. Ancient history of the East;. the Athe-nian people, a populace often fickle, thankless, and violent,but which redeemed its faults and crimes by its enthusiasmfor everything beautiful and grand, by the masterpieceswhich it inspired, and by the artists and poets whom it gavemankind, and who will forever plead its cause with pos-terity. Pericles. —Pericles, the son of Xanthippus, the conquerorof Mycale, deserves special mention in this roll of a fancied facial resemblance to Pisistratus, he longheld himself aloof from politics. Though by birth an aris-tocrat, he attached himself to t
. Ancient history of the East;. the Athe-nian people, a populace often fickle, thankless, and violent,but which redeemed its faults and crimes by its enthusiasmfor everything beautiful and grand, by the masterpieceswhich it inspired, and by the artists and poets whom it gavemankind, and who will forever plead its cause with pos-terity. Pericles. —Pericles, the son of Xanthippus, the conquerorof Mycale, deserves special mention in this roll of a fancied facial resemblance to Pisistratus, he longheld himself aloof from politics. Though by birth an aris-tocrat, he attached himself to the popular party. Thepowerful influence which he acquired by the dignity of hislife and his military services he employed to restrain theevil and to develop the good impulses of the people. Thislittle city controlled too vast an empire. To assure its con-tinuance, he sent out numerous colonies, which did not, likethose of preceding centuries, become cities independent ofthe mother country, but rather fortresses and garrisons. 460-430.] THE AGE OF PERICLES 69 whereby the country in which they were established washeld in submission to Athens. Great Intellects at Athens. —Pericles desired that Athensshould be not only rich and powerful, but also invited thither those superior men who then honoredthe Hellenic race. From all directions mankind flocked tothe city of Minerva as an intellectual capital. The festi-vals were thronged, where the loftiest pleasures of the mindwere associated with the most imposing spectacles of re-ligious pomp, of perfect art, and of nature in her mostcharming aspect. These festivals were not, like those ofthe Eoman populace, sanguinary games of the amphitheatrewith spectacles of death, blood, and corpses, but consistedof pious hymns, patriotic songs, and dramatic representa-tions of events in the history of the gods or of the heroes. Thus this period, often called the Age of Pericles, beheldat Athens one of the most brilliant bursts o
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