Solon

The Life of Solon by Plutarch

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I read this for the Online Great Books program.

Athens was a divided place. Rich against poor; district against district. After making a hash of intra-community relations, the Athenians decided to give Solon the authority to resolve their disputes. Solon had wisely decided to stay out of the internecine squabbles, which showed that he was the wisest man in Athens, or, at least, that he didn't have an obvious vested interest in any side.

Solon wanted to make the laws more advantageous to follow than to break, but he also decided that Draco's previous “draconian” laws were a bit too heavy-handed, except for the law against murder, but, then, murder is its own case.

Having written his laws, Solon did something remarkable. He left Athens:

“Now when these laws were enacted, and some came to Solon every day, to commend or dispraise them, and to advise, if possible, to leave out, or put in something, and many criticized, and desired him to explain, and tell the meaning of such and such a passage, he, knowing that to do it was useless, and not to do it would get him ill-will, and desirous to bring himself out of all straits, and to escape all displeasure and exceptions, it being a hard thing, as he himself says, “In great affairs to satisfy all sides,” as an excuse for traveling, bought a trading vessel, and, having obtained leave for ten years' absence, departed, hoping that by that time his laws would have become familiar.

Clough, Arthur Hugh. Plutarch's Lives (Volumes I and II) (pp. 190-191). Digireads.com. Kindle Edition.

On his journeys, Solon met Croesus in the exchange described in Herodotus where Croesus was cautioned by Solon not to be smug about his present fortune. Croesus came to understand the wisdom of Solon when Croesus's empire was overturned by the Persians.

For those keeping track of obscurities, there is a reference to Atlantis in Plutarch's Life of Solon. Plutarch mentions Plato as having also told a story about Atlantis, but it is not clear if Plutarch's version has an independent source.