The Repulse of Persia and the Athenian Empire 193 They are such useful teachers, it is a pity they are such an Skepticism irreverent crew, these Sophists ; but when one of them actually writes a book which begins with a statement doubting the ex- istence of the gods, what is a citizen to do but vote that the book be burned ? And the worst of it is that there are several bookshops in the city and people read such books. Why, even the sausage-peddler who delivers meat at the citizen's door can read ! And the book was read aloud in the house of Euripides too ! There should be no hesitation in condemning and banish- ing such infidels, even if they are friends of Pericles, and he steps in to help them. But the citizen and his friend chuckle as they recall how Pericles was well roasted for it in the last comic play (comedy) they went to see. In spite of the fact that the Sophists teach a little arithmetic. Science geometiy, and astronomy, natural science is a line of progress of which the Athenian citizen has not the slightest notion. To be sure, he has seen on the Pnyx (Fig. 89) a strange-looking tablet set up by Meton, the builder and engineer ; it is said to Meton's be a calendar which will bring the short moon-month year (p. 62) ^^ ^" ^^ and the long solar year together every nineteen years. But this is all quite beyond the citizen's puzzled mind. Moreover, the archons have -all shaken their heads at it and will have nothing to do with it. The old moon months are good enough for them. But practical men like Meton, whose callings in life carry them into such investigations, are making much progress in science. The physician especially has largely outgrown the old Egyptian Medicine medical roll (p. 44) which his fathers found very useful ; he has made many important and new observations of his own, and there is even a Greek physician in Persia at the court of the Great King. Interesting progress is being made in mathematics also by the surveyor, and a new science known as 'Mand- Geometry measuring," geometry, is taking form. The reader will readily perceive how different from the Athens Athens the of the old days before the Persian wars was this imperial the world Athens ! — throbbing with new life, astir with a thousand
