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

852 LYCURGUS. LYCURGUS.
sisted of every Spartan of 30 years of age, and of, the democratical party. The reason is, that the
unblemished character; only those were excluded Dorians in general, and particularly the Spartans,
who had not the means of contributing their portion considered good order (Kdeqpos) as the first requito the syssitia. (Arist. Pol. ii. 7, 4.) They site in the state. (MlUller, Dor. iii. 1. ~ 1, 10.)
met at stated times, to decide on all important They preferred order, even coupled with suppresquestions brought before them, after a previous dis- sion, to anarchy and confusion.'The Spartan
cussion in the senate. They had no right of willingly yielded during his whole life, and in
amendment, but only that of simple approval or every situation, to military discipline, and subrejection, which was given in the rudest form pos- mitted~ unconditionally to established authority.
sible, by s'outing. A law of the kings, Theo- Miller says (1. c.) " the Doric state was a body of
pompus and Polydorus, during the first Messenian men acknowledging one strict principle of order
war, modified the constitutional power of the as- and oneuntalterable rule of manners; and so subsembly; but it is difficult to ascertain the exact jecting themselves to this system, that scarcely anymeaning of the old law preserved by Plutarch, thing was unfettered by it, but every action was
which regulated this point. (Plut. Lye. 6.) It seems influenced and regulated by the recognised printo have authorised the magistrates to refuse any ciples." And this was not an unaccountable fancy,
amendments: being made by the people, so'that if a predilection, a favourite pursuit; but on it was
this right existed before by law or custom, it was based the security of the whole Spartan commonnow abolished; or if it had been illegally assumed, wealth. The Spartans. were a small number of
it was again suppressed. The want of this right lords among a tenfold horde' of slaves and subjects.
shows that the Spartan democracy was moderate To maintain this position, every feature in the conas'well as its monarchy' and aristocracy, for the stitution, down to the minutest detail,'was calcuright of amendment, enjoyed. by a popular assembly lated. (Thuc. iv. 3; Arnold, Second Appendix to
such as existed at Athens, is almost the last his Thucydides.)
stage of licentious ochlocracy. But it must be con- With reference to their subjects, the few Sparfessed that the sovereign people of Sparta had tans formed a most decided aristocracy; and to
neither frequent nor very important occasions for maintain their dominion, they had to preserve order
directly exerting their sovereign power. Their and concord among themselves. Nothing was so
chief activity consisted in delegating it; therefore dangerous as a turbulent popularassembly, nothing
the importance of the ephors, who were the repre- could tempt so much either the subject population to
sentatives of the popular element of the constitu- aspire to equality, or'a demagogue to procure it for
tion, rose so high, in proportion as the kings lost them, and thus to acquire tyrannical power for
their ancient prerogatives. The ephors answer in himself In the relative position of the Spartans
every characteristic feature to the Roman tribunes to their subjects, we discover the key to all their
of the people. Their origin was lost in obscurity institutions and habits: the whole of their history
and -insignificance, and at the end they had en- was formed by this single circumstance.
grossed the whole power of the state, although they When the'Dorians had conquered Peloponnesus,
were not immediately connected with military they appear to have granted'at first mild conditions
command. Their institutionis variously attributed to the conquered inhabitants, which in Argolis,
to Lycurgus (Herod. i. 65) and Theopompus (Plist. Sicyon, Corinth, and Messenia allowed both races
Lye. 7),. who is said to have had in view the per- to coalesce in course of time. (Isocrat. Panat~h.
petuation of monarchy, through the diminution of p. 270, a. b.' 286, a.; Ephorus, ap. Strab. viii. 5.
its rights., The ephors were ancient officers for the ~ 4; Arnold, 2nd append. to Thucyd. p. 641;
regulation of police and: minor law-suits.' It is Miill. -Dor. iv. 4, ~ 3.) But in Sparta this partial
significant that their'origin is ascribed to Theo- equality of rights was soon overthrown. Part of
pompus, who diminished the power of the popular' the old Achaeans, under the name of perioici, were
assembly. Consequently, as the people in a body allowed indeed to retain their personal liberty, but
withdrew more -and more from the immediate- they lost all civil rights, and were obliged to pay'
exercise of sovereign power, this power was vested to the state a rent for the land that was left them.
in their representatives, the ephors, who, in behalf They'were'subject to Spartan magistrates, and'
of the people, now'tend to the kings the oath of compelled to serve as heavy-armed soldiers, by the
allegiance, and receive from them the oath of obe- side of the Spartans, in wars which did not concern
dience to the laws. They rise: param6unt to kings them. But still they might be considered fortunate
and people, and acquire a censorial,inquisitorial, and in comparison with the Helots, for their want of
judicial power, which authorizes them, either sum-'political rights was compensated to some extent by
marily to impose fines on the magistrates, and even greater individual: liberty than even the Spartans
kings, or to suspend their functions, or to impeach enjoyed. (Miill. Dor. iii. 2.) Those, however,'
and arrest them, and bring them to trial before of the old inhabitants who had through obstinate
themselves and the senate. On account of this and: continued resistance exasperated the Dorians,
excess of power, Aristotle says that their power were reduced to a state of perfect slavery, different
was tyrannical, and justly so; for they exercised from that of the -slaves of Athens and Rome, and
the sovereign power of the people, who were in more' similar to the villanage of the feudal ages.'
themselves the source of all law. They were allotted together with patches of land,
It may. surprise us, that the Spartin- constitu- to which they were bound, to individual members
tion, which contained such a strong democratical- of the ruling class. They tilled the land, with
element, was always looked upon in Greece as the their wives and children, and paid a fixed rent to
model of a perfect aristocracy, and that Sparta in- their masters, not as the perioici to the state (Plut.'
variably, throughout the whole history of her in- Lyc. 8); they followed the Spartans as light-armed
cessant wars supported aristocratical institutions soldiers in war, and were in every respect regarded
against the aggressions of democracy. She'always as the ever available property of the citizens, who
took the lead of the.aristocratical, as;Athens did'of- through.the. labour of their bondsmen were enabled