§6VI. κύριος δὲ γενόμενος τῶν πραγμάτων Σόλων τόν τε δῆμον ὴλευ θέρωσε καὶ ἐν τῷ π[α]ρόντι καὶ εὶς τὸ μέλλον, κωλύσας δ[ανε]ίζειν ἐπὶ τοῖς σώμασιν, καὶ νόμους ἔθηκε καὶ χρεῶν ἀπ[ο]κοπὰς ἐποίησε καὶ τῶν ἰδίων καὶ των δ[η]μοσίων, ἅς σεισάχθειαν καλοῦσιν, ὡς ἀποσεισάμενοι τὸ βάρος.
VI. Solon, having become master of affairs, liberated the people both for the present and for the future, by forbidding loans on the security of the person, and he established laws and carried out a cancellation of debts, both private and public, which they call *Seisachtheia*, as though they had shaken off the burden.
ἐν οἷς πειρῶνταί τιν[ες] διαβάλλ[ει]ν αὐτόν· συνέβη γὰρ τῷ Σόλωνι μέλλοντι ποιεῖν τὴν σεισάχθειαν προειπεὶν τισι τῶν [γν]ωρίμω[ν], ἔπειθ᾿, ὡς μὲν οἱ δημοτικοὶ λέγουσι, παραστρατηγη[θ]ῆναι διὰ τῶν φίλων, ὡς δ᾿ οἱ β[ουλ]όμενοι βλασ[φ]ημεῖν, καὶ αὐτὸν κοινωνεῖν.
In connection with this, certain people attempt to slander him; for it happened that when Solon was about to carry out the *Seisachtheia*, he told some of the nobles beforehand, and then, as the popular party says, he was outmaneuvered by his friends, but as those who wish to slander him say, he himself also shared in the plot.
δανεισάμενοι γὰρ οὗτοι συνεπριαντο πολλὴν χώραν, καὶ μετ᾿ οὐ πολὺ τῶν χρεῶν p. 2 ἀποκοπῆς γενομένης ἐπλούτουν· ὅθεν φασὶ γενέσθαι τοὺς ὔστερον δοκοῦντας εἷναι παλαιοπλούτους. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ πιθ[ανώ]τερος ὁ τῶν δημοτικῶν λόγος· οὐ γὰρ ε[ἰκ]ὸς ἐν μὲν τοῖς ἄλλοις οὕτω μέτριον γενέσθαι καὶ κοινόν, [ὥ]στ᾿ ἐξὸν αὐτῷ τοὺς ἑ[τ]έρους ὑποποιησάμενον τυραννεῖν τῆς πόλεως, ἀμφοτέροις ἀπεχ[θέ]σθαι καὶ περὶ πλείονος ποιήσασθαι τὸ καλὸν καὶ τὴν τῆς πόλεως σωτηρίαν ἢ τὴν αὑτοῦ πλεονεξίαν, ἐν οὔτω δὲ μικροῖς καὶ φανεροῖς καταρρυπαίνειν ἑαυτόν.
For these men, having borrowed money, bought up a great deal of land, and when the cancellation of debts occurred not long after, they became rich; hence they say arose those who were later thought to be the "ancient-wealthy." However, the popular party's account is more credible; for it is not likely that a man who in other matters was so moderate and public-spirited, so that, when it was in his power to make himself tyrant of the city by winning over either party, he chose to incur the enmity of both and to value honor and the safety of the city more than his own aggrandizement, would defile himself in such petty and obvious matters.
ὅτι δὲ ταύτην ἔσχε τὴν ἐξουσίαν, τά τε πράγματα νοσοῦντα μαρτυρεῖ, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ποιήμασιν αὐτὸς πολλαχοῦ μένηται καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι συνομολογοῦσι πάντες.
That he possessed such power is testified by the diseased state of affairs, and he himself mentions it in many places in his poems, and all others agree.
ταύτην μὲν χρὴ νομίζειν ψευδῆ τὴν αἰτίαν εἷναι.
Therefore, one must consider this accusation to be false.
§7VII. πολιτείαν δὲ κατέστησε καὶ νόμους ἔθηκεν ἄλλους, τοῖς δὲ Δράκοντος θεσμοῖς ἐπαύσαντο χρώμενοι πλῆν τῶν φονικῶν.
VII. He established a constitution and enacted other laws, and they ceased to use the ordinances of Draco, except those relating to homicide.
ἀνγράψαντες δὲ τοὺς νόμους εἰς τοὺς κύρβεις ἔστησαν ἐν τῇ στοᾷ τῇ βασιλείῳ καὶ ὤμοσαν χρήσεσθαι ἄναθήσειν ἀνδριάντα χρυσοῦν, ἐάν τινα παραβῶσι τῶν νόμων· ὅθεν ἔτι καὶ νῦν οὕτως ὀμνύουσι.
Having inscribed the laws on the wooden tablets (*kyrbeis*), they set them up in the Royal Stoa, and all swore to observe them; and the magistrates swore that if they should transgress any of the laws, they would dedicate a golden statue; whence even to this day they still swear in this manner.
κατέκλῃσεν δὲ τοὺς νόμους εἰς ἑκατὸν ἔτη καὶ διέταξε τὴν πολιτείαν τόνδε <τὸν> τρόπον.
He secured the laws for a hundred years and organized the constitution in the following manner.
τιμήματι διεῖλεν εἰς τέτταρα τέλη, καθάπερ διῄρητο καὶ πρότερον, εἰς πεντακοσιομέδιμον καὶ ἱπ[πέα] καὶ ζευγίτην καὶ θῆτα.
He divided the citizens by property qualification into four classes, as they had been divided before: into the Pentacosiomedimnos, the Knight, the Zeugites, and the Thete.
καὶ τὰς μὲ[ν ἄλλ]ας ἀρχὰς ἀπένειμεν | ἄρχειν ἐκ πεντακοσιομεδίμνων καὶ ἱππέων καὶ ζευγιτῶν, τοὺς ἐννέα ἄρχοντας καὶ τοὺς ταμίας καὶ τοὺς πωλητὰς καὶ τοὺς ἕνδεκα καὶ τοὺς κωλακρέτας, ἑκάστοις ἀνάλογον τῷ μεγέθει τοῦ τιμήματος ἀποδιδοὺς τὴν ἀρχήν.
And he assigned the other offices to be held by those from the Pentacosiomedimnoi, the Knights, and the Zeugitai—namely the nine archons, the treasurers, the sellers (*poletai*), the Eleven, and the *kolakretai*— allotting the office to each class in proportion to the size of their property qualification.
τοῖς δὲ τὸ θητικὸν τελοῦσιν ἐκκλησίας καὶ δικαστηρίων μετέδωκε μόνον.
To those who belonged to the class of the Thetes, he gave a share only in the assembly and the law courts.
ἔδει δὲ τελεῖν πεντακοσιομέδιμνον μὲν ὃς ἄν ἐκ τῆς οἰκείας ποιῇ πεντακόσια μέτρα τὰ συνάμφω ξηρὰ καὶ ὑγρά, ἱππάδα δὲ τοὺς τριακόσια ποιοῦντας, ὡς δ᾿ ἔνιοί φασι τοὺς ἱπποτροφεῖν δυναμένους.
A man had to belong to the Pentacosiomedimnoi if he produced from his own estate five hundred measures of wet and dry goods combined; and to the Knights those who produced three hundred, or, as some say, those who were able to maintain a horse.
σημεῖον δὲ φέρουσι τό τε ὄνομα τοῦ τέλους, ὡς ἂν ἀπὸ τοῦ πράγματος κείμενον, καὶ καὶ τὰ ἀναθήματα τῶν ἀρχαίων· ανάκειται γὰρ ἐν ἀκροπόλει εἰκὼν Διφίλου, ἐφ᾿ ᾗ ἀφ᾿ τάδε· Διφίλου Ἀνθεμίων τήνδ᾿ ἀνέθηκε θεοῖς,
θητικοῦ ἀντὶ τέλους ἱππάδ᾿ ἀμειψάμενος. καὶ παρέστηκεν ἵππος ἐκμαρτυρῶν, ὡς τὴν ἱππάδα τοῦτο σημαίνουσαν.
As proof of this they bring forward both the name of the class, as being derived from the fact, and the dedications of the ancients; for there is dedicated on the Acropolis a statue of Diphilus, upon which is the following inscription: "Anthemion, son of Diphilus, dedicated this to the gods, having exchanged the thetic class for the equestrian." and a horse stands beside it in witness, showing that this is what the equestrian class signifies.
οὐ μὴν ἀλλ᾿ εὐλογώτερον τοῖς μέτροις διῃρῆσθαι καθάπερ τοὺς πεντακοσιομεδίμνους.
Nevertheless, it is more reasonable that they should have been divided by measures, just like the Pentacosiomedimnoi.
ζευγίσιον δὲ τελεῖν τοὺς διακόσια τὰ συνάμφω ποιοῦντας· τοὺς δ᾿ ἄλλους θητικόν, οὐδεμιᾶς μετέχοντας ἀρχῆς.
And the Zeugites class consisted of those who produced two hundred measures of both combined; and the rest belonged to the Thetic class, having no share in any office.
διὸ καὶ νῦν ἐπειδὰν ἔρηται τὸν μέλλοντα κληροῦσθαί τιν᾿ ἀρχήν, ποῖον τέλος τελεῖ, οὐδ᾿ ἂν εἶς εἴποι θητικόν.
Wherefore even now, when a candidate for any office by lot is asked which class he belongs to, no one would say the Thetic.