8S9 
GREECE. 
effefts of wealth and luxury, to arreft the progrefs of 
what is called the refinement, but wliat feemed to the 
manly difcernmeht, of this legidator, the corruption of 
human fociety. To form fuch a defign was the work 
of no vulgar mind; to carry it into execution required 
the mofi ftrenuous exertions of perfeverance and cou¬ 
rage, Yet, even at this diftance of time, we may dif- 
cover feveral favourable circumftances, wliicli feafona- 
bly confpired witli tlie views of Lycurgus ; v/e may 
difcover in the gradual difplay of his fyltein, how the 
firft inftitiitions naturally paved the way for thofe which 
fucceeded them; and while we admire the genius and 
the virtue, we muft alfo acknowledge the dexterity and 
the fortune, of the Spartan legidator. 
But no propitious circumftances, nor the merit of ten 
years travel in purfuit of moral fcience and political 
knowledge, nor the ties of blood, of frienddiip, and of 
gratitude, which confirmed the influence of Lycurgus 
among the principal inhabitants of Sparta, could have 
enabled this great man to eltablidi his plan of govern¬ 
ment, without the friendly co-operation of the Delphic 
oracle ; which, fiiice the decay of the heroic opinions 
and belief, had become the fovereign umpire of Greece. 
The Pythia or prieflefs addrelTed him in terms of tlie 
liigheft refpeft; hefitated whether to call him a god or 
a man, but rather deemed him a divinity; approved 
the general fpirit of the inflitutions which he propofed 
to eifablidi ; and promifed to furnifh him, as occafion 
might require, with fuch additional regulations as would 
render the republic happy and immortal. Fortified by 
this authority, Lycurgus proceeded with a fkilful hand, 
firft, to new-model the government; fecondly, to regu¬ 
late wealth and polTeflions; thirdly, to reform educa¬ 
tion and manners; judicioufty purfuing this natural or¬ 
der of legiftation, becaufe men are lefs jealous of power 
than tenacious of property, and lefs tenacious of pro¬ 
perty itfelf than of tlieir ancient ufages and cuftoms. 
The firft laws which he eftabliftied, tended to reftore 
the mild form of government which diftinguilhed the 
lieroic age. They confirmed hereditary honours, but 
abolifhed the delpotifm, of kings: they enforced 
dutiful obedience, but vindicated the liberty of the 
fubjeif. Of the reigning princes, Chaerelaus owed to 
Lycurgus his throne and his life, and Archelaus deem¬ 
ed it dangerous to oppofe his projects. Inftrudted by 
the fatal experience of neighbouring tyrants, they were 
eafily prevailed on to prefer a limited to an abfolute 
reign. The fuperftition of the people could not de¬ 
cline the authority of the legiflator, when confirmed by 
the oracle of Apollo ; and the intereft of the nobles en¬ 
gaged them unanimoully to promote his meafures. 
With this illuftrious body, confiding of twenty-eight 
chiefs, the rnoft diftinguilhed in the tribes and cities ot 
Laconia, Lycurgus confulted by what means to prevent 
the political dilfenfions from fettling in the defpotifm of 
kings, or in the infoleiice of democracy. By his new 
regulations the ancient honours of the nobility were 
confirmed and extended. They were foimed into a per. 
manent fenate, which examined all matters of govern¬ 
ment before tliey were propofed to tive deliberation of 
the people. The kings were entitled, as in the heroic 
age, to be the heredit.uy prefidents of this national tri¬ 
bunal ; which, as in all important queftions it poflefs- 
ed a negative before debate ; as the members were cho- 
fen for life ; and as, on the deceafe of any ienator, his 
fon or neared: kinfman was naturally fubftituted in his 
dead ; might have loon arrogated to itfelf tlie whole le- 
gillative as well as executive authority. 
In order to counteradf this dangerous tendency, Ly- 
eurgus inftituted tlie Ephori, five annual magiftrates, 
invefted with a temporary power to. infpeCt and controul 
the adminiftration of government, and to maintain the 
fpirit and vigour of the eftabliftied conftitution. To the 
Ephori it belonged to convoke, prorogue, and dilfolve, 
the greater and fmaller allemblies of the people; the 
former compofed of nine thoufand Spartans, inhabitants 
of the capital; the latter of tliirty thoufand Lacedaemo¬ 
nians, inhabitants of the inferior towns and villages. By 
frequently convening fuch numerous bodies of men, who 
had arms in their hands, tliey rendered them fenfible of 
their own ftrength. The Lacechemoniuns felt them- 
felves entitled not only to execute the juft, but to 
thwart the unjuft, orders of the fenate. Nor was tlieir 
liberty endangered by the limited prerogative of the 
kings, who monthly exchanged with the Ephori folemn 
oath-s ; the former fwearing for themfclves to oblerve 
the laws of Sparta, the latter for the people whom they 
reprefented, to maintain the hereditary honours of the 
Herculean race, to refpedl them as minifters of religion, 
to obey them as judges in peace, and to follow them as 
leaders in war. 
This equitable diftribution of power was accompa¬ 
nied with an exadl divifion of property. At the dif¬ 
tance of five centuries, it was the current tradition in 
Greece, that Lycurgus had totally altered the political 
ftate of his couHtrynien, by the introdubtion of an agra¬ 
rian law, fimilar to that which has been fo often, but 
always fo inelfedtually, propofed in other republics, as 
the fureft foundation of liberty and happinefs. Yet the 
equal divifion of lands, or, in other words, the commu¬ 
nity of landed property, and the annual partition of the 
harveft, took place among' the original inhabitants of 
Greece, as well as among the free-born warriors of an¬ 
cient Germany. It may be fuppofed therefore, with a 
high degree of probability, that the Spartans, in the 
time of Lycurgus, ftill prelerved fome traces of their 
primitive inftitiitions, and that their minds were com¬ 
paratively untainted with the vices of avarice and lux¬ 
ury. To bring them back, however, to the perfeCl 
fimplicity of the heroic age, and to prevent their future 
degeneracy, the territory of Laconia was divided into 
thirty-nine thoufand portions, each producing eighty- 
two medimni, or bulhels, of barley, with a proportional 
meafure of fruits, wine, and oil. The kings, as in the 
age of Homer, enjoyed their feparate domain, conferred 
by the voluntary gratitude of their lubjedls. The fe- 
nators, contented with an increafe of power aifd honour, 
neither obtained nor defired any pre-eminence of for¬ 
tune. Their moderation in this refpe6t afforded a falu- 
tary example to the people, the greater part of whom 
would naturally be gainers by the agrarian law, while 
the few who were rich, fubmitted w'ithout refiftance to 
the wifdom of Lycurgus, and the authority of Apollo. 
The equal divifion of land feemed not alone fufficient 
to introduce an equality in the manner of life, and to 
baniffi the feeds of luxury. The accumulation of invi- 
fible property, might enable the ri(fli to command the 
labour of the poor, and, according to the natural pro¬ 
grefs of wants and inventions, would encourage the dan¬ 
gerous purfuit of elegance andpleafure. The precious 
metals had long been the ordinary meafures of exchange 
in Sparta, and, could we credit a very doubtful tradi¬ 
tion, had greatly accumulated in private hands. Ly¬ 
curgus withdrew from farther circulation all this gold 
and filver, aconfiderable part of which probably repaid 
his obligations to the Delphic oracle, while the remain¬ 
der increafed the fplendour of the Laceda;monian tem¬ 
ples. Inftead of tiiefe precious metals, the Spartans re¬ 
ceived pieces of iron, wliich had been heated red.in the. 
fire, and afterwards quenclied in vinegar, in. order to 
render them brittle, and ufelefs for every other purpofe 
but that of ferving as the current fpecie. Aftonilhing 
were the eff'etls of this operation. With tire banilh- 
ment of gold and filver were banilhed all .the pernicious 
appetites which they excite, and all the. frivolous arts 
which they nourifti. Neither fortune-teller, nor phy- 
fician, nor fophift, were longer to be feen in Sparta ; 
gaudy trinkets and toys, and all ulelefs finery in drefs 
and furniture,, at once difappeared ; and the innocence 
and dignity of Spartan manners correfponded with the 
primitive 
