Observing the irregularity of the months, and that the motions of the moon did not accord either with the rising or setting of the sun, but that frequently she in the same day overtakes and passes by him, he ordered that day to be called “the old and the new,” and that the part of it before their conjunction should belong to the old month, while the rest of the day after it belonged to the new one, being, it seems, the first to rightly interpret the verse of Homer—­

    “The old month ended and the new began.”

He called the next day that of the new moon.  After the twentieth, he no longer reckoned forwards, but backwards, as the moon decreased, until the thirtieth of the month.

When Solon had passed all his laws, as people came to him every day to praise or blame, or advise him to add or take away from what he had written, while innumerable people wanted to ask questions, and discuss points, and kept bidding him explain what was the object of this or that regulation, he, feeling that he could not do all this, and that, if he did not, his motives would be misunderstood; wishing, moreover, to escape from troubles and the criticism and fault-finding of his countrymen [for, as he himself writes, it is “Hard in great measures every one to please"], made his private commercial business an excuse for leaving the country, and set sail after having obtained from the Athenians leave of absence for ten years.  In this time he thought they would become used to his laws.

XXVI.  He first went to Egypt, where he spent some time, as he himself says,

    “At Nilus’ outlets, by Canopus’ strand.”

And he also discussed points of philosophy with Psenophis of Heliopolis, and with Sonchis of Sais, the most distinguished of the Egyptian priests.  From them he heard the tale of the island Atlantis, as we are told by Plato, and endeavoured to translate it into a poetical form for the enjoyment of his countrymen.  He next sailed to Cyprus, where he was warmly received by Philocyprus, one of the local sovereigns, who ruled over a small city founded by Demophon, the son of Theseus, near the river Klarius, in a position which was easily defended, but inconvenient.

As a fair plain lay below, Solon persuaded him to remove the city to a pleasanter and less contracted site, and himself personally superintended the building of the new city, which he arranged so well both for convenience and safety, that many new settlers joined Philocyprus, and he was envied by the neighbouring kings.  For this reason, in honour of Solon, he named the new city Soloi, the name of the old one having been Aipeia.  Solon himself mentions this event, in one of his elegiac poems, in which he addresses Philocyprus, saying—­

                         “Long may’st thou reign,
      Ruling thy race from Soloi’s throne with glory,
    But me may Venus of the violet crown
      Send safe away from Cyprus famed in story. 
    May Heaven to these new walls propitious prove,
    And bear me safely to the land I love.”