A source-book of ancient history - The Search For Mecca

Poor Citizens, Aliens, and Slaves 203
the welfare of the baser folk as opposed to that of the The author
better class. I repeat, I withhold my praise so far; but, racy, but
given the fact that this is the type agreed upon, I propose f/such a^^'
to show that they set about its preservation in the right
thing is to
way. . . . Athenians
In the first place, I maintain, it is only just that the their^method
poorer classes and the People of Athens should be better °^ upholding
off than the men of birth and wealth, seeing that it is the ^,
T 1 • 1
The poor are
people who man the fleet, and put round the city her better progirdle
of power. The steersman, the boatswain, the hav^e more"
lieutenant, the look-out-man at the prow, the shipwright— lh^"Th^
these are the people who engird the city with power far rich, because
rather than her hea\y infantr^^ and men of birth and constitute
quality. This being the case, it seems only just that
offices of state should be throwm open to every one both
in
the ballot and the show of hands, and that the right
of speech should belong to anyone who likes, without
restriction. . . .
the naval
power.
Another point is the extraordinary amount of license Excellent
1 1 1 -1 condition of
1 • r » 1 1
slaves and
granted to slaves and resident aliens of Athens, where a
blow is illegal, and a slave will not step aside to let you aifens.
pass him in the street. I will explain the reason of this
peculiar custom. Supposing it were legal for a slave to be Unintention-
^lly the au-
r , r . . r 1 ,• r ,
beaten by a free citizen, or for a resident alien or freed- thor pays a
man to be beaten by a citizen, it would frequently happen p[fmentTo
that an Athenian might be mistaken for a slave or an democracy,
alien and receive a beating; since the Athenian people are
not better clothed than the slave or alien, nor in personal
appearance is there any superiority. Or if the fact itself
that slaves in Athens are allowed to indulge in luxury, and
indeed in some cases to live magnificently, be found
astonishing, this too, it can be shown, is done of set purpose.
Where we have a naval power dependent upon