§8VIII. τὰς δ᾿ ἀρχὰς ἐποίησε κληρωτὰς ἐκ προκρίτων, οὓς ἑκάστη προκρίνειν τῶν φυλῶν.
VIII. He made the offices elective by lot from selected candidates, whom each of the tribes should select beforehand.
προύκρινεν δ᾿ εἰς τοὺς ἐννέα ἄρχοντας ἑκάστη δέκα, καὶ <ἐκ> τούτων ἐκλήρουν· ὅθεν ἔτι διαμένει ταῖς φυλαῖς τὸ δέκα ἑκάστην, εἶτ᾿ ἐκ τούτων κυαμεύειγ.
For the nine archons, each tribe selected ten, and from these they cast lots; whence there still remains with the tribes the custom of each selecting ten, and then they draw beans from among them.
σημεῖον δ᾿ ὅτι κληρωτὰς ἐποίησεν ἐκ τῶν τιμημάτων ὁ τερὶ τῶν ταμιῶν νόμος, ᾧ χρώμενοι δια[τελ]οῦσιν ἔτι καὶ νῦν· κελεύει γὰρ κληροῦν τοὺς ταμίας ἐκ πεντακοσιομεδίμνων.
As proof that he made the offices elective by lot from the property qualifications, there is the law concerning the treasurers, which they continue to use even now; for it bids them elect the treasurers by lot from the Pentacosiomedimnoi.
[Σόλ]ων μὲν οὖν οὕτως ἐνομοθέτησεν περὶ τῶν ἐννέα ἀρχόντων.
Solon, then, legislated in this manner concerning the nine archons.
τὸ γὰρ ἀρχαῖον ἡ ἐν Ἀ[ρεί]ῳ πάγῳ βου]λὴ ἀνακαλεσαμένη καὶ κρίνασα καθ᾿ αὑτὴν τὸν ἐπιτήδειον ἐφ᾿ ἑκάστῃ τῶν ἀρχῶν ἐπ᾿ [ἐν]ια[υτ]ὸν [διατάξα] φυλαὶ δ᾿ ἦσαν δ καθάπερ πρότερον καὶ φυλοβασιλεῖς τέτταρες.
For in ancient times, the Council on the Areopagus, having summoned and judged by itself the suitable person for each of the offices, appointed them for a year. And the tribes were four, just as before, and there were four tribe-kings (*phylobasileis*).
[ἐκ] δὲ [τῆς] φυ[λῆ]ς ἑκάστης ἦσαν νενεμημέναι τριττύες μὲν τρεῖς, ναυκραρίαι δώδεκα καθ᾿ ἑκάστην.
From each tribe, three *trittyes* were allocated, and twelve *naukrariai* to each.
ἦν δ᾿ ἐπὶ τῶν ναυκραριῶν ἀρχὴ καθεστηκυῖα ναύκραροι, τεταγμένη πρός τε τὰς εἰσφορὰς καὶ τὰς δαπ[άνας] τὰς γιγνομένας· διὸ καὶ ἐν τοῖς μόμοις τοῖς Σόλωνος οἷς οὐκέτι χρῶνται πολλαχο[ῦ γέ]γραπται ‘τοὺς ναυκράρους εἰσπράττειν’ καὶ ἀναλίσκειν ἐκ τοῦ ναυκραρικοῦ ἀργυρ[ίο]υ’. β[ου]λὴν δ᾿ ἐποίησε τετρακοσίους, ἑκατὸν ἐξ ἑκάστης φυλῆς, τὴν δὲ τῶν Ἀρεοπαγιτῶν ἔταξεν ἐπὶ [τὸ] νομοφυλακεῖν, ὑπῆρχεν καὶ πρότερον ἐπίσκοπος οὖσα τῆς πολιτείας, καὶ τά τε ἄλλα τὰ πλεῖστα καὶ τὰ μέγιστα τῶν πολιτ<ικ>ῶν διετήρει καὶ τοὺς ηὔθυνεν κυρία οὖσα καὶ [ζη]μιοῦν καὶ κολάζειν, καὶ τὰς ἐκτίσεις εἰς πόλιν, οὐκ ἐπιγράφουσα τὴν π[ρ]όφασιν δι᾿ ὃ [τὸ ἐ]κτ[ίν]εσθαι, τοὺς ἐπὶ καταλύσει τοῦ δήμου συνισταμένους ἔκρινεν, Σόλωνος θέντ[ος] νόμον εἰσα[γγ]ελ[ία]ς περὶ αὐτῶν.
And over the *naukrariai* there was established an office of *naukraroi*, appointed for the taxes and the expenses that occurred; wherefore even in the laws of Solon which are no longer in use, it is written in many places 'that the *naukraroi* shall collect' and 'expend from the *naukrarian* money.' He made the Council consist of four hundred, one hundred from each tribe, and he appointed the Council of the Areopagus to guard the laws, just as it had existed previously as the overseer of the constitution; and it watched over most and the greatest of the public affairs, and held those who erred to account, having authority both to fine and to punish, and it paid the fines into the treasury without recording the reason for which the fine was imposed; and it tried those who conspired to overthrow the democracy, Solon having enacted a law of impeachment (*eisangelia*) concerning them.
ὁρῶν δὲ τὴν μὲν πόλιν πολλάκις στασιάζουσαν, τῶν δὲ πολιτῶν ἐνίους διὰ τὴν ῥᾳθυμίαν [ἀγα]πῶντας αὐτόματον, μόμον ἔθηκεν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἴδιον, ὃς ἂν στασιαζούσης τῆς πόλεως μ[ὴ] θῆται τὰ ὅπλα μηδὲ μεθ᾿ ἑτέρων, ἄτιμον εἶναι καὶ τῆς πόλεως μὴ μετεχειν.
And seeing that the city was often in strife, but some of the citizens, because of laziness, were content to accept whatever happened on its own accord, he enacted a unique law against them: that whoever, when the city is in strife, does not take up arms on either side, shall be disenfranchised (*atimos*) and have no share in the city.
§9IX. τὰ μὲν οὖν [περὶ τὰ]ς ἀρχὰς τ[οῦ]τον εἶχε τὸν τρόπον.
IX. The matters concerning the offices, then, were in this state.
δοκεῖ δὲ τῆς Σόλωνος πολιτείας τρία ταῦτ᾿ εἶναι τὰ δημοτικώτατα· πρῶτον μὲν καὶ μέγιστον τὸ μὴ δανείζειν ἐπὶ τοῖς σώμασιν, ἔπειτα τὸ ἐξεῖναι τῷ βουλομένῳ τιμωρ[εῖ]ν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδικουμένων, τρίτον δέ, <ᾦ> μάλιστά ἰσχυκέναι τὸ πλῆθος, ἡ εἰς τὸ δικαστή[ριον] ἔφε[σι]ς· ἔφε[σι]ς· γὰρ ὢν δῆμος τῆς ψήφου χύριος γίγνεται τῆς πολιτείας.
And three features of Solon's constitution seem to be the most democratic: first and greatest, the prohibition of loans on the security of the person; next, the permission for anyone who wished to seek redress on behalf of those who were wronged; and third, by which the multitude has acquired its greatest strength, the right of appeal to the law court; for being master of the vote, the people become master of the constitution.
ἔτι δὲ καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ γεγράφθ[αι το]ὺς νόμους άπλῶς μηδὲ σαφῶς, ἀλλ᾿ ὥσπερ ό περὶ τῶν κλήρων καὶ ἐπικλήρων, ἀνάγκη [πο]λλὰς ἀμφισβητήσεις γίγνεσθαι καὶ βραβεύειν καὶ τὰ κοινὰ καὶ τὰ ἴδια τὸ δικαστήρ[ιον].
Furthermore, because the laws were not written simply or clearly, but like the law concerning inheritances and heiresses, it was necessary that many disputes should arise, and that the court should decide both public and private matters.
οἴονται μὲv οὖν τινες ἐπίτηδες ἀσαφεῖς αὐτὸν ποιῆσαι τοὺς νόμους, ὅπως ᾖ τῆς κρίσεως ό] δῆ[μος [μος κ]ύριος.
Some people, indeed, think that he made the laws obscure on purpose, so that the people might be masters of the decision.
οὐ μὴν εἰκός, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ μὴ μὴ δύνασθαι καθόλου περιλαβεῖν τὸ βέλτιστον·
But this is not likely; rather, it was because of his inability to comprehend the best course in a general formulation.
οὐ γὰρ [δ]ίκ[αιον] ἐκ τῶν νῦν γιγνομένων ἀλλ᾿ ἐκ τῆς πολιτείας θεωρεῖν τὴν ἐκείνου βούλησιν.
For it is not fair to judge his intention from what happens now, but from the rest of his constitution.
§10X. ἐν μὲν οὖν τοῖς νόμοις ταῦτα δοκεῖ θεῖναι δημοτικά, πρὸ δὲ τῆς νομοθεσίας ποιῆσαι τὴν τῶν χ[ρ]εῶν [ἀπο]κοπὴν καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τήν τῶν μέτρων καὶ σταθμῶν καὶ τὴν τοῦ νομίσματος αὔξησιν.
X. In the laws, then, these seem to be the democratic features; but before his legislation, he carried out the cancellation of debts, and after this, the increase of measures, weights, and currency.
ἐπ᾿ ἐκείνου γὰρ ἐγένετο καὶ τὰ μέτρα μείζω τῶν Φειδωνείων, καὶ ἡ μνᾶ πρότερον ἔχ[ο]υσα [σ]ταθμὸν ἑβδομήκοντα δραχμὰς ἀνεπληρώθη ταῖς ἑκατόν.
For in his time, the measures became larger than the Pheidonian ones, and the mina, which previously had the weight of seventy drachmas, was filled up to one hundred.
| ἦν δ᾿ ό ἀρχαῖος χαρακτὴρ δίδραχμον.
And the ancient coin-type was the didrachm.
ἐποίησε δὲ καὶ σταθμὰ πρὸς τ[ὸ] νόμισμα τ[ρ]εῖς καὶ ἑξήκοντα μνᾶς τὸ τάλαντον ἀγούσας, καὶ ἐπιδιενεμήθησαν αί τ]ρεῖς μναῖ τῷ στατῆρι καὶ τοῖς ὄλλοις σταθμοῖς.
He also made weights corresponding to the currency, the talent weighing sixty-three minas, and the three extra minas were distributed proportionally among the stater and the other weights.