SIS L Y C 
of Cytheris, who followed Mark Antony's camp, and was 
become the.Afpalia of Rente. The charms of Cleopatra, 
however, prevailed over thofe of Cyrheris; and the unfor¬ 
tunate qourtefan loft the/avours of Antony and of all 
the world at the fame time. Lycoris was originally a co¬ 
median. 
LYCOR'MAS, a river of JEtolia, vvhofe fands were of 
a golden colour. It was afterwards called Evenus from 
king Evenus, who threw himfelf into it. Ovid. Met. 
LYC'OROUS, adj. Dainty; gluttonous; lewd. Chaucer. 
LYCOA'TAS, the father of Polybius, who flourifhed 
B. C. 1S4. He was chofen general of the Achaean league ; 
and revenged the death of Philopcemen, See. Plutarch. 
LYCOSU'RA, a city built by Lycaon, on Mount Ly- 
caeus in Arcadia. 
LYC'TUS, a town of Crete, the country of Idonreneus, 
whence he is often called LyElms. Virg. /En . 
LYCUR'GUS, the celebrated legiflator of Sparta, is 
reckoned by the belt chronologers to have been born 
about B. C. 92-6. He is commonly faid to have been the 
fon of Eunomus king of Sparta, who was fucceeded by 
Polydeftes, his eldelt fon ; on the death of whom, Ly- 
curgus, his brother, was called to the fucceffion. The 
pregnancy of the widow of Polydecles, however, being 
loon made known, Lycurgus publicly declared that he 
fbould only hold tire crown in trull for the child, pro¬ 
vided it fhould prove a fon. It did prove a fon; and 
Lycurgus now contented himfelf with being tutor to his 
nephew Charillus, and reftored to him the government 
when he came of age ; but, notwithftanding this regular 
and generous conduft, he was accufed of a defign to ufurp 
the crown. This calumny obliged him to retire to the 
ifland of Crete, where he applied himfelf to the ftudy of 
the laws and cuftoms of nations. At his return to Lace- 
demon, he reformed the government; and introduced thofe 
admirable laws which (a few excepted) have been cele¬ 
brated by all hiftorians. He was equally averfe to a tyranny 
and a democracy 5 and to one who once extolled the latter 
form, he fhrewdly recommended to try it JirJl in his own fa¬ 
mily. Indeed the wifdom of Lycurgus, and the excellency 
of his polity, chiefly appeared in effeaually guarding againft 
the licentioufnelV of democracy on the one hand, and the 
oppreffion of defpo.tifm on the other. Power was fo exa&ly 
balanced, and fo checked and guarded on every hand, 
that no fooner did one branch of the body politic over¬ 
stretch its juft limits, and aim at the aice.ndency, than the 
others combined to curb and reftrain it. This afforded 
the fureft pledge of ftability and almoft invincible power; 
this rendered Sparta the bulwark of all Greece; this con- 
ftituted the inhabitants of Lacedtemon a band of heroes, 
who feared not to combat fingly the innumerable myriads 
of Perfia. The B.ritifh conilitution, which has been fo 
Jong and defervedly admired through the whole world, is 
formed in a great degree upon this model; fince the three 
branches of the executive power amongft us bear a clofe 
analogy to thofe of Sparta, and are calculated in the lame 
manner to preferve the balance of power. 
Beiides the grand outline fketched by the mafterly hand 
of Lycurgus, lome of the more minute features of this 
civil code^have been held in univerfal admiration. The 
influence of education upon the national charadter, and 
its importance to the ftate, did not efcape the penetrating 
Tight of this truly-wife man. He felt the neceffity of 
cleanling the fountain-head, in older that the ftieams 
might be rendered pure, or (to borrow a metaphor from 
the facred Scriptures) fluff to make the tree good, that its 
fruit might be good alfo. Such were the deligns of thofe 
laws which rendered the children the property of the 
ftate, which provided for their public education, by means 
of which patriotifm, magnanimity, and fubordination, 
were inftilled into their minds from the tendered: infancy. 
Some of thefe minor regulations proved very grievous to 
the richer claffes, and even produced a tumult, in which 
Lycurgus had one of his eyes ftruck out by a violent 
youth. His behaviour under this outrage was truly phi- 
3 
L Y C 
lofophical. He {flowed his face ft reaming with blood to 
the people, who were ftruck with (name and grief at the 
fpectacle, and delivered up the offender to his difpofal. 
Lycurgus took him home ; and, without offering him any 
injury, employed him to drefs his wound and wait upon 
him, till by his mild demeanour he had entirely converted 
the youth into a peaceable and orderly citizen. Every 
particular concerning this great man’s life and govern¬ 
ment has been given (with his portrait) under the article 
Greece, vol. viii. p.838-841. and fome remarks upon his 
laws, as contrafted with thofe of Solon, will be found un¬ 
der the article Law, vol. xii. p. 353-355- Upon the 
whole, if an eftimate of the excellence of a conftitution. 
be deduced from its permanent effeCls, that of Lycurgus 
has no common claims. It flood upwards of five hun¬ 
dred years, during which period inteftine commotions were 
fcarcely known, nor did hoftile armies dare to invade 
them. If any foe prefumed to attack them, they were 
either completely fubdued, or, covered with ftiame, re¬ 
treated. Sparta flood alone when all the other flates of 
Greece bowed either to the (brine of wealth or to the 
feeptre of defpotic power, and defended with her blood 
the expiring liberties of Greece. Nor was fhe weakened 
by inteftine commotions, or fubjugated to a foreign yoke, 
till the fpirit and force of thefe wife laws enabled by Ly¬ 
curgus were loll, and her rigid fimpiicity was exchanged 
for the inebriating luxuries of foreign courts. Plutarch 
affirms that Lycurgus voluntarily put an end to his life 
by abflinence, while he was yet of an age to enjoy it; 
yet Lucian fays that he died at the age of eighty-five. 
The place of his death is differently ftated to have been 
Cirrha, Elis, and Crete. His memory was honoured at 
Sparta by an anniverfary feflival, at which his praifes were 
recited, and which was obferved for feveral ages. 
LYCUR'GUS, an Athenian orator, fon of Lycophron, 
flourifbed in the time of Philip of Macedon, about B. C. 
356. He ftudied philofophy under Plato, and oratory 
under Ifocrates; and, attaching himfelf to a political life, 
rofe to public employments. The fuperintendance of the 
public-revenue was entrufted to him ; in which office he 
conducted himfelf with ftri6l integrity, and augmented 
the marine of Athens. He was alfo appointed one of the 
judges, or magiftrates; and exercifed his charge with great 
vigour and feverity. He banifhed from the city all per- 
fons of diffolute charabler, and made a number of ufeful 
regulations. Perfuaded of the utility of the higher kinds 
of poetry to the public morals, he favoured dramatic ex¬ 
hibitions, and caufed flatues to be erebled in honour of 
the principal tragedians. He was a friend to philofophers; 
and, being once prefent when Xenocra.tes was dragged to 
prlfon becaufe he had not paid the tribute exabled from 
ffrangers, he liberated him,'and confined the farmer of 
the tax in his (lead. He kept an exabt regifter of all the 
afls of his adminiftration, which, after the period of his 
office, he fixed to a column, that all the citizens might 
make their remarks upon it. In his lad illnefs he caufed 
himfelf to be carried to the fenate, in order to give an 
account of all his ablions; and, having refuted the charge 
of a Angle accufer, he was brought back, and died foon 
after. Lycurgus was one of the thirty orators whom the 
Athenians refufed to deliver up to Alexander. Some of 
his orations are preferved, and have been printed in col¬ 
lections of the Greek orators. Plutarch Vit. Orator. 
LY'CUS, a king of Bceotia, fuccefl’or to his brother 
Nybteus, who left no male iflue. He was entrufted with 
the government only during the minority of Labdacus, 
the fon of the daughter of Nybteus. He was farther en¬ 
joined to make war againft Epopeus, who had carried 
away by force Antiope the daughter of NyCteus. He was 
fuccefsful in this expedition: Epopeus was killed; and 
Lycus recovered Antiope, and married her, though fhe was 
his niece. This new connection highly difpleafed his firft 
wife Dirce ; and Antiope was delivered to the unfeeling 
queen, and tortured in the moll cruel manner. Antiopg 
at laft efcaped, and entreated her fons, Zetlms and Am- 
