353 
L A W. 
Perfians who fled thither from the fword of the fecond 
Arabian khalif. 
Of the Laws of Gr'eece. 
Upon this fubjeft little remains to be faid, having been 
anticipated in the article Greece, in our eighth volume. 
The two principal forms of government which prevailed 
were thofe of Lycurgus, (fee p. 837-841.) and of Solon, 
(fee p. 871.) YVe fliali, however, introduce a few parti¬ 
culars which have been omitted or but (lightly touched 
upon in that volume. 
The government of Lacedaemon, was originally monar¬ 
chical; and, though the kings had f’ome fubordinate ma- 
giftrates, chofen by thenifelves, of whofe counfel they 
occafionally availed themfelves, yet the will of the fove- 
reign was the fupreme law. Thus the fovereign power 
pafl'ed through a fuccertion of twelve princes, from Lace¬ 
daemon, the fon-in-law of Eurotas, and founder of this 
monarchy. Under Euryfthenes and Procles the govern¬ 
ment took a new form ; and, inllead of having one love- 
reign, it became fubjeft to two. Thefe two brothers go¬ 
verned jointly, and with equal power and authority, each 
bearing the title of king of Lacedaemon, and being ac¬ 
knowledged and obeyed as fuch. In this bipartite condi¬ 
tion the government continued under a fuccertion of thirty 
princes of the line of Euryfthenes, and twenty-feven of 
that of Procles ; and it terminated in both about the fame 
time. Difcords Icon commenced. Two parties were 
formed, and they became turbulent and unmanageable. 
By the divifions that were thus occaiioned, the regal 
dignity funk into fuch contempt, that the government 
was upon the brink of falling into anarchy and confufion, 
when Lycurgus, B.C. 884, undertook the management 
of it, during fome part of his nephew Charilaus’s mino¬ 
rity. During the period of his voluntary abfence, when 
he had travelled through Crete, Afia, and Egypt, the go¬ 
vernment had become fo corrupt, that not only his friends, 
but even thofe who had been his molt zealous enemies, 
were glad to repeat their embadies, entreating him to re¬ 
turn and fave his country from ruin. Thefe were the in¬ 
evitable confequences of that fatal divifion of tiie regal 
authority between two competitors ; yet Lycurgus did not 
confine it again to either of the lines. The plan he 
adopted was that of reducing their authority, by confti- 
tuting a fenate, endowed with the fupreme power in all 
civil matters ; and leaving to the kings, befides the title 
and honour, only the management of military and reli¬ 
gious affairs. The fenate, confiding of the two kings 
and twenty-eight aged perfons, were the fupreme council, 
in which were difcufled, in the firft inltance, all queftions 
relative to declaring war, concluding peace, entering into 
alliances, and other high arid important affairs of ftate. 
On this tribunal depended not only the lives, but the ho¬ 
nours, of the citizens. When a king was accufed of hav¬ 
ing violated the laws, or betrayed the interefts of the ftate, 
■the tribunal which acquitted or condemned him was com¬ 
ported of the twenty-eight fenators, the five ephori, and 
the king of the other family. However, he might appeal 
from them to the general artembly of the people. The 
ephori were elected by the people from among the citizens 
of every rank; they were five in number, and changed 
every year, to prevent their abufing their authority. 
Lycurgus ordained, that the magiftrates fhould not be 
appointed by lot, but elefted by fuffrages. He deprived 
riches of the influence and refpecl annexed to them. Ho¬ 
nour was the molt valuable reward, and reproach the molt 
cruel punifhment. Death was fometimes inflicted, but a 
lentence of this kind followed a very careful and rigorous 
examination, for nothing was regarded fo precious as the 
life of a citizen. Execution was performed in the prifon, 
and during the night, that the firmnefs of the criminal 
might not move the commiferation of the people ; and his 
life was taken .away by the cord, that the fufferings of the 
guilty might not be multiplied. 
Of all the inftitutions of Lycurgus, the divifion of lands 
yoi. xii. no. 835. 
was that which required, on his part, the greateft degree 
of firmnefs and refolution, becaufe it was likely to be 
much oppofed, and to occalion various and violent con- 
telts. He thought it, bo vver, necefl'ary for eftablilhing 
peace and good order in the commonwealth. With a view 
of banirtiing from the community infolence, envy, fraud, 
luxury, and, at the fame time, extreme poverty and excef- 
five wealth, he perfuaded the citizens to furrender all 
their lands to the ftate, and to allow a new divifion of 
them, that they might live together in a perfect equality, 
and that virtue and merit fhould eftablifh the only claim 
to pre-eminence and honours. After Lycurgus had made 
this diftrlbution, he thought it advifeable to abfent hirn- 
felf, that the particns of the people might have leifure to 
fubfide and cool. On his return, he found the fields ot 
Laconia covered with cluIters of (heaves, ail of the fame 
fize, and placed at distances nearly equal. Accordingly he 
feemed to behold a large domain, the productions of which 
had been divided among brethren ; while the Lacedaemo¬ 
nians believed they law in him a father, who had mani- 
fefted no more fondnefs for one than the reft of his chil¬ 
dren. After having divided their immovables, lie under¬ 
took likewife to make the fame equal divifion of all their 
movable goods and chattels, that he might utterly banifli 
from among them every kind of inequality. But, appre¬ 
hending invincible oppofition to this meafure, he endea¬ 
voured to accomplifli his object by tapping the foundations 
of avarice. With this view he cried down all gold and 
filver money, and ordained that no other fhould be cur¬ 
rent befides that of iron ; which he made lb heavy, and 
fixed at fo low a rate, that a cart and two oxen were ne- 
ceflary to carry home a fum of ten minas (equal to about 
20I. fterling,) and a whole chamber to keep it in. He 
next baniflied all ufelefs and fuperfluous arts from Sparta. 
But, without doing this, molt of them mult have funk of 
themfelves, and difappeared with the gold and filver mo¬ 
ney ; becaufe the tradefinen and artificers would have 
found no vent for their commodities; and this iron mo¬ 
ney had no currency among the other Grecian (fates, 
which, fo far from efteeming it, made it the fubject ot 
their banter and ridicule. The importation of all foreign 
money was prohibited, that corruption might not enter 
under the name of commerce. Barter or exchange of one 
commodity for another was preferved by law in Sparta 
long after it had been difeontinued in every other ftate. 
Intereft was alfo forbidden in the Spartan commonwealth. 
According to the laws of Lycurgus, the head of a family 
could neither buy nor fell a portion of land; he could 
neither give it during his life, nor bequeath it by will to 
whom he pleafed. He was not even permitted to divide 
it. The eldeft of his children was entitled to the inheri¬ 
tance, in the fame manner as, in the royal family, the eldeft 
fon fucceeded by.right to the crown. In order to provide 
for the'other children, he eftablifhed other regulations. 
The land, as well as the perfons, of the Spartans, were free 
from all impofitions. The ftate had no treafure. On cer¬ 
tain occafions the citizens contributed according to their 
abilities, and on others they had recourfe to means which 
evince their exceffive poverty. The deputies of Samos 
once came to Lacedaemon to folicit the loan of a fum of 
money. The artembly of the people, having no other re- 
fource, ordered a general faft to be obferved by the free 
citizens, (laves, and domeftic animals; and gave the fura 
thus faved to the Samians. 
Another regulation of Lycurgus, was that of public 
meals. That he might entirely fupprefs the magnificence 
and extravagance of public tables, he ordained that all 
the citizens fhouid eat together of the fame common vic¬ 
tuals, which the law preferibed, and exprefsly forbade all 
private eating at their own houfes. By this fettlement of 
public and common meals, and by this frugality and fiin- 
plicity in eating, he depreciated the value of riches, and 
made them of no ufe as means of procuring the luxuries 
of life. This regulation, however, was very ofvenrtve to 
the opulent. At thefe meals, each table accommodated 
4 X about 
