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take them all, but only Hersilia, as it is said, for himself, and distributed the rest among the most respectable citiAnd afterwards, by the honourable and affectionate treatment he procured them, he turned that injury and violence into a glorious exploit, performed with a political view to the good of society. Thus he united and cemented the two nations together, and opened a source of future kindness, and of additional power. Time bears witness to the conjugal modesty, tenderness, and fidelity, which he established; for during two hundred and thirty years no man attempted to leave his wife, nor any woman her husband.* And, as the very curious among the Greeks can tell you, who was the first person that killed his father and mother, so all the Romans know, that Spurius Carvilius was the first that divorced his wife, alleging her barrenness.† The immediate effects, as well as length of time, attest what I have said. For the two kings shared the kingdom, and the two nations came under the same government, by means of these alliances. But the marriages of Theseus procured the Athenians no friendship with any other state; on the contrary, enmity, wars, the destruction of their citizens, and at last the loss of Aphidne; which, only through the compassion of the enemy, whom the inhabitants supplicated and honoured like gods, escaped the fate that befel Troy by means of Paris. However, the mother of Theseus, deserted and given up by her son, was not only in danger of, but really did suffer, the misfortunes of Hecuba, if her captivity be not a fiction, as a great deal besides may very well be, As to the stories we have concerning both, of a supernatural kind, the difference is great. For Romulus was preserved by the signal favour of heaven; but as the oracle which commanded Ægeus not to approach any woman in a foreign country, was not observed, the birth of Theseus appears to have been unacceptable to the gods.

* These numbers are wrong in Plutarch; for Dionysius of Halicarnassus marks the time with great exactness, acquainting us, that it was 520 years after the building of Rome, in the consulate of M. Pomponius Matho and C. Papirius Masso.

+ Carvilius made oath before the censors, that he had the best regard for his wife, and that it was solely in compliance with the sacred engagement of marriage, the design of which was to have children, that he divorced her. But this did not hinder his character from being ever after odious to the people, who thought he had set a very pernicious example.

LYCURGUS.*

OF

F Lycurgus the lawgiver we have nothing to relate that is certain and uncontroverted. For there are different accounts of his birth, his travels, his death, and especially of the laws and form of government which he established. But least of all are the times agreed upon in which this great man lived. For some say he flourished at the same time with Iphitus,† and joined with him in settling the cessation of arms during the Olympic games. Among these is Aristotle the philosopher, who alleges for proof an Olympic quoit, on which was preserved the inscription of Lycurgus's name, But others who, with Eratosthenes and Apollodorus, compute the time by the succession of the Spartan kings,‡ place him much earlier

* The life of Lycurgus was the first which Plutarch published, as he himself observes in the life of Theseus. He seems to have had a strong attachment to the Spartans and their customs, as Xenophon likewise had. For, beside this life, and those of several other Spartan chiefs, we have a treatise of his on the laws and customs of the Lacedæmonians, and another of Laconic Apophthegms. He makes Lycurgus in all things a perfect hero, and alleges his behaviour as a proof, that the wise man, so often described by the philosophers, was not a mere ideal character unattainable by human nature. It is certain, however, that the encomiums bestowed upon him and his laws by the Delphic oracle, were merely a contrivance between the Pythoness and himself; and some of his laws, for instance that concerning the women, were exceptionable.

tIphitus, king of Elis, is said to have instituted, or rather restored the Olympic games, 108 years before what is commonly reckoned the first Olympiad, which commenced in the year before Christ 776, or, as some will have it, 774, and bore the name of Corcbus, as the following Olympiads did those of other victors.

Iphitus began with offering a sacrifice to Hercules, whom the Eleans believed to have been upon some account exasperated against them. He next ordered the Olympic games, the discontinuance of which was said to have caused a pestilence, to be proclaimed all over Greece, with a promise of free admission to all comers, and fixed the time for the celebration of them. He likewise took upon himself to be sole president and judge of those games, a privilege which the Piseans had often disputed with his predecessors, and which continued to his descendants, as long as the regal dignity subsisted. After this, the people appointed two presidents, which in time increased to ten, and at length to twelve.

Strabo says, that Lycurgus the lawgiver certainly lived in the fifth generation after Althemenes, who led a colony into Crete. This Althemenes was the son of Cissus, who founded Argos, at the same

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than the first Olympiad. Timæus, however, supposes, that, as there were two Lycurgus's in Sparta at different times, the actions of both are ascribed to one, on account of his particular renown; and that the more ancient of them lived not long after Homer; Nay some say he had seen him. Xenophon, too confirms the opinion of his antiquity, when he makes him cotemporary with the Heraclidæ. It is true, the latest of the Lacedæmonian kings were of the lineage of the Heraclida; but Xenophon there seems to speak of the first and more immediate descendants of Hercules.* As the history of those times is thus involved, in relating the circumstances of Lycurgus's life, we shall endeavour to select such as are at least controverted, and follow authors of the greatest credit.

Simonides the poet tells us, that Prytanis, not Eunomus, was father to Lycurgus. But most writers give us the genealogy of Lycurgus and Eunomus in a different manner; for, according to them, Sous was the son of Patrocles, and grandson of Aristodemus; Eurytion the son of Sous, Prytanis of Eurytion, and Eunomus of Prytanis; to this Eunomus was born Polydectes, by a former wife, and by a second, named Dianassa, Lycurgus. Eutychidas, however, says Lycurgus was the sixth from Patrocles, and the eleventh from Hercules. The most distinguished of his ancestors was Sous, under whom the Lacedæmonians made the Helots their slaves,† and gained an extensive tract of land from the Arcadians. Of this Sous it is related, that, being besieged by the Clitorians in a difficult post where there was no water, he agreed to give up all his conquests, provided that himself and all his army should drink of the neighbouring spring. When these conditions were sworn to, he assembled his forces, and offered his kingdom to the man time that Patrocles, Lycurgus's ancestor in the fifth degree, laid the foundation of Sparta. So that Lycurgus flourished some short time after Solomon, about 900 years before the Christian Æra.

* This passage is in Xenophon's excellent treatise concerning the republic of Sparta, from which Plutarch has taken the best part of this life."

†The Helots, or Ilotes, were inhabitants of Helos, a maritime town of Laconia. The Lacedæmonians having conquered and made slaves of them, called not only them, but all the other slaves they happened to have, by the name of Helotes. It is certain, however, that the descendants of the original Helotes, though they were extremely illtreated, and some of them assassinated, subsisted many ages in Laconia.

that would forbear drinking; not one of them, however, could deny himself, but they all drank. Then Sous went down to the spring himself, and having only sprinkled his face in sight of the enemy, he marched off, and still held the country, because all had not drank. Yet, though he was highly honoured for this, the family had not their name from him, but from his son, were called Eurytionida: * and this, because Eurytion seems to be the first who relaxed the strictness of kingly government, inclining to the interest of the people, and ingratiating himself with them. Upon this relaxation, their encroachments increased, and the succeeding kings, either becoming odious, treating them with greater rigour, or else giving way through weakness or in hopes of favour, for a long time anarchy and confusion prevailed in Sparta; by which one of its kings. the father of Lycurgus lost his life. For while he was endeavouring to part some persons who were concerned in a fray, he received a wound by a kitchen knife of which he died, leaving the kingdom to his eldest son Polydectes.

But, he too, dying soon after, the general voice gave it for Lycurgus to ascend the throne; and he actually did so, till it appeared that his brother's widow was pregnant. As soon as he perceived this, he declared that the kingdom belonged to her issue, provided it were male, and he kept the administration in his hands, only as his guardian. This he did with the title of Prodicos, which the Lacedæmonians give to the guardians of infant kings. Soon after the queen made him a private overture, that she would destroy her child upon condition that he would marry her, when king of Sparta. Though he detested her wickedness, he said nothing against the proposal, but

* It may be proper here to give the reader a short view of the regal government of Lacedæmon, under the Herculean line. The Heraclide having driven out Tisamenes, the son of Orestes, Eurysthenes and Procles, the sons of Aristodemus, reigned in that kingdom. Under them the government took a new form, and instead of one sovereign became subject to two. These two brothers did not divide the kingdom between them, neither did they agree to reign alternately, but they resolved to govern jointly, and with equal power and authority. What is surprizing is, that, notwithstanding their mutual jealousy, this diarchy did not end with these two brothers, but continued under a succession of thirty princes of the line of Eurysthenes, and twentyseven of that of Procles. Eurysthenes was succeeded by his son Agis, from whom all the descendants of that line were surnamed Agide, as the other line took the name Eurytionidæ, from Eurytion, the grandson of Procles, Patrocles, or Protocles. PAUSAN. STRAB. & al

pretending to approve it, charged her not to take any drugs to procure an abortion, lest she should endanger her own health or life; for he would take care that the child, as soon as born, should be destroyed. Thus he artfully drew on the woman to her full time, and, when he heard she was in labour, he sent persons to attend and watch her delivery, with orders, if it were a girl to give it to the women, but if a boy, to bring it to him, in whatever business he might be engaged. It happened that he was at supper with the magistrates when she was delivered of a boy, and his servants, who were present, carried the child to him. When he received it, he is reported to have said to the company, Spartans, see here your newborn king. He then laid him down upon the chair of state, and named him Charilaus, because of the joy and admiration of his magnanimity and justice, testified by all present. Thus the reign of Lycurgus lasted only eight months. But the citizens had a great veneration for him on other accounts, and there were more that paid him their attentions, and were ready to execute his commands, out of regard to his virtues, than those who obeyed him as a guardian to the king, and director of the administration. There were not, however, wanting those that envied him, and opposed his advancement, as too high for so young a man; particularly the relations and friends of the queen-mother, who seemed to have been treated with contempt. Her brother Leonidas, one day boldly attacked him with virulent language, and scrupled not to tell him, that he was well assured he would soon be king; thus preparing suspicions, and matter of accusation against Lycurgus, in case any accident should befal the king. Insinuations of the same kind were likewise spread by the queen-mother. Moved with this ill treatment, and fearing some dark design, he determined to get clear of all suspicion, by travelling into other countries, till his nephew should be grown up, and have a son to succeed him in the kingdom..

He set sail, therefore and landed in Crete. There having observed the forms of government, and conversed with the most illustrious personages, he was struck with admiration of some of their laws,* and resolved at his

* The most ancient writers, as Ephorus, Callisthenes, Aristotle, and Plato, are of opinion, that Lycurgus adopted many things in the Cretan polity. But Polybius will have it that they are all mis