Sentence:  ... when one of their kings dies, not only the Spartans, but a certain number of the country people from every part of Laconia are forced, whether they will or no, to attend the funeral. So these persons and the <WSD>helots</WSD>, and likewise the Spartans themselves, flock together to the number of several thousands, men and women intermingled; and all of them smite their foreheads violently, and weep and wall without stint, saying always that their last king was the best. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A member of the ancient Spartan class of serfs.