Prev | Current Page 196 | Next

Aristotle, 384 BC-322 BC

"Politics: A Treatise on Government"

Moreover, disputes between men of note involve the whole city
in their consequences; in Hestiaea, after the Median war: two brothers
having a dispute about their paternal estate; he who was the poorer,
from the other's having concealed part of the effects, and some money
which his father had found, engaged the popular party on his side,
while the other, who was rich, the men of fashion. And at Delphos,
[1304a] a quarrel about a wedding was the beginning of all the
seditions that afterwards arose amongst them; for the bridegroom,
being terrified by some unlucky omen upon waiting upon the bride, went
away without marrying her; which her relations resenting, contrived
secretly to convey some sacred money into his pocket while he was
sacrificing, and then killed him as an impious person. At Mitylene
also, a dispute, which arose concerning a right of heritage, was the
beginning of great evils, and a war with the Athenians, in which
Paches took their city, for Timophanes, a man of fortune, leaving two
daughters, Doxander, who was circumvented in procuring them in
marriage for his two sons, began a sedition, and excited the Athenians
to attack them, being the host of that state. There was also a dispute
at Phocea, concerning a right of inheritance, between Mnasis, the
father of Mnasis, and Euthucrates, the father of Onomarchus, which
brought on the Phoceans the sacred war. The government too of
Epidamnus was changed from a quarrel that arose from an intended
marriage; for a certain man having contracted his daughter in
marriage, the father of the young person to whom she was contracted,
being archon, punishes him, upon which account he, resenting the
affront, associated himself with those who were excluded from any
share in the government, and brought about a revolution.


Pages:
184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208