Page:History of Greece Vol IX.djvu/256

 234 mSlCnvY OF GREECE. tacle of such newly-opened lucrative prizes, accessible only to that particular section of influential Spartan families who gradually became known apart from the rest under the title of the Equals or Peers, embittered the discontent of the energetic citizens be- neath that privileged position, in such a manner as to menace the tranquillity of the state, as will presently be seen. That same- ness of life, habits, attainments, aptitudes, enjoyments, fatigues, and restraints, which the Lykurgean regulations had so long enforced, and still continued to prescribe, divesting wealth of its principal advantages, and thus keeping up the sentiment of personal equality among the poorer citizens, became more and more eluded by the richer, through the venality as well as the example of ephorg and senators ; l while for those who had no means of corruption, it continued unrelaxed, except in so far as many of them fell into a still more degraded condition by the loss of their citizenship. It is not merely Isokrates, 2 who attests the corruption wrought in the character of the Spartans by the possession of that foreign empire which followed the victory of JEgospotami, but also their earnest panegyrist Xenophon. After having warmly extolled the laws of Lykurgus or the Spartan institutions, he is constrained to admit that his eulogies, though merited by the past, have become lamentably inapplicable to that present which he himself witnessed. u Formerly (says he, 3 ) the Lacedaemonians used to prefer their 1 Aristot. Politic, ii, 6, 16-18; ii, 7, 3. * Isokrates, de Pace, s. 118-127. 3 Xen. de Republ. Laced, c. 14. OlSa yap nporepov [J.EV AaKedaifioviovg atpovfievove, OIKOL rci fiir } ik"krfkoiq avvEivai /j.ul.'hov, rj apfto^ovrag ev rai noTifffi not Kohanev Siafydeip(r&ai. Kal Trpocrdev fj.lv olda avTovf ^oBovfievovq, xpvmov aiveadai vvv 6' lariv ovf Kal Ka^uTTi^ofievovf kirl T> KEKTrjaftai. de Kal irpoadev TOVTOV evena t-evrjTiaaiag yiyvofievac, Kal uTrodr]fj.elv OVK 5?rwf fit) ppSiovp-yiae ol Tro/Urat u?rd r&v gevuv e/j.nifin7.aiVTO' vvv 6' rofif SOKOVVTOI; npurovf elvai tanovSaKorae uf ^ridenore iravuvrat flp//6fcyref iirl !-EVT)S, 'K.al fyv [ilv, ore iTrefj.e'XovvTO, onu$ ugiot elev T)yeZa$ai vvv 61 roTii) fiu^ov frpayftarevovTai, OTTUC up^ovcriv, f/ cmuf af tot TOVTOV iaov- rai. Toryapovv ol 'E/lA^vff Trporepov fj.lv IOVTCC elf AaKeSaifiova MKOVTO aiTuv, fjyeia&at kirl rovg SOKOVVTCU; uduceiv vvv 61 Tro/lAoi irapaKa/iovaiv d- "MfiitvS iirl rb 6 tatcu^v s iv up^ai TTU^IV avrov^. Oidev iievroi del Oavfiafriv TOVTUV T&V emifioyuv avToif yiyvofiEVUv, eTreidr) tyavepoi elan CVTC ru i?ecj irei&o/i.evoi ovre rotf Avuovpyov voiioif. The expression, " taking measures to hinder the Lacedaemonians from again cxercis/ng empire," marks this treatise as probably composed some