G R E 
towns and villages, -endeavouring', in the obfciirity of 
their ancient habitations, to ehide the piirfuit oi an un¬ 
relenting enemy. 
Tlie Lacedaemonians, having obtained poireflion ot 
the Mellenian capital, difcovered (ignal gratitude to 
their gods, fidelity to iheir allies, and cruelty to their 
enemies. Itiiome was demolilhed to the-toundation. 
Of itS'fpoil, tiiree tripods were confecrated to Amyclean 
Apollo. Tliefirft vvas adorned with the image ot Venus, 
the fecond with that of Diana, and the third with the 
figures of Ceres and Proferpine. To the Aifinians, who 
had afilfted them in the war, the Spartans gave that 
beautiful portion of the MeiTenian coafi, wliich alTunted, 
and long retained, tlie name of its new inliabitants. 
They rewarded Androcles, who, at the commencement 
of the war, had difcovered his partiality for Sparta, by 
bellowing on his defcendants the fertile diftridt Hyamia. 
The red of the Melfenian nation were obliged to take 
an oath of allegiance to their conquerors, to prelent 
them every year with half the produce of their foil, 
and, under pain of the fevered punidiment, to appear 
in mourning habits at the funerals of the Spartan kings 
and magidrates. 
Thus ended the fird Melfenian war. Peace promoted 
population; and the inhabitants of Peloponnefus conti¬ 
nued to did'ufe their numerous colonies over the illand-s 
of Sicily and Corcyra, as well as over the fouthern di- 
vilion of Italy, afterwards known by the name of Magna 
Graecia. In this delicious country two conliderable eda- 
blilliments were formed, about the’fame time, the one 
at Rhegium, and the other at Tarentum. 'I'he caufes 
which occafioned thefe migrations, are not related in 
ancient hidory ; the Lacedaemonian edablidiment at Ta¬ 
rentum was alone marked by fitch circumdances as have 
merited, on account of their dngularity, to be handed 
down to fucceeding ages. 
During the fird war of the Spartans againd Mefienia, 
tlie army, confiding of the greater part ot the citizens 
wiio had attained the military age, bound themfelves, 
by oatli, not to return home until they had lubdued 
their enemies. This engagement detained them leveral 
years in the field, during which Sparta, inhabited only 
by women, children, and decreptid old men, produced 
no fucceeding generation to fupport the tuture glories 
of the republic. Senfibie of this inconvenience, which, 
in a warlike date, might have been produftive of the 
mod dangerous confequences, the fenate recalled fuch 
young men as, having left their country before they had 
attained the military age, were not under any obligation 
to keep the field ; and enjoined them to aliociate pro- 
mifcuoufly with thofe married women, whole hud:)ands 
were engaged in the v/ar, that the city might thus be 
preferved from decay and defolation. '1 he children 
born of thefe irregular connetlions, were didinguilhed 
by the name oi Parlhenice •, probably denoting the condi¬ 
tion of their mothers. Tliey had no certain father; nor 
were they entitled, though citizens of Sparta, to any 
private inheritance. Thefe circumdances kept them a 
didindt body, the members of which were attached by 
the drifted friendihip to each other, and hodile to the 
red of the community. This dangerous difpofition was 
farther encreafed by the imprudent behaviour of the 
Spartans, who, on their return from the conqued of 
Medcnia, treated the Partheniae with the utmod con. 
tempt. I'he young men knew how to endure poverty 
and misfortune, but could not brook diigrace. Their 
Uiihappy fitudtion, and the impatience wuh which they 
fubnutted to it, naturally connected them with the 
helots, thofe miferable flaves, whole jud indignation 
ever prompted them to revolt from the cruel tyranny of 
their niaders. A confpiracy was formed ; the day, place, 
and lignal, were determined, upon wnich the Partheniae 
and inelois, armed with concealed daggers, and with 
the mod hodile fury, Ihould retaliate, in the public 
alfembly, their fafterings and inltilts on the proud lords 
E C E. 843 
ot Sparta. The time approachfcd, and the delign was 
ripe for e.xecution, when the prefideiit of tlie alleniMy 
ordered the cryer to procla.im, Tliat none prefent lho: ld 
tlirow up Ids cap (for that had been the fignal apj oiiued 
by the confpirators); and tlnis clearly intimated that 
the plot had been difcovered, and that the Spartans 
were prepared to overcome the treachery. We are not 
informed of the puiiilhment inflifted on the Helots; 
but the Parthenix were treated with remarkable lenity: 
they were not only allowed to efcape mipiudfiied, but 
were furnifhed with every thing necedary for undertak¬ 
ing a luccefsful expedition againd the neighbouring 
coads ; and thus enabled to edablifli themfelves under 
their leader Ph'alantus, in the delightful recedes of the 
Tarentine gulph. 
The Spartans, delivered from this formidable confpi. 
racy, enjoyed, above thirty years, domedic as well as 
public peace, until again didurbed by the revolt of the 
MelTenians. The young men of Andania thirded to 
take up arms. They were headed by Aridomenes, a 
youth defeended from the ancient line of Melfenian 
kings. Before difeovering their intention to take arms, 
tlie MelTenians difpatched melfcngers to the Arcadians 
and Argives, entreating their alliftance. Both thefe 
nations joined the Meffenians; and tlie fird battle was 
fought at Darae, a village of Melfenia. The Ibldiers, 
on both Tides, behaved with equal bravery; the vidlory 
was doubtful; but Aridomenes, the Melfenian, acquired 
unrivalled glory and renown. On the field of battle he 
was fainted king by the admiring gratitude of his coun¬ 
trymen. He declined, however, the dangerous honours 
of royalty, declaring himfelf fatisfied with the more 
humble appellation of general. Senfibie how much de¬ 
pended on the aufpicious beginning of the war, he im¬ 
mediately marched to Sparta ; entered the city by night, 
and ful'pended in the temple of Minerva a buckler, in- 
feribed with his name, as a monument of his luccefs 
againd the enemy, and an offering to procure the good¬ 
will of that warlike goddefs. 
The boldnefs of tliis exploit was rivalled by tlie fin-.- 
gular intrepidity of Ids companions Panormus and Go- 
liippus. While the Lacedxinonians celebrated, in their 
camp, the fedival of their heroes Callor and Pollux, 
the two youths of Andania, mounted on fiery deeds, 
with lances in their hands, and a purple m-intle flowing 
over their white vedments, prefented themfelves in the 
midd of the joyous alfembly. I'he lupei'ditious crowd, 
diliblved in mirth and wine, imagined tliat their hea¬ 
venly protectors had appeared in a human form, in or¬ 
der to grace the fedival edablilhed in their honour. As 
they approached, unarmed, to pay their obeil'ance to 
tiie divine brothers of Helen, the young Meffenians 
couched their I'pears, attacked tiie nuiltitude with irre- 
fidible fury, flew them witli their weapons, or trod them 
down witli their horfes, and, before the ali'embly could 
recover from its lurprife and condernaiion, fet out, iii 
triumph, on their reiurn to Andania. 
Thefe exploits were fufficient to alarm the fears of 
the Spartans, and to make tiieni leek tlie advice of 
Apollo. The oracle, when conlulted by what means 
they might change the fuccels of the war, ordered them • 
to demand a general from Athens. 1 he Athenians, on 
being informed of the oracle, immediately difpatched 
to Sparta, Tyrtxus, a man who had never been didin. 
guilhed by any rank in the army. He was chiefly known 
to his fellow-citizens as a poet; a character in which he 
has been judty admired by lucceeduig ages. Among 
the Spartans, however, he was regarded as the lacred 
mellenger of the divini>y; and hu vcrles were I'uppofed 
to convey the inltructions and lentiments inipired by 
the oracle. The heroic valour of Arittomenes, how¬ 
ever, Hill continued to prevail. He deieated the Spar- 
tans in three fucceliive engagements, the circuinltances 
of which are fo fimilar, that they have frequently been 
confounded with each other. They were all iought in 
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