SECT. VIII.

The Hiftory of the antient Kingdom of LACEDÆMON or SPArta.

ΤΗ

HE name of this country was at firft Laconia, a name The difwhich this nation ftill prided themselves in, after they ferent were called Spartans and Lacedæmonians. The names Sparta names of and Lacedæmon are often confounded by antient and modern Lacedawriters, yet in propriety of speech, the first was only the name mon. of the metropolis, and the latter of the kingdom: the diftinction, indeed, was foon overlooked, and both appellatives were promiscuously used to fignify the city and the country. According to the Laconic tradition, Eurotas, one of their kings, having no male iffue, married his daughter Sparte to Lacedæmon, the supposed fon of Jupiter by Taygeta, the daughter of Atlas, and they agreed to call the kingdom by his name, and the city which he built foon after, and made the feat of the kingdom, by that of his wife *. Other authors give different etymons of the name of Sparta +. According to Strabo, the Leleges were the first inhabitants of the country, which from them was called Lelegia. Afterwards, from one of the Spartan kings, it was called Oebalia, and had alfo the name of Hecatompolis, from the hundred cities which it is faid once to have had ‡.

Laconia was fituated in the fouth-eaft corner of the Pelopon- Its fituanefe, being bounded on the eaft and fouth by the fea, on the tion. north by Argos and Arcadia, and on the weft by Mycena. It extended from east to west about 90 miles, and from north to fouth about 50 miles; though at firft in this extent were probably included fome other fmaller kingdoms, afterwards swallowed up by the Spartans.

Its coaft was remarkable for a great number of promontories, the chief which was thofe of Malea and Tenara. It had likewife a confiderable number of sea-port towns and commodious harbours. The moft noted of all was Epidaurus, now Malvefia, feated on the gulf of Argos, a town well built and well peopled, and famed among other things for its excellent wine, called malvefy or malmfy, which it produced, and with which it fupplied other parts of Greece. On the coafts was caught a kind of fhell-fifh, the blood of which was of excellent ufe for dying of purple, and inferior to none, according to Paufanias, except that which was caught in the Red fea.

Of the inland towns, which were very numerous, the most confiderable was Sparta, feated on the river Eurotas, about 30 miles from the fea.

The country was pretty mountainous, and was divided from Melenia and Arcadia by two ridges of hills. The chief rivers

Paufan. in Laconic. Byzant. + Idem ibid. Eufeb. Chron. + Strab. geogr.

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were

The cha

were the Smenus, the Thiafus, the Scyras, and the Eurotas, which laft is faid at firft to have been only a fpacious canal dug by a king of that name, to drain the bogs and marshes that rendered the country about Sparta incommodious and unhealthy. The foil was very rich, especially in the low and flat grounds, which were well watered by fprings from the mountains; and the kingdom being half encompaffed by the fea, and having many excellent havens, was excellently fituated for trade and navigation.

The inhabitants were a hardy and brave people, inured to racter of the trade of war both by fea and land, averfe to floth and luxthe Spar- ury, and extremely jealous of their honour and liberty, as well

tans.

Their an

as of their neighbours power. By their uniform adherence to the most strict civil and military difcipline, they raised their power and reputation to an extraordinary pitch, and were reverenced and respected, not only by all the Greeks, but by feveral powerful foreign nations.

Their government was originally monarchical, in which tient go- form it continued through a fucceffion of 12 princes, from Lacevernment. dæmon, the fon-in-law of Eurotas, to Tiffamenes, who was dri

Reformed by the

great Ly

burgus.

ven out by the Heraclide. Ariftodemus, one of their chiefs, to whom Sparta fell, dying before the conqueft was finished, his twin fons, Eurythenes and Procles, who were his heirs, feized the Spartan government, which under them took a new form, being then held by two princes, who agreed to govern jointly with equal power and authority, both bearing the title of king of Lacedæmon, and both being acknowledged and obeyed as fuch. The Delphic oracle being confulted about this new form, of government, the Pythonefs made no objection against it.

This diarchy did not end with the two twin brothers, but continued under a joint fucceffion of thirty princes of the line of Eurythenes, and 27 of that of Procles, and ended in both nearly about the fame time. But though the fucceffion continued thus long in thefe two lines, yet the power and authority of the princes was focn curtailed, through the difcords that reigned between them. The defcendants of the line of Euryfthenes were furnamed Agide, from Agis, his fon and fucceffor; and thofe of the other line took the name of Eurytiade from Eurytion, the grandfon of Procles. The two branches not remaining long in harmony, each to ftrengthen their party paid their court to the people, who taking the opportunity of the hereditary animofity of their chiefs, grew turbulent and headftrong; fo that at length the regal dignity being brought into contempt, the government was upon the brink of ruin and anarchy, when the great Lycurgus took the reins of it, during fome part of the minority of his nephew Charilaus.

This great patriot and law-giver was the fon of Eunamus, and half brother of Polydectes, the fixth king of the Eurytionian line. His brother dying without children, the right of fucceffion fell to him, and he accordingly entered upon the adminiftration. The widow of his brother, who was left pregnant, privately

informed

informed Lycurgus of her condition, and offered if he would marry her to deftroy the fruit of her womb. Lycurgus, though greatly fhocked at the propofal, amufed her with different pretences, but ufed all proper means to prevent her mifcarrying. She being delivered of a boy, he immediately proclaimed the infant king, and named him Charilaus. This generous action, however, was far from fatisfying all the Spartans, many of them being perfuaded by the incenied queen and her brother Leonidas, that Lycurgus was not fincere in his profeffions, but intended to fecure the crown by the murder of his nephew. To prevent fo vile an infinuation from gaining credit, Lycurgus voluntarily banifhed himself for feveral years, which ftopped the mouths of his invidious enemies, and greatly raifed his reputation. During his absence, the depravity of manners and corruption in the government became fo predominant, that not only his friends, but even those who had been his moft zealous enemies, were glad to repeat their embaffies, to intreat him to come back and fave his country from ruin. When he came back to Sparta, he undertook to change the whole form of their government, being perfuaded that a few particular laws would produce no great effect. He limited the authority of the kings, by conftituting a fenate, endowed with the fupreme authority in all civil matters, and left to the kings only the management of military and religious matters, as we shall hereafter more fully relate. Thus the Spartan ftate at length affumed the form of a commonwealth, after it had exifted about 890 years.

According to Strabo, as we obferved, the Leleges were faid to have first peopled this country under Lelex, who was fucceeded by his fon Myles, and he by his fon Eurotas. Lacedæmon, the Lacedafon-in-law of Eurotas, however, is reckoned the founder of the mon. Spartan nation.

Amyclas his fucceffor, is known only for the city of his name, Amyclas. which he built. This city, whether by reafon of its fituation or any other caufe, is faid to have been fubject to fuch frequent and ftrange noifes, as of enemies coming upon them when there was really nothing like it, that the Amycleans made a law that none fhould dare to alarm the town upon any fuch occafion. The Dorians taking the advantage of this law, came and furprised the town; hence the old proverb, I will fpeak, knowing how the Amycleans were ruined for holding their peace. Amyclas had three fons, Argalus, Cyncrtas, and Hyacinthus. The two former fucceeded him in their turn, and Hyacinthus, the poets fay, was accidentally killed by Apollo, who turned him into a

violet.

Oebalus, the fon of Cynortas, fucceeded his father, and had two fons, Hippocoon and Tindareus. He appointed Tindareus his fucceffor, and affigned Hippocoon a territory in Lacedæmonia, which he called Ocbalia. Hippocoon, after his father's death, difpoffeffed his brother, and feized the crown. Hercules in the Hercules mean time coming to Sparta to be expiated for a murder he had comes to committed, Hippocoon and his fons refused to grant his request; Sparta.

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for

for which Hercules refolved to be revenged upon them. The fons of Hippocoon killing Oeonous, one of Hercules's companions, the hero inmediately attacked the king with the followers he had with him, but was wounded in the fcuffle, and obliged to retire. Returning afterwards with more troops, he killed Hippocoon and ten of his fons, befides a great number of Lacedæmonians, Conquers and having taken the metropolis, reftored the kingdom to Tynthe king- dareus, but in truft for his own pofterity. Tyndareus, however, dom, had no fooner regained poffeffion of the throne, than he began which he to think of means to fecure it to himfelf and his defcendants confers on against the Heraclide. By his wife Leda he had two brave Tyndareus. fons, Caftor and Poilux; and two daughters, the famous Helena and Clytemnestra, two of whom, namely, Caftor and Clytemnestra, Helen ra- the poets feign to have been begot by Jupiter. Helen, on account of her great beauty, being ftolen away by Thefeus, Tyndars, after he had recovered her again, obliged all her fuitors to promife with an oath, to leave it to her to make choice of the man fhe liked, and in case she should again be ftolen away, She chufes to join all their forces to bring her back to her husband. She not Menelaus long after chofe Menelaus, the fon of Atreus, and being afterfor a huf- wards ftolen away by Paris, all thofe princes who had been band.

vished.

Menelaus.

her admirers, at the folicitation of Menelaus and Agamemnon, went against Troy; of the fuccefs of which enterprife we have formerly fpoken. Tyndareus, after he had reigned 40 years, left his kingdom to his two fons, Caftor and Pollux, who had fignalized themselves in the Argonautic expedition, and when they came back had built a temple to Minerva Afia, in acknowledgment of their fuccefs and fafe return from Colchis, from which country they are faid to have brought away a famous ftatue of Mars. They had likewife a bloody combat with the fons of Amphiareus, Ida and Lyncæus, the latter of whom is said to have had fuch piercing eyes, that he could fee even into the trunk of a tree. Pollux killed Lyncæus, and Ida was ftruck dead with lightning. The poets relate feveral other fabulous adventures of those two brothers, who fay they were at laft transformed into the fign Gemini*.

Menelaus, the fon of Atreus, fucceeded them in the kingdom, in right of his wife, who by her flight with Paris, engaged him and all Greece in a ten years war. At their return from the Trojan war, having a difpute with his brother Agamemnon, he fet out by himself, and after having weathered feveral ftorms, arrived fafely with his wite Helen in Egypt, where fome affirm he wandered fix or seven years before he returned to Sparta. Herodotus, however, gives another account of his coming into Egypt; and fays, that he failed thither in queft of Helen, who had never been at Troy, but had been detained in Egypt; her ravisher," who had been driven in there by contrary winds, being forced by the Egyptian king to depart without her. This account he

Paufan. Lacon. I lut. in Thef. Diod. Apollod.

thinks

thinks most probable, as Priam, if the had been in Troy, would have undoubtedly delivered her up, rather than fuffer the ruin of his kingdom and family. Menelaus left by a flave two fons, namely,

Nicoftrates and Megapenthes, who fucceeded to the throne; but the Lacedæmonians not chufing to fubmit to a fpurious offfpring, conferred the crown on

Oreftes, the fon of Agamemnon, who claimed it as grandfon Orefies. of Tindareus by his mother Clytemneftra. He is faid to have loft his fenfes upon being deprived of the fair Hermione, the only child of Menelaus and Helen, who had been given to Pyrrhus. Having recovered Hermione, his reafon alfo returned, but he was then accused of parricide, before the great Athenian court of Areopagus, he having flain his mother Clytemneftra, in revenge for her murdering his father. Paufanias does not mention what fentence that court paffed upon him, but tells us elsewhere that he had feen an old building which was called Oreftes's Mansion, in which he was forced to live feparate from the reft of mankind, till he had quite expiated his crime. He died after a long reign, and was buried in Arcadia. Tiffamenes, the fon of Oreftes by Tiffamenes. Hermione, fucceeded him both in this kingdom and those of Argos and Meffenia, and was foon after driven out of all by the Heraclide. What became of Tiffamenes is uncertain. Some fay, he was killed in defending the kingdom of Argos; others relate that he escaped into Achaia and reigned there, and fome time after was killed in a combat against the Ionians, and was buried in the city of Helice. However that be, Philonomus betrayed the city of Sparta to Euristhenes and Procles, fons of Ariftodemus, one of the chiefs of the Heraclida.

These two brothers, who were twins, and extremely like to Eurytheeach other, were declared joint kings, the government, during nes and their minority, being committed to their uncle Theras. They Procles. divided the kingdom of Sparta into fix parts, every one of which they endowed with all the privileges of the city of Sparta; which regulation, though for the prefent it ingratiated them with the Lacedæmonians, yet in the following reigns proved the caufe of many grievous difturbances.

all

Agis, the fon and fucceffor of Euryfthenes, finding that the Agis. privileges granted to the people by his father, rendered them headstrong, endeavoured to curb them, by laying a tax upon the Lacedæmonians, and depriving fome of the cantons of their privileges. The inhabitants of Helos alone refused to submit, and were made a fevere example to the reft. Upon being conquered, they were all made flaves, and their masters were forbid by a law either to give them their liberty, or to fell them into other countries. For a greater mark of infamy, all the other flaves belonging to the ftate were called from them Helots *.