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fures and amusements. The inhabitants of Sparta must have been utterly unacquainted with domeftic economy, with lawfuits, and every other kind of bufinefs, fince they held all their goods in common, and never meddled in any trade, all manner of commerce being feverely prohibited among them. Nay, they could not fo much as exercife any of the mechanical arts, or handicraft employments, or even cultivate their own lands. This was left entirely to the care of flaves. As to the sciences and the belles lettres, it is well known, they were never held in any honour by the Spartans. This people contented themfelves with learning juft as much of these things, as were fufficient for the commoneft purposes of life. We may therefore affirm, that the Spartans, according to the intention of Lycurgus, had very little to do during the greateft part of their lives. Accordingly we find them fpending their time in converfing and difputing in their common halls, where they daily affembled for that purpofe, and, what is more, the fubjects of these conferences were confined and regulated by law. They could only roll upon certain topics. Such was the life of the Lacedemonians, which gave room to the bon mot of Alcibiades, fo famous among the ancients. On hearing their contempt of death greatly extolled, he cried out, "I "do not wonder at it, it is the only "way they have of efcaping the re"ftraint, and wearifomeness of life, "which they are continually oblig"ed to lead."

In fact, the Spartans were condemned from the womb to this dull and auftere kind of life, for parents among them were not enrufted with the education of their

own children, who, the moment they were born, were to be delivered up into the hands of a certain number of perfons appointed to rear them; fo that all the children of Sparta were fed, cloathed, and lodged, in a word, treated in every reípect in the fame uniform manner. Nothing befides could furpafs the feverity and harshness, with which they were brought up. They were never permitted to make more than one flender and light meal, fcarce fufficient to fupport nature. They were forced to go conftantly without fhoes or stockings, covered only with a fimple cloak. They were even obliged to perform moft of their exercites quite naked: they lay befides very hard, and were not allowed any of those recreations or amulements, with which it is fo common to indulge young people. Inftead of this, they were continually harraffed with ferious queftions, which they were. obliged to anfwer, both readily and pertinently, and withal affign their reafons for anfwering in this or that manner; otherwife they might be fure of being fevercly and unmercifully punished. Thus were the children of Sparta kept in perpetual durance and restraint, as they could not ftir a ftep, or continue a fingle moment, without fome one or another at their elbow to call them to a fevere account for the flighteft faults.

This pedantic rigour of the difcipline enjoined the Spartans had but too much influence upon their manners. It made them contract å harth and fevere, not to say, a favage aud cruel character or difpofition. Of this I thall offer no other proof but their behaviour to their flaves, fo well known among

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the ancients by the name of || Hilotes. They treated them with greater harthnefs and barbarity, than civilized nations treat their. beafts of burden.

The owners of these flaves were exprefly forbid to give them their liberty, or fell them out of the territory of Laconia. The Spartans carried their cruelty to fuch a degree, as to oblige the Hilotes to receive annually a certain number of lathes, without having deforved any punishment, merely that they fhould not forget their obedience. If any of these unfortunate flaves feemed, by his beauty or comeliness, to rife above the condition to which he was born, he was put to death, and his mafter fined, that he might, by dint of ill ufage, hinder his furviving flaves from offending at any time, by their exterior qualities, the eyes of the Spartans. A cap and dog-fkin jacket was the drefs of the Hilotes. It was lawful to punish them for the flighteft offence, nor could they, however inhumanly treated, claim any protection from the laws. Such was the excefs of their misfortune, that they were at once the flaves of private perfons and the public. It wascuftomary to lend their to one another. In fine, to complete the degradation and mifery of thele unhappy creatures, their mafters often obliged them to drink to intoxication, and in this condition expofed them to the view of their children, to intpire them with horror for a vice, which fo much debafes human nature.

Nay, the Spartans often added

fraud to cruelty, in order to cut off thefe unhappy victims, when they multiplied fo faft as to give any umbrage. Hiftory, for example, informs us, that at a certain time, the Lacedemonians, jealous of the number of Hilotes difperfed over their country, and willing to get rid of them without running any ritk, feigned an intention to fet feveral of them at liberty, in order, it was faid, to incorporate them in their troops. Under this pretence, the flouteft and ableft of the Hilotes were invited to come in and offer themselves for inrollment, and accordingly numbers of them, full of courage and good will, affembled themfelves for that purpose. From among thefe, the Spartans selected two thoufand, whom they deemed moft capable of any great enterprize; and having crowned them with flowers, led them in great pomp about the temples of Sparta; but foon after, these two thousand Hilotes difappeared, without its ever being known what became of them.

Upon another occafion, fome Hilotes, who were condemned to death, it is not known for what crime, having taken refuge at Tenaros, a promontory of Laconia, where Neptune had a temple, that was held in great veneration, the Ephori were not afraid to drag them from this afylum and lead them to punishment. This action has revolted even prophane authors, who have all confidered the earthquake, that happened at that time, and was the moit horrible, that had till then ever been heard of, as the effect of

The following is in a few words the origin of the name Hilotes. Helos was an ancient city of Laconia, which the Lacedemonians attacked on fome pretence or another. Having made themselves mafters of it, they reduced all the inhabitants to a state of flavery. In process of time, as often as the Spartans in confequence of new conqueits acquired new flaves, they called them Hiletes. Thus a particular denomination became general for all thole, who were afterwards reduced to a fate of flavery among the Spartans.

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of Neptune's refentment against the obliged to take refuge at the court Spartans, for thus prefuming to of the younger Cyrus, brother of violate the fanctuary of Tenaros. Artaxerxes, king of Perfia. He What thall we fay, in fine, of was there but a fhort time, before that abominable cuftom mentioned he difcovered the fecret defigns of in ancient authors, under the name this Prince, and faw into the object of Ambufade. What they relate of of the preparations he was making. it, is as follows. From time to time, Alcibiades, whofe mind was bent on the perfons entrusted with the edu- the means of refloring his oppreffed cation of the Lacedemonian youth, country, thought he could not fail picked out from among their pupils of fuccefs, if he could but inform fome of thofe, who appeared to have Artaxerxes of the projects formed the greateft fhare of courage and by Cyrus againft his perfon. In fact, conduct; put poignards into their fo important a difcovery must have hands, and gave them provifions infallibly ingratiated him with that fufficient for a certain number of monarch, and procured him the days: They then fent out the afliftance he wanted to re-establish young men armed in this man- the affairs of Athens. Alcibiades, ner to fcour the country, every full of this idea, fet out for Perfia, one at a different fide, with orders But the Lacedemonians, informed to hide themselves by day, in fome of the motives of his journey, and caverns or other lurking places. At convinced that they were undone night these young men fallied out without refource, unless they found from their ambufcade, and difperf- means to rid themfelves of him, ing themfelves over the high roads, had recourfe to the blackeft treamatfacred all the Hilotes they could chery to compafs their ends. This lay their hands upon; a cruelty the great man happening to be at this more eafily perpetrated, as the juncture in the government of wretches they attacked, were not Pharnabazes, the Lacedemonians permited to carry arms. Some-wrote to this fatrap to engage him times even thefe aflaffins went to rid them, coft what it would, their rounds by broad day-light, of fo formidable an enemy. Acand murdered thofe among the cordingly, Pharnabazes, overcome Hilotes, who feemed to have the by their offers and their promifes, greateft ftrength and bett confiitu- did every thing they required, and caufed Alcibiades to be murdered.

tion.

The treachery and cruelty, with which the Lacedemonians treated their flaves, they very often employed against thofe, whom they thought it their intereft to opprefs. Of thi. I have already given a very ftriking example in the preceding book. But it may not be amifs to produce fome others.

Alcibiades, with whofe capacity and bravery the Lacedemomaus were well acquainted, had been

The ufe the Lacedemonians made of the advantages obtained by them over the Athenians in the Peloponnefian war, would alone be fufficient to cover them with eternal thame and infamy. They exercifed in that city, fo dear to the rest of Greece, the moft fhocking cruelties. They put to death, fays Xenophon, a greater number of her citizens, in eight months of peace, B 3

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than her enemies had killed in 30 years of war. All the perfons of confequence, who ftill remained at Athens, having at laft left it in order to find elsewhere an afylum, where they might enjoy fome fecurity, the Lacedemonians were fo inhuman, as to attempt to deprive the wretched fugitives of that left refource. They published an edi&t, forbidding the other cities of Greece to receive them; ordered they should be delivered up to the thirty tyrants, who at that time ravaged Athens; and laid a fine upon all thofe, who fhould oppofe to cruel an edi.

I fhall fay nothing of another charge, ftill better grounded, that I could bring against them on the fcore of that barbarity, with which, at an annual festival in honour of Diana, they ufed to whip, till they were all over blood, all the children of Sparta, on the altar of that inhuman goddefs. How brutal to tear to pieces with rods the bodies of thefe innocent victims, on pretence of accuftoming them patiently to fuffer pain! This cruel difcipline was often carried to fuch an excefs, that many poor children expired under it. It was performed in prefence of the whole city, under the eyes of fathers and mothers, who feeing their children covered with wounds and with blood, and ready to expire, exhorted them to fuffer, without complaining, or fhewing the least fign of pain, the number of lathes they were doomed to receive. What name bad enough for this pretended firmnefs of mind?

The manner in which the Lacedemonians behaved pretty much about the fame time towards the inhabitants of Syracufe, proves ftill better what kind of a fpirit it was that animated them, and what was the real ground-work of their policy. The Syracufans were then difputing their liberties with Dionyfius the tyrant, and had just received a confiderable blow. In thefe circumftances, the Lacedemonians -deputed one of their citizens to Syracufe, in appearance, to exprefs the concern they took in the misfortunes of that city, and offer it their affiftance, but in fact to confirm Dionyfius in the refolution to maintain his ground, and ftick at nothing to carry his defigns into execution. They hoped that this Prince, when become very powerful, would be of great fervice to them. In fine, Herodotus, fpeaking of the Lacede-uias, fighting outrageously, now monians, affirms in very plain terms, that thofe, who knew the genins of this people, could not deny that their actions generally contradicted their words, and that there was no depending upon them in any thing. What ideas muft not fuch inftances give us of the true sharacter of the Lacedemonians?

What too are we to think of the virulence withwhich the young people of Sparta fought each other on certain days of the year? They divided themselves into two bodies, who repaired by different roads to a place of rendezvous firft agreed upon. The figual given, they fell upon each other with hands and feet, at the fame time biting one another, with all their force, and even tearing out one another's eyes. "You may fee them, fays Paufa

one against one, now in fmall "bodies, now, in fine, pell mell, " each body making the greatest "efforts to drive back the other, "and tumble them into the water, "with which the field of battle is "furrounded."

What are we likewise to say of that more than inhuman courage,

with which a mother of Sparta received the news of her children being killed in battle? This lofs, far from drawing tears from her, infpired her with a kind of joy and contentment, which he did all that lay in her power publicly to demonftrate. These women, however, expreffed the greateft defpondency and pufillanimity, when they faw Epaminondas, after winning the battle of Leu&træ, march ftrait on to Sparta. They ran about, in the greatest confternation, filling the air with their lamentable cries, and thus caufed more diforder and confufion than the enemy himself. Where was all this time that favage courage, that barbarous oftentation, with which the women of Sparta took pleasure in infulting nature, on occafions fo unfeasonable, as that of their hearing the lofs of their children?

was thought impoffible to rear, have
attained, as they grew up, a most
lafting, vigorous conftitution. Of
this we may find, even in Sparta,
a moft convincing proof. Agefi-
laus, who was born lame, ap-
peared, on his coming into the
world, fo very weak and tender,
that it was thought impoffible to
rear him. Notwithftanding this,
Agefilaus lived to the age of four-
fcore and four; and what fervices
did he not render his country, in
the courfe of that career?

Neither can I omit the trial held at Sparta, on the bodily difpofition of children, at the time of their birth. The moment a male child came into the world, he was carried to a certain place, where the old men of every tribe affembled to examine him. If he appeared delicate and weak, of a conititution in fine, that did not promile a latting and vigorous ftate of health, he was unmercifully condemned to perifh, and immediately caft into a great quagmire at the bottom of Mount Taygeta.

The aufterity, not to fay, the pedantry of thofe laws of Lycurgus, might perhaps induce us to believe; that chastity was one of the principal virtues, with which he endeavoured to infpire his people. mistake. But this would be a great How furprized muft we be to see,. that this famous legiflator had not the leaft thoughts of fecuring any respect for public decorum and good manners. To what a degree, in fact, muft not modefty, bafhfulnefs, and decency have been offended by the ufe of public baths, common to men and women? By thofe games, in which the young people of both fexes fought and dancedwith each other quite naked? What a pernicious influence has not this practice had on the morals of the women of Sparta? They were fo diffolute and abandoned, that the ancients reproached the Spartans with it, as an excels, which diftinguifhed them, to their fhame, from all the other inhabitants of Greece; befides, this excess was authorized by the laws of Lycurgus. to have This legiflator feems racked his brains to find out the beft methods of abolithing all the ideas we ought to entertain of conjugal felicity.

What I have related will, I believe, be fufficient to prove, that the Spartans on every occafion feemed to make it their business to ftifle the voice of nature, and the cries of humanity; and that often contrary to every dictate of reafon and prudence. Experience, in fact, teaches us, that numbers of children,whom, in the first days after their birth, it

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