History of Greece (Volume 3); I. Legendary Greece. II. Grecian History to the Reign of Peisistratus at Athens - Livres de poche

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: hopeless1. Such an improvement in the practical working of this species of government, speaking always comparatively with the kings of ancient times in Syria, Egypt, Judaea, the Grecian cities, and Rome,?coupled with the increased force of all established routine, and the greater durability of all institutions and creeds which have once obtained footing throughout any wide extent of territory and people?has caused the monarchical sentiment to remain predominant in the European mind (though not without vigorous occasional dissent) throughout the increased knowledge and the enlarged political experience of the last two centuries. ft is important to show that the monarchical institutions and monarchical tendencies prevalent Teg throughout mediaeval and modern Europe have been both generated and perpetuated by causes pe- ford. culiar to those societies, whilst in the Hellenic societies such causes had no place?in order that we may approach Hellenic phaenomena in the proper spirit, and with an impartial estimate of the feeling universal among Greeks towards the idea of a king. The primitive sentiment entertained towards the heroic king died out, passing first into 1 In reference to the Italian republies of the middle ages, M. Sismond observes, speaking of Philip della Torre, denominated signor by the people of Como, Vercelli and Bergamo, " Dans ces villes, non plus que dans celles que son Cirir s'etait auparavant assujetties, le peuple ne croyoit point renoncer a sa libertl: il n'avoit point voulu choisir un maitre, inais seulement un protecteur contre les nobles, un capitaine des gens de guerre, et un chef de la justice. L'expeYience lui apprit trop tard, que ces prerogatives reunies constituoient un souverain."? Republiques Italiennes, vol. iii. ch. 20. p. 273. indifference...