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Harrington, James, 1611-1677

"The Commonwealth of Oceana"

...Aratus de Isthmo
The Switz Alpester de Fulmine
Holland and the United Provinces Glaucus de Ulna
Rome...... Dolabella de Enyo
Venice..... Lynceus de Stella
These contained in them all those excellencies whereof a
commonwealth is capable; so that to have added more had been to
no purpose. Upon time given to the councillors, by their own
studies and those of their friends, to prepare themselves, they
were opened in the order, and by the persons mentioned at the
Council of legislators, and afterward by order of the same were
repeated at the council of the prytans to the people; for in
drawing of the lots, there were about a dozen of them inscribed
with the letter P, whereby the councillors that drew them became
prytans.
The prytans were a committee or council sitting in the great
hall of Pantheon, to whom it was lawful for any man to offer
anything in order to the fabric of the commonwealth; for which
cause, that they might not be oppressed by the throng, there was
a rail about the table where they sat, and on each side of the
same a pulpit; that on the right hand for any man that would
propose anything, and that on the left for any other that would
oppose him. And all parties (being indemnified by proclamation of
the Archon) were invited to dispute their own interests, or
propose whatever they thought fit (in order to the future
government) to the council of the prytans, who, having a guard of
about two or three hundred men, lest the heat of dispute might
break the peace, had the right of moderators, and were to report
from time to time such propositions or occurrences as they
thought fit, to the Council of legislators sitting more privately
in the palace called Alma.


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