The Good Book_ A Secular Bible - A. C. Grayling [267]
23. But Solon did not choose to be made king. His familiar friends chided him for opposing monarchy, as if the virtue of the ruler could not make it a lawful form;
24. Solon replied to his friends, that it was true a tyranny was a very fair spot, but there was no way down from it.
25. Yet, though he refused the kingship, he was not too mild in the affair;
26. He did not show himself mean and submissive to the powerful, or make his laws to please those that chose him.
27. For where the laws were already good, he altered nothing,
28. For fear lest, changing everything and disordering the state, it would be difficult to recompose it to a tolerable condition;
29. But what he thought he could effect by persuasion upon the pliable, and by force upon the stubborn, this he did.
30. And, therefore, when he was afterwards asked if he had left the Athenians the best laws that could be given, he replied, ‘The best they could receive.’
Chapter 20
1. The way that the Athenians have of softening the badness of a thing, by ingeniously giving it some pretty and innocent name,
2. For example: calling harlots, mistresses; tributes, customs; a garrison, a guard; and the jail, the chamber,
3. Seems originally to have been Solon’s idea, who called cancelling debts ‘relief’.
4. For the first thing he settled was that all existing debts should be forgiven,
5. And no man, for the future, should mortgage his own body as security.
6. Some say the debts were not cancelled, but the interest only lessened, which sufficiently pleased the people,
7. Together with raising the value of their money; for he made a pound, which before equalled seventy-three drachmas, now worth a hundred;
8. So that, though the number of pieces in the payment was equal, the value was less;
9. Which proved a considerable benefit to those that had great debts, and no loss to the creditors.
10. While he was planning the debt relief arrangements, a most vexatious thing happened;
11. For when he had resolved to take off the debts, and was considering the proper way of doing it, he told some of his friends, Conon, Clinias and Hipponicus,
12. In whom he had a great deal of confidence, that he would not meddle with the lands, but only free the people from their debts;
13. Upon which, using the advantage of this knowledge, they quickly borrowed considerable sums of money, and purchased several large farms;
14. And when the law was enacted, they kept the possessions, and would not return the money;
15. Which brought Solon into suspicion and dislike, as if he himself had been concerned in the trick.
16. But he presently stopped this suspicion, by releasing his debtors of five talents (for he had lent so much), according to the law;
17. Others say fifteen talents. His unfaithful friends, however, were ever afterward called Chreocopidae, repudiators.
18. His debt relief scheme pleased neither party, for the rich were angry for their money, and the poor were angry that the land was not divided equally.
19. That was what Lycurgus had done, but Solon did not have the same power to effect such a thing, being only a citizen of the middle class;
20. Yet he acted to the height of his power, having nothing but the goodwill of his citizens to rely on;
21. And that he offended the majority, who looked for another result, is the mark that he had been fair.
Chapter 21
1. Solon repealed all of Draco’s laws, except those concerning homicide, because they were far too severe, and the punishments too great;
2. For in the Draconian law death was the penalty for almost all offences,
3. So that those convicted of idleness, or for stealing a cabbage or an apple, had to suffer the same as murderers.
4. As was well said, Draco’s laws were written not with ink, but with blood;
5. When asked why he made death the punishment of most offences, Draco replied, ‘Small ones deserve it, and I have no higher for the greater ones.’
6. Next, Solon, being willing to keep the