more significant in the groups of citizens banding together and
forecasting the character of this future constitution; till at length
Theramenes spoke again, protesting:--There was no help for it but to
associate with themselves a sufficient number of persons in the
conduct of affairs, or the oligarchy would certainly come to an end.
Critias and the rest of the Thirty, whose fears had already converted
Theramenes into a dangerous popular idol, proceeded at once to draw up
a list of three thousand citizens; fit and proper persons to have a
share in the conduct of affairs. But Theramenes was not wholly
satisfied, "indeed he must say, for himself, he regarded it as
ridiculous, that in their effort to associate the better classes with
themselves in power, they should fix on just that particular number,
three thousand, as if that figure had some necessary connection with
the exact number of gentlemen in the State, making it impossible to
discover any respectability outside or rascality within the magic
number. And in the second place," he continued, "I see we are trying
to do two things, diametrically opposed; we are manufacturing a
government, which is based on force, and at the same time inferior in
strength to those whom we propose to govern." That was what he said,
but what his colleagues did, was to institute a military inspection or
review. The Three Thousand were drawn up in the Agora, and the rest of
the citizens, who were not included in the list, elsewhere in various
quarters of the city. The order to take arms was given;[7] but while
the men's backs were turned, at the bidding of the Thirty, the
Laconian guards, with those of the citizens who shared their views,
appeared on the scene and took away the arms of all except the Three
Thousand, carried them up to the Acropolis, and safely deposited them
in the temple.

[7] Or, "a summons to the 'place d'armes' was given; but." Or, "the