The Athenian Constitution   

those who offended, but, in addition, he advanced money to the
poorer people to help them in their labours, so that they might make
their living by agriculture. In this he had two objects, first that
they might not spend their time in the city but might be scattered
over all the face of the country, and secondly that, being
moderately well off and occupied with their own business, they might
have neither the wish nor the time to attend to public
affairs. At the
same time his revenues were increased by the thorough cultivation of
the country, since he imposed a tax of one tenth on all the produce.
For the same reasons he instituted the local justices,' and
often made
expeditions in person into the country to inspect it and to settle
disputes between individuals, that they might not come into the city
and neglect their farms. It was in one of these progresses that, as
the story goes, Pisistratus had his adventure with the man of
Hymettus, who was cultivating the spot afterwards known as 'Tax-free
Farm'. He saw a man digging and working at a very stony piece of
ground, and being surprised he sent his attendant to ask what he got
out of this plot of land. 'Aches and pains', said the man;
'and that's
what Pisistratus ought to have his tenth of'. The man spoke without
knowing who his questioner was; but Pisistratus was so
leased with his
frank speech and his industry that he granted him exemption from all
taxes. And so in matters in general he burdened the people as little
as possible with his government, but always cultivated peace and
kept them in all quietness. Hence the tyranny of Pisistratus
was often
spoken of proverbially as 'the age of gold'; for when his sons
succeeded him the government became much harsher. But most important
of all in this respect was his popular and kindly disposition. In
all things he was accustomed to observe the laws, without giving
himself any exceptional privileges. Once he was summoned on a charge
of homicide before the Areopagus, and he appeared in person to make
his defence; but the prosecutor was afraid to present himself and
abandoned the case. For these reasons he held power long,
and whenever
he was expelled he regained his position easily. The
majority alike of
the upper class and of the people were in his favour; the former he
won by his social intercourse with them, the latter by the
assistance which he gave to their private purses, and his nature
fitted him to win the hearts of both. Moreover, the laws in
reference to tyrants at that time in force at Athens were very mild,
especially the one which applies more particularly to the
establishment of a tyranny. The law ran as follows: 'These are the
ancestral statutes of the ATHENIANs; if any persons shall make an
attempt to establish a tyranny, or if any person shall join
in setting
up a tyranny, he shall lose his civic rights, both himself and his
whole house.'

Part 17

Thus did Pisistratus grow old in the possession of power, and he
died a natural death in the archonship of Philoneos, three and
thirty years from the time at which he first established himself as
tyrant, during nineteen of which he was in possession of power; the
rest he spent in exile. It is evident from this that the
story is mere
gossip which states that Pisistratus was the youthful favourite of
Solon and commanded in the war against Megara for the recovery of
Salamis. It will not harmonize with their respective ages, as any