The Complete Aristotle (eng.)

of his house, saying that he had
helped his country so far as lay in his power (he was already a
very old man), and that he called on all others to do the same.
Solon’s exhortations, however, proved fruitless, and Pisistratus
assumed the sovereignty. His administration was more like a
constitutional government than the rule of a tyrant; but before his
power was firmly established, the adherents of Megacles and
Lycurgus made a coalition and drove him out. This took place in the
archonship of Hegesias, five years after the first establishment of
his rule. Eleven years later Megacles, being in difficulties in a
party struggle, again opened-negotiations with Pisistratus,
proposing that the latter should marry his daughter; and on these
terms he brought him back to Athens, by a very primitive and
simple-minded device. He first spread abroad a rumour that Athena
was bringing back Pisistratus, and then, having found a woman of
great stature and beauty, named Phye (according to Herodotus, of
the deme of Paeania, but as others say a Thracian flower-seller of
the deme of Collytus), he dressed her in a garb resembling that of
the goddess and brought her into the city with Pisistratus. The
latter drove in on a chariot with the woman beside him, and the
inhabitants of the city, struck with awe, received him with
adoration.
15
    In this manner did his first return take place. He did not,
however, hold his power long, for about six years after his return
he was again expelled. He refused to treat the daughter of Megacles
as his wife, and being afraid, in consequence, of a combination of
the two opposing parties, he retired from the country. First he led
a colony to a place called Rhaicelus, in the region of the Thermaic
gulf; and thence he passed to the country in the neighbourhood of
Mt. Pangaeus. Here he acquired wealth and hired mercenaries; and
not till ten years had elapsed did he return to Eretria and make an
attempt to recover the government by force. In this he had the
assistance of many allies, notably the Thebans and Lygdamis of
Naxos, and also the Knights who held the supreme power in the
constitution of Eretria. After his victory in the battle at Pallene
he captured Athens, and when he had disarmed the people he at last
had his tyranny securely established, and was able to take Naxos
and set up Lygdamis as ruler there. He effected the disarmament of
the people in the following manner. He ordered a parade in full
armour in the Theseum, and began to make a speech to the people. He
spoke for a short time, until the people called out that they could
not hear him, whereupon he bade them come up to the entrance of the
Acropolis, in order that his voice might be better heard. Then,
while he continued to speak to them at great length, men whom he
had appointed for the purpose collected the arms and locked them up
in the chambers of the Theseum hard by, and came and made a signal
to him that it was done. Pisistratus accordingly, when he had
finished the rest of what he had to say, told the people also what
had happened to their arms; adding that they were not to be
surprised or alarmed, but go home and attend to their private
affairs, while he would himself for the future manage all the
business of the state.
16
    Such was the origin and such the vicissitudes of the tyranny of
Pisistratus. His administration was temperate, as has been said
before, and more like constitutional government than a tyranny. Not
only was he in every respect humane and mild and ready to forgive
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