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

854 LYCURGUS; LYCURGUS.
military institutions of Sparta were not intended but warriors. Therefore not only all mechanical.to enable her to make foreign conquests, but'to labour was thought to degrade them, and only to
maintain those she had already made. Sparta, become their slaves; not only was husbandry, the
although constantly at war, made no conquests pride of the noblest Romans, despised and negafter the subjection of Messenia; all her wars:lected, trade and manufactures kept off like a conmay be called defensive wars, for their object was tagious disease, all intercourse with foreign nations
chiefly to maintain her commanding position, as-the prevented, or at least impeded, by laws prohibiting
head of the Hellenic race. Spaintans to travel and foreigners to come to LaIn an army nothing can be of higher importance conia, and by the still more effectiye means of the
than subordination. Hence it was the pride of iron money; but also the nobler arts and sciences,
the Spartans, as king Archidamus (Isocrat. ~81, p. which might have adorned and sweetened the
132, Steph.) - said, "that they excelled in Greece, leisure of the-camp, as the lyre soothed the grief of
not through the size.of their city, nor through the Achilles, were so effectually stifled, that Sparta is a
number -of their citizens, but because they-lived blank in the'history of the arts and literature of
like a well-disciplined army, and yielded a willing Greece, and has contributed nothing to the inobedience to their magistrates." We have seen struction and enjoyment of mankind. What little
already that these magistrates, and the ephors of trade and art there was in Laconia was left to the
later times in particular, were entrusted with very care of an oppressed race, the Lacedaemonian proextensive' power. They resembled less consuls or vincials, who received little or no encouragement
tribunes, than dictators, chosen in time of need from Sparta, and never rose to any distinction.
and danger. But the sort of state interference which is the
Another striking feature in the government of most repulsive to our feelings, and the most objecSparta was the excessive degree -to which the inter- tionable on moral and political grounds, was that
ference of the state was carried, a practice never which was exercised in the sanctuary of that circle
realised to such an extent in any other government, which forms the basis of every state, the family.
before or after, except in the ideal states of Plato and It is evident that, -in order to maintain their supeother philosophers. In a constitutional monarchy, riority, the Spartans were obliged to keep up their
such as England, people know'not from experience numbers; even the most heroic valour and the best
what state-interference is; but even in the most organisation of military discipline would fail to
absolute monarchies of the Continent, where people perpetuate the subjection of the Helots, if these
complain that the state meddles with everything, should ever outnumber their lords too dispropornothing short of a revolution would immediately tionably. We have seen that, to prevent this, by
follow the attempt at an introduction of anything thinning their ranks, the most barbarous and inionly distantly similar to the state-interference of quitous policy was pursued. But even this was
Sparta. The whole mode of viewing things at inefficient, and it was necessary to devise means
present is different, nay the reverse of what it for raising the number of citizens as well as lowerwas then. We maintain that the state exists for ing that of the slaves. Sparta seems never to have
the sake of its individual citizens; at Sparta, the suffered from a dread of over population. It is
citizen only existed for the state, —he had no inte- the' fate of all. close corporations,'which admit no
rest but the state's, no will, no property, but that new element from without, to decrease' more and
of the state. Hence the extraordinary feature in more in number, as, for instance, the body of the
Sparta, that not only equality, but even community patricians in Rome.
of property,.existed to an extent which is unequalled The Spartans were particularly jealous of their
in any.other age or. country. Modern politicians political franchise, and consequently their numbers
dread nothing more than the spreading of com- rapidly diminished. In her better days Sparta
munism or socialism. In Sparta it was.laid down as mustered from 8000 to 10,000:heavy-armed men
4 fundamental principleof the constitution, that all (Herod. vii..234'; Arist. Pol. ii. 6.12); but in the
citizens were entitled to the enjoyment of an equal days of Aristotle this number had sunk to 1000
portion of the common property. We know that (Arist. Pol. ii. 6. ~ 11); and king Agis, when: he
such a:state of things could:not exist in our age attempted his reform, found only 700. (Plut. Agis,
for a single moment, and even all the vigilance and 5.) Even as early as the time of Lycurgus
severity of Sparta was unable to prevent in course Sparta must have felt a decrease of citizens, for to
of time the accumulation of property in a few him is ascribed a law which rewarded a father of
hands.; but that it could at.all exist there to a three children with.release from military service, and
certain degree for a long period, can again only be one of four children with freedom from all duties
accounted for by the existence of the same cause to the state. (Arist. Pol. ii. 6, 13. Comp., howto which we must trace all the institutions of ever, Manso,Sparta, i. 1, p. 128, who doubts whether
Sparta. It was devised for securing to. the com- this was a law of Lycurgus.) But the mere person
monwealth a large number of citizens and soldiers, of a citizen was of little use to the community. In
free from the toils and labours for their sustenance, order to be of efficient service,' he must have a
and able to- devote their -whole time to warlike ex- strong healthy body, sufficient property in. land and
ercises, in order so to keep up.the ascendancy of slaves to enable him to live as a soldier, and he
Sparta over her perioici and helots.; and on the must, moreover, be trained in the regular school of
other hand, it was the toils and labours of the pe- Spartan state education, which alone could form
rioici and helots which alone could supply the state the true Spartan citizen. From these causes are
with a stock of property available for an equal dis- derived the laws -regulating marriage, the succestribution among the citizens. Where no such sion of property and. education. Every Spartan
subject population existed, it would have been a was bound to marry, in order to give citizens to the
fruitless attempt to introduce the Spartan consti- state; and he must marry neither too early nor
tution. too late, nor an unsuitable woman. (Miill. Dorm
The Spartans were.to be warriors and nothing iv. 4. ~ 3.) The king Archidamus, for instance. was..~~~~~