The military invention well as the civil code of Sparta is consi dered as the nvention of Lycurgus Its fundamental principle was this, that the Lacedxmonians should place their security in the discipline and courage of their troops, not in the strength of their fortifications ; and, hence, the city was never provided with walls. The peculiar compo sition of the LtAcedxmonian army, so highly extolled by the military characters of ancient Greece, is not easily explain ed, in consequence of the contradictory descriptions given of the system by Xenophon and Thucydides. It appears, however, to have a near analogy to the arrangement of the modern European armies; and to have performed all its evolutions on the company, as the principle of motion. Ac cording to Thucydides, the enomoty, or lowest subdivision, consisted of 32 men, 4 of which formed a pentecosty com posed of 128 ; four of these again making a lochus or battali on of 512 ; and four of these last completing a mora or di vision of the army. These divisions were commanded by general officers, named polemarchs, subordinate only to the kings, who were commanders-in-chief of the forces, in vested with fuller authority in the field than in the city, but amenable to the civil power for the exercise of their supre macy. Every Lacedxmonian was a soldier ; and the in fantry is calculated to have seldom been much fewer than 40,000; but those only who had attained the age of SO years were admitted to the honour of serving beyond the boundaries of Laconia. The soldiers wore a scarlet uni form ; and the troops were abundantly provided with all kinds of useful baggage, camp necessaries, waggons, and beasts of burden, with numerous artisans, labourers, and servants from the Helots, that every warrior might have no other business but that of fighting, and be as much as possible at his case when not engaged on duty. An ad vanced guard of horse always preceded the march of the army; and the form of encampment was directed to be as nearly as possible of a circular figure. The cavalry do not appear to have ever excelled, and the infantry were al ways heavily armed, even when circumstances seemed to require sonic other mode. In order to restrain the love of war and thirst of conquest, which could not fail to actuate a nation of soldiers, Lycurgus expressly prohibited his countrymen from engaging in frequent wars with the same people, and from pursuing a flying enemy when once de cisively beaten. Thus also he provided against the chance of foreigners acquiring the Spartan discipline ; and, by lessening to the enemy the danger of flight, secured to his countrymen the probability of a cheaper victory.
Lycurgus, having completed his plans, and seen them fully reduced to practice, next proceeded to secure the continuance of the system. He would not consent that his laws should be committed to writing ; but wished them, like oracles, which were only uttered by the voice, to re main engraved on the hearts of his people with all the au thority of divine institutions. With the view of farther providing for their perpetuity, he assembled the kings, se nate, and people ; and bound them by a solemn oath, that they would make no alteration in the laws which he had instituted till he should return from Delphos, to which lie was going for the purpose of consulting the oracle on some matter of public importance. Having obtained from the god a farther sanction of his institutions, which he trans mitted in writing to Sparta, he put an end to his life by ab staining from food ; that, by never returning, his country men might never be released from their oath.* His in stitutions continued in force for the space of 500 years, and their influence soon became manifest in the martial spirit of the Lacedxmonians. They became impatient for
war, and eagerly sought an opportunity of exerting their newly acquired strength.
One or the most important of their early struggles was carried on against the Messenians, which originated in a tumult at Linnx, where the 111essenians and Lacedxmoni ans, (being both of the Dorian tribe.) were engaged in ce lebrating the worship'or Diana; and where Teleclus king of Sparta, son of At chelaus, the contemporary of Lycur gus, was slain. Tne Lacedxmonians complained, that the Messenians, having attempted tg carry off some Spartan virgins, Tt.leclus received his death in their defence ; while the Messenians averred that the pretended virgins were at mcd youths in disguise, for the purpose of assas sinating the Messenian chiefs who attended the solemnity. New causes of dispute arose ; and the Lacedwinonians, resolved against all measures of reconciliation, solemnly bound themselves to persevere in the contest, and, accord ing to sonic writers, to remain absent from their homes till Messet is should be subdued. But the Messenians main tained the conflict with equal advantage for many years, under their kings Euphaes and Aristodemus ; and it was not till after the death of the latter, that Spartan discipline and perseverance at length prevailed. The Messeuians were completely subdued, and half the produce of their lands was exacted as tribute to the conquerors. Among the events of this war, an instance occurred of.the singu lar spirit which prevailed in Sparta, and which is so gene rally accredited by ancient writers, as to authorise the be lief that their accounts, though not altogether so consistent with each other, must have rested on some foundation. The absence of the Lacedxmonians from their homes was at length felt in the city, as not only a domestic grievance, but also a public evil ; and in order to remove the check thus imposed upon the population of the state, all the young men, who had joined the army without having taken the oath of absence, were sent home, to supply the place of temporary husbands to the tt omen. After the termination of the war, the innocent offspring of this irregular con nection, being slighted by the other citizens, and not sub mitting very patiently to the disgrace attached to their class, were persuaded to emigrate to Italy, where they founded the city of Tarentum. Alter a period of nearly forty years, the new generation of Messenians made a re solute attempt to regain their independence ; and, under the auspices of Aristomenes, a descendant of Hercules, through a long race of Messenian princes, sustained a des perate struggle with the power of Lacedmmon; but were again compelled to receive the yoke of the victorious Spar tans, who re-peopled the desolated tract, which they had thus acquired, by colonies of Asinidans and Nanplians, who had been expelled from their natural seats by the Ar gians. With these last mentioned people the Lacedxmo nians had previously been engaged in a severe struggle for the district of Thyrea, which was situated within their mutual limits; and which was finally annexed to the La conian territory, a circumstance which gave rise to a long aid deadly animosity between the two contending parties. A similar contention took place between the Arcadians, who enabled the city of Tep.',ea to resist, with more than usual valour and success, the Spartan encroachments ; till at length the politic citizens of Lycurgus succeeded in forming a close alliance with these brave mountaineers, whom they were unable to subdue, who afterwards proved the most serviceable auxiliaries in the ambitious schemes of Laccdmmon.