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Thettalus,1 the son of Peisistratus, was wise enough to renounce the tyranny, and since he strove after equality, he enjoyed great favour among the citizens of Athens; but the other sons, Hipparchus and Hippias,2 being violent and harsh men, maintained a tyranny over the city. They committed many other acts of lawlessness against the Athenians, and Hipparchus, becoming enamoured of a youth3 of extraordinary beauty, because of that got into a dangerous situation. . . .4 [2] Now the attack upon the tyrants and the earnest desire to achieve the freedom of the fatherland were shared in by all the men mentioned above; but the unyielding steadfastness of soul amid the tortures and the stout courage to endure cruel pains were shown by Aristogeiton alone, who, in the most fearful moments, maintained two supreme virtues, fidelity to his friends and vengeance on his enemies.Const. Exc. 2 (1), p. 225. [3]

Aristogeiton made it clear to all men that nobility of soul is able to prevail over the greatest agonies of the body.

1 A by-name of Hegesistratus.

2 Hippias was the real ruler, 527-510 B.C.; Hipparchus was slain in 514 B.C.

3 Harmodius; Thuc. 6.54-57 gives the most trust-worthy account of this famous affair; cp. Book 9.1.4.

4 The rest of the story, such as the indignation of the citizens, the attack upon the tyrants in 514 B.C., the slaying of Hipparchus and Harmodius, and the like, are lacking in the Greek.

Diodorus Siculus. Diodorus of Sicily in Twelve Volumes with an English Translation by C. H. Oldfather. Vol. 4-8. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd. 1989.

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