two before, lying on his
couch, too ill to defend himself, while his brother spoke for him, and
appealed to his former services. In consideration of these it was
decided not to condemn him to die, but he was, instead, to pay fifty
talents of silver, and before the sum could be raised, he died of his
hurts. It was said that his son Kimon put himself into prison till the
fine could be raised, so as to release his father's corpse, which was
buried with all honour on the plain of Marathon, with a tomb recording
his glory, and not his fall.

The two chief citizens who were left were Aristides and Themistocles,
both very able men; but Aristides was perfectly high-minded, unselfish,
and upright, while Themistocles cared for his own greatness more than
anything else. Themistocles was so clever that his tutor had said to him
when he was a child, "Boy, thou wilt never be an ordinary person; thou
wilt either be a mighty blessing or a mighty curse to thy country." When
he grew up he used his powers of leading the multitude for his own
advantage, and that of his party. "The gods forbid," he said, "that I
should sit on any tribunal where my friends should not have more
advantage than strangers." While, on the other hand, Aristides was so
impartial and single-hearted that he got the name of Aristides the Just.
He cared most for the higher class, the _aristoi_, and thought they could
govern best, while Themistocles sought after the favour of the people;
and they both led the minds of the Athenians so completely while they
were speaking, that, after a meeting where they had both made a speech,
Aristides said, "Athens will never be safe till Themistocles and I are
both in prison," meaning that either of them could easily make himself
tyrant.

However, Aristides, though of high family, was very poor, and men said it
was by the fault of his cousin Kallias, the "Enriched by the Well;" and
Themistocles contrived to turn people's minds against him, so as to have
him ostracised. One day he met a man in the street, with a shell in his
hand, who asked him to write the name of Aristides on it, as he could not
write himself. "Pray," said Aristides, "what harm has this person done
you, that you wish to banish him?"

"No harm at all," said the man; "only I am sick of always hearing him
called the Just."

Aristides had no more to say, but wrote his own name; and six thousand
shells having been counted up against him, he was obliged to go