Plutarch, Solon
Bernadotte Perrin, Ed.

[2] Solon, on the contrary, could not secure this feature in his commonwealth, since he was a man of the people and of modest station; yet he in no wise acted short of his real power, relying as he did only on the wishes of the citizens and their confidence in him. Nevertheless he gave offence to the greater part of them, who expected different results, as he himself says of them in the lines—

Then they had extravagant thoughts of me, but now, incensed,
All look askance at me, as if I were their foe

¹ And yet had any other man, he says, acquired the same power,

He had not held the people down, nor made an end
Until he had confounded all, and skimmed the cream.