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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1869 Excerpt:...tyranny was demolished, and anew commonwealth established,in which there was a mixture of oligarchy and democracy, to prevent the first running into excess of oppression, and the other into turbulence and license. We know little of the particular manner in which the government was constituted. In the brief statement made we perceive a circle of action, which is worth adverting to. The monarch is dethroned by the nobles. The power passes into their hands as the stronger body. They, as might reasonably be expected, share it among themselves, monopolize it, and thus constitute an oligarchy. This is one of the very worst forms of government. Several tyrants are always more oppressive than one. The oppression at last exceeded endurance. The people set up a favorite; rallied around his standard; enabled him to overcome the oligarchy, and concentrate all power in himself; to become what was then termed a tyrant. They threw themselves into the arms of one tyrant to escape from several. The nobles saw in this the power of the people. They knew, therefore, to whom to make application. They profited by experience, courted the power they had formerly despised, and were thus enabled to engraft upon oligarchy sufficient of democracy to render the compound less oppressive on the one hand, and less turbulent and licentious on the other. Argos, the principal city in Argolis, was founded by Danaus, the Egyptian, about the same period of time at which Cecrops founded Athens. At the time of the Trojan war, this was the first state in Greece. Like all the other cities of Greece, its first form of government was monarchical. It was, however, one of the first states on the continent to abolish monarchy. We have no account of the new constitution it formed. The higher and lower ra...