Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-03-18
CLEMENCY.
Sentiments

Sentiments
Clemency Is not only the privilege
the honor, and the duty Of prince
but 1t is also his security, and better
than all his garrison ., forts, and
guards, to preserve H. rself and his
dominions in safety. II Is the bright
est jewel in the monarc as crown.
AS meekness moderates anger, so
clemency moderates punishment.
That prince is truly royal who mas
ters himself; looks upon all injuries
as below him; and governs by equity
and reason, not by passion.
Clemency Is profitabls for all; does
well in private persons, but Is much
more beneficial in princes.
Mischiefs contemned lose their force.
-Ei.t.se.l Examples. "a..
Avidius .Cassius having revolted
from the Emperor Marcus Aurelius,
and attempted to seize the govern
ment, the Empress Faustina, In a let
ter which she wrote to her husband,
pressed him to pursue the accomplices
Of Cassius with the utmost severity.
But the emperor, hearkenlng only to
the impulse Of his own good-nature,
returned her the following answer: u
have read your letter, my dear Faus-
tina, wherein you advise me to treat
the accomplices Of Caisius with the
utmost severity, which you think they
well deserve. This look upon as a
pledge Of the love you bear to your
husband and children; but give me
leave, my dear FaustinA, to spare the
children of Cassius. his n-in-law. and
his wife; and to write to the senate In
their behalf. Nothing can more rec
ommend a Roman emperor to the es-
TEEN Of the world than clemency; this
placed Caesar among the gods; this
consecrated Augustus; this procured
to your father the title Of Plus. am
srieved even for the death Of Cassius,
and wish It had been In my power to
save him. Be therefore satisfied, and
do not abandon yourself to revenge.
Marcus Aurelius Antonius Is protect
ed by the gods" Some Of his friends
openly blaming his clemency. and TAX
ing the liberty to tell him that Cas-
sius would not have been 80 generous
had fortune proved favorable to him,
the emperor Immediately replied, I'VE
have not lived nor served the gods so
Ill as to think they would favor Cas-
sius" He added, '"The misfortunes
Of some Of his predecessors were en-
tirely owing to their own Ill conduct
and cruelties, and that no good prince
had ever been overcome or slain by
an usurper.. Nero, Caligula, and DOM
titan (said he) deserved the doom that
overlook them. neither Otho nor VII
tellius was equal to the empire; and
the downfall of Galba was occasioned
by his avarice, an objectionable fault
in a prince. Gall. p. 80.
When Seleucus was informed Of the
resolution which Demetrius had TAX
en-, viz. Of resigning himself his pris.
oner, he was exceedingly pleased, and
having given the necessary directions
for the reception Of SO great person,
he could not help, even In the pres
ence of his whole court, breaking out
in these words: "It Is not the fortune
of Demetrius which has thus provided
for his safety, but mine, which hath
been watchful for my glory. I thank
her more for this, than for all the IA
vors she hath done me- because es-
TEEN an act of clemency more honora-
BILE than any victory" Accordingly, af-
ter he had provided for his own security
he did all that could be thought Of to
make confinement easy to Demetrius.
He ordered him royal entertainments
within doors, a fine stable Of horses,
and the use of noble park without. To
give him a relish for these pleasures
hopes were cherished, and promises OF
liberty intermixed; and Seleucus
seemed inclined to have done much
ruled by the insinuations OF his minis
ters.-Plut. in Demet.
The Council of Thirty, established at
Athens by Lysander, committed the
most execrable cruelties. Upon pre-
nf nctr mi
within their duty, and to prevent Sc.
ditions, they had caused guards to be
assigned them, had armed three thou
sand of the citizens for that purpose
and at the same time disarmed all the
rest. The whole city was in the ut
most terror and dismay. Whoever op.
posed their injustice and violence fell
a victim to their resentment. Riches
were q crime that never failed OF
drawing a sentence upon their owners
always followed with death, and the
confiscation Of estates; which the thir-
ty tyrants divided among themselves
They put more people to death, says
Xenophon, in eight months OF peace
than their enemies had done In a wal
of thirty years. All the citizens Of any
tained love Of liberty, quilted place
reduced to so hard and shameful slav-
cry, and sought elsewhere an asylum
and retreat, where they might live ir
safety. At the head Of these was
Thrasybulus, a person OF extraordinary
merit, and who beheld, with the most
lively affliction, the miseries OF his
country.
The Lacedemonians had the inhu.
manity to endeavor to deprive those
unhappy fugitives Of this last resource
They published an edict to prohibit
the cities Of Greece from giving them
refuge, decreed that they should be
delivered up to the thirty tyrants, and
condemned all such as should contra
vene the execution Of this edict, tc
pay fine Of five talents. Only two
cities rejected with disdain so unjust
an ordinance, Megara and Thebes; the
latter of which made decree to pun.
ish all persons whatsoever, thai
should see an Athenian attacked by his
enemies, without doing his utmost tt
assist him. Lysias, an orator Of SYRIA
cuse, who had been banished by the
thirty, raised five hundred soldiers al
his own expense, and sent them to the
aid Of the common country OF elo.
quence. Thrasybulus lost no time. AT
ter having taken Phyta, small fort ir
Attica, he marched TO Piraeus, OF
which he made himself master. The
thirty flew together with their troops
and battle ensued. The tyrants were
overthrown. Critias, the most savage
Of them all, was killed on the spot; ant
as the army were taking to flight
Thrasybulus cried out, Wherefore dc
you fly from me as from a victor, rath'
er than assist me as the avenger OF
your liberty? We are not enemies
but fellow citizens; nor have we de-
clared war against the city, but agains
the thirty tyrants." He continued
with bidding them to remember, tha'
they had the same origin, country
laws, and religion; he exhorted them
to compassionate their exiled breth-
rem, to restore their country to them
and to resume their own liberty. Thi!
discourse had the desired effect. The
army, upon their return to Athens
expelled the thirty, and substituted ter
persons to govern in their room, whose
conduct proved no better than theirs
but King Pausanias moved with com.
passion for the deplorable condition t
which a city, once so fiourishing, wa:
reduced. had the generosity to favor
the Athenians in secret, and at las
ohtained neape for them II was