PLUTARCH'S LIVES. ingale, he answered, "I have heard the original;" and the man who read this epigram "These "These men, to quench a tyrant's pride, men, said he, "deserved to die; for, instead of quenching it, they should have let it burn itself out." would fight till they died, he said, "I had rather havo When some style a young man was promised a present of cocks that that will fight and kill their focs." This was the of their talk; so that some have well said that philosophy is more truly Laconian than gymnastic exercises. XX. -Their education in poetry and music was no less carefully watched over than their cleverness and purity and stir them to deeds of prowess, written in plain unaffected of speech, but their songs were such as rouse men's blood language, upon noble and edifying subjects. For the had been happy enough to die for their country, reproaches of cowards for living a miserable life, and encouragement to bravery suitable to those of all ages. that of the old men first sang Dart they consisted of panegyrics upon those who of this Then A good instanco is that on festivals when there are three choruscs, "We once were lusty youths and tall." hat of the young men sang "We still are stout; come, try a fall," and the third, that of the children, rejoined Indee poetry was their were form "But we'll be stronger than you all.” if one pays any attention to such Laconian as is still extant, and to the march music which Layed on the flutes when they were going to meet nemies, it becomes clear that Terpander and Pindar right in connecting poetry with bravery. The speaks thus of the Lacedæmonians: "Where the youths are bold with the spear, And Pindar says of them "Where the old are wise in council, For they represent them as being most warlike and at the same time most poetical. The sword with song full well combines," as the Laconian poet says. Even in their battles tho king first sacrificed to the Muses, to remind them, it would appear, of their education and their former contests, that they may be bold in danger, and do deeds worthy of record in the fight. XXI.-In time of war, too, they relaxed their strict rules and allowed their young men to dress their hair and ornament their shields and costumes, taking a pride in them such as one does in high-mettled horses. For this reason, although they all let their hair grow long after the age of puberty, yet it was especially in time of danger that they took pains to have it smooth and evenly parted, remembering a saying of Lykurgus about the hair, that it made a well-looking man look handsomer, and an ugly man look more ferocious. During a campaign they made the young men perform less severe gymnastic exercises, and allowed them to live a freer life in other respects, so that, for them alone of all mankind, war was felt as a relief from preparation for war. When their array was formed and the enemy were in sight, the king used to sacrifice a kid, and bid them all put on garlands, and the pipers to play the hymn to Kastor; then he himself began to sing the pan for the charge, so that it was a magnificent and terrible spectaclo to sco the men marching in time to the flutes, making no gap in their lines, with no thought of fear, but quietly and steadily moving to the sound of the music against tho enemy. Such men were not likely to be either panicstricken or over-confident, but had a cool and cheerful confidence, believing that the gods were with them. FLUTARCH'S LIVES. With the king used to march into battle a Spartan who had is said won a crown in the public games of Greece. It that one of them was offered a mighty bribe at Olympia, but refused to take it, and with great troublo threw his adversary in the wrestling-match. Some one asked him, "Laconian, what have you gained your victory?" The man, smiling with delight, then by After answered, “I shall fight in front of the king in the wars." victory, they were wont to pursue so far as to render their success secure, and then to draw off, as they did not think it mauly or befitting a Greek to cut down and butcher those who could fight no longer. This was not merely magnanimous, but very useful to who resisted, but spared those who gave way, often judged it better for themselves to flee than to stand their ground. paigns; and Philostephanus even attributed to Lykurhimself was a great warrior and took part in many camXXII. The sophist Hippias states that Lykurgus they had routed their enemy and gained the them, gus for their enemies, knowing that they slew those the division of the cavalry into the troops called oulamos of fifty reus, This, according to him, consisted of a troop horsemen drawn up in a square. Demetrius PhaleOn the other hand, says that he had no experience in d arranged the whole constitution in time of peace. ver the institution of the Olympic truce seems to be war, Moreo the idea of a man of gentle and peaceful temperament, some at first no communication with Iphitus, but happened to er say, according to Hermippus, that Lykurgus had ho་་ be pro were why in the one divin him splen X till ACCOT sent in the crowd; that he then heard a voice as it Of a man behind him blaming him and wondering o did not encourage his fellow-citizens to take part festival. As, when he turned round, there was no ho could have said so, he concluded that it was a warning, and, at once joining Iphitus and assisting n regulating the festival, ho rendered it both moro lid and more lasting. III. The training of the Spartan youth continued heir manhood. No one was permitted to live ling to his own pleasure, but they lived in the city a camp, with a fixed diet and fixed public duties, thinking themselves to belong, not to themselves, but to their country. Those who had nothing else to do, either looked after the young, and taught them what was useful, or themselves learned such things from the old. For ample leisure was one of the blessings with which Lykurgus provided his countrymen, seeing that they were utterly forbidden to practise any mechanical art, while money-making and business were unnecessary, becauso wealth was disregarded and despised. Tho Helots tilled the ground, and produced the regular crops for them. Indeed, a Spartan who was at Athens while the courts were sitting, and who learned that some man had been fined for idleness, and was leaving the court in sorrow accompanied by his grieving friends, asked to be shown the man who had been punished for gentlemanly behaviour. So slavish did they deem it to labour at trade and business. In Sparta, as was natural, lawsuits became extinct, together with money, as the people had neither excess nor deficiency, but all were equally well off, and enjoyed abundant leisure by reason of their simple habits. All their time was spent in dances, feasting, hunting or gymnastic exercises and conversation, when they were not engaged in war. XXIV. Those who were less than thirty years old never came into the market-place at all, but made their necessary purchases through their friends and relations. And it was hought discreditable to the older men to be seen there much, and not to spend the greater part of the day in tho gymnasium and the lesches or places for conversation. In these they used to collect together and pass their leisure time, making no allusions to business or the affairs of commerce, but their chief study being to praise what was honourable, and contemn what was baso in a light satiric vein of talk which was instructive and edifying to the hearers. Nor was Lykurgus himself a man of unmixed austerity: indeed, he is said by Sosibius to have set up the little statue of the god of laughter, and introduced merriment at proper times to enliven their wineparties and other gatherings. In a word, he trained his countrymen neither to wish nor to understand how to live as privato men, but, like bees, to bo parts of the common PLUTARCHI'S LIVES. wealth, and gather round their chief, forgetting themselves in their enthusiastic patriotism, and utterly devoted to country. This temper of theirs we can discern in their of their sayings. Paidaretus, when not elected the three hundred, went away rejoicing that the Possessed three hundred better men than himself. many into city to the generals of the great king, was asked by them, if Polykratidas, when he went with some others on a mission he and his party came as private persons or as ambassadors? men, if we fail." when some citizens of Amphipolis came to Lacedæmon, and went to see the mother of Brasidas, bravely and worthily of Sparta. When they praised him Argileonis, she asked them whether Brasidas died to excess, and said that he had not left his like behind, sho gallant man, but Sparta has many better than he." said, S ay not so, strangers; Brasidas was a noble and a have scen, of the persons who took part in his plot; and in future be ordained that vacancies should be filled up by adjud to be the most worthy. Lykurgus himself composed his senate, as wo those This cn, upwards of sixty years of age, who were the most difficult to obtain; for it was not merely that a Seemed the greatest prize in the world, and also man of the wisest obtain uld be adjudged swiftest of the swift, or strongest Strong, but he had to be chosen as the best and fall good and wise men, and, as a prize, was to ower to regulate the morals of the state, as ho was l with powers of life and death, and disfranchisend with all the highest penalties. I intruste a ment, The all asse close merel decid of app cach forwa lections took place as follows: The citizens wero bled, and certain men were placed in a building where they could neither see nor be seen, but hear the shouts of the general assembly. They these, as indeed they did other contests, by shouts oval, not of all at once, but lots were cast, and ndidato in the order denoted by his lot camo and silently walked through the assembly. Tho men locked up in the building had writing materials, and noted own who was cheered most loudly, not knowing |