S54 
L A W. 
about fifteen perfons;; and every perfon fnrnifbed every 
month a bufhel of flour, eight meafures of wine, five 
pounds of cheefe, two and a half of figs, and a fmall fum 
of money for preparing and cooking the victuals. Every 
perfon, without difcrimination, was obliged to attend at 
the common meal. At thefe public tables the children 
obtained inllrnblion and improvement; they were like- 
wife trained and accuftomed to great fecrecy ; for, as foon 
as a young man came into the room, the eldeft perfon of 
the company nfed to lav to him, pointing to the door, 
“Nothing fpcken here muft ever go out there.” The 
molt exquifite of all their eatables was that which they 
called their “ black broth and the old men preferred it 
to every thing elfe upon the table. Dionyfius the tyrant, 
however, thought otherwife, and complained of it as in - 
lipid ; upon which he was told that the feafoning was 
wanting. When the tyrant inquired, What feafoning ? 
lie was told, Running, fweating, fatigue, hunger, and 
third. As they were moderate in their eating, they were 
no lefs abftemious in their drinking; the Lacedaemo¬ 
nians only drank to quench third ; drunkennefs was rec¬ 
koned- infamous among them, and l’everely punidied; and, 
that young men might conceive the greater abhorrence of 
this fpecies of debauchery, Haves were fo me times compel¬ 
led to drink to excels, that the beadlinefs of the vice 
might appear. When they retired from the public meal, 
they were not allowed any torches or lights, becaufe it 
■was expected, that men who were perfectly lober diould 
be able to find their way in the dark; befides, this prac¬ 
tice gave them a facility of marching without light, a 
quality very ufeful to them in time of war. 
As to drefs; there was no didinftion between the rich 
and poor. Their garments were made for ufe, and not 
for (how; and they were taught betimes to didinguifh 
themfelves by their virtue, rather than by their robes. 
Boys were always ufed to go without dioes, nor were they 
permitted to cut or trim their hair. Baths and anointing 
■were not much in ufe among the Lacedaemonians ; the ri¬ 
ver Eurotas l'upplied the former, and exercile the latter. 
Young women wore their veds, or jerkins, only to their 
knees, or, as fome fay, not fo low ; a cultom which has 
been cenfured both by Greeks and Romans as indecent. 
Gold, precious Itones, and codly ornaments, were permit¬ 
ted only to common women; which permiffion was the 
ftronged prohibition to women of virtue, or luch as va¬ 
lued their reputation. Virgins went abroad without 
veils; with which, on the contrary, married women were 
always Covered. In certain public exercifes, to which 
girls were admitted, they, as well as the young men, were 
obliged to perform naked. 
Lycurgus confidered the education of youth, in every 
ftage of it, from the earlielt infancy to maturity, as the 
mod important objeft of a legiflator’s care. His grand 
principle was, that children belonged more to the date than 
to their parents ; and therefore he ordered the date to be 
entruded with the general care of their education, that 
they might be formed on condant and uniform princi¬ 
ples, by which they might be infpired with the love of 
their country, and of virtue. As foon as a boy was born, 
the elders of each tribe vifited him ; and if they found 
him well made, drong, and vigorous, they ordered him to 
be brought up at the public charge ; but if, on the con¬ 
trary, they found him deformed, tender, and weakly, he 
was cad into a gulf near Mount Taygetus. At his ear- 
lied age the child was accudomed to the mod hardy treat¬ 
ment in his food, drefs, red, and general mode of life. 
He was to be uled to folitude and darknefs, and to be 
brought up a dranger to impreffions of terror, ulelefs re- 
Itraints, and unjud reproaches. At the age of feven years 
his education according to the laws commenced, and he 
was trained up under the difcipiine appointed by the 
date. Education, indeed, in the whole courl'e of it, was, 
properly fpeaking, an apprenticefhip of obedience. While 
they were at table, the mader inftrudled the boys by alk- 
iug them quedions, to which they were to give a quick 
and concife, or laconic, anfwer. Lycurgus, it is faid, was 
for having the money bulky and heavy, and of little va¬ 
lue ; but their language very pithy and fhort, comprifmg 
much fenfe in few words. To literature they paid little 
attention; for all the fciences were banifiicd from the 
country. The principal objects of their ftudy were obe¬ 
dience, the patient enduring of hardfhip and fatigue, and 
victory in battle. The fuperintendant of their education 
was one of the mod honourable men of the city, and of 
the fird rank and erudition, or one of the ephori, who 
appointed over every clafs of boys, into which they were 
initiated, mailers of the mod approved wif'dom and pro¬ 
bity. Strift obedience, and great refpect to their elders 
and fuperiors, wfre matters feduioudy inculcated in the 
Spartan fydetn of education. To the old men the youth 
rofe up, whenever they came into any public place; when 
they met them in the llreetsj they gave way; and they 
were lilent, whenever their elders (poke. All the old men 
were deemed to have the authority of parents, and war¬ 
ranted in the exercife of it; and thus Lycurgus provided, 
that, as youth are every where too apt to offend, they 
might be no where without a monitor. The laws went 
dill farther; for, if an old man was prefent when any youth 
committed a fault, and did not reprove him, he was pu» 
niflied equally with the delinquent. Among® the youths 
there was one of their own body, or, at mod, two years 
older than the red, who was denominated iren ; he had 
authority to quedion all their actions, to watch their be-' 
haviour, and to punidi them if they did amifs; and their 
punifnments were not flight, but fevere. Silence was highly 
commended at Sparta, where modedv, not only in words 
and aflions, but in looks and gedures, was held to be a 
mod becoming virtue in young people. An inconfiderate 
perfon, who would not liden to indruclion, and who 
feemed to difregard what the world might think or fay of 
him, was treated by the Lacedaemonians as a difgrace to 
human nature. 
Occupations among the Spartans that were necedary 
for the benefit of the community, fuch as agriculture and 
the like, were left to the Helotes, or (laves; but arts fub- 
fervient to luxury were wholly interdicted. Thus orators 
or rhetoricians, augurs, bankers, and dealers in money, 
were excluded. The Spartans admitted no theatrical di- 
verfions among them; but other kinds of poetry were al¬ 
lowed, provided the magidrates had the perufal of pieces 
before they were introduced to the public. Mufic was 
much encouraged, provided that it was fuch as had been 
in favour with their ancedors; and they would not per¬ 
mit their flaves to learn either the air or the words of their 
mod admired pieces. 
Hunting was made a part of the education of the Lace¬ 
daemonians, becaufe it had a tendency to prevent corpu¬ 
lence, which incurred public contempt, and to drengtheit 
their limbs, and to render tdiofe who pradlifed it fiipple 
and fleet. They had a kind of public dances, in which 
they much delighted, common alike to virgins and young 
men. Indeed, in all their fports, girls were allowed to 
divert themfelves with the other youths; infomuch that, 
at darting, throwing the quoit, pitching the bar, and the 
like robult diverfions, the women were as dextrous as the 
men. For this cultom Lycurgus afligned no other reafon, 
than that he fought to render women, as well as men, 
(trong and healthy, that their children might refemble them. 
As to the laws relating to religion, they prefcribed that 
the ftatues of all the gods and goddefles worfhipped by 
the Spartans, fhould be reprefented armed, even Venus 
lierfeif; that the people might regard a military life the 
mod noble and honourable ; and not attribute, as other 
nations did, (loth and luxury to the gods. Their facrifices 
confided of things of fmall value; that indigence might 
never hinder them from worfhipping the gods. They 
were forbidden to-make long or ralh prayers to the hea¬ 
venly powers ; and were enjoined to alk no more than 
that they might live honeftly, and difcharge their duty,. 
Graves were allowed in their city ; and they buried clofe 
to. 
