SPARTA, or Lacedaemon, the capital of the country of Laconia in Greece, an ancient and most renowned state, the inhabitants of which have been in all ages celebrated for the singularity of their laws and character. The his tory of Sparta for many ages is entirely fabulous; and the authentic accounts commence only with the celebrated lawgiver Lycurgus, who flourished about 870 b. c.

After his death, the first important transaction which we find mentioned in the Spartan history is the Messenian war, which commenced in the year 752 b. c., and ended in the total reduction of the Messenian territory. During this period, according to some authors, a great change took place in the government of Sparta. This was the creation of the ephori, which is ascribed to one of the kings named Theopompus. Perceiving that there was a necessity for leaving magistrates to execute the laws, when the kings were obliged to be in the field, he appointed the magistrates above mentioned, who afterwards made so great a figure in the state. One great privilege of the ephori was, that they did not, like all other magistrates, rise up at the presence of the kings: another was, that if the kings offended against the laws, the ephori took cognizance of the offence, and inflicted a suitable punishment. From the first election of the ephori the year was denominated, as at Athens from the first election of the archons.

The conquest of Messenia gave Sparta the superiority over the rest of the states, excepting only that of Athens, which for a long time continued to be a very troublesome rival; but the contests between these two rival states have been so fully related under the article Attica, that no thing more is requisite to be added in this place. In the time of the Persian war, Leonidas as the Spartan king, distinguished himself an such a manner, as to become the ad miration not only of that but of every succeeding age. It being resolved in a general council to defend the straits of Thermopylae against the Persians, 7000 foot were put un der the command of Leonidas; of whom, however, only 200 were Spartans. Leonidas did not think it practicable to defend the pass against such multitudes as the Persian king commanded; and therefore privately told his friends, that his design was to devote himself to death for his coun try. Xerxes advancing near the straits, was strangely surprised to find that the Greeks were resolved to dispute his passage; for he had always flattered himself, that on his approach they would betake themselves to flight, and not attempt to oppose his innumerable forces. Still however[7:20:526] entertaining some hopes of their flight, he waited four days without undertaking any thing, on purpose to give them time to retreat. During this interval, he used his utmost endeavours to gain and corrupt Leonidas, promising to make him master of Greece if he would espouse his interest. His offers being rejected with contempt and indignation, the king ordered him by a herald to deliver up his arms. Leonidas, in a style and with a spirit truly laconical, answered, “Come thyself, and take them.” Xerxes, trans ported with rage at this reply, commanded the Medes and Cissians to march against them, seize them all alive, and bring them to him in fetters. The Medes, not able to stand the shock of the Greeks, soon betook themselves to flight. In their room, Hydames was ordered to advance with that body which was called Immortal, and consisted of 10,000 chosen men; but when these assailed the Greeks, they succeeded no better than the Medes and Cissians, being obliged to retire with great slaughter. The next day the Persians, reflecting on the small number of their ene mies, and supposing so many of them to be wounded that they could not possibly maintain a second fight, resolved to make another attempt; but, with all their efforts, they could not make the Greeks give way; on the contrary, they were themselves put to a shameful flight. The valour of the Greeks exerted itself in a manner so extraordinary, that Xerxes is said to have three times leaped from his throne, apprehending the entire destruction of his army.

Having lost all hopes of forcing his way through troops that were determined to conquer or die, he was extremely perplexed and doubtful what measures he should adopt in this posture of affairs, when one Epialtes, in expectation of a great reward, came to him, and discovered a secret passage to the top of the hill which overlooked and commanded the Spartan forces. The king immediately order ed Hydarnes thither with his select body of 10,000 Persians; who, marching all night, arrived at break of day, and possessed themselves of that advantageous post. The Phocaeans, who defended this pass, being overpowered by the enemy’s numbers, retired with precipitation to the very top of the mountain, prepared to die gallantly. But Hydarnes, neglecting to pursue them, marched down the mountain with all possible expedition, in order to attack in the rear those who defended the straits. Leonidas being now apprised that it was impossible to withstand the ene my, obliged the rest of his allies to retire; but he himself remained with the Thespians, Thebans, and 300 Lacedaemonians, all resolved to die with their leader; who, being told by the oracle, that either Sparta should be destroyed or the king lose his life, determined, without the least hesitation, to sacrifice himself for his country. The Thebans indeed remained against their inclination, being detained by Leonidas as hostages; for they were suspected to favour the Persians. The Thespians, with their leader Demophilus, could not be prevailed upon to abandon Leonidas and the Spartans. The augur Megis tias, who had foretold the event of this enterprise, being pressed by Leonidas to retire, sent home his only son; but he remained himself, and died by Leonidas. Those who were left did not indulge any hope of conquering or escap ing, but looked upon Thermopylae as their grave; and when Leonidas, exhorting them to take some nourishment, said, that they should all sup together with Pluto, they with one accord raised a shout of joy, as if they had been invited to the banquet.

Xerxes, after pouring out a libation at the rising of the sun, began to move with the whole body of his army, as he had been advised by Epialtes. Upon their approach, Leonidas advanced to the broadest part of the passage, and fell upon the enemy with such undaunted courage and re solution, that the Persian officers were obliged to stand behind the divisions which they commanded, in order to prevent the flight of their men. Great numbers of the enemy falling into the sea, were drowned; others were trampled under foot by their companions, and very many killed by the Greeks; who, knowing they could not avoid death upon the arrival of those who were advancing to fall upon their rear, made prodigious efforts of valour. In this action fell the brave Leonidas; which Abrocomes and Hyperanthes, two of the brothers of Xerxes, observing, advanced with great resolution to seize his body, and carry it in triumph to Xerxes. But the Lacedaemonians, more eager to defend it than their own lives, repulsed the ene my four times, killed both the royal brothers, with many other commanders of distinction, and rescued the body of their beloved general out of the enemy’s hands. But in the mean time, the army that was led by the treacherous Epialtes, advancing to attack their rear, they retired to the narrowest part of the passage, and all drawing together, except the Thebans, posted themselves on a rising ground. In this place they made head against the Persians, who assaulted them on all sides, till at length, not vanquished, but oppressed and overwhelmed by numbers, they all fell, except one who escaped to Sparta, where he was treated as a coward and traitor to his country; but he afterwards made a glorious reparation in the battle of Plataea, where he distinguished himself in an extraordinary manner. Some time after, a magnificent monument was erected at Thermopylae, in honour of those brave defenders of Greece, with two inscriptions; the one general, and relating to all those who died on this occasion, importing, that the Greeks of Peloponnesus, to the number only of 4000, made head against the Persian army, consisting of 3,000,000. The other related to the Spartans in particular, and was corn posed by the poet Simonides, to this purport: “Go, passen ger, and acquaint the Spartans that we died here in obedience to their just commands.” At those tombs a funeral oration was yearly pronounced in honour of the departed heroes, and public games were celebrated with great solemnity. In these none but the Lacedaemonians and Thespians had any share, to show that they alone were concern ed in the glorious defence of Thermopylae.

At the end of the 77th Olympiad, a most dreadful earth quake happened at Sparta, in which, according to Diodorus, 20,000 persons lost their lives; and Plutarch avers, that only five houses were left standing in the whole city. On this occasion the Helotes, or slaves, whom the Spartans had all along treated with the utmost cruelty, attempted to revenge themselves, by taking up arms, and marching directly to the ruins of the city, in hopes of cutting off at once those who had escaped from the earthquake. But their attempt was defeated by the prudence of the Spartan king Archidamus; for observing that the citizens were more desirous of preserving their effects than taking care of their own lives, he caused an alarm to be sounded, as if he had known that an enemy was at hand. On this the citizens armed themselves in haste with such weapons as they could come at; and having marched a little way from the city, met the Helotes, whom they soon compelled to retire. The latter however knowing that they had now no mercy to expect from those who had already treated them with such cruelty, resolved to defend themselves to the last Having therefore seized a seaport town in Mes senia, they from thence made such incursions into the Spartan territories, that they compelled those imperious masters to ask assistance from the Athenians. This was immediately granted; but when the Spartans saw that the skill of the Athenians in besieging towns was much greater than their own, they became jealous, and dismissed their allies, declaring that they had now no further occasion for their services. On this the Athenians left them in dis gust; and as the Helotes and Messenians did not choose to come to an engagement with a Spartan army in the[7:20:527] field, but took shelter in their fortified places, the war was protracted for upwards of ten years. The Helotes were at last reduced to their former misery; and the Messenians were obliged to leave Peloponnesus, on pain of being likewise made slaves. These poor people were then received by the Athenians, who granted them Naupactus for their residence, and afterwards brought them back to a part of their own country, from whence in the course of the Peloponnesian war they had driven the Spartans.

The Peloponnesian war commenced in the year 431 b. c.; but for its details we must refer to the article Attica . This war ended most unfortunately for the Athenians; for their city was taken and dismantled. Thus were the Spar tains raised to the highest pitch of glory; and in the reign of Agesilaus, they seemed to be on the point of subverting the Persian empire. But here their good fortune and their views of empire were suddenly checked. Agesilaus had carried on the war in Asia with the greatest success; and as he would hearken to no terms of accommodation, a Per sian governor named Tithraustes, having first attempted in vain to bribe the king, dispatched Timocrates the Rhodian with fifty talents into Greece, in order to try whether he could there meet with any persons less incorruptible than the Spartan monarch. This agent found many who inclined to accept his offers; particularly in Thebes, Corinth, and Argos. By distributing the money in a proper manner, he inflamed the inhabitants of these three cities against the Spartans; and the Thebans listened to his terms with the greatest readiness. They saw that their antagonists would not of their own accord break with any of the states of Greece, and did not choose to begin the war themselves, because the chiefs of the Persian taction were unwilling to be accountable for the event. For this reason they persuaded the Locrians to invade a small district which lay in dispute betwixt the Phocians and themselves. The Phocians accordingly invaded Locris; the Locrians applied to the Thebans, and the Phocians to the Spartans. The latter were glad of an opportunity of breaking with the Thebans; but met with a much warmer reception than they expected. Their old general Lysander, who had reduced Athens, was defeated and slain, along with a thousand of his soldiers. On this disaster Agesilaus was recalled, and was obliged to relinquish all hopes of conquering the Persians. His re turn changed the fortune of the war so much, that all the states began to grow weary of a contest from which nobody derived any advantage except the king of Persia. In a short time a treaty was concluded, known in history by the name of the peace of Antalcidas. The terms of this treaty were highly disadvantageous and dishonourable to the Greeks; for even the Spartans, though successful in Greece, had lost a great battle at sea with the Persian fleet under Conon the Athenian, and this event entirely broke their power in Asia.

By the peace of Antalcidas, the government of Boeotia was taken from the Thebans, which they had for a long time enjoyed; and they were so much provoked, that at first they absolutely refused to accede to the treaty; but as Agesilaus made great preparations to invade them, they at last thought proper to comply. It was not however long be fore a new war commenced, which threatened the total sub version of the Spartan state. As, by the peace of Antalcidas, the king of Persia had in a manner guaranteed the sovereignty of Greece to Sparta, this republic very soon be gan to exercise its power to the utmost extent. The Mantineans were the first who felt the weight of their resent ment, although they had been their allies and confederates. In order to find a pretext for making war against them, they commanded them to quit their city, and to retire into five old villages, which, they said, had served their forefathers, and where they would live in peace themselves, and give no umbrage to their neighbours. As they refused to obey, an army was sent against them to besiege their city. The siege was continued through the summer with very little success on the part of the Spartans; but having during the winter season dammed up the river on which the city stood, the water rose to such a height, as either to overflow or throw down the houses; and the Mantineans were thus compelled to submit to the terms prescribed to them, and to retire into the villages. The Spartan vengeance next fell on the Phliasians and Olynthians, whom they forced to come into such measures as they thought proper. After this they assailed the Thebans, and, by attempting to seize on the Piraeum, drew the Athenians also into the quarrel. But here their career was arrested: the Thebans had been taught the art of war by Chabrias the Athenian; so that even Agesilaus himself took the command of the Spartan army in vain. At sea they were defeated by Timotheus the son of Conon; and by land the battle of Leuctra put an end to the superiority which Sparta had retained over Greece for nearly five hundred years.

After this dreadful defeat, the Spartans had occasion to exert all their courage and resolution. The women and nearest relations of those who were killed in battle, instead of spending their time in lamentations, shook each other by the hand, while the relations of those who had escaped from the battle hid themselves among the women; or if they were obliged to go abroad, they appeared in tattered clothes, with their arms folded, and their eyes fixed on the ground. It was a law among the Spartans, that such as fled from battle should be degraded from their honours, should be constrained to appear in garments patch ed with divers colours, to wear their beards half-shaved, and without resistance to suffer any to beat them who pleased. At present however this law was suspended; and Agesilaus, by his prudent conduct, kept up the spirits of the people, at the same time that by his skill in military affairs he check ed the progress of the enemy. Yet, during the lifetime of Epaminondas the Theban general, the progress of the war was greatly to the disadvantage of the Spartans; but he being killed at the battle of Mantinea, all parties soon became desirous of peace. Agesilaus did not long survive; and with him, we may affirm, perished the glory of Sparta. Soon after this all the states of Greece fell under the power of Alexander the Great; and the Spartans, as well as the rest, having become corrupt, and lost their martial spirit, became a prey to domestic tyrants, and to foreign invaders. They however maintained their ground with great resolution against the celebrated Pyrrhus king of Epirus; whom they repulsed for three days successively, though not without assistance from one of the captains of Antigonus. Soon after this, one of the kings of Sparta named Agis, perceiving the universal degeneracy that had taken place, made an attempt to restore the laws and discipline of Lycurgus, by which he supposed the state would be restored to its former glory. But though at first he met with some appearance of success, he was in a short time tried and condemed by the ephori as a traitor to his country. Cleomenes, however, who ascended the throne in 216 b. c. accomplished the reformation which Agis had in vain attempted. He suppressed the ephori; cancelled all debts; divided the lands equally, as they had been in the time of Lycurgus; and put an end to the luxury which prevailed among the citizens. But at last he was overborne by the number of enemies which surround ed him; and being defeated in battle by Antigonus, he fled to Egypt, where he put an end to his own life. With him perished every hope of retrieving the affairs of Sparta: the city for the present fell into the hands of Antigonus; after which a succession of tyrants gained and lost the ascendency, till at last all disturbances were ended by the Romans, who reduced Greece to the condition of a pro vince.

It only remains to make some observations on the cha[7:20:528] racter, manners, and customs of the Spartans, which, as they were founded on the laws of Lycurgus, may best be 1eam ed from a view of those laws.

The institutions of Lycurgus were divided into twelve tables. The first comprehended such of the Spartan laws as regarded religion. The statues of all the gods and god desses, even to Venus herself, were represented in armour; in order that the people might conceive a military life the most noble and honourable, and not attribute, as other nations did, sloth and luxury to the gods. As to sacrifices, they consisted of things of very small value; for which Lycur gus himself gave this reason, that want might never hinder them from worshipping the gods. They were forbidden to make long or rash prayers, and were enjoined to ask no more than that they might live honestly and discharge their duty. Graves were permitted to be made within the bounds of the city, contrary to the custom of most of the Greek nations; nay, they buried the dead near the temples, that all degrees of people might be made familiar with death, and not conceive it such a dreadful thing as it was generally esteemed elsewhere. On the same account, the touching dead bodies, or assisting at funerals, made none unclean, but these were held to be as innocent and honourable duties as any other. There was nothing thrown into the grave with the dead body; magnificent sepulchres were forbidden; nor did they even permit an inscription, however plain or modest. Tears, sighs, outcries, were not allowed in public, because they were thought dishonourable in Spartans, whom their law giver would have to bear all things with equanimity. Mourning was limited to eleven days; on the twelfth the mourner sacrified to Ceres, and threw aside his weeds. In favour of such as were slain in the wars, however, and of women who devoted themselves to a religious life, there was an exception allowed as to the rules before mentioned; for such had a short and decent inscription on their tombs. When a number of Spartans fell in battle, at a distance from their country, many of them were buried together under one common tomb; but if they fell on the frontiers of their own state, their bodies were carefully removed to Sparta, and interred in their family sepulchres.

II. Lycurgus divided all the country of Laconia into 30,000 equal shares: the city of Sparta he divided into 9000, as some say; into 6000 according to others; and as a third party will have it, into 4500. The intent of the legislator was, that property should be equally divided among the citizens, so that none might be powerful enough to op press his fellows, or any be in such necessity, as thus to be exposed to the danger of corruption. With the same view he forbade the buying or selling these possessions. If a stranger acquired a right to any of these shares, he might quietly enjoy it, provided he submitted to the laws of the republic. The city of Sparta was unwalled, Lycurgus trusting it rather to the valour of its citizens than to the art of masons. As to the houses, they were very plain; for their ceilings could only be wrought by the axe, and their gates and doors only by the saw; and their utensils were to be of a similar make, that luxury might have no instruments among them.

III. The citizens were to be neither more nor less than the number of city lots; and if at any time there happen ed to be more, they were to be led out in colonies. As to children, their laws were equally harsh and unreasonable; for a father was directed to carry his newborn infant to a certain place, where the gravest men of his tribe looked upon the infant; and if they perceived its limbs straight, and thought it had a wholesome look, they then returned it to its parents to be educated; otherwise it was thrown into a deep cavern at the foot of the mountain Taygetus. This law seems to have had one very good effect, namely, that of making women very careful, when they were with child, of either eating, drinking, or exercising to excess: it made also excellent nurses; for which they were in mighty re quest throughout Greece. Strangers were not allowed to reside long in the city, that they might not corrupt the Spartans by teaching them new customs. For the same reason, citizens were also forbidden to travel, unless the good of the state required it. Such as were not bred up in their youth according to the law, were not allowed the liberty of the city, because they held it unreasonable, that one who had not submitted to the laws in his youth should receive the benefit of them when a man. They never preferred any stranger to a public office; but if at any time they had occasion for a person not born a Spartan, they first made him a citizen, and then preferred him.

IV. Celibacy in men was infamous, and punished in a most extraordinary manner; for the old bachelor was con strained to walk naked, in the depth of winter, through the marketplace: while he did this, he was obliged to sing a song in disparagement of himself; and he had none of the honours paid him which otherwise belonged to old age, it being held unreasonable, that the youth should venerate him who was resolved to leave none of his progeny behind him, to revere them when they grew old in their turn. The time of marriage was also fixed; and if a man did not marry when he was of full age, he was liable to an action; as were such also as married above or below their condition. Such as had three children enjoyed great immunities; such as had four were free from all taxes whatsoever. Virgins were married without portions; because neither want should hinder a man, nor riches induce him, to marry contrary to his inclinations. When a marriage was agreed on, the husband committed a kind of rape upon his bride. Husbands went for a long time, secretly and by stealth, to the beds of their wives, that their love might not be quickly and easily extinguish ed. Husbands were allowed to lend their wives; but the kings were forbidden to exercise this license. Some other laws of the like nature there were, which, as they were evidently against modesty, so they were far from producing the end for which Lycurgus designed them; since, though the men of Sparta were generally remarkable for their vir tue, the Spartan women were as generally decried for their boldness and contempt of decency.

V. It was the care of Lycurgus, that the Lacedaemonians, from their very birth, should be inured to conquer their appetites. For this reason he directed, that nurses should accustom their children to spare meals, and now and then to fasting; that they should carry them, when twelve or thirteen years old, to those who should examine their edu cation, and who should carefully observe whether they were able to remain alone in the dark, and whether they had conquered all other follies and weaknesses incident to children. He directed, that children of all ranks should be brought up in the same way; and that none should be more favour ed in food than another, that they might not, even in their infancy, perceive any difference between poverty and riches, but consider each other as equals, and even as brethren, to whom the same portions were assigned, and who, through the course of their lives, were to fare alike. The youths alone were allowed to eat flesh: older men ate their black broth and pulse; the lads slept together in chambers, and, after a manner somewhat resembling that recently in use in Turkey for the Janizaries. Their beds, in the summer, were very hard, being composed of the reeds plucked by the hand from the banks of the Eurotas: in winter their beds were softer, but by no means downy, or fit to induce immoderate sleep. They ate altogether in public; and in case any abstained from coming to the tables, they were fined. It was likewise strictly forbidden for any to eat or drink at home be fore they came to the common meal; even then each had his proper portion, that every thing might be conducted with gravity and decency. The black broth was the great rarity of the Spartans, which was composed of salt, vinegar,[7:20:529] blood, &c. so that in our times, it would be esteemed a very unsavoury soup. If they were moderate in their eating, they were likewise so in their drinking; of which thirst was the sole measure; for never any true Lacedaemonian thought of drinking for pleasure. As for drunkenness, it was both infamous and severely punished; and slaves were compelled to drink to excess, that young men might be disgusted by the beastliness of this vice. When they retired from the public meal, they were not allowed any torches or lights, be cause it was expected, that men who were perfectly sober should be able to find their way in the dark; and besides, it gave them a facility of marching without light.

VI. As the poor were fed as well as the rich, so the rich could wear nothing better than the poor. They neither changed the fashion nor the materials of their garments, which were made for warmth and strength, not for gallantry and show, and to this custom even their kings con formed; for they were not entitled to mark their dignity by splendid apparel, but were contented that their virtue should distinguish them rather than their clothes. The youths wore a tunic till they were twelve years old; they were afterwards furnished with a cloak, which was to serve them for a year; and their clothing was in general so thin, that a Lacedaemonian vest became proverbial. Boys were accustomed to go without shoes: when they grew up, they were indulged with them, if the manner of life which they led required it; but they were always inured to run without them, as also to climb up and slide down steep places with bare feet. The very shoe they used was of a particular form, plain and strong. Boys were not permitted to wear their hair; but when they arrived at the age of twenty, they suffered their hair and beard to grow. Baths and anointing were not in much use among the Lacedaemonians; the river Eu rotas supplied the former, and exercise the latter. In the field, however, their sumptuary laws did not take place so strictly as in the city; for when they went to war, they wore purple habits; they put on crowns when they were about to engage the enemy; they also wore rings, but only of iron. Young women wore their vests or jerkins only to their knees, or, as some think, not quite so low; a custom which both Greek and Roman authors censure as indecent. Gold, precious stones, and other costly ornaments, were permitted only to common women; which permission was the strong est prohibition to women of virtue, or to those who affected to be thought virtuous. Virgins went abroad without veils, with which married women were always covered. In cer tain public exercises, in which girls were admitted as well as boys, they were both obliged to perform naked. Plutarch apologises for this custom, urging, that there could be no danger from nakedness to the morals of youths whose minds were fortified and habituated to virtue.—One of Lycurgus’s principal views in this institution, was to eradicate the very seeds of civil dissension in his republic. Hence proceeded the equal division of estates enjoined by him; hence the contempt of wealth, and the neglect of other distinctions, as particularly birth; distinctions which, in other commonwealths, frequently produce tumults and con fusions that shake their very foundation. He considered the people of his whole state as one great family.

VII. Though the Spartans were always free, yet it was with this restriction, that they were subservient to their own laws, which bound them as strictly in the city, as soldiers, in other states, were bound by the rules of war in the camp. In the first place, obedience to their superiors was most rigidly exacted in Sparta. This they regarded as the very basis of government, and without which neither laws nor magistrates could much avail. Here old age conferred an indubitable title to honour: to the old men the youth rose up whenever they came into any public place; they gave way to them when they met them in the streets, and were silent whenever their elders spoke. As all children were looked upon as the children of the state, βo all the old men had the authority of parents: they reprehended whatever they saw amiss, not only in their own, but in other people’s children; and by this method Lycurgus provided, that as youth are everywhere apt to offend, they might be nowhere without a monitor. The laws proceeded still farther: if an old man was present where a young one committed a fault, and did not reprove him, he was punished equally with the delinquent. Among the youths there was one of their own body, or at most two years older than the rest, who was styled iren; he had authority to question all their actions, to look strictly to their behaviour, and to punish them if they did amiss; neither were their punishments light, but, on the contrary, very severe. Thus the youths were rendered hardy, and accustomed to bear stripes and rough usage. Silence was highly commended at Sparta, where modesty was held to be a most becoming virtue in young people; nor was it restricted only to their words and actions, but extended to their very looks and gestures; Lycurgus having particularly directed, that they should look forward, or on the ground, and that they should always keep their hands within their robes. A stupid inconsiderate person, one who would not listen to instruction, but was careless of whatever the world might say of him, the Lacedaemonians treated as a scandal to human nature: with such a one they would not con verse, but threw him off as a rotten branch, and worthless member of society.

VIII. The plainness of their manners, and their being so much addicted to war, made the Lacedaemonians less fond of the sciences than the rest of the Greeks. That of a soldier was the only reputable profession in Sparta; a mechanic or husbandman was thought a low person. The rea son of this was, that they imagined professions which required much labour, some constant posture, being continually in the house, or always near a fire, weakened the body and depressed the mind; whereas a man brought up hardily, was equally fit to attend the service of the republic in time of peace, and to fight its battles in time of war. Such occupations as were necessary to be followed for the benefit of the whole, as agriculture and the like, were left to their slaves the Helotes; but for curious arts, and such as serve only to luxury, they would not so much as suffer them to be introduced in their city; rhetoricians, augurs, and dealers in money were consequently excluded. The Spartans admitted none of the theatrical diversions among them; they would not bear the representation of evil even to produce good; but other kinds of poetry were admitted, provided the magistrates had the perusal of pieces before they were communicated to the public.

Above all things, they affected brevity of speech, and accustomed their children, from their very infancy, never to express themselves in more words than were strictly necessary; whence a concise and sententious oratory is to this day styled Laconic. In writing they used the same concise ness. We have a signal instance in a letter of Archidamus to the Eleans, when he understood they had some thoughts of assisting the Arcadians. It ran thus: “Archidamus to the Eleans. It is good to be quiet.” And therefore Epaminondas though the had reason to glory in having forced the Spartans to abandon their monosyllables, and to lengthen their discourses.

The greatest part of their education consisted in giving their youth right ideas of men and things: the iren or mas ter proposed questions, and either commended the answers that were made him, or reproved such as answered weakly. In these questions, all matters, either of a trivial or abstruse nature, were equally avoided; and they were confined to such points as were of the highest importance in civil life; such as, who was the best man in the city? wherein lay the merit of such an action? and, whether this or that hero’s fame was well founded? Harmless raillery was greatly en[7:20:530] couraged; and this, joined to their short manner of speak ing, rendered Laconic replies universally admired.

Music was much encouraged; but in this, as in other things, they adhered to that which had been in favour with their ancestors. They would not permit their slaves to learn either the tune or the words of their most admired odes; or, which is all one, they would not permit them to sing them if they had learned them. Though the youth of the male sex were much cherished and beloved, as those that were to build up and continue the future glory of the state, yet in Sparta it was a virtuous and modest affection, untinged with that sensuality which was so scandalous at Athens. The good effects of this part of Lycurgus’s institutions were seen in the union that reigned among his citizens; and which was so extraordinary, that even in cases of competition, it was hardly known that rivals bore ill-will to each other; but, on the contrary, their love to the same person produced a secondary friendship among themselves, and united them in all things which might be for the benefit of the person beloved.

Some authors have accused this great lawgiver of encouraging theft in his institutions; which, they say, was not held scandalous among the Spartans, if it were so dexterously managed as that the person was not detected in it. But this is certain, and seems to be a strong contradiction of the heinous charge, that when a theft was discovered, it was punished with the utmost severity: a person even suspected of it would endure the heaviest punishments rather than acknowledge it, and be branded with so base a crime.

IX. The exercises instituted by law belong to the ninth table. In these all the Greeks were extremely careful, but the Lacedaemonians in a degree beyond the rest; for if a youth, by his corpulence, or any other means, became unfit for these exercises, he underwent public contempt at least, if not banishment. Hunting was the usual diversion of their children; nay, it was made a part of their education, because it had a tendency to strengthen their limbs, and to render those who practised it supple and fleet. Dogs for hunting were reared with great care. They had a kind of public dances, in which they exceedingly delighted, and which were common alike to virgins and young men: in deed, in all their sports, girls were allowed to divert them selves with the youths; insomuch, that, at darting, throwing the quoit, pitching the bar, and such like robust diversions, the women were as dexterous as the men. For the manifest oddity of this proceeding, Lycurgus assigned no other reason, than that he sought to render women, as well as men, strong and healthy, that the children they brought forth might be so too. Violent exercises, and a laborious kind of life, were only enjoined the youth; for when they were grown up to men’s estate, that is, were upwards of thirty years old, they were exempted from all kinds of la bour, and enjoyed themselves wholly either in affairs of state, or in war. They had a method of whipping, at a cer tain time, young men in the temple of Diana, and about her altar; which, however palliated, was certainly unnatural and cruel. It was esteemed a great honour to sustain these flagellations without weeping, groaning, or showing any sense of pain; and so strong was the thirst of glory in these young minds, that they frequently suffered death without shedding a tear, or breathing a sigh. A desire of overcoming all the weaknesses of human nature, and thus rendering his Spartans not only superior to their neighbours, but to their species, runs through many of the institutions of Lycurgus; and by keeping this principle in view, we are enabled to understand many circumstances that must other wise appear inexplicable.

X. Gold and silver were, by the constitutions of Lycurgus, rendered of no value in Sparta. Of the danger of riches he was so well apprised, that he rendered the very possession of them penal; but as some standard of value was necessary, he directed an iron coinage, whereby the Spartans were supplied with the useful money, and at the same time had no temptation to covetousness afforded them; for a very small sum was sufficient to load a couple of horses, and a great one must have been kept in a barn or warehouse. The introduction of all foreign money was also prohibited, that corruption might not enter under the name of commerce. The most ancient method of dealing, namely, by barter or exchange of one commodity for another, was preserved by law in Sparta long after it had fallen into disuse everywhere else. Interest was forbidden in the Spartan commonwealth; where they had also a law against alienation of lands, accepting presents from foreigners, even without the limits of their own country, and when their authority and character might well seem to excuse them.

XI. Such of the laws of Sparta as related to courts of justice may be brought under the eleventh table. Thirty years must have passed over the head of him who had a right to concern himself in juridical proceedings. Young men were thought unfit for them; and it was even considered as indecent for a man to have any fondness for law suits, or to be busying himself at the tribunals, when he had no affairs there of his own. By these rules Lycurgus thought to exclude litigiousness, and to prevent that multiplicity of suits which seems to be a necessary evil in other states. As young people were not permitted to inquire about the laws of other countries, and as they were hindered from hearing judicial proceedings in their courts, so they were likewise forbidden to ask any questions about, or to endeavour to discover, the reasons of the laws by which themselves were governed. Obedience was their duty; and to that alone they would have them kept. Men of abandoned characters, or who were notoriously of ill fame, lost all right of giving their votes in respect of public affairs, or of speaking in public assemblies; for they could not believe that a man unprincipled in private life could be better affected to his country than to his neighbour.

XII. Before the age of thirty, a Spartan was not capable of serving in the army, as the best authors agree; though some think that the military age is not well ascertained by ancient writers. Their forces were forbidden to march at any time before the full-moon; the reason of which law is very hard to be discovered, if indeed it bad any reason at all, or was not rather founded on some superstitious opi nion, that this conjuncture was more lucky than any other. They were likewise forbidden to fight often against the same enemy. This was one of the wisest maxims in the political system of Lycurgus; and Agesilaus, by offending against it, destroyed the power of his country, and lost her that authority which for many years she had maintained over the rest of Greece; for, by continually warring against the Thebans, to whom she had an inveterate hatred, he at last beat them into the knowledge of the art of war, and enabled them, under the command of Epaminondas, to main tain for a time the principality of Greece. With maritime affairs they were forbidden to meddle, though the necessity of things compelled them, in process of time, to transgress this institution, and by degrees to transfer to themselves the dominion of the sea as well as of the land; but, after the Peloponnesian war, they again neglected naval affairs, from a persuasion that sailors and strangers corrupted those with whom they conversed. As they never fortified Sparta, they were not ready to undertake sieges: fighting in the field was their proper province, and, while they could there overcome their enemies, they rightly conceived that nothing could hurt them at home. In time of war, they relaxed somewhat of their strict manners of living. The true rea son for this was, in all probability, that war might be less burdensome to them; for, as we have more than once ob served, a strong desire to render them bold and warlike was[7:20:531] the reigning passion of their legislator. They were forbid den to remain long encamped in the same place, as well to hinder their being surprised, as that they might be more troublesome to their enemies, by wasting every corner of their country. They slept all night in their armour; but their outguards were not allowed their shields, that, being unprovided of defence, they might not dare to sleep. In all expeditions they were careful in the performance of religious rites; and after their evening meal was over, the soldiers sung together hymns to their gods. When they were about to engage, the king sacrificed to the Muses, that, by their assistance, they might be enabled to perform deeds worthy of being recorded to the latest times. The army then advanced in order to the sound of flutes, which played the hymn of Castor. The king himself sung the paean, which was the signal to charge. This was done with all the solemnity imaginable, and the soldiers were sure either to conquer or die, nor indeed had they any other choice; for if they fled they were infamous, and in danger of being slain, even by their own mothers, for disgracing their families. In this consisted all the excellency of the Spartan women, who, if possible, exceeded in bravery the men, never lamenting over husbands or sons, if they died honourably in the field, but deploring the shame brought on their house, if either the one or the other escaped by flight. The throwing away a shield also inferred infamy; and mothers, when they embraced their departing sons, were wont to caution them, that they should either return armed as they were, or be brought back so when they were dead; for, as we have observed, such as were slain in battle were nevertheless buried in their own country. When they put an enemy to flight, they pursued no longer than till victory was certain; because they would seem to fight rather for the honour of conquering, than of putting their enemies to death. According to their excellent rules of war, they were bound not to spoil the dead bodies of their enemies; but in process of time, this, and indeed many other of their most excellent regulations, fell into desuetude. He who overcame by stratagem, offered up an ox to Mars; where as he who conquered by force, offered up only a cock; the former deed being esteemed more manly than the lat ter. After forty years’ service, a man was exempted from military duty; and consequently, if they commenced their career at thirty, the Spartans were not considered as invalids till they attained the age of seventy.