Political Science Of The State

POLITICAL SCIENCE.

people were asked whether the conduct of the pubi;c officers
satisfied them, and at this time any citizen could brin<r a pub
lie complaint against any functionary on which the courts of
justice would act, if the people thought the complaint to haye
a sufficient ground ; or the people itself might remove a man
from his office by vote. Again, when the official year was
closed or any especial agency was terminated, which involved
the use of public money, the officer appeared before the
board of legist* to give in his reports, and his accounts were
referred by them to still another board, the euthynte. who
were authorized to bring cases of misuse of pubijc 'funds
before the courts; or, finally, any private person mio-ht

appear as an accuser.

The dokimasia of the nine archons will show th* ,«,« *

*.i A j.i • t . c <iniounc

_. . of caution the Athenians used m resnert- t-n f^

Dokimasias. . . . . , . ic^pect tO the

most important magistrates. The examinin-
board was the council of five hundred, who inquired *t
into their knowledge of law—- where both parties would 1
failed alike— but whether they were Athenians on both f- tl '
and mother's side, to what deme they belonged, wheth tl
honored Apollo Patrous and Zeus Herceius with th * - ^
ship, whether they had shown filial piety toward the'
ents, had performed the required military service and ^~
sessed the requisite property. The generals also ^ *
whether they were living in legitimate marriage and h Id
estate in Attica. A few responsible officers were th
quired by law to hold landed property, although after tl~
lot was used the archons probably, being selected by 1
not of this number. 'All this care shows that the At! ^^
felt it necessary to check the facility of electing ^ nemans
men by especial examination of their fitness, and th J b ' "
sia was the make- weight for the evils of the lot an/ f *"
lar election. ^ °f P°PU"

The courts of Athens are the most remarkable f
r ^ » . the polity, and probably had a ar~a, te?ure of

Courts of justice, r ,. . . ,.r , J SrGatcr

,. . . ,.r ,

on political life than can be found in

U" °

n
any other state, ancient or modern. When K* ^U!"tS °
tae Heliastic