Plutarch Lives Solan and Publicola

Plutarch Even today it is difficult enough for historians to write about something that occurred not even 50 or 100 years ago, because of all the many simultaneous events and viewpoints on the issues. They have to look at all the facts and determine what is the overlying "truth." Most often, these specialists will have their own personal perspective.

Imagine, then, the challenge that Mestrius Plutarch had when writing about something that happened 300 years before his time, when extensively less materials on his subject were available and he often had to rely on ancient manuscripts no long present today. In his most-known writing, Lives, Plutarch may have sometimes filled in the blanks or stretched the truth, but this sizeable volume of work still remains one of the major sources of his period of time.

Born during the reign of Roman Emperor Claudius in Greece, Plutarch produced an extensive body of writing including his most important, Lives, a series of biographies of famous Greek and Roman men, arranged in pairs to illuminate their common moral virtues or failings. An example of these pairings is Solon and Publicola. In the former, Plutarch writes about the logically minded, Greek statesman and lawgiver Solon who somehow learned how to find a successful governmental middle ground between the needs of the aristocrats and the general public.

Solon is often called the founder of Athenian democracy, despite his tyrannical ways. Although his laws would not be considered democratic by later standards, they did set the foundation for future governments. In the first section of Solon, Plutarch shows how even in youth this man was a worldly individual, extensively traveling and developing relations with the most revered men and lawgivers of his era. According to Plutarch, eighth century Athens was essentially ruled by a council of very wealthy nobles called the Areopagus.

They stripped the king of most of his power and developed an oligarthy, which irresponsibly caused the economic devastation of the average Greek farmer. In order to pay off their fines, the farmers sold their family members and themselves into slavery both in Athens and abroad. In order to keep threats of a revolution at bay, both the noblemen and farmers agree to put Solon in charge, because of his knowledge and objectivity -- or, as noted above, ability to ride a fine line.

Solon quickly ripped up all outstanding debts and freed as many Athenians as possible. He banned loans secured by slavery and tried to return slaves from abroad. He also encouraged the development of olive and wine production for the farmers. Solon's economic changes were coupled with a new class structure.

He divided Athenian society into four classes based on wealth: the two wealthiest could serve on the Areopagus; the third class could be part of an elected council of four hundred people, which represented the four tribes and acted as a checks and balance system of the noble classs; and the fourth, or poorest class, was allowed to participate in an assembly that voted on affairs brought to it by the council.

This lower class also took part in a new judicial court, which eventually removed civil and military cases from the hands of the wealthiest people. It is seen throughout history that individuals such as Solon who are able to prove themselves a worthy balancing act, do not last as long as those who are regarded as the strong supporter of one side over another.

Thus, although he was a respected leader due to his political changes, Solon's state did not last a long period of time because the economic problems did not get resolved. Plutarch next wrote about the Roman Publius Valerius, later named Publicola or Poplicola ("friend of the people") by proposing measures that gave individuals the right of appeal).

As Plutarch stated: "Such was Solon, and with him we compare Publicola, to whom the Roman people gave this surname later as a mark of honour." Publicola became powerful after the expulsion of the king Tarquin the Proud and the death of the man who expelled him, Lucius Junius Brutus. Instead of giving into selfish ambitions, Valerius took the role of public supporter.

One of his first acts was to alter the process involved with the "fasces," a package of the stems of elm or birch and an axe bound by a red belt. This symbolized authority under Roman monarchy and the republic. He also increased the number of senators, passed laws "which added much to the peoples' liberty," made it a capital crime to usurp any magistracy without the people's consent, and relieved the poor of taxes. Meanwhile, he continually had to fight Tarquin, who was trying to regain his throne.

Publicola had such an impact that in the United States Federalist Papers, the name Publius stands for the ideal of a republican citizen, who estimated and evaluated the public good higher than his personal interest.

Finally, Plutarch compares Solon to Publicola noting that the "second imitated the first, and first bore witness for the second." Plutarch says that despite the fact that Solon and Publius were both lawgivers, the latter gave everything to the Roman people, destroying even his own house when they became jealous of its seeming beauty and ostentation. The more aloof Solon gave the Athenian people only laws that they were capable of receiving, but still came to grief over his qualified estimation of their capacity.

Of the people, he wrote: "True, you are singly each a crafty soul / But all together make one empty fool." Plutarch concludes that people may say that Solon won back Salamis for the Athenians, but Publicola gave up territories that the Romans had acquired. "But we must view men's actions in the light of the times which call them forth." Thus through his actions, Publicola saved all that was assuredly his own and also procured the camp of their besiegers and its stores.

He made his adversary judge, won the case and received what his people would willingly have given for victory. Many.