66. Athens, which even before that time was great, then, after having
been freed from despots, became gradually yet greater; and in it two
men exercised power, namely Cleisthenes a descendant of Alcmaion, the
same who is reported to have bribed the Pythian prophetess, and
Isagoras, the son of Tisander, of a family which was highly reputed,
but of his original descent I am not able to declare; his kinsmen
however offer sacrifices to the Carian Zeus. These men came to party
strife for power; and then Cleisthenes was being worsted in the
struggle, he made common cause with the people. After this he caused
the Athenians to be in ten tribes, who were formerly in four; and he
changed the names by which they were called after the sons of Ion,
namely Geleon, Aigicoreus, Argades, and Hoples, and invented for them
names taken from other heroes, all native Athenians except Ajax, whom
he added as a neighbour and ally, although he was no Athenian.

67. Now in these things it seems to me that this Cleisthenes was
imitating his mother's father Cleisthenes the despot of Sikyon: for
Cleisthenes when he went to war with Argos first caused to cease in
Sikyon the contests of rhapsodists, which were concerned with the
poems of Homer, because Argives and Argos are celebrated in them
almost everywhere; then secondly, since there was (as still there is)
in the market-place itself of the Sikyonians a hero-temple of Adrastos
the son of Talaos, Cleisthenes had a desire to cast him forth out of
the land, because he was an Argive. So having come to Delphi he
consulted the Oracle as to whether he should cast out Adrastos; and
the Pythian prophetess answered him saying that Adrastos was king of
the Sikyonians, whereas he was a stoner[55] of them. So since the god
did not permit him to do this, he went away home and considered means
by which Adrastos should be brought to depart of his own accord: and
when he thought that he had discovered them, he sent to Thebes in