Page:History of Greece Vol VII.djvu/193

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175
175

MEASURES AGAINST ALKIBlADES. 175 caricaturing and divulging the Eleusinian mysteries. Jt was under this latter head that the first impeachment was preferred against Alkibiades. So fully were the preparations of the armament now com plete, that the trireme of Lamachus who was doubtless more diligent about the military details than either of his two col- leagues was already moored in the outer harbor, and the last public assembly was held for the departing officers, 1 who proba- bly laid before their countrymen an imposing account of the force assembled, when Pythonikus rose to impeach Alkibiades, " Athenians," said he, " you are going to despatch this great force and incur all this hazard, at a moment when I am pre- i extract from this treatise a passage showing how as in this mutilation of the Herman at Athens the occurrence of one act of sacrilege turns men's imagination, belief, and talk, to others, real or imaginary: li Tandis quo Bclleval ourdissoit secretement cctte trame, il arriva mal- hcTircuscment quo le crucifix do bois, pose sur le pont d' Abbeville, ctoit ondommage, et 1'on souptjonna quo des soldats ivres avoicnt commis ccttc insolence impie. " Malheureusemcnt 1'eveque u'Amiens, etant aussi cveque d' Abbeville, donna a cette avcnturc tine cclc'brite et unc importance qu'elle ne meritoit pas. II fit lancer dcs monitoires : il vint faire une procession solennelle aupres du crucifix ; ct on ne parla en Abbeville que de sacrileges pendant une annee entiere. On disoit qu'il se formoit une nouvelle sccte qui brisoit les crucifix, qui jettoit par terre toutes les hosties, et les permit a coups de couteaux. On assuroit qu'ils avoient re'pandu beaucoup de sang. II y cut des femmes qui crurent en avoir cte temoins. On renouvela tous les contes calomnieux repandues contre les Juifs dans tant de villes de 1'Europe. Vous connoissez, Monsieur, jusqu'a. quel point la populace porte la crcdu- lite et le fanatisme, toujours encourage par les moines. "La procedure une fois commcncee, il y cut une foule do delations. Chacun disoit ce qu'il avoit vu ou era voir ce qu'il avoit entendu ou cru entendre." It will be recollected that the sentence on the Chevalier de la Barre was passed, not by the people, nor by any popular judicature, but by a limited court of professional judges sitting at Abbeville, and afterwards confirmed by the Parlement de Paris, the first tribunal of professional judges in France. 1 Andokides (Dc Myster. s. 11) marks this time minutely T Hi filv }<lp ^KK^Tjaia rol<; crparriyolg roif elf SiKe/U'ay, Nt/cz Kal Aa[xu%(,) nat 'A/l/a/Smdp, xat rpirjprif T/ arparnylf tj^r) e^upfta ij Aa/J.a%ov uvaaruf 6e Hv&oviKrg ev rq

, etc.