IN TRODUCTIO .V. 9

much for a great man's good as for theirs.* It was a kind of inverted doctrine of the divine right of kings, traces of which we find throughout the Attic literature. Had Herodotus lived in our day, we may imagine that his attention would have been powerfully arrested by the fate of Napoleon the First, or the Czar Nicholas of Eussia, as illustrating this sentiment. Frequent references will be found in these pages to Mr Eawlinson's ' History of Herodotus ;' but it is desired here to acknowledge more distinctly the use which has been made of his exhaustive volumes. The History of Herodotus was divided by the an- ' cients into nine books, each bearing the name of one of the Muses. His own order of narration is very dis- cursive, for he digresses into local history and anecdote continually. In these pages a rearrangement into chapters will perhaps be more welcome to the general reader.

• Ostracism was so called from the oyster-shells on which

Athenian citizens wrote their names in voting. Any man of more than average greatness or goodness was liable to incur this left-handed compliment, which consisted in his being re- quested to go abroad? for a term of years, in case a sufficient number of votes was given. It was instituted as a security to democracy, and as preventive of coups d'etat. It was dis- credited at last by its application to the case of a vulgar dema- gogue. The Syracusans had a similar institution called " Petal- ism," from the leaves of olive on which the names were written.