美国学生人类历史第49期:古希腊的自治制度(2)

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　　他的位置被一群贵族占据。他们是在社会演进的过程中攫取了超额的土地与财产，是赫然得势的富人阶级。

　　These nobles enjoyed many advantages over the common crowd of freemen. They were able to buy the best weapons which were to be found on the market of the eastern Mediterranean². They had much spare time in which they could practise the art of fighting. They lived in strongly built houses and they could hire soldiers to fight for them. They were constantly quarrelling among each other to decide who should rule the city. The victorious³ nobleman then assumed a sort of Kingship over all his neighbours and governed the town until he in turn was killed or driven away by still another ambitious nobleman.

　　这些贵族享有许多普通自由 民享受不到的特权。他们能够到地中海东部的集市去购买最精良的武器。他们拥有大量闲暇时间来操练搏击之术。他们住在防御坚固的大宅子里，并花钱雇佣士兵为他们作战。为决定该由谁来统治城市，他们之间不断发生争吵。在争斗中获胜的贵族于是僭夺王位，其地位超越所有的邻人，并统治着整个城市，直到某一天他被另一个野心勃勃的贵族杀掉或驱逐。

　　Such a King, by the grace of his soldiers, was called a "Tyrant⁴" and during the seventh and sixth centuries before our era every Greek city was for a time ruled by such Tyrants⁵, many of whom, by the way, happened to be exceedingly capable men. But in the long run, this state of affairs became unbearable⁶. Then attempts were made to bring about reforms and out of these reforms grew the first democratic government of which the world has a record.

　　这样一位靠手下士兵保护的国王通常被称为"暴君"。在公元前7到6世纪期间，几乎每一个希腊城邦都由这样一位暴君统治着。顺便提一句，他们中的许多人碰巧也会是特别有才干的。可到头来，这种统治终于发展到让人无法忍受的地步，于是出现了许多革新的尝试。世界上最早的民主 制度，便是从这些革新的努力中成长起来的。

　　It was early in the seventh century that the people of Athens decided⁷ to do some housecleaning and give the large number of freemen once more a voice in the government as they were supposed to have had in the days of their Ach?an ancestors.

　　公元前7世纪初，雅典人决定废除因袭以久的僭主制度，赋予为数众多的自由 民们以发言权，让他们参与政府的管理。这种权利在其亚该亚人的先祖时代就一直存在。

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