The Federalist Papers - Alexander Hamilton [328]
Federalist 17
p. 114. The regulation of the meredomestic police of a State…: "Domestic police" refers both to the internal organization of a political unit and to the regulation of that organization with respect to the comfort, health, morals, and general welfare of the populace.
p. 116. and numerous trains of inferior vassals…: In feudal social and political organization, a vassal was a person granted land in exchange for rendering homage, often expressed in the form of ceremonial or military service. The lord to whom a vassal is subordinate may, in turn, fulfill duties of vassalage to a higher lord.
p. 116. Each principal vassal was a kind of sovereign within his particulardemesnes: Demesnes are parcels of land occupied and controlled by an owner and worked for his exclusive use. The term enters the English language by way of Old French and ultimately Latin, in which dominium signifies that which belongs to the master, hence, perfect (i.e. unburdened) ownership.
Federalist 18
p. 118. the Grecian republics, associated underthe Amphictyonic council: In general, the Greek term amphictyony—literally "dwellers around"—designated the leagues organized for the maintenance and defense of sanctuaries and their associated cults. But the term came to be identified particularly with the league pertaining to the oracle at Delphi, the most important and the richest of the Greek sanctuaries. The Amphictyonic council or confederacy eventually included most of the cities of Greece. Each city sent two or more representatives who would cast two votes on contested issues of league policy. In principle, the confederacy was empowered to propose measures deemed useful for Greece, to judge differences between member cities, and to make peace and war, but the stronger cities often bullied the weaker to cast votes in their favor. Moreover, the confederacy neither restrained its members from warring amongst themselves nor prevented non-Greeks—such as Philip II of Macedon—from attaining membership.
p. 118. guardians of…the immense riches belonging to thetemple of Delphos…: The home of the Delphic oracle, the temple of Delphos lay within the territory of Phocis at the foot of Mt. Parnassus. This was the most important oracle in the Greek world. Cities and individuals consulted the priestess of Apollo for divine guidance on colonization, removing pollution (i.e. seeking release from religious impurity), and cultic observances. The inquirer paid a fee to consult the oracle, which returned ambiguous pronouncements requiring interpretation. As the Delphic oracle became preeminent in Greek religious affairs it naturally acquired a political significance, in several instances drawing the members of its custodial council, the Delphic Amphictyony (or Amphictyonic League), into war. The battle of Chaeronea (338 BC), in which Philip II—leading the forces of the Amphictyonic League against Athens and Thebes—succeeded in bringing Greece under Macedonian control, was the culmination of the Fourth Sacred War.
p. 119. as we learn fromDemosthenes…: Demosthenes (384–322 BC) was an Athenian orator. Entering politics in 354 BC, he displayed a talent for rhetoric that established his reputation as one of the greatest public speakers of the ancient world. In 351 BC, he delivered the first of a series of speeches (the "Philippics") in which he attempted to persuade Athenians to resist the growing power of Philip II of Macedon. As a result of these speeches, Athens made war on Macedon (340 BC), but suffered utter defeat at the battle of Chaeronea (338 BC). In the aftermath of the loss to Philip and the subsequent domination by Alexander, Demosthenes vindicated his conduct in a masterpiece of apologetic oratory, "On the Crown." Living in exile after a prosecution for embezzlement, he took his own life in order to escape the agents of one of Alexander’s successors, Antipater.
p. 119. The Lacedaemoniansnext governed it twenty-nine years…: The Lacedaemonians were inhabitants of a region of ancient Greece called Lacedaemon, located