drink hemllock, and this is,
we believe, the first introduction of the fatal drop in cases of c'nplili
punishment. He looked towards his departure with composure, andi
having also looked towards" his friends, took it offlwithout taking
on," and expired in the most philosophical and serene manner
imaginable.


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 THE END OF SOCRATES.
" HE CONVERSED CHEERFULLY, AND SWALLOWED IIIS GLASS OF BITTER WITHIN A COURAGE WHICH ASTONISHED ALL SPECTATORS."


VOL. I.


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