great and wonderful design, he gathered together all the
inhabitants of Attica into one town, and made them one people of
one city, whereas before they lived dispersed, and were not easy
to assemble upon any affair, for the common interest. Nay, the
differences and even wars often occurred between them, which he by
his persuasions appeased, going form township to township, and
from tribe to tribe. And those of a more private and mean
condition readily embracing such good advice, to those of greater
power he promised a commonwealth without monarchy, a democracy, or
people's government, in which he should only be continued as their
commander in war and the protector of their laws, all things else
being equally distributed among them;--and by this means brought
a part of them over to his proposal. The rest, fearing his power,
which was already grown very formidable, and knowing his courage
and resolution, chose rather to be persuaded than forced into a
compliance. He then dissolved all the distant state-houses,
council halls, and magistracies, and built one common state-house
(the Prytaneum) and council hall on the site of the present upper
town, and gave the name of Athens to the whole state, ordaining a
common feast and sacrifice, which he called Panathenaea, or the
sacrifice of all the united Athenians. He instituted also another
sacrifice, called Metoecia, or Feast of Migration, which is yet
celebrated on the sixteenth day of Hecatombaeon. Then, as he had
promised, he laid down his regal power and proceeded to order a
commonwealth, entering upon this great work not without advice
from the gods. For having sent to consult the oracle of Delphi
concerning the fortune of his new government and city, he received
this answer:

Son of the Pitthean maid,