Theramenes, however, seeing the city thus falling into ruin, was
displeased with their proceedings, and counselled them to cease such
unprincipled conduct and let the better classes have a share in the
government. At first they resisted his advice, but when his proposals
came to be known abroad, and the masses began to associate themselves
with him, they were seized with alarm lest he should make himself the
leader of the people and destroy their despotic power. Accordingly
they drew up a list of three thousand citizens, to whom they announced
that they would give a share in the constitution. Theramenes, however,
criticized this scheme also, first on the ground that, while proposing
to give all respectable citizens a share in the constitution, they were
actually giving it only to three thousand persons, as though all merit
were confined within that number; and secondly because they were doing
two inconsistent things, since they made the government rest on the
basis of force, and yet made the governors inferior in strength to the
governed. However, they took no notice of his criticisms, and for a
long time put off the publication of the list of the Three Thousand and
kept to themselves the names of those who had been placed upon it; and
every time they did decide to publish it they proceeded to strike out
some of those who had been included in it, and insert others who had
been omitted.