Page:The Ancient City- A Study on the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome.djvu/474

 468 THE DEVOLUTIONS. BOOK IV. Philopcemen, who, at the head of the Achsean league, made war everywhere upon democratic tyrant?, con- quered and killed Machanidas. The Spartan democracy immediately set up another tyrant, Nabis. This man gave the lights of citizens to all freemen, raising the Laconians themselves to the rank of Spartans. He even freed the Helots. Following the custom of the tyrants of the Greek cities, he became the leader of the poor against the rich, and proscribed or put to death those whose riches raised them above others. This new democratic Sparta was not wanting in grandeur. Nabis established such order in Laconia as had not been known there for a long time. He brought Messenia, Elis, and a part of Arcadia under Spartan rule, and seized Argos. He formed a navy, which was very far from the ancient traditions of the Spartan aris- tocracy. With his fleet he commanded all the islands that surround Peloponnesus, and extended his influ- ence even over Crete. He everywhere raised the democracy: master of Argos, his first care was to con- fiscate the property of the rich, abolish debts, and dis- ti'ibute the lands. We can see in Polybius what a hatred the Achfean league had for this democratic tyrant. The league determined Flaminius to make war upon him in the name of Rome. Ten thousand Laconians, without counting mercenaries, took arms to defend Nabis. After a check, he desired to make peace ; but the people refused : so much was the tyrant's cause that of the democracy. Flaminius, as victor, took away a part of his forces, but allowed him to reign in Laconia ; either because the impossibility of re-establishing the old government was too evident, or because it was for the interest of Rome that there should be a few tyrants, as a counterpoise to the Achaean league. Nabis was