Page:The Ancient City- A Study on the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome.djvu/323

 •CHAP. III. FIRST REVOLUTION. 317 quiet cities in Greece. We know that one of these kings, the father of Lycurgus, was killed by the blow of a stone in a civil war.' Nothing is more obscure than the history of Lycur- gus. His ancient biographer commences with these words: " We can say nothing of him that is not subject to controversy." It seems certain, at least, that Lycur- gus appeared in a time of dissensions, "at a time when the government floated in the midst of perpetual agita- tion." What appears the most clearly from all the in- foi'mation that has come down to us concerning him, is, that his reform dealt loyally a blow from which it never recovered. "Under Charilaus," says Aristotle, "the monarchy gave place to an aristocracy."' Now, this Charilaus was king when Lycurgus made his re- form. We know, moreover, from Plutarch, that Lycur- gus was intrusted Avith the duty of making laws only when a civil disturbance arose, during which king Charilaus sought safety in a temple. Lycurgus had for a moment the power to suppress royalty : he took good care not to do this, judging that royalty was necessary, and the royal family inviolable. But he arranged so that the kings were thenceforth subordinate to the senate in whatever concerned the government, and that they were no longer anything more than presidents of this assembly, and the executors of its decrees. A century later, royalty was still farther weakened; the executive power was taken away and, was intrusted to annual magistrates, who were called ^phors. • Strabo, VIII. 5. Plutnrch, Lycurgus, 2. « Aristotle, Politics, VIII. 10, 3 (V. 10). Ileracleides of Tontus, in Fragm. Hist. GrcBC, coll. Didot, t. II. p. 11. Plu- tarch, Lycuj-gus, 4.