Scaife ATLAS

CTS Library / Solon

Solon (18.3-18.4)

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0007.tlg007.perseus-eng2:18.3-18.4
Refs {'start': {'reference': '18.3', 'human_reference': 'Chapter 18 Section 3'}, 'end': {'reference': '18.4', 'human_reference': 'Chapter 18 Section 4'}}
Ancestors [{'reference': '18'}]
Children []
prev
plain textXML
next

Besides, it is said that his laws were obscurely and ambiguously worded on purpose to enhance the power of the popular courts. For since parties to a controversy could not get satisfaction from the laws, the result was that they always wanted jurors to decide it, and every dispute was laid before them, so that they were in a manner masters of the laws.

And he himself claims the credit for this in the following words

For to the common people I gave so much power as is sufficient,
Neither robbing them of dignity, nor giving them too much,
And those who had power, and were marvelously rich,
Even for these I contrived that they suffered no harm
I stood with a mighty shield in front of both classes,
And suffered neither of them to prevail unjustly.
[*]

Tokens

Besides 1 w 7
it 1 w 10
is 1 w 12
said 1 w 16
that 1 w 20
his 1 w 23
laws 1 w 27
were 1 w 31
obscurely 1 w 40
and 1 w 43
ambiguously 1 w 54
worded 1 w 60
on 1 w 62
purpose 1 w 69
to 1 w 71
enhance 1 w 78
the 1 w 81
power 1 w 86
of 1 w 88
the 2 w 91
popular 1 w 98
courts 1 w 104
For 1 w 108
since 1 w 113
parties 1 w 120
to 2 w 122
a 9 w 123
controversy 1 w 134
could 1 w 139
not 1 w 142
get 1 w 145
satisfaction 1 w 157
from 1 w 161
the 3 w 164
laws 2 w 168
the 4 w 172
result 1 w 178
was 1 w 181
that 2 w 185
they 1 w 189
always 1 w 195
wanted 1 w 201
jurors 1 w 207
to 3 w 209
decide 1 w 215
it 2 w 217
and 2 w 221
every 1 w 226
dispute 1 w 233
was 2 w 236
laid 1 w 240
before 1 w 246
them 1 w 250
so 1 w 253
that 3 w 257
they 2 w 261
were 2 w 265
in 2 w 267
a 22 w 268
manner 1 w 274
masters 1 w 281
of 2 w 283
the 8 w 286
laws 3 w 290
And 1 w 294
he 9 w 296
himself 1 w 303
claims 1 w 309
the 9 w 312
credit 1 w 318
for 2 w 321
this 1 w 325
in 3 w 327
the 10 w 330
following 1 w 339
words 1 w 344
For 2 w 348
to 4 w 350
the 11 w 353
common 1 w 359
people 1 w 365
I 1 w 366
gave 1 w 370
so 2 w 372
much 1 w 376
power 2 w 381
as 4 w 383
is 6 w 385
sufficient 1 w 395
Neither 1 w 403
robbing 1 w 410
them 2 w 414
of 3 w 416
dignity 1 w 423
nor 1 w 427
giving 1 w 433
them 3 w 437
too 1 w 440
much 2 w 444
And 2 w 448
those 1 w 453
who 1 w 456
had 1 w 459
power 3 w 464
and 3 w 468
were 3 w 472
marvelously 1 w 483
rich 1 w 487
Even 1 w 492
for 3 w 495
these 1 w 500
I 2 w 501
contrived 1 w 510
that 4 w 514
they 3 w 518
suffered 1 w 526
no 3 w 528
harm 1 w 532
I 3 w 533
stood 1 w 538
with 1 w 542
a 34 w 543
mighty 1 w 549
shield 1 w 555
in 7 w 557
front 1 w 562
of 4 w 564
both 1 w 568
classes 1 w 575
And 3 w 579
suffered 2 w 587
neither 1 w 594
of 5 w 596
them 4 w 600
to 7 w 602
prevail 1 w 609
unjustly 1 w 617
Fragment 1 w 626
5 1 w 627
Bergk 1 w 633
Aristotle 1 w 644
Const 1 w 650
of 6 w 653
Athens 1 w 659
xii 1 w 664
1 1 w 666
cf 1 w 669
also 1 w 674
ix 1 w 676
1 2 w 678
f 22 w 679