Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 8.67

[1] During this opportunity, Pisander and they that were with him, coming in, fell in hand presently with the remainder of the business. And first they assembled the people and delivered their opinion for ten men to be chosen with power absolute to make a draught of laws, and having drawn them, to deliver their opinion at a day appointed before the people, touching the best form of government for the city.

[2] Afterwards, when that day came, they summoned the assembly to Colonus, which is a place consecrated to Neptune without the city, about two furlongs off. And they that were appointed to write the laws, presented this, and only this: That it should be lawful for any Athenian to deliver whatsoever opinion he pleased; imposing of great punishments upon whosoever should either accuse any that so spake of violating the laws or otherwise do him hurt.

[3] Now here indeed it was in plain terms propounded that not any magistracy of the form before used might any longer be in force, nor any fee belong unto it; but that five Prytanes might be elected, and these five choose a hundred, and every one of this hundred take unto him three others; and these four hundred, entering into the council-house, might have absolute authority to govern the state as they thought best and to summon the five thousand as oft as to them it should seem good.

[1] At this juncture arrived Pisander and his colleagues, who lost no time in doing the rest. First they assembled the people, and moved to elect ten commissioners with full powers to frame a constitution, and that when this was done they should on an appointed day lay before the people their opinion as to the best mode of governing the city.

[2] Afterwards, when the day arrived, the conspirators enclosed the assembly in Colonus , a temple of Poseidon, a little more than a mile outside the city; when the commissioners simply brought forward this single motion, that any Athenian might propose with impunity whatever measure he pleased, heavy penalties being imposed upon any who should indict for illegality, or otherwise molest him for so doing.

[3] The way thus cleared, it was now plainly declared, that all tenure of office and receipt of pay under the existing institutions were at an end, and that five men must be elected as presidents, who should in their turn elect one hundred, and each of the hundred three apiece; and that this body thus made up to four hundred should enter the council chamber with full powers and govern as they judged best, and should convene the five thousand whenever they pleased.

Während die Dinge nun so standen, kam Peisandros mit
seinen/Genossen an und^ legte sogleich Hand .-an das, was. noch, zu
thun übriA^war.^ .'Zuerst versammelten sie das Volk und stellten den
Antrag,? zehn Männer-mit-unumschränkter Vollmacht zum Entwurf
einer neuen Verfassung zu wählen; diese sollten an einem bestimmten
Tag-ihre Vorschläge vor das Volk bringen, auf welche Weise der
Staat am besten verwaltet werden könne.. Danach, als
der.angesagte.Tag gekommen war, beriefen, sie.die Volksversammlung.in den
beschränkten Raum??) nach Kolonos —- welches ein Heiligthum des
Poseidon ist, ^außerhalb der Stadt und etwa zehn.Stadien entfernt
-77-7 und jene zehn Männer, wußten da vor allen Dingen vorzuschlagen)
daß es jedem.Athener.erlaubt sein solle,-jeden beliebigen Antrag zu
stellen, und für den Fall, daß Einer'einen Redner-wegen
gesetzwidriger, Vorschläge anklagen, oder, ihn aus.irgend eine andere Art zu
Schaden bringen sollte,-.sehten sie schwere Strafen-fest.:' Darauf
wurde dann sogleich ganz unverblümt gesagt, daß keine Behörde nach
der alten Verfassung mehr zu amtiren oder Gehalt zu beziehen habe,
und daß fünf Männer als Vorsitzer zu wählen seien; die sollten
wieder hundert Männer wählen, und von diesen Hundert Feder sich.drei
Andere beigesellen. Diese, also zusammen vierhundert, sollten vom
RathhauS.. Besitz ergreifen und mit unumschränkter Vollmacht, nach ¹
bester, Einsichtregieren und die fünftausend versammeln,, wann eS ²
ihnen gut dünke.

LXVII. Ce fut dans ces circonstances que Pisandre et ses collègues arrivèrent. Ils s’occupèrent aussitôt de ce qui restait à faire. D’abord ils assemblèrent le peuple et ouvrirent l’avis d’élire dix commissaires investis de pleins pouvoirs, avec mission de présenter au peuple, à un jour fixé, un projet rédigé entre eux, pour arriver au meilleur gouvernement possible. Au jour marqué, ils parquèrent l’assemblée à Colone, temple d’Apollon, hors de la ville ¹ , à une distance de dix stades. Là les commissaires ne proposèrent absolument qu’une seule chose : le droit pour tout Athénien d’exprimer librement telle opinion qu’il voudrait ² . Des peines sévères étaient en même temps prononcées contre quiconque accuserait l’auteur d’une proposition de violer les lois, ou l’inquiéterait de quelque façon que ce fût. Cela fait, on proposa ouvertement l’abolition de toute magistrature conférée d’après l’ancien ordre de choses, la suppression des emplois salariés et la nomination de cinq présidents, chargés d’élire cent citoyens, qui s’en adjoindraient chacun trois autres. Ces quatre cents membres devaient entrer au conseil, disposer de l’autorité comme ils l’entendraient et avec plein pouvoir, et convoquer les cinq mille quand ils le jugeraient à propos.

Telle était la situation d’Athènes, lorsque Pisandros et ses collègues y arrivèrent. A l’instant ils se mirent à l’œuvre pour achever ce qui était si bien commencé. D’abord ils convoquèrent les citoyens et firent décider qu’on nommerait dix commissaires munis de pleins pouvoirs et qu’on les chargerait d’élaborer un projet de constitution et de le soumettre au peuple dans un délai déterminé. Le jour venu, ils réunirent l’assemblée dans une enceinte close, à Colone, lieu consacré à Neptune et situé à dix stades de la ville ¹ . Là les commissaires proposèrent un article unique, portant que tout Athénien aurait le droit d’émettre l’avis qu’il voudrait et prononçant des peines sévères contre quiconque poursuivrait, pour violation de loi ou pour tout autre motif, celui qui aurait usé de cette liberté ² . Cela fait, on proposa nettement l’abolition des anciennes magistratures, la suppressiçn des emplois salariés et la nomination de cinq présidents, chargés d'élire cent citoyens, qui à leur tour s’en adjoindraient chacun trois autres. Ces quatre cents devaient siéger au conseil, exercer selon leurs lumières une autorité sans limites, et rassembler les cinq mille quand ils le jugeraient à propos.

[1] It was at this crisis that Peisander and his colleagues arrived and immediately applied themselves to the work that still remained to be done. First they called the popular assembly together and proposed a resolution that ten men should be chosen as commissioners, with full powers, for the drafting of laws, and that these men, after drafting such laws, should bring before the assembly on an appointed day a proposal embodying provisions for the best administration of the state.

[2] In the second place, when the day came they convened the assembly at Colonus, which is a precinct sacred to Poseidon lying at a distance of about ten stadia outside the city, and the commissioners brought in no other measure except the bare proposal that any Athenian should be permitted with impunity to offer any motion he pleased; and if anyone should move to indict the speaker for making an illegal proposal ¹ or should in any other manner seek to do him harm, they imposed severe penalties upon him.

[3] After that, the proposal was at length offered without concealment that no one should any longer hold office under the constitution as at present established or receive a salary, and that they should choose five men as presidents, and these should choose one hundred, and each of the hundred three others in addition to himself; then these, being four hundred, should enter the senate-chamber and govern as they should judge best, being clothed with full powers, and they should convene the Five Thousand whenever it seemed to them advisable. ²

[1] Pisander and his colleagues therefore having come at this critical time, immediately addressed themselves to the remainder of the work. In the first place, having assembled the people, they moved a resolution for electing ten commissioners with absolute powers for compiling laws, and that after compiling them they should lay before the people, on an appointed day, their opinion as to the manner in which the state would be best governed.

[2] Afterwards, when the day had arrived, they enclosed the assembly in the Colonus, (a temple of Neptune outside the city, at the distance of about ten stades,) and the compilers brought forward no other motion, but simply this, that any of the Athenians should be at liberty to express any opinion he might please; and if any one either prosecuted the speaker for illegality, or otherwise injured him, they imposed upon him severe penalties.

[3] Upon that it was at length plainly declared, that no one should any longer either hold office, or receive pay, according to the present constitution; that they should elect five men as presidents, who, again, should elect a hundred, and each of the hundred three for himself, and that these, amounting to four hundred, should enter the council-chamber, and govern as they might think best, with full powers, and should elect the five thousand also, whenever they might please.

[1] In hoc igitur tempore Pisander ejusque collega· reversi confestim ceteris peragendis operam dare coeperunt. Ac primum quidem, populo coacto, sententiam dixerunt, decem viros legum conscribendarum causa deligerent, qui summam hujus rei potestatem haberent; hi vero rogationem conscriptam ad populum intra certam diem ferrent, qua ratione respublica optime administrari posset.

[2] Deinde postquam ea dies advenit, concionem incluserunt in Colonum, (est autem locus Neptuno sacer, extra urbem, decem ferine stadiis ab ea distatis;) atque lii legum scriptores nihil quidem aliud promulgarunt, sed hoc ipsum, m cuivis Atheniensium liceret sententiam pronuntiare, quam-cumque vellet; si quis autem aut legum violatarum accusas-set, aul quoquo modo laesisset eum, qui sententiam prooun-tiasset, graves pusnas proposuerunt.

[3] Tum vero aperte jam dicebatur nec ullum magistratum amplius ex pristino instituto geri oportere, nec stipendium dari, sed quinque praesides deligi, a quibus ruidus centum A iri deligerentur, quorum singuli tres alios sibi cooptarent; hi vero numero quadringenti in curiam ingressi, summa potestate praediti, rempublicam gererent, prout optimum esse cognoscerent, et quinque millia civium congregarent, quando ipsis videretur.

In tale stato di cose giunto ad Atene Pisandro v gli altri deputali, si occupavano subito di quello che rimaneva a fare. E primamente adunarono il popolo, e dissero esser loro consiglio che si scegliessero dieci personaggi co« piena autorità, per la compilazione delle leggi; compilate le quali dovessero in un determinato giorno esporre al pò» polo il loro parere del come la Repubblica potesse governarsi ottimamente. Quindi, poiché venne quel giorno , intimarono l’assemblea a Colono (che è un luogo sacro a Nettuno, distante dalla città intorno di dieci sladii) ove i compilatori uull’altro promulgarono se non questo : che chiunque degli Ateniesi il volesse, potesse dire la sua opinione ; e posero gravi multe per chi accusasse di trasgressione alle leggi o in altro modo nuocesse a qualunque pigliasse a parlare. Ed allor davvero fu detto a chiara voce che non si esercitasse magistratura alcuna né si dessero le pensioni nel modo di prima ; che si creassero cinque presidenti, che questi cinque scegliessero cento personaggi, e che ognuno di questi cento se ne aggiungesse altri tre ; e cosi in numero di quattrocento entrando nella sala del consiglio avessero intera balìa di governare nel modo che credano il migliore ^ e di adunare cinquemila cittadini ogniqualvolta lor piaccia.