GREECE. 
SiO 
primitive fimplicity of the iron money. And tltis iron 
money continued penriHnent in Sparta alone, after the 
vices of wealth and luxury had polluted tlie reft of 
Greece, and it repelled from the republic of Lycurgus 
the, votaries of plcafure, as well as the Haves of gain, 
and all the niilerable retinue of vanity and folly. Of 
what avail was abundant vyealth to a people, among 
w horn it was enjoined by the laws, and deemed ho¬ 
nourable by the citizens, freely to communicate their 
anus, hol ies, inftramentsof agriculture and hunting ; to 
eat together at common and frugal tables, agreeably to 
the practice of the heroic age j to difregard every dif- 
tmdtion but that of perfonal merit; to defpife every 
luxury but that of temperance ; and difdain every ac- 
quilition but that of the public efteem ? 
The univerfal aftent to the divine miffion of Lycur¬ 
gus, excited the molt generous and manly fentiments in 
the minds of his countrymen. His laws were few and 
Ihort; ior the fake of memory they were conceived in 
verfe; they were not configned to writing, but trea- 
lured in tlie hearts of his difciples as the immediate dic¬ 
tates of heaven. The Lacedaemonians were fevere- 
!y prohibited from the contagious intercourfe of 
ftrangers, except at the ftated returns of religious fo- 
lemnities. Lycurgus, w'ho had aftifted Iphitus in tlie 
Olympic games, inftituted limilar, though lefs fplendid, 
feftivals in his native country. When unemployed in 
the ferious bufinel's of w'ar, the Lacedaemonians were 
continually engaged in aflemblies for converfation and 
the gymnaftic exercifes, or in rejigious and military 
amufemeuts. Agriculture and the mechanic arts were 
lelt to the fervile hands of flaves ; the fciences ofwar 
and of government were recommended by the laws of 
Lycurgus, as the only purfuits worthy the attention of 
freemen. 
In the knowledge and praftice of war, the Lacedae¬ 
monians excelled all the Greeks. Courage, the fiift 
quality of a foldier, W'as enlivened by every motive that 
can operate moft powerfully on the mind, while cow¬ 
ardice was branded as the moft odious and deftruitive 
of crimes. Tlie Spartans preferved the ufe of the fame 
weapons and defenfive armour that had been adopted 
in the heroic age. Their troops W'ere divided into re¬ 
giments, confilting of five hundred and twelve men, 
Itibdivided into four companies, and each of thefe into 
fmaller divifions, commanded by their rel'pective offi¬ 
cers; for it was peculiar to the Lacedaemonian armies 
to contain comparatively few men not eiitrufted with 
fome ffiare of fuboidinate command. A body of ca¬ 
valry always preceded their march ; fenfible of the 
w'eaknefs of angles, they encamped in a circular form : 
the order of their guards and watches was highly judi¬ 
cious; tliey employed, for their fecurity,. out-fentries 
and vedettes ; and regularly, every morning and even¬ 
ing, performed their cuftomary exercifes. Xenophon 
has defcribed with what facility they wheeled in all di- 
reftions ; converted the column of march into an order 
•of battle ; and, by (kilful and rapid evolutions, prelent- 
ed the ftrengtli of the line to an unexpeifted aflault. 
In the day of battle, the Spartans aflTumed an uniifual 
gaiety of afpeft; and difplayed, in their drefs and or¬ 
naments, more than their wonted fplendour. Their 
long hair was arranged with elegance ; their fcarlet 
uniforms, and brazen armour, diffufed a luftre around 
them. As they approached the enemy, the king facri- 
ficed anew ; the mufic ftruck up ; and the foldiers ad¬ 
vanced with a ftow and fteady pace, and with a cheer¬ 
ful but deliberate countenance, to what tliey were 
taught to regard as the nobleft eftbrt of their lives. 
But tliat continual exercife in arms, wliicli improved 
the Ikill and confirmed the valour, inuft gradually have 
exhaufted tlie ftrengtli of Sparta, unlefs the care of po¬ 
pulation had formed an object of principal concern in 
.the fyftem of Lycurgus. Marriage was enjoined by 
Xome very fiiigular inftitutions; but ftill more power¬ 
fully encouraged by extirpating its greateft enemies-, 
luxury and vanity. Lycurgus, not content with main¬ 
taining the populoufnefs of Sparta, endeavoured to lup- 
ply the paft generation witli a nobler and more warlike 
race, and to enlarge and elevate the bodies and minds 
of men to that full proportion of which tlieir nature is 
lulceptible. Of tliis extraordinary circumftance, the 
evidence of contemporary writers could fcarcely con¬ 
vince us, had they barely mentioned the faiT, without 
explaining its cau’fe. In deferibing the fyftem of Ly¬ 
curgus, tliey have not omitted his important regula¬ 
tions concerning the intercourfe between the iexes, wo¬ 
men, marriage, and children, whofe welfare was, even 
betore their birth, a concern to the republic. The ge¬ 
nerous and brave, it is faid, produce the brave and 
good ; but tlie phyfical qualities of children ftill more 
depend on the conftitiuion of their parents. In other 
countries o‘ Greece, the men were liberally formed by 
war, hunting, and tlie gymnaftic exercifes; but the 
women were univerfally condemned to drudge in fe- 
dentary and ignoble occupations, which enfeebled both 
mind and body. Women, thus degraded by ferviiity, 
appeared incapable of giving good fons to the republic, 
which Lycurgus regarded as the principal duty of tlie 
Lacedieiiionian females. By the inftitutions of Sparta, 
therefore, the free-born women enjoyed and pradlifed 
thofe liberal exercifes and amufemeuts, which were 
elfewhere confidered as the peculiar priv^ege of men; 
tliey aftifted at the public folemnities, mingled in gene¬ 
ral converfation, and, like the ladies in the age of chi¬ 
valry, where the principal arbiters of applaiile and re¬ 
proach. Hence they became not only the companions, 
but tlie judges, of the other fex ; and, except tliat their 
natural delicacy v/as not aflbeiated to th.e honours of war, 
they enjoyed the benefit, without feeling the reftraint, 
of the Spartan laws. 
This reftoration of the natural rights of women in- 
ducedmoderationand modefty inthe intercourfe between 
the fexes. Marriage, thoiigli enjoined as a duty, could 
only be contradleddn the full vigour of age ; and thefe 
fimple inftitutions had a more falutary influence on the 
phyfical improvement of the Spartan youth, than either 
the doubtful expedient of adorning the women’s apart¬ 
ments with the fiiieft ftatues of gods and heroes, that, 
by treqiiently contemplating thefe graceful images, 
they might produce a fairer offspring ; or the unnatural 
and deteftable cruelty of expofing deformed ciiildren, a 
practice Itrongly recommended by Lycurgus, and 
filently approved, or but faintly blamed, by the greateft 
philofophers of antiquity. 
In a moral view, the charafter of Spartan mothers 
muft have been highly beneficial to tlieir fons ; fince 
much of the happinefs of life depends on the firft impref- 
fion of our tender years. When boys were emancipated 
from the jurifdibtion of women, they were not entiuil- 
ed, as in other parts of Greece, to the tuition of ftaves, 
who might degrade their fentiments, and corrupt tiieir 
morals. The education of youtli, as an office of the 
higheft confidence, was conmiittedto thofe who had en¬ 
joyed, or who were entitled to enjoy, the moft fplendid 
dignities of the republic ; and it was required that tlie 
mafter fliould himielf pofl'efs tlie virtues with wliich he 
undertook to inlpire his pupils. The Spartan youth 
were tauglit mufic and drawing : the former of which 
comprehended the fcience not only of founds, but of 
number and quantity : they were taught to read and 
fpeak their own language with graceful propriety; to 
compole in prole and verfe ; above all, to think ; and 
ill wliatever they laid, even during the flow of unguard¬ 
ed converfation, to accommodate the exprellion to the 
fentiment. Tlieir fedentary lludies were relieved by 
the gymnaftic exercifes, the early practice of whicii 
might qualify tliefii for the martial labours of tlie field. 
For .this important bufinel's of their manhood, they were 
ftill further prepared, by being enured, even in their 
^ tender 
