A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

LYCURGUS. LYCURGUS. 851
set to work he strengthened himself with the au- military commanders they were restricted and
thority of the Delphic oracle, and with a strong watched by commissioners sent by the senate:; the
party of influential men at Sparta, who were able functions of high priest were curtailed least, perin case of need to support his measures with their haps, because least obnoxious. In compensation
arms. The reform seems not to have been carried for the loss of power, the kings enjoyed great
altogether peaceably. The new division of all the honours, both during their life and after their death,
land among the citizens must have violated many which at Sparta might almost be. thought extravaexisting interests. Plutarch has preserved a state- gant. Still the principle of monarchy was very
ment, that king Charilaus fled into the temple of weak among the Spartans, although their life reAthene Chalcioecos; and we may presume (if the sembled more that of the camp than that of a town.
whole story can be looked upon as authentic) that Military obedience was nowhere so strictly enforced
this was not from a mere mistake, as Plutarch as at Sparta, but nowhere was the commander himthinks, but from necessity. self so much restricted by law-and custom.
Whatever opposition there was, however, was It is more difficult to decide whether the aristooverborne, and the whole constitution, military and cratical or the democratical element prevailed.
civil, was remodelled. After Lycurgus had ob- The powers of the senate were very important:
tained for his institutions an approving oracle of the they had the right of originating and discussing all
national god of Delphi, he exacted a promise from measures before they could be submitted to the decithe people not to make any alterations in his laws sion of the popular assembly; the management of
before his return. And now he left Sparta to foreign policy and the most important part of the
finish his life in voluntary exile, in order that his administration was entrusted to them (Isocr. Pan.
countrymen might be bound by their oath to pre- p. 265, a; Dionys. ii. 14; Paus. iii. 11.. ~ 2;
serve his constitution inviolate for ever. Where Aeschin. in Tim. p. 25. 36); they had, in conjuncand how he died nobody could tell. He vanished tion with the ephors, to watch over the due obfrom the earth like a god, leaving no traces behind servance of the laws and institutions; and they
but his spirit; and he was honoured as a god at were judges in all criminal cases, without being
Sparta with a temple and yearly sacrifices down to bound by any written code. For all this they
the latest times. (Herod. i. 65; Plut. Lyc. 31; were not responsible, holding their office for life, a
Ephor. a. Strab. viii. p. 366.) circumstance which Aristotle (Pol. ii. 6, ~ 17)
The Spartan constitution was of a mixed nature: strongly censures.
the monarchical principle was represented by the But with all these powers, the elders formed no
kings, the aristocracy by the senate, and the de- real aristocracy. They were not chosen either for
mocratical element by the assembly of the people, property qualification or for noble birth. The senate
and by their representatives, the ephors. The was open to the poorest citizen, who, during 60
question has therefore arisen, what the prominent years, had been obedient to the laws and zealous
feature of the Spartan constitution was. Plato in the performance of his duties. (Arist. Pol. ii.
doubts whether it ought to be called a tyranny, on 6. ~ 15.) Tyrannical habits are not acquired at
account of the arbitrary power of the ephors, or a such an age and after such a life; party spirit
monarchy, on account of the kings; while, at other cannot exist but in a close corporation, separated
times, no state seemed more democratical, " although from the rest of the community by peculiar in(he adds) not to call it an aristocracy (i. e. a go- terests. Thus, in Sparta, during its better days,
vernment of the ptlaroi, or best), is altogether the elements of an aristocracy were wanting. The
absurd." (Leg.. iv. p. 712.) Sotoo Isocrates says in equal division of property was alone sufficient to'
one place (p. 270; comp. p. 152, a) that the Spartans prevent it. The only aristocracy was one of merit
had established, among themselves an equal demo- and personal influence, such as will and must
cracy, and in another (p. 265, a) that the Spartan always exist.
government was a democracy mixed with aristo- There are mentioned, however, a class of citizens
cracy. (Comp. Arist. Pol. ii. 6.) Again, Aristotle called the equals, or peers ('Oolot) (Xen. Hell.
says (Pol. iv. 9) " that the test of a well mixediii. 3, ~ 4, &c.; de Rep. Laced. x. 4, with the
constitution is the uncertainty of its name: thus note of Haase), who may appear to have formed an
the Spartan constitution is sometimes called a de- exclusive body, possessed of peculiar privileges.
mocracy, because the rich and poor are treated in But these "OMoLoi must be regarded as those Sparthe same manner as to education,. dress, and food; tans who had not suffered a diminution of their
and because the people have a share in the two: political rights, who were not sVrodesoves or'rsuot,
highest offices, by. electing the one, and. being as such citizens were called at Athens; afterwards
eligible to the other; sometimesi an oligarchy, be- perhaps the word was used in contradistinction
cause it has many oligarchical institutions, such as from emancipated slaves, who were not admitted
that none of the magistrates are chosen by lot, and to all the civil, privileges of the genuine Spartans.
that a few. persons have power to pass sentence of These equals perhaps formed also the lesser asbanishment. and; death."- It. is evident that the sembly mentioned. by' Xenophon (Hell. iii. 3, 8. j
royal prerogatives were on the decline during the /zLLKpc1 ZKKAhwia) (see Wachsmuth, Hellen. Alterth.
whole of the period in which we can follow the ~. 55, p. 4,64; Hermann, ~ 28).; but were by no
course of events. Even at the earliest stage it was means an aristocratical body.
divided between two persons, and was consequently The mass of the people, that is, the Spartans of
weak. The kings had originally to perform the pure Doric descent, formed the sovereign power of
common functions of the kings of the heroic age. the state. From, them emanated all particular
They were high priests,: judges, and leaders in war; delegated authority, except. that of the kings, which
but in all of these departments they were in course indeed was theoretically based on what may be
of time superseded more or less. As judges, they called divine right, but, as we have seen, derived
retained only a particular branch of jurisdiction, its strength in every particular part from the
that referring to the succession of property. As consent of the people. The popular assembly con3I 2