fkirmishes on both fides, the Lacedæmonians, not daring in all that time to force the enemy to a battle. Indeed, they almost despaired of being able to reduce them; nor was there any thing but the obligation of the oath, by which they had bound themselves, that made them continue fo burthenfome a war. a What gave them the greatest uneafinefs, was, their apprehenfion, left their abfence and diftance from their wives for fo many years, and which might ftill continue many more, fhould deftroy their families at home, and leave Sparta deftitute of citizens. To prevent this misfortune, they fent home fuch of their foldiers as were come to the army fince the forementioned oath had been taken, and made no fcruple of proftituting their wives to their embraces. The children that fprung from thefe unlawful copulations, were called Partheniatæ, a name given to them to denote the infamy of their birth. As foon as they were grown up, not being able to endure fuch an opprobrious diftinction, they banished themselves from Sparta, with one confent, and, under the conduct of *Phalanthus, went and fettled at Tarentum in Italy, after driving out the ancient inhabitants. At laft, in the eighth year of the war, which was the thirteenth of Euphaes's reign, a fierce and bloody battle was fought near Ithoma. Euphaes pierced through the battalions of Theopompus with too much heat and precepitation for a king. He there received a multitude of wounds, feveral of which were mortal, He fell, and feemed to give up the ghoft. Whereupon wonderful efforts of courage were exerted on both fides; by the one, to carry off the king; by the other, to fave him. Cleonnis killed eight Spartans, who were dragging him along, and spoiled them of their arms, which he committed to the cuftody of fome of his foldiers. He himself received several wounds all in the fore part of his body, which was a certain proof, that he had never turned his back upon his enemies. Ariftomenes, Diod. l. xv. p. 778. Paufan. 1. iv. p. 234, 235. Diod. in Frag. * Et regnata petam Laconi rura Phalanta. Hoa. Od. vi. 1. 2. fighting a 1 fighting on the fame occafion, and for the fame end, killed five Lacedæmonians, whofe fpoils he likewife carried off without receiving any wound. In short, the king was faved and carried off by the Meffenians; and, all mangled and bloody as he was, he expreffed great joy that they had not been worsted. Ariftomenes, after the battle was over, met Cleonnis, who by reafon of his wounds, could neither walk by himself nor with the affiftance of those who lent him their hands. He therefore took him upon his fhoulders, without quitting his arms, and carried him to the camp. As foon as they had applied the first dreffing to the wounds of the king of Meffenia and his officers, there arose a new combat among the Meffenians, that was pursued with as much warmth as the former, but was of a very different kind, and yet the confequence of the other. The affair in queftion was the adjudging the prize of glory to him that had fignalized his valour most in the late engagement. For it was even then an ancient cuftom among them, publicly to proclaim, after a battle, the name of the man that had fhowed the greatest courage. Nothing could be more proper to animate the officers and foldiers, to inspire them with refolution and intrepidity, and to ftifle the natural apprehenfion of death and danger. Two illuftrious champions entered the lifts on this occafion, namely, Cleonnis and Ariftomenes. The king, notwithstanding his weak condition, being attended with the principal officers of his army, prefided in the council, where this important difpute was to be decided. Each competitor pleaded his own caufe. Cleonnis began, and founded his pretenfions upon the great number of the enemies he had flain, and upon the multitudes of wounds he had received in the action, which were fo many undoubted testimonies of the courage with which he had faced both death and danger; whereas, according to him, the condition in which Ariftomenes came out of the engage. ment, without hurt and without wound, feemed to fhow that that he had been very careful of his own perfon, or at moft, could only prove, that he had been more fortunate than he, but not more brave or courageous. And as to his having carried him on his shoulders into the camp, that action indeed might ferve to prove the ftrength of his body, but nothing further: and the thing in difpute at this time, fays he, is not ftrength but valour. The only thing Ariftomenes was reproached for, was his not being wounded; therefore he confined himself to that point, and answered in the following manner: "I am," fays he, " called fortunate, becaufe I have escaped from the battle without wounds. If that were owing to my cowardice, I fhould deferve another epithet than that of fortunate; and inftead of being admitted to dispute the prize, ought to undergo the rigour of the laws, that punish cowards. But what is objected to me as a crime, is in truth my greatest glory. For, whether my enemies, aftonifhed at my valour, durft not venture to attack or oppofe me, it is no fmall degree of merit, that I made them fear me; or, that whilst they engaged me, I had at the fame time ftrength to cut them in pieces, and skill to guard against their attacks, I must then have been at once both valiant and prudent. For whoever, in the midft of an engagement, can expose himself to dangers with caution and fecurity, fhows, that he excels at the fame time both in the virtues of the mind and the body. As for courage, no man living can reproach Cleonnis with any want of it; but for his honour's fake, I am forry that he fhould appear to want gratitude." After the conclufion of these harangues, the queftion was put to the vote. The whole army is in fufpenfe, and impatiently waits for the decifion. No difpute could be fo warm and interefting as this. It is not a competition for gold or filver, but folely for honour. The proper reward of virtue is pure difinterefted glory. Here the judges are unfufpected. The actions of the competitors ftill fpeak for them. It is the king himself, furrounded with his officers, who prefides and adjudges. A whole, A whole army are the witneffes. The field of battle is a tribunal without partiality and cabal. In fhort, all the votes concurred in favour of Aristomenes, and adjudged him the prize. C Euphaes, the king, died not many days after the decifion of this affair. He had reigned thirteen years, and during all that time been engaged in war with the Lacedæmonians. As he died without children, he left the Meffenians at liberty to chufe his fucceffor. Cleonnis and Damis were candidates in oppofition to Ariftomenes; but he was elected king in preference to them. When he was on the throne, he did not fcruple to confer on his two rivals the principal offices of the state; All ftrongly attached to the public good, even more than to their own glory, competitors, but not enemies, thefe great men were actuated by a zeal for their coun try, and were neither friends nor adverfaries to one another, but for its preferyation. In this relation, I have followed the opinion of the late Monfieur Boivin*, the elder, and have made use of his learned differtation upon a fragment of Diodorus Siculus, which the world was little acquainted with. He fuppofes, and proves in it, that the king spoken of in that fragment, is Euphaes; and that Ariftomenes is the fame that Paufanias calls Ariftodemus, according to the custom of the ancients, who were often called by two different names. Ariftomenes, otherwife called Ariftodemus, reigned near feven years, and was equally efteemed and beloved by his fubjects. The war ftill continued all this time. Towards the end of his reign he beat the Lacedæmonians, took their king, Theopompus, and, in honour of Jupiter and Ithoma, facrificed three hundred of them, among whom their king was the principal victim. Shortly after, Arifledemus facrificed himfelf upon the tomb of his daughter, in conformity to the Faufan. 1 iv p. 235. 241. 4 Clem. x 10 Protop p 20. Hub in Præpar. 1 iv. c. 16. * Mensers vi the Academy of Intcriptions, Vol. 1. p. 84-115 anfwer of an oracle. Damis was his fucceffor, but without taking upon him the title of king. After his death, the Meffenians never had any fuccefs in their affairs, but found themselves in a very wretched and hopeless condition. Being reduced to the laft extremity, and utterly deftitute of provifions, they abandoned Ithoma, and fled to fuch of their allies ast were nearest to them. The city was immediately razed, and all the people that remained fubmitted. They were made to engage by oath never to forfake the party of the Lacedæmonians, and never to revolt from them: a very ufeful precaution, only proper to make them add the guilt of perjury to their rebellion. Their new masters impofed no tribúte upon them; but contented themfelves with obliging them to bring to the Spartan market one half of the corn they should reap every harveft. It was likewise ftipulated, that the Meffenians, both men and women, fhould attend, in mourning, the funerals either of the kings, or chief citizens of Sparta ; which the Lacedæmonians probably looked upon as a mark of the others dependence, and as a kind of homage paid to their nation. Thus ended the first Meffenian war, after having lafted twenty years. f The fecond Meffenian war. The lenity with which the Lacedæmonians treated the Meffenians, at firft, was of no long duration. When once they found the whole country had submitted, and thought the people incapable of giving them any further trouble, they returned to their natural character of infolence and haughtiness, that often degenerated into cruelty, and fometimes even into ferocity. Inftead of treating' the vanquished with kindness, as friends and allies, and endeavouring by gentle methods to win those they had fubdued by force, they feemed intent upon nothing but aggravating their yoke, and making them feel the whole f A. M. 3281. Ant. J. C. 723Juftin, 1. iii. c. 5, Paufan. 1. iv. p. 241-247. H weight |