extended the influence of his country in the Peloponnese, and promoted its commercial importance by the introduction of a new coinage, for which he first set up a mint in the island of Ægina. We must not be led astray by the modern meaning of tyrant and tyranny. A Greek tyrannus did not necessarily mean an oppressive ruler, but one who obtained power contrary to the laws.
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COINS OF ÆGINA.
Still, though he did not
always rule badly, the rule of a single man supported
by force is certain sooner or later to offend large
classes of citizens. Sometimes this came about
because the man himself, or more often his son
and successor, was corrupted by the possession of
absolute power, and became a tyrant in the modern
sense. Sometimes it was even because he aimed too
high, and tried to enforce good laws more strictly
than the people would bear.
Resistance or dis-
